New law will create a new specific offence for dog and
cat abduction
Recognising the emotional distress that pet abduction can
cause for owners, offenders will face five years behind
bars
Support for Bill follows an Action Plan for Animal
Welfare pledge
A new criminal offence for pet
abduction has taken a significant step forward today (19 January)
with the announcement of government backing for new
legislation.
Under the Pet Abduction Bill -
a Private Member’s Bill sponsored by – anyone found guilty of
stealing a pet will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or
both.
By supporting the Pet Abduction
Bill, the Government is delivering on pledges made in its Action
Plan for Animal Welfare. This recognised that cats and dogs
are not inanimate objects but sentient beings capable of
experiencing distress and other emotional trauma when they are
stolen from their owners or keepers.
Evidence from the Pet Theft
Taskforce suggests that around 2,000 dog theft and over 400 cat
theft crimes were reported to police in 2020, causing
considerable distress for owners and their pets alike. With an
estimated 28% of UK adults owning a dog and 24% owning a cat, pet
theft is a major concern to the public.
Environment Secretary
said:
“As a dog owner myself, I
appreciate deeply what treasured members of the family dogs and
cats are. It is a deeply traumatic experience for both the owner
and the pet when they are stolen.
“This vital Bill will recognise
the severity of this shocking crime and should act as a deterrent
to anyone considering stealing a dog or cat. We will do all we
can to support its swift passage through Parliament.”
said:
“I am absolutely delighted that
the Pet Abduction Bill has passed its second reading, and will
move on to Committee stage. As a nation of pet-lovers, it is
vital that the law recognises the emotional impact that the
abduction of a pet can have, and brings the perpetrators to
justice that correctly reflects this.
“Pets are not merely property
like a smartphone or watch – they are part of the family. It is
not right that the law does not distinguish this and I am
delighted that my bill will redress this wrong.”
Today’s announcement builds
upon wider work to protect pets from theft, including making it
compulsory to microchip all pet cats and dogs in, making it
easier for lost, stray or stolen pets to be reunited with their
owners and returned home safely.
This builds on the Government’s
efforts to enhance our world-leading standards of animal welfare.
The UK was the first country in the world to introduce animal
cruelty offences and is the highest ranked G7 nation according to
World Animal Protection’s Index. Our flagship Action Plan
for Animal Welfare committed us to going even further to protect
animals.
The Animal Welfare (Livestock
Exports) Bill – which is only possible now we have left the
European Union – was introduced to Parliament last month and will
put an end to the export of live animals for slaughter and
fattening from Great Britain, stopping animals enduring
unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury on long
journeys.
Since publishing the Action
Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have also brought in new laws
to recognise animal sentience, introduced tougher penalties for
animal cruelty offences; extended the ivory ban to cover other
ivory bearing species; introduced legislation to ban the keeping
of primates as pets and supported legislation to ban glue traps,
the import of detached shark fins and measures to ban the
advertising and offering for sale of low welfare activities
abroad.
