Ensure dog theft is always treated as a criminal matter, not a civil dispute
I believe the law on dog theft needs to be changed again. I am concerned that too many dogs are being stolen, and in many cases the police treat it as a civil matter.
Signatures
8
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 8/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 8/100,000
- 04 AUG 2026Petition opened for signaturesCreated by Amanda Austin
Background
When there is a dispute about who has the right to keep a dog (e.g. after a shared care arrangement or break-up), police often classify it as a civil dispute instead of investigating it as theft. Having a dog stolen is hard enough without having to fight to get them back. Dogs are family and I'm concerned this is happening to too many dogs.