It's estimated 45 dogs a WEEK are being stolen in the UK
New statistics reveal 196 cases of dog theft every month
It’s estimated nearly 200 dogs are stolen every month across the UK.
New statistics show there were an estimated 2,355 cases of dog theft in 2020, which is a seven percent increase on 2019 (2,199). This amounts to more than 196 dogs being stolen every single month.
The Kennel Club put in Freedom of Information requests to the 45 police forces in the UK, to which 36 responded confirming 1,751 thefts, and from those figures, it was estimated 604 dogs were stolen from those police forces which didn’t respond.
There are also concerns about a failure to tackle the crime, based on the 27 police forces that gave data, only two percent of all dog theft cases in the UK led to a suspect being charged
The North West is worst for dog-thefts
In the North West there were an estimated 335 dog thefts in 2020 – the highest in the UK – but only one suspect was charged.
No suspect was identified in over a quarter of these reported dog theft cases in the North West (28 percent) and in 9 percent a suspect was identified but no action was taken, due to ‘evidential difficulties.
Over 500 dogs stolen since start of government taskforce
The statistics are revealed 79 days after the Government’s Pet Theft Taskforce was established (8 May) to help tackle the issue – in which time another 508 dogs have been stolen. The Kennel Club is urging more transparent recording of pet theft on a central database, so that underlying causes of dog theft can be tackled and for the emotional value of dogs to be recognised in sentencing.
“Dog theft has devastating consequences for both the owners and the animals involved and it is quite frankly jaw dropping that 98 per cent of cases never result in a criminal charge and in more than half, no suspect is ever identified,” said Bill Lambert, Health, Welfare and Breeder Services Executive at The Kennel Club.
“Not only that but when a sentence is handed out it is often treated no more seriously than a petty crime, despite the fact that there is nothing ‘petty’ about pet theft. The low charge rates and the paltry sentences are an almost open invitation to criminals looking to target innocent dog owners.
“Whilst most people will never be unfortunate enough to fall victim to this crime, those that do are left totally bereft but without a clear route to justice. We welcome the Government taking this issue seriously and hope that the Taskforce can deliver meaningful change that will give greater transparency in how we report and record this crime, and deliver more proportionate sentences that treat dog theft with the seriousness it deserves.”
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