Dog thefts are up throughout the UK and only one in six have been returned to their house owners in 2023 – the bottom stage since insurer Direct Line began monitoring the info in 2015.
Police figures counsel at the very least 2,290 canine have been stolen final 12 months, a rise of 6% from 2022, and most are reported in London, Kent, and West Yorkshire.
English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and XL bullys have been probably the most often stolen breeds, with the previous two usually marketed for about £3,000, based on Direct Line.
One of these canine reported lacking was Mouse, a Jack Russell final seen throughout a stroll on 3 December final 12 months.
Her disappearance has “devastated” her house owners, who haven’t managed to trace her down regardless of in depth and repeated searches by the local people in Chalfont St Peter, in Buckinghamshire.
“It’s changed our lives completely. You can’t give up. We have no closure,” mentioned Anne Maynard.
“We don’t sleep properly. We get crank calls from people in the middle of the night saying, ‘we’ve got your dog’ and then they put the phone down and we can’t get back to sleep.
“It’s a life sentence. She’s a part of our household.”
Addressing the person who might have her, Mrs Maynard said: “They must do the appropriate factor. She’s a stupendous canine, however she’s not theirs, she’s ours.
“All they have to do is put her somewhere she will be found. No questions asked. She wouldn’t give up on us, so we’re not going to give up on her.”
Beverley Cuddy, the editor of Dogs Today journal, mentioned it’s “shocking” so few stolen pets are returned.
“The Theft Act still treats this crime as no more significant than the theft of a mobile phone – so all our pets are at risk of abduction,” she added.
Read extra:
Bad information for younger drivers with automatic-only licences
Guinness World Records’ ‘oldest canine’ Bobi stripped of title
“We can make it harder for impulsive criminals by never leaving our dogs tied up outside shops and protecting them when at home. Statistics show most are stolen from our own gardens.
“The Pet Abduction Bill will hopefully punish canine thefts extra severely, however extra must be finished to vary the way in which canine are handled as mere commodities by the regulation.”
Source: information.sky.com”