Ever thought about taking out insurance to guard against pet theft? It is probably something you think most people have never needed to worried about. But that is quickly starting to change.

Statistics reveal that pet theft has overtaken mobile phone and ipod robberies to become the most rapidly growing crime in the UK. Each year, there are 50,000 dogs which are snatched from their owners. Of those victims, 40,000 had pet insurance. This sort of insurance can offer help in various ways.

First of all, the insurance pays for the costs of advertising. It also pays for the costs of offering a reward. Then, when you find your dog, it will provide the financial assistance to get the animal back home. You can claim anything from ?200 to ?1000 depending on your insurance policy.

Then, in the unfortunate instance that your pet is never recovered, the insurance company will pay anything from ?500 to ?1500 for the value of your dog, provided that the animal has been missing anything from 30 to 90 days.

You can take out claims with insurance companies like PetPlan, E&L, Marks & Spencer and the Kennel Club is another. In fact, many mainstream insurers also offer cover as well and you can find out about quotes for different companies through the internet. If you do pay for your policy online, it can be the case that you can claim an online payment discount.

Some of the problems that cause pet theft in the case of dogs is that the owners don?t take enough care with respect to their dog?s security. Owners leave their dogs tied up loosely outside shops and the advice from experts is that by doing this you are making your pet easy prey for a criminal.

Pedigree pets in particular are targets. So are dogs owned by celebrities. A criminal might not steal the pet because it is high quality, but so they can make a ransom demand for the animal to be returned.

Along with taking out insurance, there?s also other things you can do to guard against your dog?s safety. This includes making sure that your dog wears a collar and identification tag with your contact details displayed on it. Dogs can also be micro-chipped or tattooed so they can always be identified. The Kennel Club Pet Reunification Service offers this service.

Keep all of your dog?s documentation in a safe place. Also keep a photo of your dog from the side so it can be easily identified. But more importantly, don?t let your dog out of your site by not tying it up and leaving it. Keep the animal secure in your back garden where it can be seen. Don?t walk your dog without a leash, leave it inside or lock it in a car all alone.

If in the unlucky instance your dog does get stolen, report it to the police. Then contact the local dog warden. If your dog is micro-chipped, contact petlog or visit the organisation?s lost and found data base ? www.doglost.co.uk

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