The survey is designed to help inform discussions that Police and Crime Comissioners and the Neighbourhood Watch will have nationally.
The Neighbourhood Watch Network is supporting Sussex's Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, who has recently created an online survey designed to understand the publics perception of dog theft, enforcement, and the prosecution of offenders.
Mrs Bourne said: "Pet theft, dog theft in particular, is a growing concern for the public and their fear has been perpetuated over the last couple of weeks with shocking reports in the media of more dogs being snatched by criminals.
"I am incredibly eager to get more more detail around this issue and understand the residents' views and if they feel more could be done to respond to their concerns or for more preventative measures to be put in place to better protect their pets."
This comes as there has been a sharp rise of dognapping being reported over the last 12 months.
These thefts are happening all over the UK. Just two weeks ago (28/2), a 5-month-old French Bulldog Puppy was stolen from her owner in neighbouring town Northampton and the search for the dog is still ongoing.
In February, the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Thaves Valley, Matthew Barber reported a rise in some areas of up to 250%.
During the first lockdown the Kennel Club reported a 168% increase in people searching for puppies for sale on its website, compared to the same period in 2019.
The survey closes on Friday 12th March and can be found here.
