It comes as campaigners are calling for cats to be included in a new criminal offence aimed at cracking down on dog thefts in the Kept Animals Bill.Cats are family too and we will continue to campaign to have them included in this new Pet Abduction offence.
Bella was just a 20-week-old pup when she was found living in the back of a van (Picture: Triangle News)RSPCA Kent Chief Inspector Nick Wheelhouse said: ‘We were called to an address by Police and discovered three dogs living in the back of a van in completely inappropriate conditions.
Dog owners may also be invited to register their dogs with local police forces to make them easier tot track if they are stolen (Picture: Getty Images)The report concludes: ‘There is growing public feeling that criminal law and the sentencing for offences involving the theft of pets do not sufficiently recognise an animal as something more than mere property.
Ministers have yet to confirm what sort of penalties those convicted of pet abduction could face but said the new offence would prioritise the welfare of pets as sentient beings and recognise the distress to the animal in addition to its owner.
He said: “Pet theft can leave families in utter turmoil and have serious welfare implications for animals ripped away from everything they know.“The new Pet Abduction Offence will acknowledge the seriousness of this crime and we hope will encourage courts to hand down much tougher sentences to pet thieves,” he added.
Farmers are warning that attacks on livestock by dogs are reaching “epidemic proportions” as they brace themselves for a surge in dog attacks heading into peak lambing season.The start of lambing season has been fraught for farmer Gordon Wyeth due to attacks on his sheep by pet dogs.
Dr Daniel Allen, an Animal Geographer at Keele University, who set up the Pet Theft Reform campaign with the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance in 2018, said: “The number of survey responses shows the extent to which the public are concerned about dog theft crime.
The survey, by the police and crime commissioner for Sussex, Katy Bourne, had nearly 125,000 responses and she said the “huge” response showed widespread fear among dog owners about pet theft and a lack of confidence that the crime is taken seriously by police.
Nottinghamshire Police said there is ‘growing alarm over the threat of dog theft’ as they revealed the new role following warnings from charities.
Helena and Greg bundled up for their outing (Picture: GC Images) Both appeared to be in good spirits as they walked their pet pooches (Picture: GC Images)Also starring in the series alongside both Greg and Helena are David Mitchell, Stephanie Cole, Donald Slumpter and Shobu Kapoor.
Dog owners should be wary of posting pictures of their pet on social media and leaving them unattended outside shops, police have warned, amid a rising number of dog thefts in the UK.Last year, there was a boom in what were labelled “pandemic puppies” as people stuck at home during lockdown acquired pets to lift their spirits .
While some of the most egregious crimes against wildlife are committed abroad against elephants, rhinos, and tigers, the fact that animal products can fetch lucrative prices, often right here in the United States, contributes to the problem.