The burglers were brazen. They entered the yard on foot at 10.10pm. It was Monday 29 June, so there was still plenty of daylight. The dogs were barking, but then, an accomplice had driven down the lane, dropped them off at the lower gate at the bottom of the yard, and then continued down the lane as if he was one of the neighbours. The dogs bark when the neighbours go up and down.
As he passed back up after turning, the theft of three of Tommy Roche’s four springer spaniels was underway. While that car vanished, a jeep drove into the field of spring barley behind the house for the thieves to load the dogs and make their escape. It all took over 10 minutes as Tommy and his wife watched television inside, oblivious.
Brandy was more to me than just a dog. He was my reason to get up in the morning and the reason I feel safe at night
This was just one of a spate of dog thefts in north Wexford in recent months. And it seems to be nationwide. An 85-year-old man’s 12-year-old dog was stolen from his house in Meath. Aidan Garrigan, in appealing for its return, said: “Brandy was more to me than just a dog. He was my reason to get up in the morning and the reason I feel safe at night.”
A dog stolen from Enniscorthy was found abandoned in Dublin, minus its seven puppies with its microchip removed. It looks like the bitch was kept to rear her pups until they could be sold on, then dumped. Cutting the chip out from under the skin would have been painful.
This dog of Tommy’s has very unusual colouring. if you are approached to buy a dog that you suspect may have been stolen, you should contact the gardaí.
Two dogs were found by gardaí in Limerick last week. One was returned to its owner in Cork, the other remains unclaimed.
If you do a websearch for “dog thefts”, a spate of local newspaper stories and Facebook posts appear. Photos of happy dogs with the owners they have now been taken from, and messages from those heartbroken people begging for the return of their dogs abound.
Why are dogs being stolen?
There are a number of factors for dog theft. Demand is certainly up, the price of dogs has surged. A springer spaniel might now cost €1,000- €1,500.
People have been at home all the time during the lockdown. They may have the time they felt previously they could not devote to a family pet. In the fine weather in April and May, everyone seemed to be out doing their 5km walks, and would have seen their neighbours with their dogs. Other forms of theft have been less easy, as the lockdown meant homes are permanently occupied and legitimate movement was highly restricted. There have been a couple of high-profile cases of puppy farms being closed down.
The demand for dogs is like never before
Emma O’Brien is kennel manager of Galway SPCA. “I’ve had a dozen calls just in the last couple of hours,” she tells Irish Country Living. “The demand for dogs is like never before.” Dog rescue centres all over the country obeyed the lockdown rules, so no dogs were going to homes from them for those first couple of months.
“We wouldn’t match a dog to a family until we are satisfied they are compatible for the long term, she explained. “We couldn’t have people come to the shelter to meet dogs, or to inspect their homes. Even now, we only allow one visitor at a time, so we are curtailed.”
Emma also expressed fear over how new dog owners and their pets will cope when lockdown ends, and urged people to be sure they can cope with a pet long term before bringing one into their home.
If you bought a handbag in a car park you wouldn’t expect it to be genuine, so why would you expect the papers for a dog bought in a car park to be genuine?
“Dogs have needs, especially many rescue dogs, and there will be a lot of upheaval and trauma for them when their owners disappear all day without warning,” she said.
She warned people to be very careful as to where they buy their dogs. “If you bought a handbag in a car park you wouldn’t expect it to be genuine, so why would you expect the papers for a dog bought in a car park to be genuine?” she asked. “Dog theft only happens because people are willing to buy dogs without papers.”
Dog theft figures
Gardaí figures show no surge in thefts reported to them – 41 incidents of dog thefts have been reported in the first half of 2020, compared to 38 incidents in 2019.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said in the Dáil last week that the national totals of reported thefts of domestic dogs and/or pets reported stolen were as follows:
145 in 2018.205 in 2019. 120 for the first six months of the year. The Garda Press Office say the incidents of dog theft for the first six months of 2020 are similar to last year, up from 38 to 41.
In any event, there is a clear message to mind your dog carefully. It is a legal requirement to have your dog microchipped by the time they are 12 weeks of age. Any vet will carry out this task for you. You must also ensure that you are registered as the owner of the microchipped dog with one of the four recognised databases. It is a legal requirement for all owners of dogs. A dog can easily be identified by its microchip and returned to its owners.
These are hardened thieves, who have no scruples
It may be that many unchipped dogs are taken, but the owners never report the theft. Gardaí also say to vary your walk route, to never leave your dog unattended in the car or tied outside a shop. Emma O’Brien echoed the gardaí warnings about leaving dogs unattended.
“You wouldn’t leave your laptop or jewellery out in the garden, and your dog is just as likely to be stolen” she said.
The gardaí also suggest CCTV cameras for the garden, which are now much more affordable. Tommy Roche has cameras, it’s how he knows how his dogs were stolen. It didn’t stop the criminals. These are hardened thieves, who have no scruples. We all need to protect our dogs from them.
