Police warn of increase in stolen-to-order pets for sale during festive season 

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Beware the Christmas dognappers: Police warn of increase in stolen-to-order pets for sale during festive season

  • Chloe Hopkins’s dalmatian Lottie was snatched using a drone in Leicestershire
  • Six American bulldog puppies were stolen from a house in Kent on Friday
  • Dognappers will ‘target designer breeds to order’, says UK Pet Detectives 
  • Owners should be ‘puppy smart’ as dogs are ‘attractive commodity’ at Christmas
  • Dog thefts have risen from 1,879 in 2017 to 1,959 in 2018, DirectLine figures show

By George Odling For The Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

Police have warned of a spate of stolen-to-order dog thefts in the run-up to Christmas – after a litter of six puppies and a therapy dog were snatched in two separate incidents last week.

The litter of three-week-old American bulldog pups was stolen from a house in Kent on Friday – and will become seriously ill if the dogs are not returned to their mother soon.

It came days after thieves used a drone to stake out a garden before snatching a therapy dalmatian belonging to an autistic girl in Leicestershire.

Chloe Hopkins’s therapy dog Lottie was stolen by thieves who used a drone to stake out the garden, the family say. She has cried herself to sleep every night since her ‘best friend’ Lottie was stolen in Peatling Parva last Sunday

Detective Sergeant Sam Stuart, of Kent Police, warned that puppies become an increasingly attractive commodity in the weeks before Christmas and anyone buying a dog should research where it came from.

And pet detective Colin Butcher said he experiences an increase in inquiries during the festive period as crooks meet a surge in demand for popular breeds.

Mr Butcher, a former inspector for Surrey Police who is now director of the UK Pet Detectives, said the thieves who took the American bulldogs in Rochester could get up to £850 per puppy.

The three-year-old dalmatian Lottie was cruelly snatched alongside a puppy litter of six

Just days before Lottie was taken, Chloe's mother Gemma Hopkins watched a drone fly over the property

The three-year-old dalmatian Lottie was cruelly snatched from Peatling Parva, south Leicestershire. Pet detective Colin Butcher said he experiences an increase in inquiries during the festive period as crooks meet a surge in demand for popular breeds – and warns owners to be ‘puppy smart’

‘Demand at this time of year is higher and thieves know it will be easier to convert the dogs into cash,’ he said.

‘They will target the designer breeds, either to order or simply because they know they will be able to move them on. No dog thief wants to be stuck with an animal they can’t sell on.

‘And it makes sense for them to target a litter of puppies – it’s six dogs for one robbery rather than just one, plus they will not yet be microchipped.’

In Leicestershire, Chloe Hopkins, 11, has cried herself to sleep every night since her ‘best friend’ Lottie was stolen in Peatling Parva last Sunday.

Her mother Gemma believes the dog was targeted as she is a rare breed, and said she had seen a drone above the garden before the theft.

‘Chloe and Lottie are inseparable. She helps Chloe calm down – she’s her best friend,’ Mrs Hopkins told BBC News.

As none of her neighbours were flying a drone, Mrs Hopkins believes the device could have been used by the thieves who took Lottie.  Dog thefts have been rising since 2012 with experts blaming a trend for owning 'designer' breeds

As none of her neighbours were flying a drone, Mrs Hopkins believes the device could have been used by the thieves who took Lottie.  Dog thefts have been rising since 2012 with experts blaming a trend for owning ‘designer’ breeds

Lottie needs specialist medication for a liver condition and could become seriously ill if she is without it for too long, the mother-of-six added.

Meanwhile, the six puppies in Kent are far too young to survive without their mother, Mr Stuart said.

‘In the run-up to Christmas, puppies become an attractive commodity and we would ask people who are thinking of buying one to be “Puppy Smart” and follow RSPCA guidance,’ he added.

Mrs Hopkins last saw the beloved hound early in the morning on December 1, when she went down the stairs to feed her baby. Dognappers 'will target the designer breeds, either to order or simply because they know they will be able to move them on', Colin Butcher, a former inspector for Surrey Police said. Pictured: The family's appeal.

Mrs Hopkins last saw the beloved hound early in the morning on December 1, when she went down the stairs to feed her baby. Dognappers ‘will target the designer breeds, either to order or simply because they know they will be able to move them on’, Colin Butcher, a former inspector for Surrey Police said. Pictured: The family’s appeal.

Dog thefts have been rising since 2012, with experts blaming a trend for owning ‘designer’ breeds.

And the number stolen rose from 1,879 in 2017 to 1,959 in 2018 – the equivalent of five a day, according to figures from insurance firm DirectLine. An RSPCA spokesman urged dog owners to neuter and microchip their pets.