Dog-snatchers – fake news or reason for concern?

This week we had lots of people getting in touch with us about an incident at the seaside village of Seaton Sluice, whereby a woman reportedly was approached in the middle of the day by a man telling her to give him her dog. 

As a young woman, I’m reading more and more across social media that we shouldn’t take our dogs out alone, that men in white vans are patrolling the area looking for dogs to breed and fight. I live alone with my dog, and in the current lockdown, most of us don’t have a choice but to walk our dogs alone. So what should we do? 

We asked Northumbria Police for their advice and were reassured by their response…

“We are aware lots of these are fake reports and there is no evidence of a large increase in dog thefts of this nature. The Seaton Sluice incident has been reported but to say this is a legitimate attempt of a dog snatch could be premature. There is no evidence women are targeted because there is no evidence of large incidents of this nature.”

A statement on the Seaton Sluice incident in particular said:

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm we received a report of a suspicious incident in Seaton Sluice on Wednesday. A dog walker was walking near the Castaways café at about 12.50pm when she alleged a man in a removal van asked for her dog. She then left the area but contacted police concerned that the men were trying to steal her dog. Inquiries to identify the men, and establish if any criminal offences have been committed, are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact police quoting log: 383 27/01/21.”