Someone Stole My Dog or Cat – What Can I Do?

Our recent research found that a third of Australian pet parents worry that their pet will be stolen by another person. Sadly, it’s not an irrational fear as pets are often stolen for thieves to make some kind of profit. And often these criminals are quite professional in their operations. As you would with a human baby, be alert to your fur baby’s safety at all times. If you find yourself in the very unfortunate position of suspecting that someone stole your dog or cat, here’s what you can do.

Why are pets stolen?

Usually the intention behind someone stealing a dog or cat is to make money. Some of the reasons a pet is stolen from a home, park or elsewhere in the neighbourhood is so they can be used as:

• Breeding animals, whether that’s in puppy farms, kitten farms or on a smaller scale
• Bait animals for illegal dog fighting, where they’re used to practice on (see here for more information)
• Guinea pigs in laboratories

Another reason is someone thinks they’re taking in a stray. They simply don’t realise there’s a heartbroken pet parent out there thinking ‘someone stole my dog’ or ‘someone stole my cat’.

Of course, there are some people who want to sell the dog or cat for money or to return to the owner in exchange for a reward. Nasty business.

10 tips to prevent your pet from being stolen

A few ways to help reduce the risk of your pet being stolen are:

1. Microchip and register them with the Australasian Animal Registry (the biggest database in Australia and New Zealand). Consider adding them to other databases as well
2. Give them a name-tagged collar – with phone number engraved – so they can’t be mistaken as a stray
3. Make sure your pet isn’t visible from the street. Many thieves are opportunistic, and will take advantage of quick access (even while you’re at home)
4. Make your yard as secure as possible to deter thieves from entering. Think gates, fencing, alarms, sensor lighting and so on
5. Never leave your pet unattended in a public place… You wouldn’t leave your human baby alone, so don’t leave your fur baby
6. Keep an eye out for letterbox tagging or similar, just in case
7. Check references and read reviews of pet sitters, walkers etc. Also ask for ID and clearance checks before you book
8. If you use pet daycare, check how locked-down their property is and what their pet pick-up policy is
9. Ditto when it comes to boarding kennels or similar
10. Refrain from posting images of your pet on social media and other websites, especially if they’re a purebred

You might even want to install security cameras around your house if you’re really concerned about it.

What do I do if my pet is stolen?

Sometimes having your pet stolen is unpreventable, no matter how much effort you put into protecting your loved one. After all, you can’t be with them 24/7.

So, what do you do if your pet is stolen?

• Update your pet’s microchip (see above) with missing status
• Ask neighbours if they have any CCTV footage that might show something
• Report to police that ‘someone stole my dog (or cat)’ and give them as many details surrounding the situation as possible. Provide any footage you’ve found
• Search the neighbourhood, knocking on doors as you go. You might even want to provide neighbours with a flyer about your missing pet
• Put posters up around the local streets, providing similar details
• You could even offer a reward for information or return (even if it’s nowhere as big as this one it could be enough to convince someone to hand your pet in)
• Tag your car with a big poster of your stolen pet and your contact details
• Contact council and animal rescue centres to see if your pet has been handed in
• Post about your loss to sites and Facebook groups for lost and/or stolen pets, both locally and nationally. Make sure you mention in any online listings that you believe your pet was stolen, and hasn’t just escaped
• Notify any local vets and those out of the area, in case someone tries to claim your fur baby as their own

Read our How to Find Lost Pets blog post for more tips you can follow.

Finally, don’t lose faith. You’ll end up finding your stolen dog or cat, just like this dog mum from New Zealand did.

Prepare for the unthinkable

While pet insurance won’t prevent your pet from being stolen or lost, it will enable you to easily get affordable, quality medical care for them upon their return. See our dog insurance plans here and our cat insurance plans and take two minutes to get a quote below.