An research has discovered that many dog owners are hesitant to take their dogs for a walk in the daytime because of an uptick in reported canine thefts.
According to Katy Bourne, Sussex’s police and crime commissioner, dog owners worry about their dogs being stolen. Bourne conducted a survey that garnered over 125,000 responses.
Although more than 27,00 persons said they knew someone whose dog was stolen in the last year, just around 400 people said their own dog had been stolen, according to the Observer.
“It indicates the force of feeling that’s out there,” Bourne says. Many individuals consider their dogs to be important part of their family.” The loss of a dog has a significant impact on the whole family, who are left reeling with grief. A horrible scenario, he said.
Pets should be flagged in all criminal reports in Bourne so that police can keep track of how many occurrences they are involved in. When it comes to dog theft, there are a variety of classifications that may be used based on the situation. Few details are available concerning the prevalence of dog theft or what happens to those who are caught.
According to DogLost, a non-profit organization, there were 465 instances of dog theft last year, up from 172 in 2019. In fact, just one out of every 10 occurrences of dog theft leads to criminal charges, according to anti-dog theft advocates.
As an example, the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance called for pet theft to be made a crime punishable by jail time, which was backed by more than 107,000 poll respondents.
The official sentencing guidelines for theft consider it a more severe violation if an item of sentimental value was stolen. However, according to Bourne, no one has ever kept track of the length of time that dog thieves have been imprisoned.
A meeting with officials from the Home Office has been scheduled for later this week in order to examine the results of the vote. Bourne stated that many people find it upsetting that their dog is being treated like property. There’s no way for the authorities to know for sure that this isn’t an issue if they don’t have good evidence to back them up.”
Victims of dog theft use social media to track down the thief or persuade him to return their pet as a “reward”.
Dog Bud the cocker spaniel belonging to Holly Morgan a 26-year old Nottingham lady was stolen. A group called Beauty’s Legacy assisted her in running a social media campaign and doing local search engine optimization.
Bud was found 130 miles away in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after being abandoned.
A fear of guys is a source of anxiety for him, according to her. But he can’t shake the feeling that he was taken by a stranger. Even taking my dogs for a walk during the day is out of the question for me. I’m not going to when it’s such a gorgeous day as today.”
She suggested that pets should not be considered property. “My property,” on the other hand, would be something like a car or a cell phone to me.
Lisa Dean, the owner of Beauty’s Legacy, says the number of cases has more than quadrupled in the last year, with 38 only in the previous four weeks.
About half of all stolen dogs, according to her, were taken from their owners’ yards. Some dog owners are boosting the height of their fences, putting GPS trackers on their dogs’ collars, or using a steel-cored dog lead to keep their pets safe from predators.
She felt that fines should be increased. A low-risk, high-profit robbery, says the assassin. Only a tiny fraction of cases are actually brought to trial. In a more serious crime, the police would be more concerned. Excellent police officers are available in the US. There are many cases when the dog is assumed to have escaped, and without proof that it has been stolen, it is not examined.”