Dog theft? How big an issue?

[maxapple]

My fb feed seems to constantly have people looking for their dogs who have either gone missing, or more worrying been stolen from homes.

How much of an issue is this? And why do people steal dogs? Is it to breed from or to sell on (which would be hard with microchips I guess)

Is it more of an issue with expensive breeds?

I find it really worrying.

 

[Princess16]

I agree with you my FB page is full of them going missing. I think the trend for Labradoodles, cockapoos, jugs and the like are making some steal to order. Makes me laugh to think back in the day these dogs were effectively "mongrels" and you couldn't give them away! Yet they are so expensive these days. So sad really. I can't imagine how you'd feel having your own stolen. So important to have them chipped.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

I'm in a springer group and there are frequent posts; one pregnant bitch was taken from a van. I keep hearing terrible stories of burly blokes running up, chucking a lead on and running off with dogs. I think it's less designer mongrels being taken, more dog fight bait

 

[GeeGeeboy]

This is my biggest nightmare. I've heard of dogs being taken from inside houses, cars, outside shops (not that I would ever leave my dogs outside a shop) and even out on walks. No where seems safe. I know someone who almost had their Springer stolen by two men who just tried to grab the lead of the woman as she walked him in broad daylight. Very, very scary.

 

[Dobiegirl]

FB is full of it,there do seem to be a lot of gun dogs being stolen which are obviously going to be sold on but lots of Staffies as well which Im sure will be used as bait. The dogs being stolen from gardens are a worry and so I make sure my dogs are never in the garden unsupervised.

 

[AmyMay]

My absolute worse fear.

 

[SadKen]

Yep, terrifying.

I am hopeful that nobody would really want my two gsds; they are too big really for dog fighting bait, and no good for breeding as very few people will pay top whack for a gsd without a pedigree or history. Luckily they just aren't fashionable right now compared to a lot of other breeds and the rewards for theft aren't the best.

Didn't stop me panicking when I realised burglars were active in our area, and had stood on my back step long enough to eat a doughnut.

If I won lotto I'd make it my mission by hook or by crook to put an end to dog fighting around here at least, and to wreak vengeance on those who are involved. Like batman would do. Hideous activity.

 

[maxapple]

It's really scarey isn't it. We used to live in a house with a big garden and a cat flap so the dogs had the run of the house and garden all day. We've moved now but I wouldn't do that anymore I don't think.

When did Dog fighting become so fashionable again - it's awful.

It's my worst fear too having a dog taken. I'd be heart broken to lose my two in any way, but not knowing what has happened to them must be terrible.

 

[Smitty]

My terrier went missing in may 2010. We were walking 5 mins from home, he was off lead on a riverbank path and about 10 yards in front, a bend in the path and he vanished. No holes to go down, he kept well away from any water so I will never believe he went in there, but the path ran alongside light industrial units and he did love to find a gap under a fence. All sorts of people in vans/lorries used the industrial estate and I'm convinced he was taken.

He was chipped, tagged and castrated and also muzzled as a nasty piece of work from a rescue centre. However, he was my life and I was devastated.

If you like a terrier, he certainly looked the part but iI don't believe many people would think him an ideal pet so I prefer to think he met his maker in a badger hole.

I posted, advertised, searched any possible lead, went up and down the river bank for weeks and no lead at all. After 6 weeks I contacted an animal communicator who told me he had gone under the fence and lured with food as he was so good looking! (Smiffys words apparently!). He was living under a caravan and they were going to pass him on. She told me so much about him and our life that she could not possibly have got from the internet or the pics and one sentence she requested at the start of her investigation that I had to give it credence.

He is on Doglost - 2333 and also its been nicked - I eventually managed to get a crime number.

I don't believe he is still alive and I also think it would be a slim chance his chip would get him home even if he were.

 

[honetpot]

My terrier went missing in may 2010. We were walking 5 mins from home, he was off lead on a riverbank path and about 10 yards in front, a bend in the path and he vanished. No holes to go down, he kept well away from any water so I will never believe he went in there, but the path ran alongside light industrial units and he did love to find a gap under a fence. All sorts of people in vans/lorries used the industrial estate and I'm convinced he was taken.

He was chipped, tagged and castrated and also muzzled as a nasty piece of work from a rescue centre. However, he was my life and I was devastated.

If you like a terrier, he certainly looked the part but iI don't believe many people would think him an ideal pet so I prefer to think he met his maker in a badger hole.

I posted, advertised, searched any possible lead, went up and down the river bank for weeks and no lead at all. After 6 weeks I contacted an animal communicator who told me he had gone under the fence and lured with food as he was so good looking! (Smiffys words apparently!). He was living under a caravan and they were going to pass him on. She told me so much about him and our life that she could not possibly have got from the internet or the pics and one sentence she requested at the start of her investigation that I had to give it credence.

