Spaniels are the breed most targeted by thieves but all working dogs are at risk.
By Barnaby Dracup
Monday, 23 August 2010
Missing dog organisation Dog Lost reports pre-season surge in gundog thefts as Shooting Times launches its free lost-and-found dog service.
Working dog thefts double in past year.
Last month saw a huge increase in reports of working gundog thefts, which have almost doubled in the past year according to Dog Lost, the national organisation that helps owners find missing dogs.
The most targeted dogs are lurchers and cocker spaniels, though all breeds are potential targets for thieves.
Jane Hayes of Dog Lost said: “We have an average of 100 to 120 dogs reported missing every week. 80% are stolen and the majority are working dogs. I would say the number of thefts reported has doubled in the past year.”
Thieves are targeting kennels and gundog trainers in search of trained gundogs, which can fetch thousands of pounds.
It is not known where the majority of stolen dogs end up, but Jane Hayes believes many are being sold on to newcomers to shooting who are looking for ready-trained gundogs, explaining the surge in the run-up to the season.
She said: “I would urge anyone buying a dog to ask for the paperwork and check it thoroughly. I am amazed by how many people discover a dog they have paid for belongs to someone else after a scan at the vet reveals a microchip.”
South East area co-ordinator for Dog Lost, Dee Ford, believes that working dogs are rarely sold on but rather bred from.
She said: “The majority of those using gundogs are genuine and they would know a stolen dog and certainly wouldn’t buy from those attempting to sell one. They are usually kept by the thieves and either used themselves for illegal coursing or bred from until they’re of no use. Working cockers stolen from a shoot in Kent have been found wandering in South-East London two years later, having been grossly over-bred, starved and full of mange, ticks and fleas.”
DogLost is urging dog owners to review their kennel security and put various measures in place to deter thieves.
It suggests microchipping dogs, padlocking kennels, installing alarms and, if possible, CCTV.
Those whose kennels are distant from their homes should consider moving them closer.
Shooting Times magazine's classified sales manager, Suzanne Jacobs, has also noticed an increase in calls about gundog thefts in the past six months.
In response, she is launching a new lost dog service on 15 September.
She said: “Many of my clients in rural areas have reported a general rise in rural crime including gundogs being stolen. I believe it may be partly the result of the recession.”
To submit an advertisement to Shooting Times before 15 September, tel 020 3148 2872.
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