Dog Thefts
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/25/003430/X
Version Date: 09/07/2025
The Performance Analysis Department have provided the following information.
Please provide the number of reported dog thefts in your jurisdiction for each of the past three full calendar years (2022, 2023, and 2024), as well as for 2025 to date.
The data should be broken down by month and year, allowing us to understand any annual and seasonal trends.
|
Month |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
Grand Total |
|
January |
2 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
|
February |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
March |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
8 |
|
April |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
|
May |
4 |
1 |
5 |
||
|
June |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
|
July |
1 |
2 |
3 |
||
|
August |
2 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
|
|
September |
1 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
|
|
October |
3 |
3 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
November |
2 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
|
|
December |
5 |
3 |
8 |
||
|
Grand Total |
21 |
27 |
22 |
6 |
76 |
If available, I would also like a geographic breakdown of these reported thefts using the most detailed level possible (such as postcode, neighbourhood, or police ward), with the location format clearly stated.
|
Year |
Section Name |
Count |
|
2022 |
Dorchester |
3 |
|
Poole South |
5 |
|
|
North Dorset |
2 |
|
|
East Dorset |
3 |
|
|
Bmth* North |
1 |
|
|
Bmth East |
3 |
|
|
Christchurch |
1 |
|
|
Purbeck |
1 |
|
|
Weymth & Portland |
1 |
|
|
Bmth Central |
1 |
|
|
2023 |
Bmth East |
5 |
|
Poole South |
2 |
|
|
Dorchester |
4 |
|
|
Bmth North |
2 |
|
|
North Dorset |
5 |
|
|
Purbeck |
4 |
|
|
Bridport |
1 |
|
|
Christchurch |
2 |
|
|
East Dorset |
1 |
|
|
Blanks |
1 |
|
|
2024 |
Bmth North |
10 |
|
Dorchester |
2 |
|
|
Bmth East |
3 |
|
|
Weymth & Portland |
2 |
|
|
North Dorset |
3 |
|
|
Bridport |
1 |
|
|
Poole South |
1 |
|
|
2025 |
Bmth North |
1 |
|
Poole North |
1 |
|
|
Bmth Central |
2 |
|
|
Purbeck |
1 |
|
|
Dorchester |
1 |
*Bmth – Bournemouth
Please also include, if recorded:
A breakdown by breed of the dogs reported stolen during the same period.
The location type where the theft occurred (e.g., at home, in a local park, from a vehicle, etc.).
|
Location Type |
Breed |
Count |
|
Bedsit |
Old English Bulldog |
1 |
|
Cafe |
Unknown |
1 |
|
Caravan Static |
Unknown |
1 |
|
Country lane |
Lurcher |
1 |
|
Courtyard |
Unknown |
1 |
|
Flat |
Jack Russell Yorkshire Terrier cross |
1 |
|
Garden |
Maltese |
1 |
|
Unknown |
1 |
|
|
Fox Terrier |
1 |
|
|
Not Stated |
American Bulldog |
1 |
|
American Bullmastiff |
1 |
|
|
Boxer |
1 |
|
|
Bulldog |
1 |
|
|
Chihuahua |
1 |
|
|
Cockapoo |
1 |
|
|
Cocker Spaniel |
2 |
|
|
French Bulldog |
2 |
|
|
Husky |
1 |
|
|
Jack Russel x Pug |
1 |
|
|
Jack Russell |
1 |
|
|
Mikipoo |
1 |
|
|
Miniature Bulldog Pocket Bully cross |
1 |
|
|
Miniature Dachshund |
1 |
|
|
Pug |
1 |
|
|
Rottweiler Ridgeback cross |
1 |
|
|
Shar Pei |
1 |
|
|
Spaniel |
1 |
|
|
Unknown |
9 |
|
|
Outbuilding - Other |
Cocker Spaniel |
1 |
|
Park/garden |
Unknown |
1 |
|
XL Bully Lurcher cross |
1 |
|
|
Public house |
Collie |
1 |
|
Unknown |
1 |
|
|
Residential |
American Bulldog |
2 |
|
Belgian Malinois |
1 |
|
|
Bulldog |
1 |
|
|
Chihuahua Jack Russell cross |
1 |
|
|
Cocker Spaniel |
1 |
|
|
French Bulldog |
2 |
|
|
Jack Russell |
1 |
|
|
Labrador |
1 |
|
|
Lurcher |
1 |
|
|
Shar Pei |
1 |
|
|
Springer Spaniel |
2 |
|
|
Unknown |
11 |
|
|
XL Bully |
1 |
|
|
Street/Road |
Pomeranian |
1 |
|
Rottweiler |
1 |
|
|
Malamute |
1 |
|
|
German Shepherd |
1 |
|
|
Sealyham Lucas Terrier cross |
1 |
|
|
Woods |
Unknown |
1 |
|
Pointer |
1 |
The time of day when the incidents occurred (morning, afternoon, evening, overnight, or more specific times if available).
|
Year |
Time of Day |
|
2022 |
0100 |
|
1524 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
1108 |
|
|
0922 |
|
|
1811 |
|
|
1223 |
|
|
1552 |
|
|
1600 |
|
|
1917 |
|
|
0440 |
|
|
1400 |
|
|
1948 |
|
|
1627 |
|
|
0853 |
|
|
1400 |
|
|
0600 |
|
|
1303 |
|
|
2336 |
|
|
1811 |
|
|
0734 |
|
|
2023 |
1450 |
|
1658 |
|
|
1049 |
|
|
0330 |
|
|
0930 |
|
|
0000 |
|
|
1652 |
|
|
1040 |
|
|
0835 |
|
|
0015 |
|
|
1130 |
|
|
0400 |
|
|
1256 |
|
|
1418 |
|
|
1612 |
|
|
1500 |
|
|
1541 |
|
|
1200 |
|
|
1200 |
|
|
0300 |
|
|
2158 |
|
|
1357 |
|
|
1134 |
|
|
0136 |
|
|
0158 |
|
|
1412 |
|
|
1847 |
|
|
2024 |
1545 |
|
0000 |
|
|
1553 |
|
|
1240 |
|
|
1521 |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
1928 |
|
|
0000 |
|
|
1530 |
|
|
2056 |
|
|
1259 |
|
|
1422 |
|
|
0951 |
|
|
1553 |
|
|
1115 |
|
|
0921 |
|
|
0000 |
|
|
1319 |
|
|
1321 |
|
|
0959 |
|
|
0047 |
|
|
1330 |
|
|
2025 |
1403 |
|
2259 |
|
|
0503 |
|
|
0700 |
|
|
0440 |
|
|
0001 |
The number of dogs reported stolen that were later found, rescued, or reclaimed.
|
Recovered |
19 |
|
Rescued |
2 |
|
Found |
1 |
If you use specific crime codes or tags to record dog theft, or if there is a distinction between attempted and completed thefts in your data, please include any explanatory notes or definitions.
Performance Analysis have manually reviewed for breed, outcome, and to fill in the blanks of location type.
Please note that, regarding location, a number of these thefts originate from someone borrowing or looking after the dog and then refusing to return them. It is hard to say in these situations exactly where the dog changed hands and where the point of theft would be. In these cases, the location type is “Not stated”.