Dog Theft Increases More Than 100 Percent in São Paulo

By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Dog theft increased by 110.8 percent between 2017 and 2018 in the city of São Paulo, according to data from the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP). There were 137 cases registered last year, compared to 65 the year before.

Most crimes were committed in homes (53). One of the stolen dogs was a French bulldog, Pierre, aged 10, at the end of last year. “Not a toothpick was missing from the house, only Pierre,” said his owner, lawyer Daniela Costa e Silva.

Two weeks later an internet campaign worked for the best and Pierre was located with a new owner who agreed to return it. The thieves were never found.

Theft cases on the streets or in cars are still a minority but have significantly increased: 227 percent (from 15 in 2017 to 49 last year).

Concern led owners to seek technology. In recent months, the number of owners who install identification chips in pets has increased.

A veterinary clinic said affluence has increased by 20 percent since the beginning of the year. The equipment, the size of a grain of rice, costs a little over R$200, on average.

It is not used to track the animal, but to allow for its identification, as it attributes a unique number for the animal, recognized worldwide. “The veterinarian passes the reader, and he/she can identify whose the animal it is,” said veterinarian Fernanda Fragata.