Hounslow Pet Network is for people and their pets in and around the London Borough of
14/03/2025
DOG THEFT AWARENESS DAY 14 March
Don’t become a dog theft victim - stay alert, stay aware and stay safe.
No one ever thinks it will happen to them until it does 💔
Dogs are stolen to make money from breeding, selling on for cash or waiting for a reward.
Families are left devastated, especially children and the elderly, their companion animal is the reason they get up in the morning.
Dog Theft is the cruelest of crimes and why we welcome the new Pet Abduction Act which became law on 24th August 2024 with thanks to the hard work done by the Pet Theft Reform team, MP Anna Firth and the huge support of the public across the country. Not long enough to make real change to the Direct Line FOI figures which show 1,808 dogs were stolen during 2024 but we hope the new specific crime to protect our pets will send a warning to dog thieves as the police can now take action, without their hands being tied to the Theft Act which classified our pets, as property, merely secondhand goods.
Places dogs were stolen from in Kent during 2024
•Home - 71
• Garden - 12
• High street - 1
• Not recorded - 47
• Golf course - 2
• On a walk - 6
• Outside shop - 2
• Caravan - 2
• Kennels - 1
• Park - 4
• Hospital grounds - 2
• From vehicle - 1
• Workplace - 2
• Pub - 1
154 dogs stolen in Kent
21 dogs recovered
133 dogs still missing
Information received from KentOnline via Police FOI for 2024.
Advice to keep your dog safe:
Check your home and garden security, they still take the top two places dogs are taken from. Think about lighting, locks and CCTV.
Keep your dog in eye sight on walks, if recall is bad keep on a lead. Vary times and walk locations.
Never ever leave your dog unattended inside your car or outside a shop.
Advice if your dog goes missing:
If stolen contact police on 999, if you suspect your dog has been stolen call 101.
Report to your pet’s microchip database and check the registration is in your name on a Government approved database.
Register on Doglost.co.uk website, a free national service, to keep your dog in public view for people not using social media, they also providing an instant downloadable poster
Share on social media, there are many groups and pages supporting distressed owners.
Poster, poster, poster and poster again.
Be aware of scammers trying to take money
We still have problems with the microchip industry in the UK.
The veterinary profession still don’t support the microchip system to reunite pets who have been sold on and then bought into a vet practice with new family. A simple microchip registration check at pets first treatment or talking to clients about how to check their own registration, avoiding the unregulated database and the unregistered microchip issue, when after seven days and an owner is not found a dog can be legally rehomed.
Although the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) say they understand the human animal bond, there is still no visible help on the horizon as they continue to play hardball with Defra, continue to make up ridiculous excuses and break our hearts, taking away the hope that all owners of missing pets hang onto.
Vets Get Scanning have be campaigning to get the help owners with missing pets expect since 2006.
The Direct Line FOI figures revealed that 18,425 dogs are still missing, this is calculated from when they started their Dog Theft Report in 2014. Where are they?
Double check your dog and cat’s microchip is up to date and in your name on a Government approved database.
If your dog disappeared today, would you know where their microchip paperwork was? Do you have their microchip number? Do you know what database you are registered on?
What happens when your dog or cat is microchipped
Your pet’s microchip contains a number, which will show up whenever your dog or cat is scanned.
You must make sure that your dog or cat is registered on one of the following databases (they all meet government standards):
* AnimalData
* Animal Microchips
* Animal Tracker
* Chipworks
* HomeAgain (free)
* Identibase
* Lost Paws
* MicroChip Central
* MicroDogID (racing greyhounds only)
* My Animal Trace
* MyPet
* National Veterinary Data Service
* Pet Database
* Pet Identity UK
* Petlog
* PetScanner
* ProtectedPet
* SmartTrace
* Track Your Paws
* UK PETtrac MicroChip Database
* We Trace Pets
You’ll be asked for your address and contact details when you register your pet on one of these databases.
You can be fined up to £500 if your dog or cat is not registered on one of these databases.
If you get an email from any other database, asking for money to register your pet, it could be a scam. You can report scam emails (also known as ‘phishing’) to the National Cyber Security Centre: https://report.ncsc.gov.uk
If you have a dog, it must still wear a collar and tag with your name and address when in a public place.
Updating your details
You’re responsible for keeping your pet’s microchip information up to date, for example if you move house.
Contact the database company your dog or cat is registered with to update any of your details.
You might be charged a fee for updating your pet’s microchip information.
Find out where your dog or cat is registered: https://www.homeagain.co.uk
You can check the microchip number if you do not know which database your pet is registered on.
If you do not have the microchip number, you can ask any of the following to scan your dog or cat for it:
* a vet
* a dog warden
* a rescue centre
Warning: PetChip.info is an unregulated database scamming the British public. Check your pets database registration now, for your dog’s sake, as all who are registered on here will not show any contact information when the microchip is scanned.
Government microchipping information: https://www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-cat-microchipped
KentOnline: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/its-one-of-the-most-awful-things-that-can-happen-to-your-f-320566/
Direct Line dog theft figures: https://www.stolenandmissingpetsalliance.co.uk/direct-line-dog-theft-report-for-2024-is-in-although-their-figures-show-a-small-decrease-5-dogs-are-stolen-every-day-petabduction-pettheftreform/
Beverley Cuddy and Sarah on Sky News: https://vimeo.com/1065008767/7a8025df1c?share=copy
Mike Graham on Talk TV: https://youtu.be/fGPC56o0bwI?feature=shared
Lots of good newspapers got involved:
Daily Mail: Revealed: The dog most targeted by callous thieve who resell breeds: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14481845/amp/Five-dogs-stolen-day-breeds-risk-dognapping.html
Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/amp/more-than-23-000-dogs-stolen-in-uk-in-10-years-figures-show-13326962
Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stolen-dogs-uk-breeds-frenchies-pet-theft-b2713498.html
