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Gundog theft awareness week

Gundog Theft Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of gundog theft and its prevention; it is estimated that nearly half of all stolen dogs are working gundogs.

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Gundog Theft Awareness week is part of the Pet Theft Awareness campaign.

Working breeds like pointers, spaniels and Labradors are known to be well-trained and well-socialised, which makes them an easy target for dog thieves especially in rural locations.

In addition to well-known dog theft prevention advice (such as reviewing security at home and around outdoor kennels, ensuring microchip details are up to date, keeping up to date photos of your dog and being careful about what information you post on social media), DNA Protected is a new police-backed crime prevention initiative that allows owners to store their dog’s DNA on a forensic DNA database.

DNA Protected has been developed with police by leading forensic company Cellmark Forensic Services to deter thieves, provide you with peace of mind and help police collar the criminals.

A dog’s DNA is unique and cannot be changed. It is nature’s ultimate identification system. Unlike a microchip which might fail or could even be removed, DNA will identify your dog for life. A simple mouth swab taken from your dog contains thousands of cells, each containing your dog’s DNA. By analysing the DNA collected on the swab sample, Cellmark will produce a DNA profile which can be used to confirm your dog’s identity.

Storing your dog’s DNA profile on Cellmark’s forensic dog DNA database makes it accessible to the police and means that if the worst were to happen and your dog were lost or stolen, it could help ensure that they are safely returned.

The DNA Protected kit comes with everything needed to take the DNA sample and return it securely to the laboratory. Also included is a collar tag and a window sticker to show criminals you have taken steps to protect your dog from theft.

Cellmark’s dog DNA profiling service is accredited to ISO17025 by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) and approved bySecured by Design, the official police security initiative.

To learn more about how DNA Protected can help prevent dog theft and reunite stolen dogs with their owners visitwww.dnaprotected.co.uk