He is on Doglost - 2333 and also its been nicked - I eventually managed to get a crime number.

I don't believe he is still alive and I also think it would be a slim chance his chip would get him home even if he were.

Roughly this is what happened to someone I know. He had two lurchers that he let run on a field that backs on to an industrial estate, they were chipped and had collars on, they disappeared. He works from home and they are both rescues with medical needs,so he spent a lot of time postering, FB , ad in paper with reward, anything he could think of. One turned up 80miles away, did not ask to many questions, picked up from the back of and a van and then miraculously the other one was 'found' 30miles in the opposite direction, of course when they were found they had no collars on and neither person had thought to have them checked for a chip?
People moan about FB but dogs in our area that go missing or are found within hours of being posted, it a bit like neighbourhood watch on the internet. Unfortunately you can not see into the back of someone's van.

 

[maxapple]

That's really sad Smitty - not knowing what happened must be the hardest thing. Xx

 

[Carefreegirl]

Being fairly new to fb it amazes me how much of it is missing dogs. Certainly made me think. So much so that a couple of weeks ago, I pulled up at the village park where I take mine for a quick pre lunch walk and there was a transit van with two men in parked up. I drove straight out. 3 very confused dogs !

 

[Dizzydancer]

I think social media has its uses and thus it's becoming much more seen on social media as a way of getting them back- this of course makes it seem like lots and lots but in the grand scheme of how many dogs are in the UK it's not that high I doubt.
However it is my worst nightmare- owning a gun dog it's currently the ones which seem to be getting taken- I cannot imagine loosing him and I cannot imagine how awful it is to not know what happens to them

 

[Smitty]

Honetpot: I presume the usual suspects were responsible. I wonder if the people who ended up with them knew they were not legit, or were in blissful ignorance. In any case I'm glad they were recovered.

Maxappple: never a day goes by when I wonder what became of him. Time heals but I will never forget him or relax when out with the two terriers I have now.

I believe dog theft has always gone on but expect it is increasing in line with human population numbers. Easy access to the media/social networking sites have increased our awareness and in many cases have been a valuable tool in finding the animals.

I suppose .these days with the roads and vehicles we have a stolen dog can be a couple of hundred miles !away in no time and putting posters up in a say 5 mile radius is futile.

Doglost is a scary site with incidences of dogs literally being snatched. I remember a cav puppy snatched from the owner's arms in Wales about 4 years ago, she turned up a couple of years later thanks to her chip.

I have a feeling that a lot of the nicked lurchers or terriers would not get to a vet, but do wish vets would scan as a matter of course any new dog they see. Maybe they feel that to do so would deter people from getting a sick animal treated.

There must of course be a huge amount of dogs that have just wandered off through an open gate and are taken in and kept as pets without ever being reported. Somehow people seem to think this is acceptable, which of course its not.

There is a dog theft awareness day at the end of March with walks taking place all over England. The details are on Facebook for anyone interested.

 

[NellRosk]

I find it really worrying too. My garden backs on to some woods where people walk. I'm going to start letting her out for wees on the lead because I can't fence her in the garden and I'm terrified someone will nick her. She's classed as a 'designer' breed (pug x jack Russell) but is spayed. Silly question but do thieves check if bitches are spayed before they nick them?

 

[paulineh]

Some 20 years ago I had a Springer Spaniel stolen from my stables. I was just brushing my pony ready to go out for a ride, so he was only in the field for 10 minutes. One minute he was there and then the next he was gone.

I spoke to a local and it was only then did I find that we had a gypsy site just down the road. I went into the site and asked if they had seen my dog (He was Entire). The following day we had a phone call telling us where the dog was taken too. We went into that site but were moved quickly away for the area where we had been told he was.

We informed the police but ha ha they did nothing. I never saw my lovely dog again. This was way before social media or Dogs Lost. if that had been the case then I believe we would have got him back. Being entire we think he was used for breeding.

It is dreadful what is happening and very frightening too.

 

[Loulou2002]

I'm in a springer group and there are frequent posts; one pregnant bitch was taken from a van. I keep hearing terrible stories of burly blokes running up, chucking a lead on and running off with dogs. I think it's less designer mongrels being taken, more dog fight bait

Dog fight bait? Oh my god I'd never heard of this, i have a little Boston Terrier, he is my absolute world and it scares the life out of me that someone might steal him.

 

[Archie07]

It amazes me the number of people I see walking their dogs without a clue where they are, it's just off the lead and gone. I don't take my eyes off my girl on our walks, if she stops then I'll stop, she normally walks right beside me anyway but even if she gets a little infront I only have to say wait and she does. Granted she's only a little elderly girl now so doesn't have bundles of energy to run off but it makes my stomach turn when I see people calling their dogs and it doesn't appear.