18 Nov 2021
Dog abduction offence will take into account the “emotional distress” caused to both the owner and the dog, and will help judges’ ability to hand down more targeted penalties and sentences for pet thieves.
James Westgate
Job Title
A new criminal offence that will see sentences of up to five years handed down for those found guilty of dog theft has been set out by the Government today (18 November).
The dog abduction offence, announced in September by Defra, will be added by the Government to the Kept Animals Bill. Prior to this new offence, pet theft was treated as a loss of property to the owner.
The new offence will take into account the ”emotional distress” caused to both the owner and the dog, and will help judges’ ability to hand down more targeted penalties and sentences for pet thieves.
A provision will also be made in the bill to extend the offence to other pets in the future, should evidence support this.
By introducing this offence, the Government is following the recommendation of the Pet Theft Taskforce, launched in May 2021 to tackle a reported rise in pet thefts during the pandemic.
Evidence shows that more than 2,000 incidents of pet theft were reported to the police last year.
CVO Christine Middlemiss said: “The recognition of the distress caused to animals by pet theft is an important step forward, treating them as sentient beings rather than merely property.
“The new offence should build greater awareness of the significant impacts of dog theft on people and animals, and reassure pet owners that these crimes are being taken seriously.”
Paula Boyden, veterinary director at Dogs Trust, added: “Having your beloved pet stolen is an extremely stressful, often heartbreaking experience. For years, Dogs Trust has called for harsher penalties to deter those who profit from this despicable crime.
“We wholeheartedly welcome the measures the Government has taken today to tackle pet theft and prioritise the welfare of our pets as sentient beings, and very much hope that the increased sentencing will make pet thieves think twice.”
Since 2010, the Government has brought in mandatory microchipping for dogs to help reunite lost dogs with their owners, introduced additional protection for service animals through “Finn’s Law”, and introduced Lucy’s Law to tackle puppy farming by banning the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens.
The Government said today’s announcement builds on its stated commitment to revolutionise the treatment of animals in the UK and introduce measures to protect the welfare of animals abroad, as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
