Crime figures show breeds most targeted by dog thieves in Plymouth
Date of alert:
Thursday, 3 March 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Devon & Cornwall Police
Dog thefts have soared in Devon and Cornwall with bull terriers the most targeted breed last year.
There were a total of 103 dog thefts reported to police in 2021, up from 66 the year before.
Bull terriers were involved in 11 cases, followed by eight thefts each of chihuahuas and Jack Russells.
There were seven reports of stolen border collies, five cocker spaniels, four bulldogs and four labradors.
In one case in Cornwall in June last year, a Patterdale terrier called Lola who was taken from Perranporth in Cornwall was found by police when they stopped a vehicle in Essex 10 days later.
In December, a border collie called Fern who was stolen from a farm at Thornbury in north Devon was found by police 170 miles away in Warwickshire.
In another incident, Maggie, a pregnant French bulldog stolen from Bradninch, near Cullompton, in May, was discovered with her six puppies 200 miles away in Manchester.
