Dog Theft on the Rise in Pandemic Times

26/7/2020

2020 has certainly been a unique year that none of us will forget in a hurry. More recently dog theft has skyrocketed most likely directly related to the huge demand for puppies & dogs in the first part of the year as people found themselves at home more. As groomers we are in a unique position to offer guidance to our customers to help keep their pets a safe & well

Pet Tags –

All dogs should wear a collar & tag at all times – this is now a legal requirement whether inside or outside the home.
A simple tag with a phone number on it is the first line of defence you have to help get your dog back safely .
Many owners say

“ oh he’s never out alone “ or “ he doesn’t go past my neighbours ! “

So many dogs end up never returning to their family because of no outwardly visible ID. A large percentage of dogs in the salon do not wear tags on their collars, many don’t wear collars all the time.
Some owners worry about putting a dog’s name on the collar thinking someone could call the dog by its name. As a pet professional I really don’t think knowing the dog’s name makes any major difference but a tag just needs a phone number everything else is optional.

Another useful thing to put on a tag is the words “ I’m Neutered “ as it does seem to have been an important factor with some confirmed stolen dogs being quickly dumped again.

Microchips –
Nowadays all dogs have to be legally microchipped & registered.

When the microchip is registered owners receive a Registration Certificate. Many problems arise because a lot of chips are not fully registered or owners have forgotten to update personal info when they move house or change phones.

Sadly time and time again social media posts include the words – has chip but unregistered. In the last 5 years or so vets register the chips they implant but prior to that the registration was something the owners where supposed to do after the vet did the procedure but most didn’t realize this or forgot.
Pups that are now being bred in big establishments are often chipped by lay people and we have no guarantee they are being registered properly.

Owners can be encouraged to check and update if needed, their dogs registration details by contacting the following databases

There are four microchipping databases in Ireland from which you can obtain a Microchipping Certificate:

There is also a general European database which you can assess to see what databases your pet is registered with

Europetnet –Europes Pet Portal

Photos –

Another valuable tip for owners is to take some clear identifying pictures of their dog and store them in a safe place. Depending on a pets’ markings several pictures showing both sides & top of dog along with identifying features are good.

Social Media –

If you put up pictures on your business social media pages consider not tagging owners in them. You can also adjust your page settings (via desktop/laptop) so people cannot tag pictures.

Other things that can help against opportunistic thieves –