Dog theft is it increasing?

I signed a petition about it sazzl, it scares me to death. I'd be lost without my dog, and don't know what I'd do if he was stolen. We live on a country lane, quite busy, and my neighbour's springer chased the milkman seven weeks ago, and has not been sighted, at all. Poor Dillon, I can't imagine what happened to him, obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I cannot believe visitors tie their dogs up outside shops/leave them in their cars.

I never leave my dog alone in the garden, and have also started locking all of my garden gates. Even though the gates aren't that strong and could probably be pushed down by a determined thief, it would give me those few minutes.

The latest trick seems to be someone bending down and asking if they can pet your dog - they then unclip the lead, pick the dog up and run to a waiting car. In Morpeth a woman was walking her small dog and a boy was lying flat out on the ground - her dog ran up and sniffed him, and he grabbed him and ran. Never seen again.

Society is in such a a mess, there aren't any police around any more to ask for help in such an emergency, everyone needs to help each other. I might get a rape alarm, at least it would attract attention if I was in trouble.

My neighbours springer was being walkedc

All our neighbourhood cats are seemingly going missing and even though I hate them pooing in my garden, it’s not me gov honest

Are you sure BlueBelle ? ??

If you chose a less bred to almost incapacity breed, dog theft is less likely as the theft is often "to order".

Actually notanan , its not just pedigree breeds that are at risk.

Thieves wanting bait dogs will steal anything with 4 legs , and also lurcher' hound type mongrels are at risk for baiting and coursing. With the changes to the puppy mills becoming law they are looking to steal for breeding and with the current trend for 'designer' mongrels ( think Cockapoo and Labradoodle) they are happy to take pretty much anything.

The cross breeds are as desirable as pure breeds yes, but theyre not (healthier) "mutts"

Certain breeds are taken for dog fighting, others are taken for selling.

The "insta-pet" trend of particularly cross breed owners joining facebokk groups and having pet insta accoubts also makes dogs vulnerable.

With the dog fighting there's also a degree of novely to get keep the betting interesting, so newer novelty cross breeds and pure breeds are used for that too not just "fighting" breeds

We have a spate of cat killings by a lurcher and people know owns it the police are investigating, but in that area i would be keeping my cats in.
Mine are mainly house cats and dont go anywhere except in my very enclosed garden which because of the way the gardens are , no one can actually get in ,, but it is terrible
Also a new law supposed to be being passed for up to 5 years in prison for dog thefts, but been put back now because of all the chaos with this Government

It really worries me as I would like to breed a litter next year from my bitch who is the sweetest nicest dog ever. Lots of family members would like a puppy so no shortage of homes but would need CcTv and burglar alarms installed first. My other dog has guarding behaviour so nobody would risk taking her from the car boot. You could hear her barking miles away if anyone looks in the car window. Very soft and loving out and about. Anyone knock on the door and she's off like a siren though. They are my whole world and our family.

Can we just please have less dogs and cats? My (lovely but eccentric) neighbour has 5 cars and 2 dogs at the last count. My veg plot is obviously their loo and other neighbour’s Gardens too. Poor fledglings in the spring too.

Cats not cars!

Best thing you can do I'd get your pet microchiped.
If stolen and they are scanned at UK borders or at the vets by whomever they are sold to they should be re united to you.
Vets are supposed to check chips at annual vaccination. Even if the pet has been sold they remain your property.

I can't believe a lot of people still don't chip their pets, even though my cats are mainly house cats they are all chipped, but it is the law now to chip dogs, and it is still not always done
Dogs and cats would be reunited with their owners much quicker if they were lost
I don't know why some puppies are kept in sheds or barns either, obviously they can be heard barking and anyone passing could steal them,

Unfortunately Merryweather, there is no compulsion for vets to scan pets to check their microchips to check the ownership. I think there was a petition for it to be a requirement but as far as I know, it came to nowt.

OK - I'm an old leftie, but austerity has brought out the worst in people. However much government propaganda bangs on about employment being at its highest, the jobs are low-paid, low-respect jobs. I'm talking about companies like Amazon, Deliveroo, Uber etc. - staff conditions are completely unacceptable - and it will get worse when we leave Europe. So people want to earn a fast buck. Society, too, has desiccated since Thatcher's edicts. Education - really good education, not tied to a curriculum - is now the domain of the elite. We can't go back to the days of compassion and respectful behaviour until we change society's values away from instant gratification and entitlement. I am an animal lover, a vegan and a Green Party member. The disgusting treatment of animals is not just using them for cruel sports, it is lining them up, terrified, in a killing house so that we can eat them. No animal lover eats meat. Sorry if I am upsetting sensibilities - but that's where this argument goes, ultimately. And yes, I have owned dogs, but always rescue dogs, regardless of breed. So hit me.

Designer dogs and too many people willing to spend a fortune!
Unscrupulous people cashing in.

Go Emilymaria! Spot on, on all points!

Someone tried to get the PILs dog - guy in a van stopped to ask fil for directions meanwhile his mate was trying to unclip the lead. Fil was alerted because his normally "laid back" dog started growling.

I am amazed at the amount of really expensive dogs in my area and most people have more than one! Im talking about dogs who are £1000 each and I do not live in a well-to-do area. How do folk afford them? A person I know has just bought a pup for £800, yet always complain about money. However, Im off point here. Sadly, I think the increase in dog theft is related to more people buying ridiculously expensive dogs. Therefore, unscrupulous people know the value of them. If I had dogs I would certainly be more vigilant now and they would not be off the lead. In my area, there have been cases of people in vans trying to engage dog owners in conversation, there are quite a few posters in the bus stops about missing dogs. There have been one or two cases of dogs being taken from back gardens. Yes, I would say it is on the increase. Just be vigilant with your pets and I personally would keep them on the lead.

Here in SE we had a three legged dog stolen from a disabled lady by a woman the worse for drink who snatched the dog and boarded a bus with it. It has just been found in Birmingham!

Unfortunately micro chipping is not always successful unless it is actually registeted, especially if the dog changes owners. I have been at the vets when they have been trying to trace the owners of dogs brought in, chipped but the details are invalid.

Some puppies could be getting stolen due to owners advertising them unfortunately. I believe that these dreadful people scan Facebook, Gumtree and the local papers. They then ring up enquiring pretending to be potential buyers, and then they are in.
Just want to add also as did someone else that the amount of cats going missing is absolutely unbelievable. What is happening to them ?

It would help if prison sentences were longer for dog theft. It would help if vets were required to check chips - not a requirement currently unfortunately. It would help if folk kept chip details up to date and made sure their Pets chip has been registered - sadly loads of dogs with unregistered chips or details not up to date within Dog Rescue establishments. This would be a huge start - dogs should be like a car and have a registered keeper. The people who support dog fighting in any form are the lowest of the low - the frightening thing is it occurs throughout the uk.

It’s absoluely heartbreaking.dogs and cats getting stolen just to be sold on to order or for bait or fighting, would never let our dog off the lead in a public place and our dog is a highly trained working service dog, our beloved cats are strictly indoors. It sickens me to hear about these thefts and of course the cat killer that has been mutilating cats rabbits etc for years and hasn’t been found yet, always reading posts of men in vans following dog walkers n trying to grab their dogs, concerns me too seeing dogs tied up outside shops, when are owners going to understand that in today’s society we cannot do this anymore