Dog thefts on the rise

Of all the dog thefts that have occurred in Wales since 2010, only 3 per cent of them have resulted in someone being charged for the crime.

Over 520 dogs have been reported missing since 2010, but only 15 people have been charged for ‘dognapping’, the BBC reported following a Freedom of Information request.

A missing pet organisation, Dog Lost, has said that cases of dog stealing are on the rise.

The organisation, however, said that as a result of police cut backs, the cases were not dealt with.

The statistics came from the South Wales police force (which saw 239 cases of dog theft, just five of which ended in someone being charged), North Wales police force (which saw 172 cases, nine of which ended with a charge), and Dyfed-Powys police force (which had 114 cases, and only one charge of pet theft) and covered the time between 2010 and February this year.

“Given the cutbacks in the police, searching for a lost dog isn’t high on their agenda. There’s hardly ever a conviction brought,” said a spokeswoman for the Newport-based organisation Dog Lost.

“For a pet owner, their dog is irreplaceable. Many people go through a grieving process when a dog is stolen and they wonder for years what has happened to it. It’s devastating.”

With these kinds of crimes steadily increasing (apparently by 15 per cent across the UK per year) it is becoming more and more important to protect your pets and make sure they are not at risk of being taken.

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