Members' Business — S6M-02745 Maurice Golden: Tackling Dog Theft

That the Parliament is concerned by reports that dog thefts have risen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, including across the North East Scotland region; understands that stealing a dog is not currently a specific offence in Scotland but is grouped along with other non-specific thefts, that there is no requirement to take into account the impact such thefts have on the wellbeing of either animal or owners, and that there is no requirement to collect specific information on dog theft offences, which it considers could aid prevention, and recognises the view regarding the merit of a specific offence of dog theft to address these issues.