Dog thefts are up across the UK and just one in six were returned to their owners in 2023 – the lowest level since insurer Direct Line started tracking the data in 2015.

Police figures suggest at least 2,290 dogs were stolen last year, an increase of 6% from 2022, and most are reported in London, Kent, and West Yorkshire.

English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and XL bullys were the most frequently stolen breeds, with the former two regularly advertised for about £3,000, according to Direct Line.

One of those dogs reported missing was Mouse, a Jack Russell last seen during a walk on 3 December last year.

Her disappearance has “devastated” her owners, who have not managed to track her down despite extensive and repeated searches by the local community in Chalfont St Peter, in Buckinghamshire.

“It’s changed our lives completely. You can’t give up. We have no closure,” said Anne Maynard.

“We don’t sleep properly. We get crank calls from people in the middle of the night saying, ‘we’ve got your dog’ and then they put the phone down and we can’t get back to sleep.

“It’s a life sentence. She’s part of our family.”

Addressing the person who might have her, Mrs Maynard said: “They have to do the right thing. She’s a beautiful dog, but she’s not theirs, she’s ours.

“All they have to do is put her somewhere she will be found. No questions asked. She wouldn’t give up on us, so we’re not going to give up on her.”

Beverley Cuddy, the editor of Dogs Today magazine, said it is “shocking” so few stolen pets are returned.

“The Theft Act still treats this crime as no more significant than the theft of a mobile phone – so all our pets are at risk of abduction,” she added.

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“We can make it harder for impulsive criminals by never leaving our dogs tied up outside shops and protecting them when at home. Statistics show most are stolen from our own gardens.

“The Pet Abduction Bill will hopefully punish dog thefts more severely, but more needs to be done to change the way dogs are treated as mere commodities by the law.”

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