Our dogs and cats are priceless, irreplaceable members of our families and the law should reflect this. In law our pets are classified as property, second hand goods, valued under £500, the punishment is usually a messily £250 fine! The Sentencing Council’s Guidelines exclude any serious sentencing making this a low-risk high-reward crime, a gift for dog thieves. SAMPA has been campaigning to protect our domestic pets from theft since 2014.

Celebrities joined Ricky Gervais on Dog Theft Awareness Day, with thanks to Emma Kennedy, in calling for change in law to stop spiralling dog theft in the UK. If pet theft had a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison, the #PetTheftReform campaign would not have started in 2018. Dog thefts would not have risen. We would not be where we are today. It is time to change the Sentencing Guidelines and gain access to custodial sentences to act as a deterrent to protect the public and their pets.