Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Make it an offence not to return a dog to their rightful owner
Closed
112 signatures
What the petition asks
If a dog is stolen and then bought in good faith by an unknowing person, or lost, the rightful owner has to pursue the matter in the civil courts. Many owners regard dogs as family members, so failure to return a dog should be made an offence, to make it easier to reunite dogs with their owners.
Dogs are chipped with owner details, but this is not currently enough for you to be reunited. If a dog is lost or stolen and bought It becomes a civil matter to get them back. This should be changed.
Timeline
| 24 Sep 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Mar 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
112
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
24 Sep 2020
Closed
24 Mar 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.