Dog Theft Action Delighted at Seminar

Published on October 17, 2007 by Freelance Contributors   ·   No Comments

Recently Dog Theft Action held a successful seminar at the Dogs Trust Rescue Centre in Harefield.  This is situated close to the junction of the M25 and M40 and is highly recommended as a venue for similar events. It consisted of an imposing conference hall which was contained in a beautifully converted 15th century barn.  DTA is extremely grateful to Dogs Trust for letting us use this excellent facility.

Dog Theft is alive and well!!! Dog Theft Action is a charity whose aims are to help any organisation, however remotely connected with the problem, to work together.  Like the theft of vehicles no one is under any illusion that it will ever disappear completely but measures can be taken to keep theft of dogs at a reasonable level   Also, if a dog is stolen or even lost then owners obviously want to get it back as fast as possible.

Therefore, identification is vital and the judiciary need to be seen to take any reported theft seriously and then take effective action.

The first speaker was Chris Laurence MBE.  Chris is well known as the Veterinary Director of Dogs Trust and he outlined current issues relating to lost or stolen dogs.  As far as collecting accurate data is concerned there is often a problem recording whether a dog as actually been stolen as opposed to simply gone missing.

Next was Sarah Fry who is Sales Director of Pet ID.  Sarah emphasised the huge benefits of having dogs micro chipped when it comes to getting dogs returned to their owners.  Also, that it is still the law that any dog in a public place should have a collar with an identity disc.  Although anyone pinching a dog will obviously remove any collar it will still increase the chances of a ‘lost’ dog being returned.  She also outlined the difficulties of anyone removing a chip should they wish.

Debbie Matthews is the founder of Vets Get Scanning and she was the third speaker.  Debbie had her own two dogs stolen from her car while it was parked in a supermarket car park.  Thieves smashed the windscreen and made off with both dogs.  Debbie, who is the daughter of TVs Bruce Forsyth, discovered that there is no obligation for vets to automatically scan a dog that comes into their surgery  She felt that this could go a long way to help to ascertain the actual ownership.

Chris Laurence did suggest that this could be very time consuming but an answer would be to have a walk-through scanner which is quick and simple to use.  One was demonstrated.

The next speaker was Chief Superintendent Simon Ovens of the Metropolitan Police.  Simon explained how his force deals with dog theft and how seriously they take it.  His figures showed a 74% increase in theft in London.  It is important to note that this actually represents an increase from 187 in 2002 to 413 in 2006   Compared to other crimes, this remains a relatively small number but that does not detract from the seriousness of the situation, in particular the distress to the owners.

Simon dealt with many comments from the floor regarding the attitude of some officers to the report of dog theft and did remind delegates that the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act will remove responsibility for stray dogs from the police and place it with the local authority.

After a superb lunch the afternoon was launched by Trevor Cooper.  Trevor is well known to every one in the dog world as a solicitor who has spent a large part part of his career working with dog owners who have run foul of the law.  He explained, in detail, the law relating to dogs in regard to actual ownership.  There are several ways to prove ownership in any dispute: a KC registration document, an adoption certificate, micro chip/tattoo details, etc.  However, do not take it for granted that you will always be assumed to be the actual owner of a dog.  Keep as much proof as you can!!

Celia Watson of Petlog outlined the fact that Petlog holds details of 4 million animals on its data base of which 60% are dogs.   Petlog, Dog Theft Action and the Kennel Club have wanted to try and create a unified database that would enable ALL agencies to have access to information relating to dogs that have been stolen or lost.

Celia then introduced Paul Burridge who is founder of a new internet database; The Missing List which is now up and running. Paul explained how the database will work and its potential for helping in the fight against dog theft.

The symposium closed with a question and answer session which all our speakers participated in.

In conclusion, dog theft will always be with us.  But, great strides are taking place which should go a long way towards stabilising and even reducing the incidence. Also, there are a greater number of organisations who will help you get your dog back and, increasingly, they are working together.

So, what do we do next?

Undoubtedly, everyone who owns or is connected with dogs must work together with a common purpose.  Politics of any description should not be allowed to detract from everyone’s wish to tackle this nasty problem.

What can individual dog owners do?

Well, treat your dog like any other valuable item that is in your possession.

..Ensure it is micro chipped and/or tattooed

..Ensure it wears a collar with ID when in any public place

Do not leave unattended, especially outside shops

Try to even avoid leaving them unattended in a car.

If you have any suspicions or have to walk in a dubious area then vary the time and route that you use.

If you are certain that your dog has been stolen report the theft to the police and insist you are given a crime number

Report it to everyone you can think of!!!!!

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Tags:  Animal Welfare, Social Issues