On a chilly December morning, Colin Butcher and his dog, Molly, are on the streets of Haywards Heath in West Sussex. But Molly is not out for a walk – instead she is hard at work trying to track down a missing cat.
Pet theft is on the rise across the UK. Data from the insurer Direct Line suggested dog thefts had increased by 6% between 2022 and 2023, with English and French bulldogs – regularly sold for about £3,000 – among the most frequently targeted breeds.
