Kennel Club supports pet theft awareness week

An awareness week encouraging pet owners to be more vigilant about the security of their pets and animals, being run for the first time from 14th to 20th March, is being supported by the Kennel Club, the largest organisation dedicated to the welfare of dogs. 

Pet Theft Awareness Week, organised by the Dog Union and VioVet, is being run in conjunction with a number of contributors, including the Kennel Club, to raise awareness of the issue of pet theft in the UK. Pet Theft Awareness Week is a non-profit week with the aim of helping people take preventative measures to minimise the risk of their own pet going missing.

The week aims to raise awareness via the internet and social media and through the distribution of a number of hard-hitting posters. The pet theft website lists preventative measures that pet owners can take to avoid incidents from occurring, as well as a number of things to do during the week to promote awareness. Supporters will be encouraged to print out the posters and encourage supermarkets and shops to display them.

The week is being supported by a number of related organisations and businesses, and is being funded by VioVet.co.uk, an online veterinary medication and pet supplies company.  Richard Jordan of VioVet, said: "A number of our customers have had their pets stolen or go missing and we are noticing this more and more. It is heartbreaking when a much loved pet goes missing for any reason, and we are pleased to be able to support this initiative."

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, added: "Pet Theft Awareness Week is a great opportunity to promote awareness of the best ways to avoid a much loved pet going missing.

"We would always suggest making sure that a pet is microchipped, and that details are kept up to date with a microchip database, such as Petlog, the UK's largest database for lost and found pets. This will help to ensure that the pet is reunited with its owner more quickly should it go missing."

 "Owners of all pets should be vigilant when out and about, and dog owners can visit the Kennel Club's Open for Dogs website, in association with Dog Friendly, to find places across the UK that welcome dogs, so they can avoid having to leave them tied up outside businesses."

As part of its ongoing efforts to protect the welfare of pets, Petlog recently introduced a new initiative with DogLost, the UK's premier lost dog organisation dog search team and Scanner Angel, the innovative missing pet microchip scanner.  This new collaboration means that, should the worst happen and a dog go missing, it will not only have a microchip to identify them, a robust database to reunite them, but also a nationwide team of volunteers actively searching for them anywhere in the UK and intelligent microchip scanners that will alert users that there is a lost alert out for the dog.

Details on Pet Theft Awareness Week can be found at www.pettheft.co.uk.