Pet Abduction to be made a Criminal Offence in England
Pet abduction is to be made a criminal offence in England following a steep rise in thefts during the Covid-19 national lockdown, where over 2000 dogs were reported stolen. This has been brought about by a pet thefts task force set up during this time. The lockdown also brought soaring prices of puppies, with data from Dogs Trust highlighting that the price for five of the UK’s most popular breeds had increased significantly, in some cases by as much as 89% as demand for puppies increased.
The new law is great news as under current law, when a pet is stolen it is classed as a loss of the owners property. Offences which come under the Theft Act of 1968 carry a maximum term of seven years, but ministers say this is rarely used as the severity of the sentence is partly determined by the monetary value of the stolen item. However, we don’t yet know what the maximum sentence will be under the new law.
The task force has made a number of recommendations which include requiring additional information when registering a microchip, better access to microchip data bases to make it easier to track lost or stolen dogs, proof of ID for all online pet adverts and allowing owners to register their dogs with the police, including photos and DNA. They hope that these proposals will make it more difficult for thieves to abduct and sell on dogs, make it easier for police to apprehend offenders, and that sentences and penalties handed to offenders will reflect the impact on the dog.
Diane James from the Blue Cross hoped the new laws would be brought in swiftly and said,
‘we would still advise owners to continue to be vigilant and follow advice to prevent becoming a victim of this abhorrent crime.’
Their top tips include:
- Keep your details up to date on the dogs microchip
- Never leave your dog unattended in a public place
- Vary your routine
- Ensure your gates are locked at home
- Avoid sharing too much information on social media