Historically in the United States, dogs had been stolen and sold on for medical research, but the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 reduced these occurrences.
The profit available to thieves varies based upon the value of the dog or the amount that its original owners are willing to pay as ransom.
Harvard students kidnapped Yale's mascot Handsome Dan II in March 1934, which was reported by the media as "dognapping".
[2][3] By July of the same year, what was considered by the press to be Chicago's first case of dog theft was solved with the return of a Boston Terrier named Kids Boot Ace, who had been missing for five months.
One thief speaking to Congress members about the crime, in return for his identity being protected, stated that: "If they had a collar on, I would try to get a reward for them, because a lot of times a person would like to get a dog back.
[14] Medical research organisations sought to change the bill by removing references to animals other than cats or dogs, saying that: "It would impose a well-nigh impossible burden to regulate traffic in fish, frogs, turtles, reptiles, birds and the many other mammalian forms used in laboratories.
[18] After the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act in 1966, the trade in stolen dogs simply moved on to other revenue sources.
Newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times ran articles advising readers on how to prevent their dogs from being stolen.
[23] The American Kennel Club began to track pet thefts in the United States in 2007, and found that in 2009 alone a 30% increase has been seen in this type of crime.
[24] In recent years, celebrities continue to be targeted with British West End theatre star Sheridan Smith's Shar Pei being taken twice in the space of a month with police believing it to be a repeat offence.
[28] In December 2016, in County Tipperary, Ireland, a very valuable Greyhound with a stud value of approximately €1,000,000 was taken from his trainer's kennels.
[29] A day after the incident, armed members of the Irish police force, an Garda Síochána, recovered the dog from known criminals in county Kilkenny and it was reported that a ransom had been sought.
Other non-technical methods include not leaving a dog outside a store (especially tied up) on their own or unattended in a vehicle, not leaving them unattended in a garden or yard or at least keeping them in view, training a dog to come back if called and not letting them off a leash if the owner is uncertain he or she will come back.