Hopefully at long last the Government are going to tackle the ever increasing spate of dognapping.

Since lockdown and the fact that more and more people have been acquiring pets due to working from home, dognapping has been on the rise. Organised criminals have been stealing dogs of all breeds and selling them on the black market.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland is supposedly set to announce tougher sentences due to pressure from charities, breeders and the police - and not before time I might add.

Currently having your dog stolen is on a par with having an article stolen from your home. The new law will classify pets as more than property by recognising their theft as abduction.

Courts will hopefully be able to take into account the anxiety suffered by the owner and also the welfare of the animal when deciding on the length of the sentence which apparently could be as much as five years in prison.

How anyone can class a domestic pet as property amazes me. They are living beings that suffer and feel pain just like we do and to have one stolen is both traumatic for the owner and the pet.

Mr Buckland is expected to add the new offence to the Police and Crime Bill which is currently going through Parliament so fingers crossed it comes to fruition and not before time.

Mrs L M Jackson