Attempted Gundog theft

[Cows94]

In the early hours of this morning I believe my 7 dogs had a very lucky escape. At 1am both the wife & I were still awake as our new born son was up feeding. She suddenly turned to me & said can you hear that? I couldn't at first but it became obvious a car was coming up our very rural road, beebing the horn occasionally. It was stopping outside every house & doing it at the end of there drives. They did it outside ours & all my kenneled dogs struck up barking. They weren't doing the normal bark to say there was a fox or badger in the garden, they were going proper mental. The car stopped & I jumped out of bed, looked out the window & saw the car crawling very slowly to next house about 100 yards away. I ran & grabbed my thermal & had a quick scan. Saw an obvious person shape on the road just by my gate. Shouted & they ran to the car, heard the door slam & off they went. Called police, explained situation & that I held a FAC & as we're on boarder between 2 forces the control told both. Response was great. While I was waiting for them I had gone outside. After a couple of minutes a transit van with no plates & back light out comes crawling up the road & slows right down outside my house. At this point I made myself known, quite loudly. They vanished pretty quickly too. Police from both forces came past within 20 mins & half hour, which considering where we live is fantastic. I'm obviously happy nothing did happen, but now very aware that the undesirable gits know where we are & we're likely to get another visit. Kennel security is good but more going up today & sleeping with one eye open for the foreseeable

 

[Liveonce]

If you do not already have any fit a IP cctv camera they are not that expensive, work to your WiFi and send alerts to your phone, iPad etc, when they detect motion or humans.

IEgeek are good for the money (£35.00) Or Hive outdoor but they are expensive for what they are.

 

[Cows94]

Got cameras & alarms plus chains & locks on all kennels. They didn't get onto the property thankfully

 

[Malxwal]

Interesting to hear the actual technique of the vermin, worth noting/spreading.

 

[Liveonce]

Interesting to hear the actual technique of the vermin, worth noting/spreading.

Many years ago several cars and vans were broken into in an area one night where we used to live.
The police said that the method the criminals were using was to slowly drive by the vehicle and shoot the door window out with an air gun if an alarm went off they drove on, if not after a wait they returned to each vehicle stealing what they could.
When taking the radios they just cut the wiring loom causing a mess, would have liked to have cut their hand off.

 

[Cows94]

I knew I had some somewhere. 2 traps for them somewhere. Add another layer of protection

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Sounds like you had a lucky escape there but don't be too surprised if you get another visit.
Happy to hear they got nothing!

 

[Norfolk Horn]

If your yard is large so difficult to cover with a camera an infrared beams will work well. They dont take a lot to install and can be attacked to internal and external sounders so anyone moving about will know they have been sused
They are much easier to conceal than cameras so harder to avoid plus they dont go off with every little bit of movement. You can always back them up with cameras and while the barstools are looking at the cameras they trip the beam.
Badgers and rabbits move under the beam it's just the odd large bird that sets them off at 5am

 

[Stalker1962]

One of the Keepers on an Estate near me has a wonderful set up.

His "Gun dogs" are in the usual kennels. These kennels are fenced in and patrolled by two "ahem" guard dogs.

Good luck getting to the "Gun dogs".

 

[John Gryphon]

Got cameras & alarms plus chains & locks on all kennels.

Having to live like that must be terrible.

 

[Cows94]

Having to live like that must be terrible.

It's a pain in the arse. Dog theft has never been as bad as it is right now in the UK

 

[willowbank]

Having to live like that must be terrible.

You don’t know the half of it, bl**dy Pykies out during the day, then returning after dark and getting braver.

WD

 

[John Gryphon]

It's a pain in the arse. Dog theft has never been as bad as it is right now in the UK

You don’t know the half of it, bl**dy Pykies out during the day, then returning after dark and getting braver.

WD

I would hate to lose any dog to theft. There is obviously a market for the stolen dogs.

 

[willowbank]

I would hate to lose any dog to theft. There is obviously a market for the stolen dogs.

Since first lockdown just about everyone was buying a dog, price of pups went through the roof compared to pre lockdown. There is a shortage of dogs, my post looking for a retired working lab for my older friend met with no positive response anywhere.

WB

 

[John Gryphon]

There has to be an answer.
I will ask why would anyone offer up their retired w/dog?
If the dog has worked for you all of his life and cant do it anymore I believe the owner owes it to him to look after him/her in retirement and not discard and send off to a stranger.

 

[del.gue]

What area was this? Im Cheshire about 10 miles to Shropshire border.

 

[landkeeper]

There has to be an answer.
I will ask why would anyone offer up their retired w/dog?
If the dog has worked for you all of his life and cant do it anymore I believe the owner owes it to him to look after him/her in retirement and not discard and send off to a stranger.

John , there are a lot of lads who use dogs in field trial comps and suchlike , possibly they have limited kennel space and bring on younger dogs ,they will often retire succesful older animals to make way for younger animals and look for a safe reliable home for the older dogs , i have had a couple gifted to me in that manner over the years

 

[willowbank]

There has to be an answer.
I will ask why would anyone offer up their retired w/dog?
If the dog has worked for you all of his life and cant do it anymore I believe the owner owes it to him to look after him/her in retirement and not discard and send off to a stranger.

I agree with you entirely but my friend is not a spring chicken and has had working Labs all her life.
She walks in the countryside everyday but is desperate to have a canine companion again.
Posted on the off chance there maybe someone whose circumstances have changed and would like the dog to go to a very good home.
No harm in asking I thought?

 

[Greymaster]

I would hate to lose any dog to theft. There is obviously a market for the stolen dogs.

Dogs are being stolen, less for ransom these days, but to set up puppy farms. Just lately it seems plod have grown a set and are now raiding traveller camps and seizing dogs by the 100s. This strategy seems to have come into place since the appalling murder of a young policeman who was dragged in a tangle of trailing tow lines by a car full of robbers identified as travellers. They have been jailed, but since then it seems like open season on traveller camps nationwide. Suddenly the police are less concerned with building bridges to "their customers" and are now being pro-active after years and years of knowing neglect, much to the torment of those whose dogs went missing over the years. What they are doing now they refused to do in years passed.