Latest news with #DirectLinePetInsurance
Sky News
12-03-2025
- Sky News
More than 23,000 dogs stolen in UK in 10 years, figures show
Pet owners are being urged to "be alert" after police figures showed more than 23,000 dogs have been stolen in the UK over the last 10 years. Dog theft victim Sarah Rodgers told Sky News of the "devastating and particularly cruel crime" which left her family heartbroken after their husky was stolen last year. An estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK in 2024, analysis of Freedom Of Information requests to police forces by Direct Line Pet Insurance also revealed. Rottweilers saw the highest rise in thefts - a 180% year-on-year increase - followed by Border Collies and Chihuahuas. Ms Rodgers explained the moment her dog vanished. She told Sky News: "Diesel is our family husky. It was an ordinary evening in October last year and I let our dogs out to go into the garden for a wee. "The other dogs came back. Diesel never returned from the garden and I haven't seen him since. "The impact that it has, not only on the dogs but the families, the suffering that this causes. It's just devastating." She said it was a "particularly cruel crime" and she had watched her daughter cope with the "heartbreak over her best friend being stolen". Ms Rodgers added: "We went out into the woods, at the back of our home, and we found a camp which had been built by a person sleeping out with a fire pit. "We firmly believe he was stolen by this person." Beverley Cuddy, the editor of Dogs Today magazine, believes more can be done to tackle dog thefts. She told Sky News: "It's seen as a low risk, high reward crime for these criminals. They are stealing dogs that are members of people's families - they're holding them to ransom in a lot of cases or they're monetising them to take them to be breeding slaves. "It really is something that sadly the modern pet owner needs to be alert to. "We also need something that makes it more difficult to monetise these dogs. Some way of taking the pound signs out of the equation." 1:05 Over the past 10 years, 23,430 dogs have been reported stolen to police, with 5,005 (21%) being returned.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- The Independent
The UK's most stolen dog breeds named as scale of thefts revealed
An estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK last year – with French bulldogs now the most likely breed to be taken, according to police figures. Some 51 French bulldogs were stolen over the 12 months, an increase of 38 per cent on 2023, analysis of Freedom of Information requests to UK police forces by Direct Line Pet Insurance shows. French bulldogs can cost up to £5,000 when bought from a reputable breeder, meaning criminals can secure large sums of money for these animals by selling them on. Rottweilers saw the highest rise in thefts – a 180 per cent year-on-year increase, followed by Border collies, up from five stolen to 13, and Chihuahuas, rising from 14 thefts to 26. In contrast, thefts of XL bullies have dropped by 49 per cent following the ban on the breed introduced in England and Wales last February. While the overall thefts figure is a 21 per cent fall on 2023, only around one in five dogs (19 per cent) were returned to their owners last year – one of the lowest levels in a decade of tracking by Direct Line Pet Insurance. The Pet Abduction Act came into effect in May last year, making pet theft a criminal offence in England and Northern Ireland, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The reduction in thefts may be an early sign that the new law is having a positive impact, the insurer said. Over the past 10 years, 23,430 dogs have been reported stolen to police, according to Freedom of Information requests, with 5,005 (21 per cent) being returned. Overall, dog theft has declined by more than a fifth (22 per cent) in the past decade. Despite the decline in reported thefts, 61 per cent of owners say they are worried about the possibility of their dog being stolen – with 40 per cent saying they would only ever walk their dog on a lead and 17 per cent using a tracking device. Adam Burgin, head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said: 'As a nation of pet lovers we hope to continue the downward trend in the number of stolen dogs. 'Our research over the last decade has shown dog theft is a persistent issue and hopefully the Pet Abduction Act 2024 will encourage a change in criminal behaviour in the long-term. 'Those who have fallen victim to dog theft will know the intense stress and trauma that comes with having their beloved pet snatched away from them, often with no closure on knowing what happened to a member of their family.' Anne Maynard, whose female Jack Russell 'Mouse' remains missing since she disappeared from Gerrards Cross golf course on December 3, 2023, said: 'It's now over 15 months but it feels like yesterday. We can remember that awful day so clearly. 'We can't seem to move on. Who would think that this tiny little soul would have such an impact on our lives. 'Every day we suffer from heartache, guilt, depression and such a heavy sadness that never leaves us, it's the not knowing that makes us go over every scenario of what could've happened to her. 'We've had a huge poster campaign, sending out her picture right across the country, and we've set up her Facebook group 'Help find missing Mouse' which we encourage people to join as that one share could get our beautiful girl home to us. 'She's not sitting next to me so she's out there, somewhere. It's our silent life sentence, we'll never stop looking.' Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine and patron of Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said: 'We've seen some amazing re-unifications this year, for dogs that have been gone for many years. 'Dogs never ever forget their people and our video footage of them being reunited proves this. My heart aches for all those still waiting for that phone call that says their missing dog has been found. 'The market for stolen dogs is sadly still here and we have a role to play to continue making it much harder for crooks to monetise our best friends as breeding slaves. It's important to regularly check your dog's microchip data and make sure details are correct – it's something so often forgotten.'
