The most current data shows that Dog thefts last have increased from 2022 to 2023 seeing a raise in 6%. With dog thefts on the up, this article explores security options for you and your dog.
Statistics
(According to Direct Line, BBC News and Sky News articles)
- 2,290 dogs were stolen across the UK in 2023.
- That is a 6% increase from the previous year of 2022.
- Only 1/6 owners have their dog returned, meaning only 16% of dogs are returned to their owners.
- English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and XL Bullies are the most stolen dog breed.
- The West Midlands is the 7th most likely area of the UK to have a stolen dog reported, with 125 in 2022 and 71 in 2023.
The possible reasons for an increase, could be the rising costs for some of these breeds as well as accessibility to them.
How to add security for your dog
- Make sure you have a secure garden, things like CCTV, automated lights and large gates can be big deterrents for dog nappers.
- Keep your blinds closed, especially for street facing windows, while your dog looks at strangers it could lead to potential intruders seeing this is an opportunity to grab an expensive breed. -Home security such as Alarms and CCTV are great deterrents.
- Make sure your dog is Microchipped, enabling the return of your dog from miss informed customers of the thief and police.
- Include a name tag with address and details, simple and often effective.
- Do not leave your dog tied up outside of the shops, even if it’s for a quick shop.
- Do not leave your dog in your car, as well as being bad for heat stroke, it can be too tempting for an opportunistic dog napper.
Steps to follow if your dog is missing
- Report immediately to your local police.
- If you have CCTV footage as well as pictures share these with the police and on Facebook community pages.
- Put up flyers on your local community’s bulletin board.
- Post on your local communities Facebook pages, make your dog ‘to hot to handle’
- Check local spots in case they have just been wondering.
- Check with family and friends in case they took your dog.
- Inform your neighbours of the theft so they can look out for suspicious activity.
- Make sure your local pet services are aware of your missing dog, such as vets, dog wardens and your local council. Make sure to give them pictures of your dog with a good description of their likeness.
List of top breeds stolen in 2023:
- English Bulldog
- French Bulldog
- XL Bully
- Staffordshire Bull terrier
- American Bulldog
- Dachshund
- Shih Tzu
- German Sheperd
- Labrador
- Chihuahua
Unfortunately, the number of successfully returned dogs to owners has decreased and is in fact at its lowest it’s ever been according to *Direct Line who have been actively monitoring dogs being returned to their owners since 2015.
Hopefully by the end of this year (2024) those numbers will have come down, but until we can see a marked change, it is best to take precautions such as the ones shown in this article.
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* Direct Lines Article on dog thefts.
