Hansard

It has been a year, almost to the day, since I adopted my dog Astro. He is a rescue dog from Romania. Yes, I have heard the joke many times that he has a European passport while I do not. I went almost 40 years in life without him, and I now cannot imagine my life without him at all. I know he is watching the debate online from home—as we so often say in members’ business debates.

The wildlife photographer Roger Caras once said:

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”

I disagree: I think that dogs are your whole life, and anyone who has a dog will know that.

In its briefing, the Dogs Trust told us that having a dog improves our wellbeing and reduces stress. It has clearly never met my dog.

If we look at the legislative environment that currently surrounds dog safety and security in Scotland, we might not necessarily believe that we are a nation of dog lovers, and that is the point of today’s debate. The theft of dogs has been relentlessly highlighted by my colleague Maurice Golden, not just over the past weeks and months but over years, because it is not the same as having your phone, wallet or watch stolen.

Dog theft is widespread now. There was a 170 per cent increase in it during the pandemic, according to some. That is hardly surprising, given the fact that the price of some breeds has more than doubled.

When I was looking for a dog, I went to a rescue charity, mostly out of a sense of frustration at the prices being sought by many breeders, and the unscrupulous way in which some of the dogs are being bred and sold. My dog is not a gold watch and its value is not in its value or its breed. I felt much better giving my money to a charity and rescuing a pup that would otherwise have been on the street.

On that note, I give huge credit to the charity Paws2Rescue, which is one of the great charities that work in this space, and thank Ricky Gervais, who is its patron.

In the area that I represent, there have been some high-profile reports of dog theft and the effect that it has on the victims. At a breeding farm in Galston, there was the loss of four puppies, and we all read about the tragic case of a young couple whose dog was stolen from their garden in Kilbirnie. My heart really goes out to them; I cannot imagine what it would feel like. I once had an episode when Astro ran out of the front door when I was taking the bins out and went straight into the road in front of oncoming traffic—my heart literally stopped for about eight seconds. For that instant, I thought about how I would feel if I lost my dog. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to know that someone had come into your home or your garden and taken your dog away.

I do not think that our justice system adequately serves as a deterrent to dog theft, because 5 per cent of dog thefts result in someone being charged, and just 1 per cent lead to prosecution. If that was any other field, we would be in uproar.

I should not forget cats, by the way. I have nothing against cats. Any legislation could look at pets in the round.

We should take steps to deter those who steal our furry friends. It is a massive business. We know that the third most profitable illegal trade after narcotics and weapons is in pets. Serious organised criminal gangs and syndicates have given up trading in drugs because of the risks involved, and they have switched to illegal dog trading. They have gone from cocaine and meth labs to canines and pet labs. That is the sad reality of where we are.

To its credit, the Scottish Government introduced microchipping back in 2016. That was the right thing to do. Christine Grahame and other dog and pet lovers have spoken about legislating further in this area, as has the Dogs Trust, which I commend hugely. Its pawlitical asks—see what I did there?—are worthy campaigns, many of which I support and should be looked on favourably.

We can and must do more. All I would ask Government is, if it cannot support the proposed dog theft bill specifically, what else can we do to change sentencing guidelines or to take into account the emotional effect that a very specific type of theft has on the people whose animals are taken from them? I have confidence that all those unanswered questions can be answered. I know that we can do it.