Pet Theft Awareness Day

Pet Theft Awareness Day is acknowledged on February 14th of every year.  Pet Theft Awareness week runs from 14th to 21st of February. Pet theft remains a terrible reality across the world. Importance of this day is to ask yourself how safe is your pet. Organized pet thieve’s most common victims are cats and dogs. Purebred dogs are stolen in the highest count. These stolen purebred dogs, especially toys, puppies, and designer breeds are sold and shipped for two main purposes-to be used as bait in training dog fighting and to be sold to laboratories through B dealers for testing and biomedical experimentation. Pets may be sold to puppy mills for breeding purposes. Stealing a pet could get one up to four years in jail.

“Even if animal tests produced a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it.” – Ingrid Newkirk

History of Pet Theft Awareness Day

Last Chance for Animals organisation is a US-based non-profit organisation that supports animal rights and created great documentaries against the use of animals for testing purposes. The organisation was founded in 1984 by Hollywood actor Chris DeRose as a group to oppose the experimentation on living animals. In 2000, the organisation focused on pet theft, the fur trade, and pets used in circuses. In  2013, that by chance Arnot Wilson director of the Dog Union saw a graphic on social media on pet theft which leads him to the founding of Pet Theft Awareness; co-founder is Richard Jordan. Thus a day was created to spread the awareness on pet theft.

How to celebrate Pet Theft Awareness Day

Pet Theft Awareness Day is aimed at educating animal owners in keeping their pets safe from thieves. Pets are considered to be the most valued living possession, so it is essential that the dog parents have to be aware of the importance of the day. On this day owners can aim to make a collar ID tag and license for their dog to give a proper identity, and can also get an additional security with a microchip. Never offer your pet to “free to good home ads” when looking for a new home for your pet. Various other non-profit organisations are guiding dog owner on pet theft awareness on this particular day to minimise the pet theft around the world. Peoples can use the hashtag #PetTheftAwarenessDay to express their feelings about Pet Theft Awareness Day on social media.