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‘Dognapping’ in UK Deters Owners from Walking Pets

A resident wearing a mask walks her dogs in Beijing, China, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP)
A resident wearing a mask walks her dogs in Beijing, China, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP)
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‘Dognapping’ in UK Deters Owners from Walking Pets

A resident wearing a mask walks her dogs in Beijing, China, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP)
A resident wearing a mask walks her dogs in Beijing, China, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP)

Dog owners are more scared of walking their pets than this time last year due to the rise of “dognappers” during lockdown, said a recent survey.

According to DogLost, a UK charity that helps victims of dog theft, dognappings have risen from 172 in 2019 to 465 in 2020, a rise of 170 percent, leading to Nottinghamshire Police appointing a specialist dog theft officer to tackle the issue.

In February, the police warned of the rise in dog thefts by organized criminals, as the demand for puppies continues to rise due to their increase in cost.

But campaigners say the penalties for dog theft do not match the devastating impact it can have on families who have beloved pets taken from them.

The online survey, organized by Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, received 124,729 responses with a large majority (96.9 percent) saying dog theft was a "serious problem" and that thieves should face stiffer sentences.

Dr. Daniel Allen, an Animal Geographer at Keele University, who set up the Pet Theft Reform campaign with the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance in 2018, said: "The number of survey responses shows the extent to which the public are concerned about dog theft crime. Further research is needed to build the data base and inform the response to dog theft moving forwards."

Bourne from Sussex said: "Police forces across the country need a flag for reports of dog theft on their systems as currently it is extremely difficult to track this crime trend and put in place an appropriate police response."

"Pets are part of people's family and the devastating emotional impact of this crime should no longer be overlooked," she added.

The Home Office has asked to discuss the findings and how it can develop measures that will protect people's pets and boost public confidence, saying it will be exploring whether it is time to consider defining pet theft as a specific crime.

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Beijing Issues Weather Warning for Hottest Days of Year

A woman wearing sun protective clothing rides a bicycle along a street in Beijing on June 23, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
A woman wearing sun protective clothing rides a bicycle along a street in Beijing on June 23, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
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Beijing Issues Weather Warning for Hottest Days of Year

A woman wearing sun protective clothing rides a bicycle along a street in Beijing on June 23, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
A woman wearing sun protective clothing rides a bicycle along a street in Beijing on June 23, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

Beijing residents sought shade and cooled off in canals on Monday as authorities issued the second-highest heat warning for the Chinese capital on one of its hottest days of the year so far.

China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years, with heatwaves baking northern regions even as parts of the south have seen catastrophic rain and flooding.

Authorities in the city of 22 million people urged the public to take precautions, with temperatures expected to peak at around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.

"It's been really hot lately, especially in the past few days," intern Li Weijun told AFP on Monday afternoon.

The 22-year-old said he had stopped wearing formal clothes to work and delayed his daily exercise until after 10:00 pm to stay safe.

"I think it's related to climate change, and maybe also to the damage done to nature," he said.

An orange heat warning -- the second-highest in a three-tier system -- was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke.

Construction workers should "shorten the amount of time consecutively spent at labor", while elderly, sick or weakened individuals ought to "avoid excessive exertion", according to the guidelines.

Zhang Chen, 28, said she carried an umbrella outdoors to prevent sunburn.

"I used to ride a bike, but once it gets this hot, I basically stop doing that," the IT worker told AFP.

Despite the beating sun, legions of delivery drivers zipped through downtown areas at noon to bring sustenance to Beijing's office workers.

A few lazed on the backs of their scooters in a shady spot, while elsewhere, people cooled off with ice creams or by taking a dip in the city's canals.

- Climate giant -

Beijing is still a few degrees short of breaking its record for the hottest-ever June day, set at 41.1C in 2023.

Human greenhouse gas emissions are driving climate change that causes longer, more frequent and more intense heatwaves.

China is the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, though it has pledged to bring its emissions to a peak by the end of this decade and to net zero by 2060.

The country has also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy in recent years as it seeks to pivot its massive economy away from highly polluting coal consumption.

In a shady spot near an office building, 42-year-old Lucy Lu spent her lunch break with friends, kicking a shuttlecock through the air -- a traditional Chinese game known as "jianzi".

"I was born and raised in Beijing, and summer here has always been like this," she said.

"But I do think when the temperature goes over 40C, there should be some time off or work-from-home options to reduce the risk of heatstroke."