Today, February the 22nd is National Walk Your Dog Day (#WalkYourDogDay2021). This is normally a day which pet dog owners embrace posting glorious photos of their pets enjoying their walks. With the scenic snow drops around, how could you resist? However, this year with the dramatic increase in dog thefts across the U.K. our social media feeds are likely to be quieter than usual as owners resist the urge to tag their four-legged friends on social media due to the potential risk of them being targeted by dog thieves. Dog Lost, an organisation that helps reunite missing dogs with their owners suggest dog thefts have increased 250% since March 2020.
I’ve created a list of tips to help owners to feel safe and keep their dogs protected on their dog walks. I hope you find them helpful:
1. Don’t play it down
It is easy to bury your head in the sand with all the horrible things going on at the moment and tell yourself your dog won’t be targeted. The people stealing dogs are not selective over dog breed, size, age or gender. Any dog can be a target, even yours.
2. Don’t walk alone
The age-old saying is true, there is safety in numbers. Lockdown restrictions may mean you cannot meet up with a group of friends for you dog walk, but you can walk as a household or bubble, or with one other individual. Hopefully Boris’s announcement this evening will allow us to know when we can walk in even bigger groups.
If you have no one to walk with pick busier areas to walk your dog such as Delamere Forest, Nantwich Lake, Alderford Lake. More people around means there’s more people to help if you raise the alarm if the worst does happen, and I seriously hope it never does.
3. Stop Texting!
Put away your phone. You need to be alert. It is easy being distracted and not be paying attention. Keep an eye out for unusual activity. Be aware of people acting strangely, vans and vehicles that are unusual. Keep your phone accessible in case you do need to call for help, but don’t get lost scrolling through your social media feeds.
4. Carry a whistle or rape alarm
You can have this round your neck, so you don’t have to worry about having your hands free of dog leads and poo bags! A whistle will help you to make loud noise and draw attention if you feel threatened or are approached by a potential dog thief on your walk. Raising the alarm for help will draw other passers by to your aid and also get you more witnesses to describe any dog thieves to the police.
5. Keep your dog on lead
Particularly in dark wooded areas where people could be hiding, keep your dog on lead. If your dog is off lead, recall it if anything makes you feel uncomfortable.
Off lead dogs are easier for thieves to call over. A seemingly innocent person who has asked to say “hello” and is stroking and interacting with your dog could lull both you and your dog into a false sense of security and then snatch them.
Keep your dog close by and avoid letting strangers fuss them. You probably don’t want anyone touching your dog at the moment anyway because of covid – so you have a ready made, sensible excuse as to why they need to back away and not touch your dog!
Finally – support each other. If you see another dog owner who may be in distress or raising an alarm, even if you are unsure, go over and ask. Just check they are ok. These people could be the ones who help you in the future. Keep an eye out for each other and together let’s bite back at dog thieves!
Please note – if you are attacked and someone tries to take your dog then the police should be your first port of call. Report a dog theft or attempted dog theft using 999. Suspicious activity can be reported on 101. It is a criminal offence to carry a weapon – hence this blog post does not mention carrying one!
If you do feel comfortable, why not tag your pooch in photos with the #NationalWalkYourDogDay but don’t use the geolocate button. When I’m posting photos of my beautiful Nose to Trail clients at the moment, I select a false location!
Happy Walk Your Dog Day!
Stay safe, and keep enjoying your dog walks!