Hot dogs

Dog theft is all too common — but what happens to stolen gundogs, asks Matt Cross

- Matt Cross

The social media post has become all too familiar: a picture of a dog, an appeal, a phone number, the details of the crime. The comments, too, are depressingly recognisable — promises to share, pictures of similar-looking dogs found online, condolences. The theft of gundogs has become part of the way of life for people involved in shooting.

Last month Shooting Times reported on the case of Emily Kretz and her boyfriend Francis Bere, a gamekeeper, whose springer bitch was stolen from a kennel in Somerset (News, 19 February). Emily called the theft “a punch to the heart”. Just a few weeks earlier, gamekeeper Reece Ronald had all four of his working dogs taken from his kennels.

The fact that gundogs are stolen is no secret, but one question has always remained unanswered. Who steals them and where do they go?

Two stories circulate persistently on social media about the fate of stolen gundogs. The first is that these unfortunate animals are used to train fighting dogs. The thought of a friendly spaniel or an easy-going labrador meeting this barbaric fate is deeply distressing.

It is a fear that has been promoted in salacious tabloid reporting but there appears no evidence for it. A gundog is not only particularly ill-suited to dogfighting, it is also a valuable item. Consigning one to certain death is simply a waste.

The other persistent rumour is that gundogs are stolen for use in puppy farming operations, with Ireland often being cited as their ultimate destination. There is a little more evidence to support this claim.

Stolen gundogs certainly have gone to puppy farms. In 2010 a springer bitch called Biscuit was stolen from her owners’ home. It was a carefully planned operation, with the thieves cutting through the glass in a door moments after Biscuit was dropped off at home by a dog minder.