What Are UK’s Most Stolen Dogs?

2020 and 2021 saw huge increases in the number of pets being bought as we all stayed at home due to the rise of the pandemic. We had more time to give our pets and they became our treasured companions, filling our days with joy.

The rise in the new pet population estimated by the Pet Food Manufacturers, Association, was actually around an estimated 2.5 million more dogs as there were cats, bringing the totals to an estimated 12.5 millions dogs residing in the UK and about the same number of cats, 12.5 million.

As the population grew rapidly so did alarmingly pet theft. Many distressing reports being posted on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, social media accounts daily with the sites being inundated for the public’s help and support to find readers missing pets.

As the prices of dog and cat breeds escalated with the increased demand, so did the thefts, recording some very ugly scenes of owners being physically assaulted as members of the public stole their dogs grapping the dogs on their leads. It wasn’t a different story either in the US with such high profile cases as Lady Gaga’s dog walker being shot at for her dogs whilst he was out dog walking.

Prices went sky high for the most popular breeds which also had a knock on affect of generally increasing pet insurance.

Some pets disappear of their own free will for a number of reasons as we’ve discussed recently in the Pet Check blog ‘Whats the best way to find my missing pet?’ It can be a very distressing ordeal not knowing if your pet has actually been dognapped, catnapped or they’ve gone missing of their own accord. Our article provides the best tips to contact the relevant authorities and advertise after a good search of the home and outbuildings, and good practice when on holiday, staycations, weekend breaks, in new surroundings particularly with your dog who will be keen to explore the neighbourhood. It also provides tips on how to try and prevent loss in the first place.

Whats The Best Way To Find My Missing Pet?

Keep pets, dogs, cats safe in gardens. What If my…

Keep reading

So What’s Being Done To Stop The Rise In Pet Theft?

During the last 18 months or so, police forces up and down the country were starting to receive many more calls from despairing pet owners about their pets being stolen, where The Kennel Club stating that as many as 52% of all pet thefts being recorded by pet owners were from their gardens whilst their pets were exercising and playing. A truly audacious crime as thieving and stealing pets is classed as a crime with a maximum sentence of prison. Clearly this is not a big enough deterrent currently.

It saw the new appointments, starting in the Nottinghamshire Constabulary, of dedicated police officers helping with these pet theft enquiries, who believe that dog theft has increased by 250% during the pandemic.

Money.co.uk have detailed their Freedom of Information requests to police constabularies up and down the country, for pet theft information, the information now compiled in a report by Salman Haqqi, with surprising, and not-so surprising results.

The report concluded, not surprisingly, that London was the UK’s pet theft hotspot over the past five years followed by Yorkshire towns and Leeds city with ‘Staffies’, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the most popular breed of dog theft, followed by chihuahua’s and French bulldogs. It has to be noted that Yorkshire is the largest county outside of London so perhaps geographical reporting may be in question here.

However, the FOI request outlined that the German shepherd dog was now seeing the biggest rise overall in dog theft. Note that some police forces did not distinguish between breeds and mixed breeds, (sometimes can be referred to as mongrels), in their reporting.

5 Important Tips

\\\ Pet Theft Insurance Tips

\\\ Police Tips

\\\ Stay Alert Tips

\\\ Dog Theft At Parliament

\\\ More Information