Dog theft is a booming issue in our Western countries. And although none of us can bear the thought of our family pets going missing, leaving them miserable and at risk, around 40% of all animals reported lost have actually been stolen.
According to the Missing Pets Bureau, over 60% of these are tragically never recovered. Dog are stolen for many reasons but it usually takes both the thieve’s determination and the dog owner’s imprudence to allow it to happen. There are so many reasons pushing scammers and thieves to run off with your dog but don’t you dare be worried, there are so many precautions you can take to prevent them from doing so.
If you are one of those who love their dogs to the highest point, there are various devices and tools you can buy and set up easily to make sure your dog is safe and will stay yours for a long long time still.
In this article, we have reviewed the top 5 best anti-theft devices to prevent your dogs from being stolen from your home or outdoor kennels.
Why Is Dog Theft Statistically Rising?
Once upon a time, dogs were stolen because of their abilities: nothing was worth more than a superb guarding Doberman, or a herding border collie. Times have changed and nowadays, people are ready to pay big bucks to get a beautiful and trendy dog; you know, those we call designer dogs for example.
Lucky thieves, these trendy dogs that everybody wants tend to be small, if not tiny. They are easier to steal and are usually owned by women and elderlies who represent much easier targets than those who used to own working Dobermans.
How To Prevent Dog Theft Efficiently?
Although the best advice is to train your common sense, there are some important advice to pinpoint so dog owners and dog breeders keep their pooches for as long as possible.
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Do Not Leave Your Dog(s) Alone
This problem is a great example of some complicated issues having a very simple remedy. If you do not want someone malevolent to steal your dogs, do not leave your dogs unattended, at least in public.
How many times have I seen dogs, alone, outside a store? Or in a car on a parking lot? Or even outside a coffee shop while the owner is warm inside? These behaviors are yelling “Steal My Dog!” and often, they do get stolen. Would you leave your baby outside, unattended, for 15 minutes? No—so don’t let your dog sit outside alone.
Most stolen dogs are robbed by strangers while they are not with their owner, therefore by following this advice, you will minimize the risks of theft.
Change Your Walks’ Schedule & Routes
Some specific dogs, worth a lot of money, are sometimes targeted and snatched during their daily walks. It is always recommended, with or without a dog, to vary your routes and timings. When possible, use a different park or green space rather than going to the same spot every day.
Micro-Chipping
This painless injection of a tiny microchip the size of a grain of rice inserted under the animal’s skin will make sure that, if your animal is found, any institution will link the pet to you and increases the chances of being reunited.
Dog Breeders Welcoming Visitors Should Be Accompanied
If you advertise your dogs online, for a hefty price, you want to take all precautions possible to avoid ill-intentioned “prospects” viewings dogs and leaving with them. The best thing to do is to be accompanied and perhaps use a recording camera pointing at your entrance so if it happens, the police will be put in the right direction.
Train Your Dogs To a Perfect Recall
More than 10 million pets are lost or stolen each year.
ASPCA
A huge part of these dogs is nicked while they are lost or astray. It usually occurs while owners are walking the dog or playing with their pup without a leash and the pet suddenly runs off and disappears. This scenario happened to most of us but luckily, we manage to find our dogs within seconds or minutes, and it is all forgotten. But in these cases, the dogs ran away, for good.
Dogs usually are docile so anyone who has malevolent intentions will happily rob the dog and resell it within hours or days, especially if the dog is in huge demand (toy breeds, for example.)
Use Adequate Fencing
If you keep your dog(s) in your property’s yard, you must use adequate fencing to prevent your dog(s) from escaping their containment area when they are not undermanned supervision.
It goes both ways, you don’t want your dog(s) to escape (heat season, for example) but adequate fencing also goes for dog breeders who have many animals in the same space. Thieves may be tempted to jump over your wall to nick your bitches and studs. It takes only a couple of minutes.
5 Best Anti Theft System for Dogs
In many situations, people had a great attitude but their dogs unfortunately still got nicked. It is a painful episode in a dog owner’s life but there are more radical ways to fight dog theft, preventively and if the bad happened, to help find your dog and bring it back to you.
1. Garmin Astro 320 Tracking Device
The Rolls Royce of the GPS dog tracking systems. Put high-sensitivity Garmin GPS technology to work, tracking up to 10 dogs and see where they are on a full color 2.6” display with enhanced maps. It is, without a doubt, the ideal GPS dog tracker for breeders, hunters, and herders.
