Warning after county identified as dog theft hot spot

Warning after county identified as dog theft hot spot

The CLA is warning dog owners in Lancashire to be extra vigilant with their dogs after the county was identified as one of the most likely places for dogs to be stolen, according to an investigation.

Figures obtained by Shooting Times magazine from police forces across England and Wales show a total of 77 dogs were reported stolen in Lancashire during 2013 – placing it in the country’s top four hot spots for dog thefts behind West Yorkshire at 123, Kent at 128 and London at 165.

The CLA is warning that this figure is expected to rise because the animals can often be sold quickly and are not easily traced.

CLA North Director of Policy & Public Affairs Douglas Chalmers said: “Dogs are targeted by thieves because they can easily make money selling them on, often for breeding or, most distressingly, for fighting.”

According to figures collated by advice service DogLost, numbers of gundog thefts have been steadily rising since 2009. In 2013, the organisation recorded a year-on-year increase of around 15 percent and reported that half of all stolen dogs were gundogs.

In the first three months of 2014, dogs registered as missing already include 160 Labradors, 97 Cocker Spaniels, and 80 Springer Spaniels.

As the new shooting season gets underway, the CLA is urging dog owners to cut the risk of theft by ensuring their animal is micro chipped and wears a collar and ID tag, with full contact details.

Mr Chalmers added: “The Government is bringing in compulsory micro chipping for all dogs from April 2016 but we would recommend that owners act sooner rather than later.

“Gundog owners should always be aware of where their animal is while they are on a shoot and make sure it is never out of the sight of guns, beaters or pickers-up.”