Dog thefts 2022: the most stolen breeds in the UK, including French bulldogs, Labradors and cocker spaniels

Our investigation into dog thefts exclusively reveals the breeds most targeted by criminals last year.

More than 1,700 dogs were stolen across the UK in 2022, an exclusive investigation by NationalWorld shows.

Debbie Matthews, co-founder of the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said the number of dogs being stolen was “simply not acceptable”, adding: “The pain and suffering caused to families by pet theft is devastating.”

NationalWorld sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the UK’s 45 police forces, receiving figures from 33 of them - meaning the number of dogs stolen is likely far higher.

The data also sheds new light on the breeds most often targeted by criminals.

We asked police forces to list the breed of each dog stolen, with 28 of them able to supply this information. Hundreds of police reports did not record the breed of dog stolen, so the numbers below could be far higher.

Here are the breeds of dog stolen most often in 2022. When compiling this list, we have omitted 29 dogs described by police simply as a ‘bulldog’, as this could refer to a number of different breeds.

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