February 06, 2026 | Incident and Crime Statistics , Burglary and Theft
Request Number: FOI/16654
Category: Incident and Crime Statistics - Burglary and Theft
Subject: Dog Theft
Request and Answer:
Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) does hold information to which your request relates. The decision has been taken to disclose the following.
Request 1
Please state how many dogs were reported as stolen in your area in 2025:
| 2025 | |
| Reports of dogs being stolen |
Request 2
Over the same timeframe, please state how many of these cases were resolved (i.e. the pet was returned to its owner)
| 2025 | |
| Cases of dogs being returned |
Answers 1-2
The following table is based on all recorded dog abduction offences, and additionally all recorded burglary, robbery and theft offences where property described as dog was classified as stolen, during the period January 2024 - December 2025. Property that was additionally classified as recovered by police or recovered by owner has been provided as recovered. Please note: This information is based on data extracted from a live system, and may be subject to change. It is dependent on the information having been input into the system in such a way as to identify those records that are relevant.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
| Recorded dog abduction offences and recorded burglary, robbery and theft offences where property described as dog was classified as stolen | 13 | 17 |
| Of which property additionally classified as recovered | 2 | 3 |
Request 3
If possible, please state the three most commonly stolen breeds of dog and the number of each taken, in 2025:
| Stolen dogs | Breed #1 | Breed #2 | Breed #3 | |||
| Name | Count | Name | Count | Name | Count | |
| 2025 | ||||||
Answer 3
The attached data file is based on all recorded dog abduction offences, and additionally all recorded burglary, robbery and theft offences where property described as dog was classified as stolen, during the period January 2024 - December 2025. Each offence has been assigned a unique ID. A single offence may involve multiple items of stolen property. The number of dogs stolen may be found in a combination of the Quantity and Remarks fields. These fields are not complete, nor are they consistently entered. Information on the type and/or breed of dog may be found in the Property Description fields, or any of the free text entry fields Common Name and Remarks. These fields are not complete, nor are they consistently entered. Please note: This information is based on data extracted from a live system, and may be subject to change. It is dependent on the information having been input into the system in such a way as to identify those records that are relevant.