The display of the maps, different dogs’ trails, distance, and all other on-screen information has been streamlined, using intuitive icons and clear usable data. You will also stay up-to-date on your dog, even when he or she has gone off-screen.
Note that you need to buy one handheld device (yours) and a collar for each of your dog (DC40 or DC50 both work.)
2. Samsung SmartCam HD Outdoor Camera
Amazing smart security camera destined for small businesses and households. Built by the world-renowned Samsung, the SmartCam HD Pro has a 128-degree ultra-wide-angle coverage, with day and night dynamic range. The images will be clear and crisp with an amazing level of details to be seen. The Outdoor SmartCam is a weather-resistant camera, offering email and mobile notifications triggered by the very accurate motion zone detection.
This is a perfect addition to your outdoor kennel wherever your dogs are confined to be able to monitor, at any time, the activity going on in there. It is linked with your phone so you can see and hear in live what is happening. There is also a useful audio detection, so if your dogs are far away and bark when there is an intruder, you will be alerted immediately!
3. Canary All-in-One Home Security Device
If your dogs are kept in a covered shelter, you can also use this intuitive and extremely easy-to-use device, the Canary All-in0One Home Security. Clearly explained by the manufacturer and vouched by customer feedback, you can stream real-time video of your home with Canary’s 1080p HD camera, 147-degree wide-angle lens, automatic night vision, and high-quality audio.
There is also a siren triggered by the sensitive and adjustable motion detector, with an auto-disarm option. It will also start recording if any suspicious activity is detected, and send you an alert on your phone with the live streaming available to you so you can act upon it or tell Canary it is a false alert.
Canary has no hidden fee incurred, such as installation, contracts or monthly service fees.
4. LED Outdoor Security Floodlight with Light Sensor
If you are on a very tight budget, you may prefer to opt for a deterrent option with this LED Outdoor Security bright light triggered by motion, working both at day and at night time. They are made of cast aluminum, with a quality coating and endure tough weather and environmental conditions.
It is as bright as a military base and can scare whoever comes to close to the protected area where your dogs are guarded. Thieves are not dumb and know it is simply to frighten them from going inside and if they are motivated, they will carry on nicking your dogs or come back another day, using a different entrance or path.
5. Tagg GPS Pet Tracker
A must-have, especially if you keep your dogs free at home or during walks. This 10-Time Award-Winning GPS Pet Tracker is the nation’s leader in GPS Pet Tracking Technology.
This smart GPS tracker sends you a text as soon as your dog gets out of the predefined zone and thanks to the iPhone/Android app, you can monitor its exact location on a map. You’ll get it back in minutes, whether it got stolen or lost. This amazing device also tracks your dog’s activity level and lets you get the details in a couple of taps or clicks.
The battery life is decent, lasting up to 30 days with normal use. Keep in mind that GPS drain our phones, and they also drain a dog collar. It is delivered with a quick charger so it is worth it. If you are after a more powerful tool, you can go with the Garmin tools (below, too.)
These tools and devices used in conjunction with good common sense will protect your dogs from being taken away from you. It is worth spending some extra money to make sure the ones you love are safe, plus, some of these devices also assure your own safety at home!
On a different note, we have published a very popular article about the best disinfectants for dogs with odor-neutralizing properties, and also how to save money on dog care by investing more time!
5 comments on “5 Best Anti Dog Theft Systems to Prevent Dog Theft”
I am worried if my dog is stolen the first thing that will happen is they would take the collar off. Do you have any products which would take care of this problem?
Some do therefore you should probably use a collar such as the Tractive GPS that allows you to define, on your smartphone, a safe area. As soon as the dog crosses that area, you get alerted and can follow him live. Even if it’s for few minutes, it’s still a precious help to figure out where your dog was brought, at what pace was it going and in what direction the vehicle went, etc.
Does being a service dog increase the possibility of it being stolen?
Yes and no, it depends on the dog as well as the nature and quality of its skills. Such dogs offer so much but it would be hard to sell them on the ‘black market.’
The main issue I’m concerned with as I’m sure most dog owners are is that dog thieves are not dumb. At least most of them aren’t but as soon as they see a tracker, they will automatically remove it from the dog so therefore we need a tracker that’s built in the collar or one that’s inconspicuous because otherwise it will not be effective with dog thieves. Fact.