Owners are being warned after eight dogs were stolen in the UK from heartbroken owners every day in 2021.
French bulldogs and Jack Russell terriers were the top breeds targeted by crooks, according to the disturbing new research.
The dog theft capital was London, with the Met Police reporting 422 dogs stolen, followed by West Yorkshire with 199 and Kent Police at 182.
The findings have been released by Direct Line Pet Insurance as part of their annual dog theft campaign.
The thefts have a devastating impact on families and the police are being urged to crack down on the offence.
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One woman said she was told by the Met Police the case was closed just a week after their poodle puppy vanished.
Mum Gintare, from North London, told how she fainted in shock after her nine month old dog called ‘Smaila’, Lithuanian for Smiler, was taken from their car when they popped into a store.
The nine month old pet had been an 11th birthday present for her daughter Tia.
“The house is so empty and this has been a really big shock for our family,” Gintare said. "Smaila was like a child to me.
"My daughter is so scared now we have to pick her up from school.
But she has been so strong and every day she says to me ‘I promise you mummy we will get her back’.
“We were going to the groomer’s and popped into cash and carry on the way- we left her for 15 minutes in the car. I saw Smaila was missing and screamed.
“I can still see that vision when the seat was empty and I started screaming; ‘There’s no Smiler’. My husband went pale.
“I ran to the cashiers because we know them really well. I started crying and said ‘our dog has been stolen’ and I said check the cameras.
“The footage shows them going past us in the car park where we think they scanned our keys. They hid Smaila under their coat and put him in the car and drove off.
"All day long I was crying. I thought the police could do more. I was literally begging them at the police station.
"Can you please check the cameras. I waited two and half hours for someone to take my report. I was so stressed I fainted in the police station."
The Met Police confirmed the case was closed unless more information comes to light and said: “On Wednesday, 30 March police received a report after a dog was stolen from a van that was parked in the Eley Industrial Estate in Edmonton.
“Officers viewed CCTV which showed a vehicle in the car park but due to the quality of the footage, no suspect could be identified. The car was also on false registration plates.
“The owner confirmed the dog was microchipped – officers requested information from the relevant company but this didn’t yield any further lines of enquiry that could be pursued.
“The research released this week shows dog theft has reached a seven-year high with the number of dogs reported stolen in 2021 rising 13 per cent to a record high of 2,760.
This means 53 dogs were stolen every week last year, nearly eight every day.
This is 321 more than in 2020 and 611 more than in 2019.A massive 16 million people now own a dog, with 3.8 million getting one during the pandemic forcing prices up and making them more lucrative to crooks.
Pedigrees like French bulldogs, the dog most likely to be stolen this year, can cost more than £3,000.
Madeline Pike, Veterinary Nurse for Direct Line Pet Insurance said: “It’s devastating to see the number of dogs stolen continues to increase across the country.
“The law will soon recognise dogs as members of the family with feelings, not just owned property and we hope that this will deter criminals, especially if they can be punished more severely if prosecuted.
“Anyone considering buying a dog should thoroughly check its provenance and see the dog with its mother, to ensure they’re not buying from a criminal organisation.”
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
