Dog thefts in West Midlands more than triple in a year
125 were stolen in 2022, compared to 35 in 2021
Last updated 30th Mar 2023
Police figures suggest an average of six dogs were stolen every day last year, with one in four never found.
London remains the hotspot - but the West Midlands is not far behind as the fourth worst areas.
In 2022, 125 dogs were reported stolen in the force area with 18 returned. That compares to 35 stolen in 2021, and 6 returned.
The last time the figures in the West Midlands were this high was in 2015 when 178 were stolen. In the intervening six years figures remained around the 30s .
American bulldogs are the most stolen breed - with their figures four times higher year on year - according to data collected from a Freedom of Information request.
Dog owners are being warned to keep an extra eye on their pets as an average of six dogs are reported stolen every single day, with that number likely to be much higher as the return of dog walking services make thefts harder to track.
Walsall woman wants crime recognised
Despite such drastic increases in the targeting of some breeds by thieves, under the current law, there is still no specific crime for pet theft, with stolen dogs treated like other stolen property.
Jo Davis from Walsall knows just how devastating the theft of a pet dog can be, She was reunited with her family's chihuahua, LilLy, FIVE YEARS after it was stolen.
"It was really horrible at the time, that someone's stolen part of your family. If the dog gets stolen, it's absolutely heart-breaking. You don't what's happened to them They could have been used for fighting. We did get the police involved, but they couldn't find anything."
It was a particularly tough time for the family, as Jo's 2-year old daughter Jody was battling cancer when Lilly was stolen.
Jo says: "it doesn't seem to be recognised enough - that people just get away with it. It's like having part of the family stolen".
The report also says with 16 million people now owning a dog - 3.8 million of whom took ownership during the pandemic, -the opportunities for thieves are more abundant than ever.
As dog walking services are also being more widely used theft numbers are becoming harder to track – with only one crime reference number applied even if multiple dogs are involved in the theft from a walker.