As a dog owner, you often pay attention to your dog’s diet, exercise, grooming, and other needs to keep them happy and healthy. But one thing you must also pay attention to is their safety. Nowadays, the cases of dognapping have significantly risen. With the ongoing pandemic and national lockdowns, the demand for having dogs as home pets has also increased. As a result, this has led numerous dog thieves to be on the move and steal dogs to sell them.
What Is Dognapping?
Dognapping refers to the act of stealing dogs with the purpose of selling them to new owners at a higher price. Dognapping can happen anywhere, in your home, backyard, car, or anywhere you leave your furry friend unattended. Some dog thieves would even break inside people’s houses just to steal their dogs.
Others would also disguise themselves as an Animal Welfare organization staff to trick pet owners and take your dog with ease. What’s worst, some thieves would use violence and other intimidating tactics to force you to give up your dog. Once the dognapping is successful, dog parents do not just lose a pet, but they also lose a piece of their heart and a family member.
Eight Ways To Keep Your Dogs Secure
The best way to safeguard your dog from dognappers is through prevention. For your guide, here are eight ways to keep your dog secure and safe from dog thieves.
Use A GPS Dog Tracker
Even though you have a fence that gates your dog safely within your property, some dog thieves could easily climb over the fence and steal your dog. If your dog’s collar has a GPS Tracker, you can protect your dog from being stolen and conveniently monitor their location all the time. This is useful, especially if you’re not home and your dog is only left with a dog sitter. The GPS tracker can provide you with real-time information, so you’ll know whether your dog’s safe at home or has been taken to a suspicious location.
This will also help you find your dog easier in case they escape from your yard or run off while walking them outdoors. Ultimately, being able to track your dog at all times, even if you’re not around, will give you peace of mind knowing that your dog is safe at home.
Microchip Your Dog
For starters, a microchip does not work like a GPS tracker. It’s only a piece of tiny implant that is placed under your dog’s skin, containing the dog owner’s name, address, contact details, and registration number. When your dog’s microchip, there’s a massive chance that you’ll get your dog back in case he gets stolen or lost.
In the event that new dog parents have bought your dog from the dog thief, they’ll bring the dog to the vet for a checkup. With a scanner, the vet will then be able to detect that the dog is currently registered to you, so, the vet and the new dog owners will know that it’s a stolen dog.
Neuter Or Spay Your Dog
Besides reselling, dog thieves steal dogs to use them for breeding. When the breeding is successful, they’ll sell the puppies to backyard breeders and puppy mills for a much higher price. To lessen your dog’s risk of being stolen, you can have them spayed or neutered. Neutered and spayed dogs are less likely to run away or walk outdoors without their owners. Moreover, dog thieves won’t target spayed or neutered dogs since they’re no longer useful for breeding. Spaying or neutering your dog comes with numerous benefits, and this is definitely one of them.
Never Leave Your Dog In The Car
Leaving your dog in a car is highly dangerous. Not only will the vehicle easily overheat, but dog thieves can also grab your dog from the car window in an instant. If you need to run some errands that would take a few minutes, it may be best to leave your pooch at home with a dog sitter.
Some pet owners may also leave their dogs tied at the storefront while shopping inside. This may sound like a safe option than leaving them in the car. Unfortunately, dog thieves can also easily target dogs left outside, especially those with friendly personalities. Again, if you can’t take your dog wherever you go, the best option is to leave them at home.
Never Leave Your Dog Unattended Outdoors
Even with a fence, strangers and potential dog thieves can still see your dog playing alone in the backyard, especially if your fence isn’t high. They can spy and wait patiently until the homeowners are inside the house or away from home. As much as possible, never leave your dog unattended outdoors, even for a few minutes. At the very least, you can check them as often as possible, or allow them to follow you around as you do household chores or tend the garden.
Be Careful In Choosing A Dog Sitter
As mentioned earlier, some dog thieves would do any tactics they could think of just to lure you into trusting them and giving your dog to them. An example would be pretending to be a dog sitter. Before you trust someone to walk your dog for you or look after them while you’re away, take time to do a background check and ask for any references. Better yet, you can avail a reputable dog-walking service instead of randomly hiring a person who claims to be a dog sitter. You can also ask your neighbors who are dog owners for any trustworthy recommendations.
Use A Dog Leash During Outdoor Walks
Some dog owners tend to let their dogs run off-leash during park walks, especially if these dogs are trained to come back to the owner. Doing this can still be dangerous for your dog as you’ll never know if a dog thief is lurking nearby, waiting for a chance to grab the most vulnerable dog. As much as possible, use a dog leash when talking your dog outdoors for exercise.
Install A Dog Camera
Installing security cameras around your home, especially where your dog plays or stays, is also ideal for keeping your dog secure. This way, you can track your dog’s activity through your mobile or pc monitor. These cameras can also record everything in the event that someone steals your dog.
The Bottom Line
Having your beloved dog stolen from you is a heartbreaking experience. Through these steps mentioned, you can keep your dog secure and safe from potential dognapping scenarios and run-away cases. Moreover, it’s also crucial that you stay alert and informed for any dognapping cases in your area and always keep an eye out for your furry friend at all times.
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