Thousands of dogs are stolen each year for breeding, sale or ransom and in order to prevent the theft of a dog it should be kept secure at all times. Dogs should never be left unattended such as left tied up outside a shop, left alone in a garden whilst out, left in an unattended car and dogs should not be allowed to run out of sight on walks or allowed to stray. It only takes a minute or two for thieves to untie a dog, climb over a garden fence, break into a car to steal a dog or approach a loose dog and take it.

Microchippping

Should a dog be stolen microchipping ensures that the dog it is identifiable and helps in the return to its rightful owner. Microchipping involves having a mircrochip injected into the skin in the dog's neck by a vet and when a scanner is passed over the microchip in the dog the identification appears on the scanner and can be matched with the record on the computerised national PetLog database allowing the owner to be traced and the dog returned.

Identification Tag

Although a collar and identification tag with address and phone number are easily removed if a dog is stolen, stating on the tag that the dog is microchipped may act as a deterrant against theft.

Photographs

In the event of theft of a dog recent photographs can help to publicise its disappearance and help others in identifying the dog if seen. Therefore recent photographs of a dog from both sides, and the front, together with photographs of any distinguishing marks can be extremely helpful in tracing a dog that has gone missing.