Pet Abduction Bill moves closer to becoming law after third reading

The government’s Pet Abduction Bill has come one step closer to becoming law after passing a third reading in the House of Commons.

It will now move to the House of Lords for further consideration.

Introduced by Anna Firth MP, the Pet Abduction Bill makes pet theft a criminal offence of its own, as opposed to viewing dogs and cats as inanimate objects.

If the bill becomes law, it means anyone found guilty of stealing a pet will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

Evidence from the Pet Theft Taskforce suggests that around 2,000 dog theft and over 400 cat theft crimes were reported to police in 2020.

Following the bill’s third reading, Firth said: “This is a huge step towards providing even better protections for our beloved pets ensuring that their sentience will be recognised in law and helping us to better tackle the abhorrent crime of Pet Abduction.

“I look forward to supporting Lord Black of Brentwood as he takes my bill on in the Lords and hope to see it become law before the summer.”