Here in the UK dog thefts seem to really be on the rise. In my area in wiltshire there are more and more stories about dodgy people hanging around dog walking areas and also putting marks on the floor outside houses with dogs etc. it really really scares me to the point of me being on edge when I am out with them, and I live nrigt by salisbury plains where you can walk for miles and its lush but i dont feel happy going up there on my own! It makes me feel really angry. If im walking them on my own I either go to a popular place which is always busy with other dog walkers (good for safety but not necessarily anything else) or I walk round the roads but then feel tense if any vans go past. Does anyone else feel like this? I dont know whether i should be as scared as I am? Just writing this my stomach is churning x
Re: Dog thefts I live in a very rural area of Idaho so it's wildlife predators we worry about more than anything. Wolves, coyotes, bears, mountain lion, and moose. Because of this, I don't like to go out walking the dog on my own without some way of protecting ourselves...but I don't want to have to carry a bazooka either...so we just tend to stay very close to home. Bella does come to work with us every day, and we often worry about having to leave her in the car (locked of course) when we are making deliveries. Dog theft isn't a big problem in the area, but across the US, especially in the more populated areas you do hear stories. I tend to be of the mind that I could worry myself sick over all kinds of things if I wanted to...so I just use common sense, and try and do what makes me feel safe. Bella and I particularly feel safe sitting on the couch watching TV and drinking coffee and/or wine depending on the time of day. ;D
Re: Dog thefts There are always stories of dog theft and most of them are just stories. There is usually little evidence to back the stories up. Every so often this story does the rounds where I live and the police and RSPCA yet again issue advice that there is no evidence that systematic dog theft is happening. Personally I do take precautions eg I don't leave my dog alone in public places (so, no tying up outside shops) and he's in the house when I'm not home. It's sensible to keep your dog safe, but, really, don't become stressed about these theft stories or stories of chalk markings being made outside houses. Most of it is just in the urban myth category. Utilities companies make markings and leave ribbons/tape to mark gas outlets etc. - that sort of mundane stuff gets blown up as 'proof' of dog theft rings. Relax
Re: Dog thefts Frankie i'm excatly the same, when ever i see a van i look at the reg then the driver, i am worried about it happening, but at the same time i am thinking what are the chances of it happening to us, i live in a lovely village that has very easy access to the motorway, just recently not far from me a man walking his 2 Collies was approached by two men and were very insistent on stroking his dogs which by this stage were barking and snarling at the guys, (apparently the dogs are very friendly)thankfully the man managed to see the guys off, it probally doesn't help me that i follow dogs lost on face book. I even want to get Buster castrated for this reason thinking if he doesn't have his balls he is undesirable. I would be absolutely devastated if anything happened to my little man.
Re: Dog thefts [quote author=Oberon link=topic=9432.msg135646#msg135646 date=1420697890] There are always stories of dog theft and most of them are just stories. There is usually little evidence to back the stories up. Every so often this story does the rounds where I live and the police and RSPCA yet again issue advice that there is no evidence that systematic dog theft is happening. [/quote] Unfortunately here in the UK we are really plagued by dog theft. I know three people not living far from me who had their dogs stolen. Two of the dogs were cockers, never to be seen again, and the third a golden retriever returned after ransom money was paid. It does worry me very much.
Re: Dog thefts Dad had two stolen a couple of years ago which then got dumped about 50 miles from home after a lot of activity on social media. I also had a friend whose Jack Russell was stolen and was returned back to him a year later after a vet spotted the original micro chip and grew suspicious. On both occasions the dogs were on farms. The Jack Russell had been let out of a tractor to have a mooch around and someone obviously was passing by and took it. Dad's were out in the garden which is right next to a main road so again someone took the opportunity. I do get nervous about dog theft and this is why I don't want Inca going beyond where I can see her and get to her on walks. If we do get her spayed I might even include that on her collar in case someone was wanting to steal for breeding purposes.
Re: Dog thefts Dog theft has been around for years, and although people say it's on the rise I think it's partly just the fact that people are becoming more aware of it now because of things like social media. I'm terrified someone would steal Penny. I refuse to leave her in the car or tied up outside a shop alone, I think it's just asking for trouble. There is one access point to our rear garden via the side gate which is always locked and she is never in the front garden without supervision as we live on a fairly busy road. I worry that someone would break into the house and take her. Going back quite a few years ago now when I was working at the dogs home in Bath we had people break in one night and steal 4 dogs. One dog was dumped at a vets a couple of weeks later (he had a lot of behavioural issues so we think that's why they didn't keep him) and one turned up 4 years later!!! He had been dumped at another dogs home who got the number on his microchip wrong so it didn't flag up that he was stolen, they rehomed him and it was only when he got returned that they got the correct chip details and he got returned to us. The other two dogs were never found. There was a lot of inside information that we were passed through the managers contacts with a local travellers community that the dogs were in their camp, planning to be taken to Ireland to be sold (they were lurchers so we think stolen to be used for rabbiting etc). The RSPCA got together with the police but by the time they raided the camp the dogs were gone.
