Dog thefts rise by a fifth in 2013
Dog-napping is on the rise in the UK with nearly 20 per cent more cases reported this year than for the previous 12 months
For many it is as devastating as losing a family member but for criminals it is simply an easy way to make a quick buck.
Reports of dog-napping have soared by nearly a fifth across the country in the past year.
Leading dog theft charity, DogLost, had dealt with about 10,880 cases this year with still a month to go – a rise of 19 per cent compared to the 9,170 cases in 2012.
The charity estimates that about a third of all the dogs which go missing are stolen.
This year’s worrying increase has followed a rise in dog thefts of about 17 per cent on the previous 12 months although exact figures for stolen dogs are very hard to find because the police categorize such crimes as ‘property theft’.
Experts say there are a wide variety of reasons why dogs are targeted.
Trained working dogs such as Labradors are popular with thieves who use them for shooting and poaching as well as breeds which can be used for illegal coursing and hunting such as lurchers.
Certain terrier breeds are targeted for use in fighting and ‘handbag’ dogs such as Chihuahuas made famous by celebrities such as Paris Hilton are stolen for their high sales value.
The award-winning actress Sheridan Smith’s Shar Pei, Enid, has been stolen from her home in Crouch End, north London, twice but was returned on both occasions after she made public appeals.
Experts say the problem has worsened since the economic downturn and the rise of the internet which makes the sourcing and illegal trading in dogs easier.
Jane Frankland, police contact co-ordinator at Doglost, said there had also been a surge in dog-napping following the introduction of tighter laws around scrap metal trading.
She said: “I would say it has increased a lot since the law changes on scrap metal which is now more difficult to dispose of for a quick income so the easier target has become dogs.
“They are usually stolen for resale breeding or 'reward' which is a fast way of getting money quickly as owners just want their dogs back.
“It is often easy to sell online and here people can help tackle the problem by looking at adverts and thinking if it looks to good to be true then it probably is.
“Don't buy dogs from car parks or from those that offer to meet half way to avoid a long journey.
“A thief will look at everyway to gain money fast and dogs seem to be an easier target due to the emotional attachment owners have more than the actual monetary value of the dog.”
Ms Frankland said a common trick was for thieves to wait until money is offered for the return of the missing animal then pretend they bought it without realising it was stolen.
“Often they will wait for reward poster to appear then make contact stating they have just bought a dog, usually from an unknown person in a pub or car park, and have then seen a missing poster and did not realize but have now paid out £xxx for this dog so cannot afford to loose out.
“Often the owners are only too pleased to get their dog back so pay out and more than likely to the very person that took them.
“On other occasions the dog can be held to ransom. This is extremely distressing for owners who can often be played in order to get a huge amount to get their dog back.”
Dogs are taken from kennels and outhouses as well as gardens and vehicles.
Jodie Ferrier, 31, had her beloved Springer-Cocker Spaniel cross – or ‘Sprocker’ - Fern stolen from her farm in Malden Rushett when her back was turned for a matter of two minutes.
She said: “We were outside the front of our house doing some work in the horses’ field and all four of our dogs were outside with us.
“Our farm is on quite a busy road, it’s quite usual for people to turn down the driveway.
“And one minute she was there then the next minute she was just gone. I noticed she wasn’t there so we instantly started searching, calling and everything oh, maybe she’s wandered off which would be unusual.
“And nothing, nothing at all. We searched and searched and she had just vanished.
“I am convinced she was stolen because you can drive about 20ft up the driveway without being seen from where we were and it would be very easy to then get back out onto the road.
“Fern is so friendly, she would always come over to say hello, whereas our other dogs are much more suspicious. I think someone just grabbed her.
“We would have heard something by now if she had run off, we would have found her or she would have been hit by a car or something.”
Jodie and her husband Thomas, 34, bought Fern for just £200 from a breeder in Shropshire for their three-year-old son Ethan.
She was just 14 months old and had been microchipped and was wearing a collar with an ID tag when she disappeared last April but despite numerous appeals Jodie has had no news of the dog since.
Jodie said: “She’s not worth much, I would never have thought she’d be a target but since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got their dog, which looks just like Fern, they’ve become fashionable.
"We’ve had nothing at all, she has completely vanished, nobody’s seen her.
“Ethan was heartbroken by it, when she first went missing there were about two months when he started wetting the bed again, he would wake up in the night and start looking for her because she used to sleep on his bed.
“He still asks if she is coming home. We told him that she’s gone to the shops.
“People don’t realise but it is like losing a member of your family.
“It is devastating.”
The family are now moving away from the area and Jodie claims a large part of the reason is to avoid going through such a trauma again.
Jodie added: “You just cannot take your eye off them for a second.
“Don’t leave them tied up outside shops, don’t leave them in vehicles, just don’t leave them alone anywhere they can be taken.”
Marie Pritchard, 53, and her husband David, had their 16-month-old Labrador Tank stolen from their home in Healing, Lincs.
The couple decided to breed from their two older pet Labradors and sold all the puppies to new owners except Tank, who they chose to keep.
Marie said: “We had had him from when he was born.
“He was our daughter Phaedra’s favourite because he was the biggest and chunkiest of the litter.
“I was ill one day and stayed in bed and Phaedra let the dogs out into the garden.
“When I came down we called them in and our other dog Harvey came back but Tank didn’t come back.
“We went hunting around to see if we could find him.
“Beside the house there’s a road on an embankment which crosses the motorway. At the top of that hill there was a white van and as we approached it disappeared.
“We never saw Tank again so we presume he was just hoisted over the fence.
“We’ve heard nothing since.
“We live in a fairly secluded area and it’s not a through road, so somebody must have sussed out the fact this dog was here in order to actually come over purposefully to take him.
“I do believe if we hadn’t called Harvey in they would have tried to grab him too.”
Marie said the family were devastated after losing Tank.
She said: “He was part of the family.
“You can’t replace dogs like that.
“My only thought now is I hope he went somewhere they are looking after him but you just don’t know.”
Marie wants to see tighter regulations around microchipping which make it obligatory for councils and vets to check a dog for chips if an unknown animal is brought to them.
She said: “Not everyone checks chips and what is the point of doing it if people don’t check.
“It’s no guarantee but it might help a few more people get their dogs back.”
Dog welfare campaigners urge people to ensure their animals are microchipped, with the correct details are stored on a reliable pet database, and that they wear an ID tagged collar.
Chris Jay at Pets Bureau Support said: “Always microchip and collar tag your dog.
“It is always a good idea to keep up to date pictures of your pets.
“Make sure garden gates are locked and train your dog to come when called as it is not uncommon for dogs to be stolen while playing in parks."
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