GREATER Manchester Police (GMP) says dog thefts in the region are "uncommon" – but is looking into updating its reporting system to check if it can monitor the crime.
During the pandemic, prices of dogs have soared leading to criminals stealing beloved pets across the country with charities such as DogLost reporting a large increase in thefts.
But GMP said it does not "believe there has been a significant increase over the past year, in line with other forces".
Instead the force said there has been an increase in "social media activity around dog thefts, which is causing communities to become concerned".