Re: Dog thefts I'm a bit paranoid when I'm in the UK, but thankfully dog theft is not such a problem in Germany. Yet.
Re: Dog thefts It worries me intensely. I tend to walk on a common and often I am the only person out and I also get back to my car in the dusk. One of my Labs would bark, so I feel slightly protected by him, but the other could easily be taken. What do the dog thieves do with the dogs? Especially working dogs, I am sure no ordinary person who works a dog on a shoot would buy an adult dog from a pub?! Do they send them abroad?
Re: Dog thefts [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=9432.msg135659#msg135659 date=1420706229] Dog theft has been around for years, and although people say it's on the rise I think it's partly just the fact that people are becoming more aware of it now because of things like social media. [/quote] I think that's probably true sadly. It's definitely something that worries me. Less when I'm out and about, more at home that someone will come and see the dogs in the garden and take them. As a result I don't leave them unattended outside and if they have to stay in the car I lock the dog crate and the car. If anyone ever asks about my dogs I always play down their value.
Re: Dog thefts It's not something that particularly worries us where we live in rural Scotland - I'm sure there are incidences of dog theft as anywhere, but not something we hear much of. It is a very small community and people recognise dogs and their owners and look out for each other. I do leave Mira outside our wee village shop when I collect the paper in the morning but I can see her and any passers-by, strange cars etc from inside. However, we were in Glasgow last weekend and decided not to leave her in our parked car, partly as we thought we may away too long, but also because of a perceived risk of someone breaking in and taking her. We left her at my sister-in-law's while we were out. I wonder if the number of stolen or lost dogs being found and returned is increasing due to the effect of social media?
Re: Dog thefts I agree with heidrun - dog theft IS a problem in the UK, particularly Gundog breeds. It is something that concerns me so I do what I can to ensure that my dogs aren't targetted. I never allow my dogs to the door if it is a stranger and never give away their names or any info about them if I am asked. If ever approached by someone suspicious on a walk I would call my dog to me and put on lead, I might also drop a comment like "watch yourself my dogs don't like men/hoodies etc". I don't walk in public parks or anywhere where my dogs could be grabbed easily and shoved in a van. Fortunately my dogs would not willingly go with anyone else apart from me! I don't leave my dogs out in the garden if I am not in and the outdoor kennel has never been used after I became concerned that they could be stolen. Chloe
Re: Dog thefts This worries me greatly too , there have been well documented dog thefts in my area, mainly gundog breeds . Its very difficult to strike a balance between paranoia and common sense, but personally , I am erring to caution and for once, steering clear of walking alone in isolated places .
Re: Dog thefts I can confirm the national available data set on the police data base is not at all helpful. The available statistics seem to be collated from data from web based commercial organisations - doglost and so on. There are some reports of a 13% increase in stolen dogs in the last year. That has to be taken with a pinch of salt - since the traffic to the sites about stolen pets increases, no doubt helped by exposure on social media, more people will use these sites to report stolen dogs. That does not mean more dog are being stolen. The data is extremely poor and short of submitting freedom of information requests, there isn't much that can be done with the existing data sets (not in the time I have available, anyway). It is possible that there isn't a national code for recording pet and working dog thefts. Anyone know differently, please point me to the right data. The best that can be said is there isn't any obvious data that supports a proposition dog theft is increasing. This was some of the best I found, but there is no timeline available. This data shows 30 labradors reported as stolen in 2013...divided by the number of registrations with the kennel club for 2013 x 12 (that's very, very, rough)...gives a 0.007% labradors stolen in a year. That is a bit higher than your chances of dying in a road accident per year (1 in 20,000).
Re: Dog thefts 2 male husky crosses were stolen from a neighbour half a mile away on New Years eve. In our locality there seems to be an increase in bigger dog and husky type thefts. Apparently for fighting. Its awfully sad these people are heart broken. My big Mally is firmly locked up and we are now discussing CCTV. Very sad all round
Re: Dog thefts Thanks for doing a bit of research Julie. It puts it into perspective. With knowing dogs that have been stolen in the past I will always be nervous but there are so many other things that could happen in life.
Re: Dog thefts I must admit i don't worry too much...but i do worry. I will leave in a car in a car park for 10 or 15 mins if I have to but NOT if it is too quiet. I am always in the house if Lilly is in the garden and access is via a field or stiff yale door lock on the close. Difficult if you have the key!! I worry if i am in the woods and see one or more than one person walking without a dog. That always makes me worry and get Lilly close by. It is rare. You can usually spot the odd "walker" ( or geocacher ) Relatively speaking though we feel relatively safe. Our tag says chipped and spayed.
Re: Dog thefts Julie, thank you. So it seems likely that the largest percentage of dogs are stolen for dog fighting? How despicable. I have often thought that the gun dogs stolen are whisked off to be sold abroad... I can confirm that it would be frighteningly easy to take dogs over the border into France; there is no real check at the border.
