How Safe Is Your Pooch?

With thefts on the rise, Woman investigates why pets have become such a precious commodity

- Kara O'neill, Lucy Bryant

When you consider items a thief might want, jewellery or laptops come to mind. But what if the desired item is an animal? Statistics show dognapping has rocketed during the pandemic. In part, it’s because the more time we’re at home, the more we realise we could have a pet – the Kennel Club reported a 168% increase in searches for puppies on its website from the start of lockdown in March 2020 until the end of May 2020, compared to that period in 2019. And it means they’ve taken on an increased value – prices of puppies have almost doubled, with some now selling for over £3,000 – very attractive to thieves looking to sell them on or hold owners to ransom. So how can we protect our pups?

LOST AND FOUND

The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Tanya Bardsley’s English bulldog was bundled into a van, but later found.

When his Pomeranian was stolen, footballer Daniel Sturridge said on Instagram he’d ‘pay anything’. He was reunited with his beloved dog.

In 2006, Bruce Forsyth made a TV appeal for daughter Debbie Matthews’ stolen Yorkies. They were safely returned.

‘I THOUGHT I’D NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN’

Kelly Green, 47, lives in Essex with her husband and their dogs, Missy and Boi Boi, both four.

It was December 2019, and my husband and I had gone out to run an errand for just half an hour. But when we got home, we realised the door had been forced open. My first thought, as we ran inside, wasn’t for the TV, or my jewellery. No, instead, I was racing through the house screaming for my French bulldogs.