Dognappers

[Swanny]

I've noticed a few signs have appeared around Hilperton warning of a white transit van with two Irish men that are stealing dogs.
My sister told me they are stealing dogs to use as practice for dog fights.
There are stories of dogs being stolen from the hands of people out walking them.

Take care when out walking your dogs.



TOP BREEDS TARGETED

Cocker spaniel

Springer spaniel

Chihuahua

Labrador

Jack Russell terrier

Staffordshire bull terrier

Shih–Tzu

Lurcher

Greyhound

Bulldog

According to Doglost a non profit organisation helping reunite dogs and their owners, in 2009 10 dogs were stolen a day compared to over 40 a day in 2012 – there was a 17 per cent increase in dognappings last year alone.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/374...to-be-a-victim

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/sto...he-south-east/

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/...ochipping-and/

[Col]

and where is plod in all this ?

Again proving totally ineffectual even when they got info :

oh !!! here we are ...

'Nik Oakley from Dog Lost believes that many incidents of theft go unrecorded. “Unless it’s absolutely obvious that someone’s property has been broken into police won’t register dog theft as a crime and give it a crime number,” she says.'

so plod now determines what they will consider a crime : ...............it gets worse by the day

[Jed]

I suspect that often a dog goes missing; it's owners then do the usual thing of searching the area, adverts in the vets and local shops and if they ever get to the point of believing it stolen and report it to the police it's probably too late for them to do anything much about it. What is your first thought when the dog doesn't come in from the garden "the little #'/!! has run off (again)" or someone's stolen the dog"?

[Julie_S]

My sis lives up in Yorkshire where this appears to be more widespread. The Transit van is a pretty good indicator of those responsible. Funny enough we had a talk about this last weekend as she has a new dog and won't let it out of here sight for this reason. A friend of hers had lurcher type dog taken whilst out walking, came home 9 months later covered in scars from dog bites, sadly this had made it so nervous and agressive they couldn't have it around the family or other dogs and it had to be put down. It had been used as basically tethered 'bait' for training fighting dogs. That will be the Staffies, Lurchers, whippets etc are going I would think

There are others who steal to breed from and take dogs for ransom (I have even heard of house break-ins for valuable dogs) My Wire Fox Terrier is never allowed even in the garden untended for this reason.

[Swanny]

I take mine to work with me and he used to sit in the van on the customers drive with the door open, now I have to keep the door closed

[Swanny]

[SupeRDel]

Never understand how people will pay a grand for a pedigree dog then tie it up outside a shop and leave it there.

Dognappers work in teams. They will go in shop and block view to the dog outside so another person can untie it and walk off.

[Rabb]

When I had my pedigree Beagle "Oscar" we never left him alone anywhere as he was prime breeding material. (He cost £650 in 2002 and would be about £1200 for his blood line now)

It's been a year and a half now since his death and we still miss him terribly.... :-(