Pictured posed by dog model Max (Picture: Flickr/ Jeff Smith)

Dognappers are marking British homes with spray paint to identify valuable pets, it has been claimed.

Dogs worth stealing are allegedly identified while being walked in parks and then followed home and the house address recorded for future reference, according to surveillance company CCTV.co.uk.

The claims come after police released a burglar ‘coding’ system last year, showing whether a house is worth targeting.

Since then paint marks or ‘tags’ have reportedly been found smeared on gate posts and door frames by homeowners worried about their pets. Others reported thieves photographing houses.


Burglar coding system (Picture: Devon police)

Pedigree breeds or puppies of high value are believed to be particularly at risk.



Once stolen, the pets are then used for breeding or sold on.

CCTV.co.uk said they had received several reports of the markings as well as an increase in inquiries about surveillance cameras specifically for protecting family pets.

‘It’s all about making money, and pet theft is seen as a relatively easy crime because most homes have relatively low levels of security,’ says Jonathan Ratcliffe, a spokesman for the company.

There was a similar warning in 2013 about thieves in Northern Ireland marking properties to steal pets for dog fights. This was later dismissed as a hoax.