A martial artist is offering free self-defence seminars for scared dog walkers in Sheffield, following a rise in dog thefts in the past year.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police (SYP) have said the thefts are linked to organised crime groups, with pedigree breeds most at risk due to their high value. Since July 2020, SYP have recorded 63 investigations of dog thefts, with 16 of them recorded in February alone.<\/p>\n
Craig Welsh, 56, owner of STRASSEGYM on Abbey Road, Woodseats, decided to offer the classes as he said he feels passionately about the actions of dog thieves and wants to keep people safe.<\/p>\n
The former bouncer said: \u201cThere\u2019s a real sense of fear around Sheffield. If you get your dog nicked, it\u2019s like your kid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese dog thieves, they\u2019re not going to target me they\u2019re going to target women on their own.<\/p>\n
“They\u2019re not just opportunists. They follow you home, see where you live, and then it\u2019s all organised. They choose when they\u2019re going to steal your dog. It\u2019s all planned. So it\u2019s not just about self-defence it\u2019s about awareness leading up to the attacks. Self-defence is the last resort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Welsh, who is a dog-owner himself, said he was shocked by the popularity of the idea and wants to try and set up a group for people to meet and walk their dogs together.<\/p>\n
Eilis Wright, 41, a dog walker attending the seminar, says she\u2019s changed her walking pattern and even stopped taking her dog on the school run for fear of dog thieves and hopes the seminar will make her more confident.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWhen I\u2019m walking the dog, you\u2019re constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure nobody\u2019s following you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it were a gang coming to steal my child, the fight or flight would be the same as my children as it would be to save my dog.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Wright said people had broken into her garden over the weekend by removing a fence panel and believes they were there for her dog.<\/p>\n
SYP have warned dog-owners to never leave their dog tied up unattended, vary their walking times and routes, and to be aware of strangers. They also advised dog owners to keep their gardens secure to prevent dog-burglaries.<\/p>\n
They added: \u201cIt is vital members of the public remain vigilant and report any incidents to us, as well as anyone seen acting in a suspicious manner. We act on this information and carry out thorough investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you believe your dog has been stolen, report it to the police via 101 as well as your local authority\u2019s dog warden service, local vets, and rescue centres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A martial artist is offering free self-defence seminars for scared dog walkers in Sheffield, following a rise in dog thefts in the past year. South Yorkshire Police (SYP) have said the thefts are linked to organised crime groups, with pedigree breeds most at risk due to their high value. Since July 2020, SYP have recorded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":33434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,21,82,55],"tags":[314,38,131,60],"class_list":["post-33366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-news","category-top-story","category-top-story-3","tag-dog-walking","tag-sheffield","tag-south-yorkshire","tag-south-yorkshire-police"],"yoast_head":"\n