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The burglers were brazen. They entered the yard on foot at 10.10pm. It was Monday 29 June, so there was still plenty of daylight. The dogs were barking, but then, an accomplice had driven down the lane, dropped them off at the lower gate at the bottom of the yard, and then continued down the lane as if he was one of the neighbours. The dogs bark when the neighbours go up and down.
As he passed back up after turning, the theft of three of Tommy Roche’s four springer spaniels was underway. While that car vanished, a jeep drove into the field of spring barley behind the house for the thieves to load the dogs and make their escape. It all took over 10 minutes as Tommy and his wife watched television inside, oblivious.
Brandy was more to me than just a dog. He was my reason to get up in the morning and the reason I feel safe at night
This was just one of a spate of dog thefts in north Wexford in recent months. And it seems to be nationwide. An 85-year-old man’s 12-year-old dog was stolen from his house in Meath. Aidan Garrigan, in appealing for its return, said: “Brandy was more to me than just a dog. He was my reason to get up in the morning and the reason I feel safe at night.”
A dog stolen from Enniscorthy was found abandoned in Dublin, minus its seven puppies with its microchip removed. It looks like the bitch was kept to rear her pups until they could be sold on, then dumped. Cutting the chip out from under the skin would have been painful.
This dog of Tommy’s has very unusual colouring. if you are approached to buy a dog that you suspect may have been stolen, you should contact the gardaí.
Two dogs were found by gardaí in Limerick last week. One was returned to its owner in Cork, the other remains unclaimed.
If you do a websearch for “dog thefts”, a spate of local newspaper stories and Facebook posts appear. Photos of happy dogs with the owners they have now been taken from, and messages from those heartbroken people begging for the return of their dogs abound.
Why are dogs being stolen?
There are a number of factors for dog theft. Demand is certainly up, the price of dogs has surged. A springer spaniel might now cost €1,000- €1,500.
People have been at home all the time during the lockdown. They may have the time they felt previously they could not devote to a family pet. In the fine weather in April and May, everyone seemed to be out doing their 5km walks, and would have seen their neighbours with their dogs. Other forms of theft have been less easy, as the lockdown meant homes are permanently occupied and legitimate movement was highly restricted. There have been a couple of high-profile cases of puppy farms being closed down.
The demand for dogs is like never before
Emma O’Brien is kennel manager of Galway SPCA. “I’ve had a dozen calls just in the last couple of hours,” she tells Irish Country Living. “The demand for dogs is like never before.” Dog rescue centres all over the country obeyed the lockdown rules, so no dogs were going to homes from them for those first couple of months.
“We wouldn’t match a dog to a family until we are satisfied they are compatible for the long term, she explained. “We couldn’t have people come to the shelter to meet dogs, or to inspect their homes. Even now, we only allow one visitor at a time, so we are curtailed.”
Emma also expressed fear over how new dog owners and their pets will cope when lockdown ends, and urged people to be sure they can cope with a pet long term before bringing one into their home.
If you bought a handbag in a car park you wouldn’t expect it to be genuine, so why would you expect the papers for a dog bought in a car park to be genuine?
“Dogs have needs, especially many rescue dogs, and there will be a lot of upheaval and trauma for them when their owners disappear all day without warning,” she said.
She warned people to be very careful as to where they buy their dogs. “If you bought a handbag in a car park you wouldn’t expect it to be genuine, so why would you expect the papers for a dog bought in a car park to be genuine?” she asked. “Dog theft only happens because people are willing to buy dogs without papers.”
Dog theft figures
Gardaí figures show no surge in thefts reported to them – 41 incidents of dog thefts have been reported in the first half of 2020, compared to 38 incidents in 2019.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said in the Dáil last week that the national totals of reported thefts of domestic dogs and/or pets reported stolen were as follows:
145 in 2018.205 in 2019. 120 for the first six months of the year. The Garda Press Office say the incidents of dog theft for the first six months of 2020 are similar to last year, up from 38 to 41.
In any event, there is a clear message to mind your dog carefully. It is a legal requirement to have your dog microchipped by the time they are 12 weeks of age. Any vet will carry out this task for you. You must also ensure that you are registered as the owner of the microchipped dog with one of the four recognised databases. It is a legal requirement for all owners of dogs. A dog can easily be identified by its microchip and returned to its owners.
These are hardened thieves, who have no scruples
It may be that many unchipped dogs are taken, but the owners never report the theft. Gardaí also say to vary your walk route, to never leave your dog unattended in the car or tied outside a shop. Emma O’Brien echoed the gardaí warnings about leaving dogs unattended.
“You wouldn’t leave your laptop or jewellery out in the garden, and your dog is just as likely to be stolen” she said.
The gardaí also suggest CCTV cameras for the garden, which are now much more affordable. Tommy Roche has cameras, it’s how he knows how his dogs were stolen. It didn’t stop the criminals. These are hardened thieves, who have no scruples. We all need to protect our dogs from them.
Read more
Irish pup sells for world record price at Skipton
The brave and loyal old Sea Dog of the Norwegian Navy
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