“A pet being stolen from the family just can’t be replaced like your TV or your laptop.”
As a manager at Assisi Animal Sanctuary in Newtownards, Anna Morton knows all too well how important a pet is to an owner.
Until today, pets were treated as property rather than sentient beings.
From Saturday, the Pet Abduction Act changes that.
Under the legislation, anyone found guilty of taking a cat, or taking or detaining a dog, could face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.
The new legislation will consider both the impact of abduction on the animal’s welfare and the owner’s interests. Anna Morton supports the change, stating, “Pets are family members, not objects. They’re living, breathing beings with feelings, just like us.”
Animal charities are hailing the reform as potentially “one of the most significant advancements in animal welfare law in recent years.” The USPCA views the legislation as a crucial step in recognizing pets’ value. Nora Smith, the chief executive, emphasized that pets are “family members and best friends.” She noted that pet abduction causes not only emotional distress to owners but also significant harm to the animals themselves.
At the Dogs Trust in Ballymena, manager Conor O’Kane welcomed the new legislation as a long overdue change. “We’ve been advocating for this for quite some time, so it’s great to see it finally coming to fruition. It provides us with greater protection as dog and cat owners, ensuring that pet theft is taken more seriously and carries higher consequences.”
While animal charities report that pet abduction is relatively rare in Northern Ireland, Robert Kenny, a certified pet detective, believes it could be occurring daily. He views the new law as a significant deterrent and predicts it could reduce pet theft by up to 30%.
In February 2024, the PSNI handled a case involving the theft of a collie from an Omagh property, which remains unresolved. Inspector Beatty commented, “Pets are integral members of the family. Stealing them is an act of cruelty. We strongly support the new Pet Abduction Act, which will allow us to take appropriate action and hold offenders accountable.”
Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir also praised the new legislation. He noted that it aims to address “unscrupulous individuals who abduct dogs or cats.” However, he emphasized that the law is not designed to criminalize genuinely kind actions towards animals that are not owned by the person involved.
Muir explained that the Act includes several safeguards and exemptions to ensure that innocent behavior falls outside the scope of the offenses. These safeguards encompass efforts to return the animal to its owner or to facilitate its collection. Additionally, the legislation does not apply in cases of relationship breakdowns. There is also potential for future amendments to expand the law to cover the abduction of other animals commonly kept as pets.