Blog by Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside
Alliance
You may remember that in February five working hounds were stolen
from the Westerby Bassets’ kennels in Leicestershire. Pet theft
is a foul crime at the best of times, but there is something
especially horrible about taking hounds from a pack environment
in which they have lived all their lives, presumably for sale to
homes to which they would be totally unsuited. Thankfully all of
the five hounds have been located safely.
The hounds were discovered with the help of a voluntary group
which harnesses social media to reunite lost and found animals,
and I know many of you shared our appeal for information about
the stolen hounds on Facebook. The social media campaign led to
the sighting of one of the hounds in the Manchester area and
further investigations have led to the discovery of others.
Unfortunately, but predicatably, the hounds have not done well
outside the pack environment and are reported to have lost
drastic amounts of weight and some have sustained injuries. A
number of people have been arrested by Greater Manchester Police
whose investigations continue. We hope this leads to the
prosecution of those responsible for their theft.
This case also highlights the issue of pet theft at a time when a
huge rise in demand for pets, especially dogs, has seen their
financial value rise very significantly. This rise in value has
driven a wave of crime as dogs are stolen for resale and to breed
puppies for sale. Unfortunately, many working breeds, especially
gundogs, are particularly targeted by criminals. The boom in
puppy prices will also undoubtedly lead to a rise in back street
breeding and puppy farming both in the UK and abroad with
unpleasant implications for the welfare of bitches and puppies.
One proposal for tackling pet theft comes from Ipswich MP
who was previously with the Alliance. Tom is promoting
proposals that the Government should make pet theft a specific
offence which would allow judges to hand out two-year prison
sentences. There is definitely logic in arguing that the impact
of pet theft cannot simply be judged on the monetary value of the
animal involved. Emotional attachment cannot be measured in
pounds and pence and the most devastating part of pet theft is
the removal of a much-loved animal from its family rather than
the financial consequences of replacing it. We hope the
Government thinks carefully about Tom’s proposal and considers
any other policies to tackle the theft of dogs and other pets. In
the meantime please make sure that you keep your
dogs safe.
