Colin D Gordon

Imagine the scenario: You are taking Fido for a walk. You tie him to a lamp-post while you go briefly into a supermarket . When you come out again a few minutes later, he’s gone. Possibly, he’s managed to free himself and wandered off. But that’s not usually the reason. According to the “More Than” insurance company’s “Pet Theft Census”, 7% of stolen dogs are taken in this way – yet 22% of owners admit they leave their pet unattended while shopping. Quoting official police data, the Census warns that “thieves are stealing cats and dogs from all over the UK at an alarming rate, at least three every day”. In the case of dogs, 52% are snatched from their garden and 19% if they have been left alone at home: “More than half of owners believe the intruders broke in purely to kidnap their pet”.

So which dogs (and cats) are most at risk? In 2014 (its “busiest year so far”) the “Dogs Lost” organization registered 18,500 dogs as missing or abandoned It told the “Daily Telegraph” journalist Ben Leach that this  “crime spree is being driven by the increasing popularity of certain breeds with celebrity owners, as well as by police reluctance to tackle it.”

Leach noted that there had been a big rise in the theft of cocker spaniels after the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge had adopted their puppy, Lupo, and that the cookery writer, Annabel Karmel, had to pay a £750 ransom to recover Hamilton, her Samoyed. Furthermore: “It is believed that some of the animals are being stolen to order, then sold to buyers in other parts of Britain, sometimes for more than £2000”.

The “Independent” has reported the “tragic case of Dawn Maws from Barnsley” whose German Shorthaired Pointer, Angel, was grabbed while she was loading her other dog into her car. She “re-mortgaged her house to offer a £10,000 reward and launched a campaign for her safe return that hit the national press. Sadly, despite all this and Angel being micro-chipped, she is still missing”.

The “Pet Population Report” for 2014 compiled by the Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association (PFMA) has revealed that there are now almost nine million dogs in Britain, owned by 25% of households. There are also eight million cats (17% of households), 20-25 million fish kept in tanks (9%), one million rabbits (2.4%) and 400,000 lizards (0.7%). The top five on “More Than’s” list of most stolen dogs are: Staffordshire Bull Terriers (15%) followed by Labradors (11%), Spaniels (8%), German Shepherds (8%) and Chihuanas(6%). At No.1 for cats is the Siamese (38%), then at positions two to five, Persian (33%), Ragdoll (11%), Maine Coon (10%) and Bengal(6%)

How do the gangs decide which animals and houses to target? The “CCTV.co.uk” website believes that organised groups observe dogs while they are being exercised in parks, follow them and their owners home, then mark (for example) the gate with paint so as to identify them as potential victims.

BBC News may have inadvertently provided these gangs with a great deal of useful information. On 18^th January, their correspondents, Beth Rose and Andy Dangerfield”, published on bbc.co.uk a “Dog Map” showing  by postcode – based on data issued by “Petlog” and “AnimalCare” – the breeds which have been “electronically tagged most frequently during the past decade”. Anyone clicking on (for instance) “North London” will be able to see immediately that in this area there are currently 3,400 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and 1,200 Jack Russell Terriers. If, on the other hand, they’ve been instructed to acquire a few Labradors, then Peterborough – with 12,400 of them – could prove promising  territory. In Swansea (Wales), there are 3,100 English Springer Spaniels and in Glasgow (Scotland), 2,900 Lhasa Apsos-.

Across the UK, there are more Labrador Retrievers (509,000) than any other breed, though as the Kennel Club Secretary, Caroline Kisko pointed out to BBC News , these are “working dogs” and so tend to be more popular in rural areas. Staffordshire Bull Terriers (356,000) “are happy living in smaller homes and so are ideal for towns and cities”. Jack Russell Terriers (376,000) “appear to be man’s best friend in places like Cornwall and south Wales” and there is a “glut of greyhounds” in the Halifax region. Professor Lance Workman of the University of South Wales, who “has researched the psychology of dog ownership” is unconvinced about the advisability of “the recent London trend for dachsunds”.He feels they may not be the best dogs for small flats as they are “livelier than they look and can be a bit boisterous and aggressive”.

There are of course other problems associated with pet ownership in addition to the concern that it might be stolen.  As Helen Williams, Head of Sainsbury’s pet insurance, emphasised to “This Is Money”, it can involve a “significant financial commitment”. This may amount to more than £12,000 for dogs and £11,000 for cats over a period of ten years and could explain why an increasing number of both have been abandoned during the recession.

In addition to basic costs such as pet food and veterinary fees, many owners have to pay someone to look after their pet when they are away or at work. The “Dog Walker” pet care service charges £8.50 for a 50 minute walk and £4.50 if it’s just 25 minutes. For “house sitting”, the rate is £35 per day and £5 per visit for “cat care” – which includes “feeding, changing water and the cat litter, brushing if needed and administering  medication”.

Meanwhile: the Daily Mail has published the “Top Ten Most Popular Male Puppy Names of 2014”: Max, Charlie, Rocky, Buddy, Cooper, Duke, Bear, Zeus, Bentley and Toby. For female puppies: Bella, Daisy, Lucy, Sadie, Molly, Lola, Sophie, Zoey, Luna and Chloe. A BBC survey differs slightly, suggesting that the top five names for both cats and dogs are: Poppy, Alfie, Molly, Bella and Charlie.

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