Can we talk about dog theft?

[Tatiannatomasina]

It is becoming increasingly apparant that dog theft is on the rise. Little seems to be done about it and most dogs are never found or returned to their owners. I think the scale is vast and relatively unknown to most people. I was totally unaware until my sisters two dogs were stolen and everyday I see more and more stories. Bring Dinky and Doris Home, Ruby and Beetle, Lets get Willow Home are just a few. If you have experienced dog theft can you tell your story here, I just want others to be aware how easy it is to lose your precious pets. By spreading the word we might be able to reunite people and their dogs, or better yet prevent it from happening again.

They could have been barking if they hears someone in the car next to them getting out or putting shopping away or they thought the noise was your sister returning and they were excited.

If that person thought something was amiss by the dogs barking or being left the decent thing to do would be to wait by the vehicle to ensure the owner wasn’t long or go in store and ask them to speak the registration number over the tannoy.

The fact they stole the dogs is they are unscrupulous.

They are not barkers, not at all. That's what we find so hard to fathom. She was not following a set routine, in a different car, locked, someone would have had to follow her for weeks. We feel it was opportunistic, but what are the odds? It just doesnt sit right and we don't know why.

That is terrible. I really believe the law needs to be changed. Your friend should have complained about those officers. Disgraceful conduct.

Opportunistic doesn't sit well with me in that scenario. Not if they are quiet in a blacked out car?

No like dodgy exDH or anything?

No bitter ex employees or vengeful ex partners. It just feels off to me, but we have no proof, other than the girls were there, then gone. They say the simplest explanation is usually right but there just isnt one.

We have a dog, a very fashionable 'in' breed (we don't have him for that reason). I am scared every single day that he will be stolen. My family and I would be truly devastated.
I know rationally the chances of him being stolen are slim because we have a very secure garden and he is rarely outside alone and we don't let him off lead when out in public but I find it really difficult to rationalise.
My heart goes out to all with missing/stolen dogs.

I would consider cctv to cover your garden, just in case. We never thought it would happen to our family in a million years. Theft can happen in seconds, and once they are gone how do you get them back? If there had been cctv at least we would have had something to go on.

I was speaking about this with my mum at the weekend. She's always very cautious with her dog and quite rightly so it would seem.

The more people are aware the harder it becomes for the thieves. I have emailed every celeb I can think of asking them to highlight dog theft and the devastation it causes.

Just keep plugging away on social media and offering a no questions asked reward for their safe return is all you can do.

We had a cat go missing once and I put posters up. Some were near a school and it was the school children that took a big interest in looking out to my surprise.

Children will ask questions such as “Where did ‘dogs name’ come from as there is a missing/stolen one just like that?” to a grandparent who may have bought a stolen dog without realising.

The hardest part is not knowing if they will ever come home. It drives you mad with the wondering and what ifs. There are large banners all around the area where they were stolen and we are trying to cover all of the UK with flyers and posters. I am pretty sure whoever has them now must know they are stolen.

Does your sisters stolen dogs have a fun page we could follow and share?

What breed were they?

Harvey's Army is a great starting point for lots of sharing and advice on how to recover stolen pets.

Supermarket car parks are often targeted particularly next to retail parks by thieves looking for bags of shopping left in the car boot unlocked. They walk along trying every boot until one opens. There's a chance that this has been unfortunate timing.

What was the weather like when they were taken? Could it have been a Good Samaritan thinking they were too hot?

Typo *fun = fb page

facebook.com/groups/315026482417824?group_view_referrer=profile_browser

Dinky and Doris are two long haired cream chihuahuas. It was a cold day and the car was parked under cover so we dont think they were taken for their own welfare. You may be right about thieves checking car boots 😭

Well there's likely to be the same team of thrives targeting the same car park daily/weekly. She needs to gather a local army of spotters to help see them and ask. Speak to retail security all around the car park too.

Is there a local community page you can do an appeal to ask on?

A well known dodgy pet site to keep an eye on is www.DragonDriving.com

Sorry it's co.uk not com

Here

www.dragondriving.co.uk/search.php?t=p&p=0&p1=0&h=0&h1=0&g=0&cw=0&vtype=0&hs=0&cv=0&area=0&s=L&k=&search=Search#AP

This is so horrible for your sister. I really hope by some magic they are returned, especially as one of them needs meds.

We were recently at a local country park with my parents and they have a rescue pug who was abandoned at the vets my sister works at because she'd had to be spayed following complications with her second litter. She's only 2 and looks very young. She was sat tied up near my mum and their jack russell while my kids played in the playground. A man started acting suspiciously, pacing in front of the dogs, stroking them, standing close and was clearly interested in the pug. In the end, he tried to discreetly unattached her from her lead but my mum caught him and scared him off. It was busy, he had real balls to do it basically in front of my mum, lots of people around if mum had made a scene and he was still going to try it! We're on high alert now and she'll never be let off her lead in public.

Apparently thieves are cutting chips out of dogs and either selling them on or using them to train fighting dogs. It's disgusting and it should be a bigger crime than it is.

I'm a DogLost volunteer and you're right, pet theft is out of control

Please sign and share the pet theft petition (then confirm your signature) petition.parliament.uk/petitions/244530

Sharing the dogs who are lost and stolen really helps so please join our National DogLost Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/doglost/

and follow us on Twitter twitter.com/DoglostUK

DogLost website ~ doglost.co.uk/

It's awful. I have a mongrel and a border terrier puppy. And the amount of people who stop and ask me about the puppy is insane. 9/10 it's nice chat about how small she is etc.

But the other week I had someone stop their car and ask me about her and I just got a really bad vibe about them. I was alone with both dogs, and they asked about theongrel but then they saw the puppy and they were just asking me so many questions about how old she was and if she was good, and how small she was etc

I then lied and said it was her first walk after being neutered and they drove off 😲. Wankers

facebook.com/groups/284730365799917

Very distinctive dogs if they are being kept together. Useless to breeders as they’ve been neutered. Heartbroken family.

No sightings in six days!

She’s looking to have banners made to put on bridges.

She’s the same as you and your sister, doing everything she can.

It breaks my heart to see so many other people going through the same thing. I just wish more could be done. Even the daily fail has ignored our messages and emails 😭 we just want to get the word out there to stop it happening to anyone else.

Its usually super expensive pedigree puppies that get stolen as they can be sold on so easily. People get some 1.5k french bulldog or pug etc and then are surprised that they cant even leave it in their own garden.
I always think thats a damn good reason for just getting a mongrel. Noones interested in stealing those.
I wouldnt get a pedigree cat as you cant let them out without them getting nicked either

Dogs are often crossed to get a desirable mixed breed and they are also expensive. Labradoodles, Jugs, Cavachons, all sorts of breeds that would have been a mongrel in the past are now given designer dog names.

They are just as expensive if not more!