n August more than 30 puppies have been stolen found in a van by police in Cheltanam

Organised crime move in with record puppy thefts in the UK

n August more than 30 puppies have been stolen found in a van by police in Cheltanam
n August more than 30 puppies have been stolen found in a van by police in Cheltanam

Organised crime is exploiting the run-up to Christmas by smuggling puppies from abroad and stealing dogs and puppies in the UK.

Dog and puppies are stolen for immediate sale and adults taken for forced breeding on puppy farms.

Experts are claiming the demand for dogs during pandemic lockdown has led to a significant increase in pets being stolen. Wayne May from the organisation Dog lost is saying “ I’ve been doing this for 30 years now and it’s the worst ever year I’ve known. Due to pandemic lockdown, people are at home more time and they are looking for companion animals to take up their time. Sadly criminals capitalised on this and pushed the price of dogs and puppies up in general which inadvertently sparked a high rise in dog thefts”.

Last year, more than 1, 750 dogs were stolen across the UK leaving owners heartbroken as 8-% were never traced. More than 700, 000 puppies are sold each year in a trade worth £300 million, which gives incentive for criminals to steal designer dogs and with Christmas around the corner it can only get worse. 23 per cent of dogs were stolen from gardens, 11 per cent from homes, and 11 per cent stolen whilst out walking.