Karin TarQwyn

​The Stolen Dog

Additional information - Take Action The Stolen Dog

Any animal that is off the pet owner's property is considered stray. Even pets picked up on the street in front of their own home will not be considered stolen in legal terms. Keep this in mind. In fact, a stolen pet used to be among the rarest of situations in the missing pet industry. That is not the case today as many pets now experience a stolen scenario.

What constitutes a stolen dog?

"For a pet to be considered stolen it must be removed bodily from its own property or property that belongs to its owner or guardian in much the same way that a stereo or car is stolen."

 A dog outside found its property is legally considered stray and the laws protecting the pet owner in the case of someone taking the animal from a public place or on the property of another vary from state to state. So be careful with this definition when talking to law enforcement. If someone has picked up your dog on the street, even if they know this is your dog, legally they have picked up a stray and the legal system is very gray on the recovery protocol. In some states the police will become actively involved in a true stolen pet case while in other locations the local law enforcement may feel possession is 9/10's of the law. The process for a stolen pet will vary from state to state and even city to city.