Criminal gangs turn to dog theft
Charity warns of illegal breeders taking advantage of rise in demand for puppies
CRIMINAL gangs are behind a rise in dog thefts and illegal puppy farms because it’s a ‘low-risk, high reward’ way of making money, a charity has warned.
Demand for puppies has soared during lockdown - and that’s sent the price rocketing too.
It’s prompted illegal breeders to set up operations all over the country.
Campaigners believe stolen dogs are being used for illegal unlicensed breeding which has led to a rise in thefts.
A spokesman for Animal Protection Services, a charity set up to prosecute illegal breeders, said: “Many groups are switching from drugs to puppies because there is so little enforcement.
“The law about licensing breeders is supposed to be enforced by local authorities, but they have only brought a handful of cases.”
Last year the average price of a puppy was £1,875, more than double the previous year, a Pets4Homes Industry Report found. And at the height of the lockdown demand for puppies rose by 104 per cent compared to 12 months earlier. It’s led to a spate of puppy thefts and heartbreak for owners.
Earlier this week the Manchester Evening News reported how an elderly woman’s pet dog was brazenly stolen from outside a newsagents in Collyhurst.
The male shih tzu, called Jack, was snatched outside Bobby’s Convenience Store on Rochdale Road.
CCTV footage shows a man running towards Jack, before grabbing him and driving off in a silver Ford Mondeo.
On March 15 an 11-week-old Jack Russell was snatched from a van in Radcliffe while his owner worked on a nearby roof.
And in February a litter of seven bulldog puppies were snatched from their home in Leigh.
Owner Tammy McKenna said: “It’s heartbreaking to think the puppies are out there now, cold and unfed. They will be terrified, they could die.”
Thankfully the pups were later found and returned home.
In recent months a number of illegal breeders across the north west have been prosecuted.
Animal Protection Services representative, Jacob Lloyd, told LancsLive: “We are seeing a huge increase in organised crime taking advantage of this demand. It is something that is fuelling the increase in dog thefts throughout the country.
“Trading of puppies without a licence is not acceptable. The undermining of the statutory licensing regime is a risk to animal welfare and consumer protection.
“The illegal puppy trade has become a low risk, high reward trade and we are determined to ensure that opportunists and organised criminals are brought before the courts to face justice.”