Recognising the true victims of dog ‘theft’: The impacts of abduction and recovery on stolen dogs through the words of their caretakers

• In Event: Victimology Working Group Panel 4 Consequences of Victimization

Abstract

In the UK in recent years, there has been growing attention paid to dog ‘theft’, from both a policy and legislative perspective and a small but insightful body of academic research. However, this focus has been on sentencing, statistics, and the impact on pet caretakers (‘owners’). There has been little consideration of the impact of abduction on the dogs themselves.
Taking a nonhuman victimological perspective, this paper presents what we believe to be the first research dedicated to exploring these impacts. We present the findings of qualitative research undertaken with the caretakers of companion animals who were abducted and subsequently recovered. The research focuses on what would be currently categorized as dog theft (although we use the term abduction), reporting on the findings of unstructured interviews undertaken to explore the circumstances of the abduction and recovery and, crucially, the perceived impact of the experience on the dogs themselves. We discuss the physical and behavioural effects reported by the participants and, in so doing, seek to elevate the abducted dogs to the status of ‘victim’, rather than mere property, whilst acknowledging the limitations of ‘giving voice’ to victim animals through their human companions.

Authors

• John Walliss, Liverpool Hope University

• Melanie Flynn, Liverpool Hope University

• Daniel Allen, Keele University