Pet thieves could be jailed

From Saturday 25th August, anyone found guilty of stealing a cat or dog in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. Sadly, despite the very upsetting nature of having a dog stolen, pet theft has not been a crime and has been treated the same as theft of household items.

Under the new Pet Abduction Act, dogs and cats are no longer treated as inanimate objects but instead are recognised as sentient beings capable of experiencing emotional trauma when they are stolen from their owners.

It is a legal requirement for your dog to wear a collar with an ID tag in a public place and for your dog and cat to be microchipped, with this in mind its always good to do everything to reduce the chances of theft occurring:

• Your home should be secure to prevent criminals for entering the property.

• As per our home checks if you leave your dog in the garden, make sure it is secure so that thieves cannot enter.

• When exercising your dog, always keep them in sight and pay attention to what they are doing. If exercising your dog off lead, make sure they have good recall and come back to you when you call them.

• Never leave your dog unattended in a public place.

• Never leave your dog alone in a car.

• If you move house remember to update the address of your dog’s and cat’s microchip.

If your pet is stolen:

• Report to the police immediately and obtain a crime reference number and make sure that that your pet is recorded as stolen and not missing.

• Report the theft to your council dog warden.

• Report to your microchip database provider.

• Contact your local rescue centres, animal charities and vet practices to keep an eye out for your pet.

• Keep checking pet websites where thieves may try to sell dogs and contact the police as a matter of urgency if you find anything relating to your dog.

• Use missing and stolen animal websites such as DogLost which reunite missing pets with their owners by offering free advice and support.