Dog-napping cases double

As many as 520 pets are stolen in the UK every day, following a doubling in the rate of dog-napping during the past 12 months.

Nearly one million owners claim to have had their cat or dog stolen during the past five years, 47 per cent of whom said they never saw their pet again.

Dogs are more likely to be taken than cats, with an estimated 456,343 snatched from their owners during the past five years, compared with 400,715 cats.

Just over 100,000 pet owners also claimed to have had both a dog and a cat stolen.