PETS IN CRISIS

As the value of our beloved dogs soar, so do the numbers of opportunistic thieves wanting to steal them

- FRANCES LEATE, BEN LANE

Anyone who has ever owned and loved a dog will know that they are so much more than just a pet. For most of us, our dogs are part of the family. So the heartbreak and torment people suffer when one of their loved ones is stolen and used for profit, either to sell on or as breeding slaves, is understandably huge. And sadly, as the value and demand of dogs rise, the UK is facing a growing problem of dog theft, with 23,000 dogs stolen from their homes in the last decade. Last year alone, an estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK and while we often see heart-warming stories of dogs being reunited with their owners in the news, these happy endings are relatively rare, with only around one in five dogs (19%) returned to their families. Woman's Own investigates...

'I thought about her every day'

Rita Potter lives in Norfolk with her husband Philip.

My golden Labrador, Daisy, then five, had her big furry head flopped in my lap and as we cosied up together on the sofa, I felt blissful. It was November 2017 and it was hard to believe she'd once been a tearaway pup belonging to my son, Andrew - chewing the rubber around his washing machine and pulling out bags of flour from the cupboards.