With dog thefts in the UK increasing exponentially in the past year a new report by GoCompare Pet reveals the most targeted breeds, the UK’s hotspots and the percentage of those recovered.
Staffordshire bull terriers are the most commonly stolen dog breed in the UK, according to police data.
GoCompare analysed Freedom of Information requests sent to police constabularies across the UK and analysts also looked at doglost.co.uk data to investigate the rise in dog-related crimes in the UK in 2021.
Between 2018 and 2020, there were 164 cases of Staffies reported stolen by their owners. On average each dog from this breed costs £1,028. This amounts to a value of £168,623 worth of dogs stolen over the past three years.
West Yorkshire is the dognapping capital of the UK, according to the data, with 430 reported stolen to West Yorkshire Police between 2018 to 2020. Kent came next followed by Devon and Cornwall, Northumbrian d West Mercia.
From analysing social data from Doglost.co.uk, GoCompare found there was a 189% increase in the number of dogs being listed as stolen on the site in comparison with the year before – and only 25% are recovered in the UK.
Sally Jaques, pet expert at Gocompare , said: “Many people who have always dreamed of owning a dog took the plunge while they were spending so much time at home during lockdown which is why the price of dogs has risen so sharply. Owning a dog is now a big investment.
“But worryingly that rise seems to have coincided with an increased number of dogs going missing, presumed stolen, so it’s absolutely crucial that pet owners make sure they know what they are covered for on their pet insurance policy, should the worst happen. We know that owning a pet isn’t all about the money, but pet insurance policies can help you offer a reward to find your lost or stolen pet as well as advertise for its safe return.”
