Debbie Matthews, co-founder of the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance (SAMPA), talks about dog thefts

Transcript

00:00It's very hard to get that message across to people, you know,

00:04because we just open the back door and dogs go in and out sometimes.

00:08You know, how safe is your garden?

00:10Do you have lights?

00:10Do you have gates with locks on?

00:13Do you have outside lighting?

00:15You know, don't leave your dog outside on its own anymore.

00:18You can't. And sadly, this day and age, you know,

00:21and they they're usually opportune thieves as well.

00:24They'll see a dog in a garden.

00:27But that is has always been the number one place.

00:30So check your home security.

00:32It's really, really important.

00:33CCTV helps as well.

00:35If we saw that little sausage dog, was it last year that was stolen?

00:40And the video, the police again stepped in and when the video went viral

00:44and the dog was returned pretty quickly, make a lot of noise about it.

00:49If your dog does go missing and get onto dog lost, report to the police.

00:53You have to inform the local animal warden.

00:56It's one of the worst things.

00:58I had two dogs stolen, so I understand.

01:02It's just one of the most awful things that can happen to you and your family.