Valuable working breed dogs in Wales 'targeted by thieves'

Valuable working breed dogs are being targeted by thieves, according to campaigners.

Countryside Alliance Cymru said it was part of a rising trend in the number reported missing or stolen in Wales.

It added that current legislation does not go far enough. The Welsh Government has said it will "consider amendments".

Currently over half of dogs in Wales reported missing/stolen on dog-finding website Dog Lost are working breeds like labradors, spaniels and vizlas.

Working dogs are classified breeds which are bred and trained to assist humans in activities such as farming and field sports.

Rhian Nowell-Phillips, from Countryside Alliance Cymru, said while it is often hard to clarify the circumstances around a dog's disappearance, current laws in place to ensure all dogs are microchipped with their owner's details need to go further.

"We know that the most likely breeds to be stolen are working breeds," she said.

Ms Nowell-Phillips said they were being targeted because the breeds are so popular and because they are "very well trained, gorgeous-looking dogs and they command such high fees".

"A fully trained gundog, for example, can be worth £5,000 upwards," she added.

Microchipping of dogs was made compulsory in Wales in 2016 along with the need for dogs to wear a collar with their owners name.

Ms Nowell-Philips said this was a "welcome first step".

But she added: "There is a real need for legislation which gives teeth to that which would enable vets to scan dogs as they come in to ensure they are registered to the person who is actually bringing them in."

This would also make it harder to change the names on microchips "without any checks and balances", she said.

The administration of microchipping details is passed on to a range of private companies with varying policies on how they are recorded and changed.

Heather Buckingham, from Crosskeys in Caerphilly county, lost her dog Archie, a duck toller, in March while walking in nearby woodland.

There have been several sightings but no firm evidence of his whereabouts.

She suspects he may have been picked up and moved on, despite being both microchipped and having a tattoo of his ID number.

"It was as though he just vanished off the face of the earth," Ms Buckingham said.

"They do hold a lot of value and I think that's why a lot of gundogs go missing."

"We all have to be very very careful."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We believe that compulsory microchipping has had a positive impact because the traceability of dogs back to their owners - and ultimately back to the breeders - has encouraged more responsible ownership.

"The effectiveness of this legislation is being assessed and we will consider any amendments that may be necessary."