These 15 dog breeds were the most commonly stolen in 2020 - according to police data

We gathered information on more than 2,000 dogs reported stolen to the police to find out which breeds are most frequently targeted.

By Harriet Clugston

30th Apr 2021, 3:59pm

An investigation by NationalWorld revealed this week that reports of dog thefts to UK police forces increased by 13% in 2020.

The 29 police forces that responded to our Freedom of Information request also provided breed details, which levied information for more than 2,300 stolen dogs.

We have crunched the numbers to find which types of dogs are reported stolen the most frequently – although officers do not always record this information in a decipherable way, if at all.

Crossbreeds were counted under each parent breed where the information was given – for instance a chihuahua-Jack Russell cross is counted under both chihuahua and Jack Russell – to get a fuller picture of the type of dogs targeted by thieves.

Here we reveal the top 15 most frequently stolen breeds.

1. Staffordshire bull terrier

Staffies appeared in the data 296 times – 239 times as a purebred and 57 times in crossbreeds Photo: Shutterstock

2. Chihuahua

There were 156 mentions of chihuahuas – 139 purebreds and 17 crossbreeds Photo: Shutterstock

3. Jack Russell

There were 148 reports of stolen Jack Russell terriers. Of these, 112 were purebreds and 36 were crosses. Photo: Shutterstock

4. French bulldog

Frenchies were cited 127 times by officers. All but one were purebreds. Photo: French bulldog