The Independent
12-03-2025
- The Independent
Estimated 1,808 dogs stolen across the UK last year, police figures show
An estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK last year – with French bulldogs now the most likely breed to be taken, according to police figures. Some 51 French bulldogs were stolen over the 12 months, an increase of 38% on 2023, analysis of Freedom of Information requests to UK police forces by Direct Line Pet Insurance shows. French bulldogs can cost up to £5,000 when bought from a reputable breeder, meaning criminals can secure large sums of money for these animals by selling them on. Rottweilers saw the highest rise in thefts – a 180% year-on-year increase, followed by Border collies, up from five stolen to 13, and Chihuahuas, rising from 14 thefts to 26. In contrast, thefts of XL bullies have dropped by 49% following the ban on the breed introduced in England and Wales last February. While the overall thefts figure is a 21% fall on 2023, only around one in five dogs (19%) were returned to their owners last year – one of the lowest levels in a decade of tracking by Direct Line Pet Insurance. The Pet Abduction Act came into effect in May last year, making pet theft a criminal offence in England and Northern Ireland, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The reduction in thefts may be an early sign that the new law is having a positive impact, the insurer said. Over the past 10 years, 23,430 dogs have been reported stolen to police, according to Freedom of Information requests, with 5,005 (21%) being returned. Overall, dog theft has declined by more than a fifth (22%) in the past decade. Despite the decline in reported thefts, 61% of owners say they are worried about the possibility of their dog being stolen – with 40% saying they would only ever walk their dog on a lead and 17% using a tracking device. Adam Burgin, head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said: 'As a nation of pet lovers we hope to continue the downward trend in the number of stolen dogs. 'Our research over the last decade has shown dog theft is a persistent issue and hopefully the Pet Abduction Act 2024 will encourage a change in criminal behaviour in the long-term. 'Those who have fallen victim to dog theft will know the intense stress and trauma that comes with having their beloved pet snatched away from them, often with no closure on knowing what happened to a member of their family.' Anne Maynard, whose female Jack Russell 'Mouse' remains missing since she disappeared from Gerrards Cross golf course on December 3, 2023, said: 'It's now over 15 months but it feels like yesterday. We can remember that awful day so clearly. 'We can't seem to move on. Who would think that this tiny little soul would have such an impact on our lives. 'Every day we suffer from heartache, guilt, depression and such a heavy sadness that never leaves us, it's the not knowing that makes us go over every scenario of what could've happened to her. 'We've had a huge poster campaign, sending out her picture right across the country, and we've set up her Facebook group 'Help find missing Mouse' which we encourage people to join as that one share could get our beautiful girl home to us. 'She's not sitting next to me so she's out there, somewhere. It's our silent life sentence, we'll never stop looking.' Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine and patron of Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said: 'We've seen some amazing re-unifications this year, for dogs that have been gone for many years. 'Dogs never ever forget their people and our video footage of them being reunited proves this. My heart aches for all those still waiting for that phone call that says their missing dog has been found. 'The market for stolen dogs is sadly still here and we have a role to play to continue making it much harder for crooks to monetise our best friends as breeding slaves. It's important to regularly check your dog's microchip data and make sure details are correct – it's something so often forgotten.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Estimated 1,808 dogs stolen across the UK last year, police figures show
An estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK last year – with French bulldogs now the most likely breed to be taken, according to police figures. Some 51 French bulldogs were stolen over the 12 months, an increase of 38% on 2023, analysis of Freedom of Information requests to UK police forces by Direct Line Pet Insurance shows. French bulldogs can cost up to £5,000 when bought from a reputable breeder, meaning criminals can secure large sums of money for these animals by selling them on. Rottweilers saw the highest rise in thefts – a 180% year-on-year increase, followed by Border collies, up from five stolen to 13, and Chihuahuas, rising from 14 thefts to 26. In contrast, thefts of XL bullies have dropped by 49% following the ban on the breed introduced in England and Wales last February. While the overall thefts figure is a 21% fall on 2023, only around one in five dogs (19%) were returned to their owners last year – one of the lowest levels in a decade of tracking by Direct Line Pet Insurance. The Pet Abduction Act came into effect in May last year, making pet theft a criminal offence in England and Northern Ireland, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The reduction in thefts may be an early sign that the new law is having a positive impact, the insurer said. Over the past 10 years, 23,430 dogs have been reported stolen to police, according to Freedom of Information requests, with 5,005 (21%) being returned. Overall, dog theft has declined by more than a fifth (22%) in the past decade. Despite the decline in reported thefts, 61% of owners say they are worried about the possibility of their dog being stolen – with 40% saying they would only ever walk their dog on a lead and 17% using a tracking device. Adam Burgin, head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said: 'As a nation of pet lovers we hope to continue the downward trend in the number of stolen dogs. 'Our research over the last decade has shown dog theft is a persistent issue and hopefully the Pet Abduction Act 2024 will encourage a change in criminal behaviour in the long-term. 'Those who have fallen victim to dog theft will know the intense stress and trauma that comes with having their beloved pet snatched away from them, often with no closure on knowing what happened to a member of their family.' Anne Maynard, whose female Jack Russell 'Mouse' remains missing since she disappeared from Gerrards Cross golf course on December 3, 2023, said: 'It's now over 15 months but it feels like yesterday. We can remember that awful day so clearly. 'We can't seem to move on. Who would think that this tiny little soul would have such an impact on our lives. 'Every day we suffer from heartache, guilt, depression and such a heavy sadness that never leaves us, it's the not knowing that makes us go over every scenario of what could've happened to her. 'We've had a huge poster campaign, sending out her picture right across the country, and we've set up her Facebook group 'Help find missing Mouse' which we encourage people to join as that one share could get our beautiful girl home to us. 'She's not sitting next to me so she's out there, somewhere. It's our silent life sentence, we'll never stop looking.' Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine and patron of Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said: 'We've seen some amazing re-unifications this year, for dogs that have been gone for many years. 'Dogs never ever forget their people and our video footage of them being reunited proves this. My heart aches for all those still waiting for that phone call that says their missing dog has been found. 'The market for stolen dogs is sadly still here and we have a role to play to continue making it much harder for crooks to monetise our best friends as breeding slaves. It's important to regularly check your dog's microchip data and make sure details are correct – it's something so often forgotten.' Sign in to access your portfolio
