What to Do If Your Dog Has Been Stolen? Expert Guide

Introduction:

Every pet lover can understand the heartbreak and pain of losing a pet, but the worst condition is when someone’s pet is stolen. Many questions arise in the mind. Why did someone do this? Where would be your pet? How to find her? Is your pet getting enough care? Etc.

If you believe that your pet is being stolen, don’t waste time; act immediately to find your pet. It can be hard, but taking action on time can help to retrieve your pet as soon as possible.

Dog Thefts on the Rise – Recent Statistics

A dramatic rise in the ratio of dog theft is noticed in this pandemic. According to the famous news channel IGTV, it can rise to 170%. Since the lockdown begins, a huge demand for dogs and puppies rises, which leads to an increased dog theft ratio.

The increase in new dog prices is driven by the huge demand for puppies and their popular breeds. It is a trend that should be stopped, and linnet punishments are not enough for its culprits. The culprits of dog theft should be punished to stop this trend.

Dog theft is a heart breaking thing and a matter of concern for dog owners. The loss of your much-loved pet, who is your family member, is painful. In most cases, the pets are never retrieved despite the continuous high efforts.

Thieves target not only puppies but also adult dogs. They stole the unneutered dogs and used them to breed puppies. Ultimately, they earn money by selling these puppies. The most commonly reported lost breeds of dogs are French Bulldogs, Spaniels, and Cockapoos.

After news coverage of so many such incidents and as dog owners become more vigilant, thieves adopt new methods and tricks to steal dogs. There are many steps that dog owners can use to protect their dogs and them with you at a place where they belong.

12 Steps to Protect Your Dog from Theft:

There are many things and precautions that you can take to prevent your dog from theft. Here are 12 steps from pet experts that you can use to avoid losing your dog.

1. Add a microchip to your dog which is not visible to thieves. It will help you to find your pet back by locating his location.
2. Such dogs are less appealing to thieves, as they are unable to reproduce. You can also add a collar with the tag “I am neutered”.
3. These should also include any identification mark of your pet and must be recently captured.
4. The tag should include the owner’s name, contact number, address, and other contact details. It is not recommended including your dog’s name on the tag, as thieves can use it to attract them.
5. Try to walk with your dogs through different routes and different timings so that, thieves don’t know your exact location. Also, choose the routes and timing when other people are also present.
6. In case you need to use a dog care center or dog-walker, try to use a local company. Select a service which is highly recommended and try to get details of staff.
7. During playtime, don’t let your dog out of sight. Don’t throw the ball too far while playing with your dog. Make sure your dog has a good memory so that he can approach you immediately when any stranger approaches them.
8. When your dog is playing with kids or other younger members of your family, supervise them.
9. Make sure to watch your dog when he is playing in the garden with kids.
10. Secure your garden to ensure that your dog does not get out easily, and nobody approaches them easily. You can use CCTV cameras to watch the activity of your dog in the garden.
11. Ensure to cover the sides of your garden with a strong lock.  You can also attach a bell that will help you to get notified when someone opens the gate.
12. Don’t leave your dog inside the car or outside the shop unsupervised, especially in hot weather. Dog thieves are looking for opportunities. Where they find a dog that they can easily target, they will not miss the opportunity.

Things You Should Do if Your Dog is Lost or Stolen:

In case your dog is stolen or lost, without wasting any further time, you should act immediately. Try to have some important telephone numbers and websites that you can use to find your dog. It is better to make a list of all these numbers and websites to take immediate action.

You should:

1. Immediately contact the police and file a missing report. Ask for the case reference number. If you believe your dog is being stolen, state it in your report.
2. Try to share it in as many as possible Facebook groups with complete details of your dog and your location.
3. Post the recent picture of your dog on social media describing the details like any chip, neutered, etc. In case thieves see your post, they most probably release the nurtured dog.
4. Look for CCTV cameras if your dog is lost in any public place. Contact police and local area council to help you in finding any evidence.

Using Social Media to Find Your Dog:

No doubt, social media is one of the most powerful platforms to raise awareness and search for anything. Here are some expert tips that you can use to find your pet by using social media platforms.

• Post a clear recent picture of your dog and the place where he was lost or last seen. Describe as many details of your dog and incident as possible.
• Post the picture and details of your pet on every possible social media platform, and ask your close friends and relatives to also post the same thing on their walls.
• Tag vets, animal charities, microchip providers, and other local businesses in your post and ask them to share your post with their followers.
• Set your social media profile settings to “Public” to ensure everyone can see your post.
• Search on relent groups on social media. In case anyone finds your dog, they may post about it on any group or platform. Search with the place where the dog was lost and the identifying feature of your pet.

Final Verdict:

Every day, we take many precautions to protect our beloved pets and safeguard them from being stolen. Dog napping is something like a nightmare for dog owners. Recent records show that the number of stolen dogs is over 2 million every year.

We follow the many tips to avoid any such heart breaking incident. But only a few dog owners realize the protection of dogs is also important. Here we have discussed many tips and ways on what to do if your dog is being stolen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

 How might I easily track my stolen dog?

To follow a lost dog with a CPU. Visit the microchipping organization’s site and enter your pet’s chronic number. In case you don’t know which supplier, utilize assistance from expert investigators. Consider the vet that infused the chip if you need more data.

What can prove the ownership of your pet?

In deciding verification of pet ownership, a security judge will think about the following things, including registration and pet license. The most probable record to be perceived by the court is the underlying enlistment needed for most family pets. You may need veterinary records that may likewise think about veterinary clinical records.