Two more dogs stolen in Kent, one of the UK's dog theft hotspots

Incidents of dog thefts are rising across parts of the UK, with 1,626 dogs reported stolen during 2025

The figures come from police forces responding to requests for recorded dog theft reports, meaning they count reports made to police rather than every dog that goes missing. Even allowing for that, the level is high enough to place dog theft among the more commonly reported acquisitive crimes in the areas where it is concentrated.

Two dogs have been stolen from a property in Kent and police are appealing for witnesses. Kent Police said the two bitches were snatched after an agricultural barn in Sevenoaks was broken into.

Thefts from outbuildings and kennels differ from the street thefts that dominate the statistics. A barn break-in points to a thief who knew the dogs were there, because the target is not an animal left momentarily outside a shop but one kept on private land, out of sight, at night.

During 2025, figures show 1,626 dogs across the UK were reported stolen, that equates to around four a day. Kent remains one of the worst-hit places, despite a sizeable fall in its 2024 reported cases of 152 to last year's 109.

A fall in one county against a high national total is consistent with theft being unevenly distributed and shifting between areas year to year. Reported numbers in a single force area are also small enough that a handful of incidents moves the ranking, which is why the ordering of police areas tends to change more than the national picture does.

That puts Kent third in the police areas with highest reported dog thefts, behind only the Metropolitan Police at, at 214, and West Yorkshire, at 114.

It is worth reading the ranking with population in mind. The Metropolitan Police area covers Greater London and its 8.6 million residents, so a higher raw count there does not necessarily mean a higher rate per person; Kent and West Yorkshire appear near the top of the list despite serving considerably smaller populations.

This latest reported theft happened at the barn in Penn Lane in Ide Hill between 8.30pm and midnight on Tuesday (August 11). Nelly, picture above on the left, is a liver and white Springer Spaniel, and Betty is a black Cocker Spaniel.

Dogs are generally taken for resale or for breeding rather than for ransom. A young, trainable dog can be sold quickly and for a substantial sum, and a stolen animal is usually moved out of the area fast, which is why recovery rates are low and why forces emphasise microchip records over descriptions.

Officers are urging anyone who was in the area around the time and may have seen suspicious activity or vehicles to get in touch by calling 01622 604100 and quoting 46/132411/26.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or complete its online form.

The Pet Abduction Act came into force in England and Northern Ireland in 2024, making pet theft a specific criminal offence. The Metropolitan Police area logged the highest number of dog theft reports in the UK last year, with 214 dogs reported stolen in 2025.

Before the Act, taking a dog was prosecuted as theft, which treated the animal as property and meant the sentence reflected the animal's monetary value rather than the loss to the family. Creating a distinct offence followed campaigning on the argument that a dog is not simply an item of property, and that the penalties available did not match the impact of the crime.

Microchipping is the practical counterweight to all of this. Dogs in England must be microchipped and the registered details kept up to date, and a stolen animal scanned by a vet, a rescue or a local authority can be matched to its owner — but only if the database record still carries a current phone number. Flagging a dog as stolen with the microchip company is one of the first steps usually recommended after a theft is reported.

The Metropolitan Police provides services for the Greater London area (excluding the City of London) and its 8.6 million residents.

Among the statistics, Lancashire had the highest rise in cases, with reports rising from 41 in 2024 to 107 in 2025. Hertfordshire and Humberside also saw substantial increases.

Rising counts in individual force areas are not always straightforward to interpret. An increase can reflect better recording, a local campaign encouraging people to report, or a genuine rise in thefts, and the published figures rarely distinguish between them. Forces that have tightened the way they log pet abduction since the Act came in may show increases for that reason alone.

Top 10 police areas for reported dog thefts in 2025

For owners, the measures that reduce risk are unglamorous: secure gates and fencing, not leaving a dog tied up outside a shop or unattended in a garden, and varying walking routes and times so that a routine cannot be learned. Reporting suspicious vehicles or activity, as Kent Police has asked for here, is often what gives investigators something to work with, since a theft of this kind is usually over in minutes.