Warning to owners as pet-nappers pounce almost 1,000 times a week

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The Scotsman

By Laura Roberts

BRITAIN is undergoing an epidemic of pet-napping, with animal campaigners reporting double the number of dogs stolen in the last year alone.

Thousands of dogs and cats are being taken to be sold on for a profit but there are also increasing reports of young people taking animals out of sheer mischief.

Last year, there were 26,000 insurance claims for dogs missing, presumed stolen. But one group, Dog Theft Action, estimates the true figure could be almost twice that - 50,000 or almost 1,000 a week.

Simon Worsfold, of the Missing Pets Bureau, said: "We have dealt with an alarming number of pet-nappings recently, and over the last 12 months cases of dog theft have more than doubled.

"This is something all pet owners need to be aware of because thieves target all types of pets and not just pedigrees."

And a survey of 2,000 owners published yesterday suggests the problem could be even worse than experts feared.

The research, commissioned by Sainsbury's Bank, found that more than 500 pets are being taken every day across the UK.

Nearly one million owners claim to have had their cat or dog stolen in the past five years; almost half said they never saw their pet again.

Dogs are more likely to be taken than cats, with an estimated 456,343 snatched from their owners during the past five years, compared with 400,715 felines - an estimated 109,426 owners claim they had both a dog and cat stolen. The new figures clash wildly with official statistics. Lothian and Borders police, for instance, received reports of just 35 stolen dogs last year. Only 19 have been found.

However, it is possible that many owners who assume their pets have just gone missing could in fact be victims of pet-nappers.

Doreen Graham from the Scottish SPCA said: "In past five years we have seen some terrible thefts and it is not just pedigree dogs that are targeted, it is any dog.

"The first motive is often monetary. A dog is sellable. When dogs are tied up outside they are vulnerable.

"We are very concerned about the numbers of dogs going missing. Some cases are of dogs being stolen from gardens. It's awful to think your animal isn't safe on your own property.

"Many of the incidents we have seen are perpetrated by young girls and boys. There is a link between cruelty to animals and human violence.

"Sometimes animals are stolen for breeding because pedigrees can fetch huge sums of money."

Melissa Roberts, 30, from Edinburgh's New Town had her cocker spaniel, Barney, stolen from outside Sainsbury's in St Andrew Square by two teenage girls in 2004.

The dog was missing for nine months before being tracked down to an address in Kirkcaldy, after reports of cruelty to the Scottish SPCA by neighbours.

The same year two boys were charged with stealing a dog which was tied up at a retail park. The three-year-old collie-cross, called Sasha, died after being hit by several vehicles on the M8 near Hermiston Gait.