Are you worried about dog/puppy theft?

[silkpillowcases]

We live in London and it seems every day there's another story about dog theft here: I'm not talking local Facebook group posts about dodgy white vans but accounts of pups being taken while being walked on their leads by people in cars/mopeds. Most recently a dachshund in a smart car that has been widely shared on IG.

I have a lovely family puppy and it's starting to terrify me, I don't like walking her now without DH and I feel like I can't let her off lead in our favourite parks (she has excellent recall and never strays from us but it doesn't feel safe).

Does this scare anyone else?

No, I think the chances are still incredibly low.

It's one of those things where it could happen - but statistically it almost certainly won't. I take sensible precautions - like not leaving him tied up outside a shop. I feel that the fact I walk in quite a busy park offers a measure of protection.

But - my dog needs to be a dog. He needs to go off and sniff and chase squirrels and do zoomies and roll in awful things. He is much more anxious when he's on a lead too, and is a bit of a barky nightmare.

The very real and certain welfare impacts of always being on a lead, for me and my dog, are more of an issue than the risk of theft.

It's not just London I live rural and even in rural communities the dog thefts are happening. Its a case of common sense like not leaving dog on its own outside shop or in a car. I have big dogs so I'm not worried but some people with smaller dogs where I live are and now take a walking stick out with them.

No. It's always been a risk.

It's also worth remembering that social media doesn't always portray an accurate version of events.

No. I own a St Bernard. You can't make a fast getaway with this breed.

More than I was - two lots of friends of friends have had dogs stolen from kennels within 10/15 miles of us.

I'm a bit more suspicious when out with the dogs, but they're still allowed off lead as normal. The last time one of these threads came up, I'd just been disconcerted by being followed by three lads (who werent following me at all, they turned onto a other path), but I'm not going to change my behaviour for what remains a small risk.

More than I was - two lots of friends of friends have had dogs stolen from kennels within 10/15 miles of us.

I think kennels are a big risk factor for theft. There is no way on earth I would be leaving my dog unattended in a kennel (or anywhere outdoors) as the risk of theft is too high.

The vast majority of thefts seem to be dogs stolen from kennels and gardens.

No my mongrel dog (proper mongrel not designer cross breed) isn't desirable enough for anybody to bother stealing him.

Yes I am really worried about what appears to be the opportunistic thefts happening almost daily in our area! I have stopped letting our dog off the lead .
A friend of mine had her dog snatched whilst out walking in a country lane . Van pulled up and two guys got out and threatened to attack her and they grabbed the dog ...she did get her dog back thanks to FB .

Yes! I worry about it and absolutely hate walking the dogs on my own now.

We have an email from the local newsletter, one confirmed dog theft and two suspected they didn’t get away with the dogs these are within a 10 mile radius.

We’ve also had a massive spate of burglaries, I’m not sure if these are connected.

We will be looking into and upgrading our home security this weekend/next week.

OP - I think I live in the same general part of London as you and also see several different, detailed, posts a week about dog thefts attempted and successful that posters have personally experienced. Yes, I am concerned but my dog is not one of the more saleable sorts so I am probably safer than others. Nevertheless, I am vigilant whenever we are out. Some people are a bit too relaxed about it, I am afraid. I met a nice little dog running free in the woods last week, who was very friendly and alone for a good several minutes, closely circling me and my dog, a while before his jogging owner came into view. If I had wanted to snatch him, I could easily have done so and gone before she came into sight.

@Bunnybigears

No my mongrel dog (proper mongrel not designer cross breed) isn't desirable enough for anybody to bother stealing him.

Same, our mixed breed dog isn’t the kind of dog anyone would want to steal, it’s not something I worry about at all

mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork

What makes you think you live in the same part of London as the OP? This is going on everywhere 🤷

@ohwhataprogramme

Mainly because dachsund in smart car happened in east london, a few miles from my part of it and all the other events she mentioned have also happened in our borough or relatively close by in last 2 or 3 months. I have noticed people in other parts of London saying they don't think it is widespread or only being able to cite Ted the spaniel (in ?Twickenham?) that they had heard of. I agree though, it is rife.

Good news. Olive the dachshund's owners have got her back!

To the posters who think their mixed breed dogs are not interesting enough to steal; dogs are not only stolen for selling/breeding but also to use as bait in training dogs for illegal dog fights. I won't go into detail but you can imagine how horrific this is. We don't leave our terrier mix alone in the garden EVER for this reason.

I am.
I live in Berkshire and so many of the dog walking groups are posting terrifying stories-I think I may have too much time to think-
and my small dog easily nickable.
I also think she has been such a source of comfort for the whole family-very cuddly and with DC between 20-23 and all home and all of them would much rather be elsewhere whenever anyone hits the wall or feels low she is just the perfect therapy.
I think that her preciousness adds to my worries.

@mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork I just saw that on Facebook - so happy for them!! What a relief it must have been for their poor owners. And yes, I'm in a similar part of town. It was Olive's snatching that stepped my worry up

No not really, near me it seems to be confined to almost hysterical posts on local Facebook crime pages. Has a whiff of the sorts of urban legend stories that were shared years ago. I don’t know anyone it’s happened to and I’ve never felt threatened, mines a fairly desirable breed too. I wouldn’t leave him unattended though. Not doubting it happens sometimes but not to warrant the type of reactions I’ve seen on social media, not feeling safe to walk my dog etc.