Dog theft is the crime of taking a dog from its owner. The theft of a dog to be held for ransom may be called dognapping, by analogy with kidnapping.
Historically in the United States, dogs had been stolen and sold on for medical research, but the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 reduced these occurrences. The profit available to thieves varies based upon the value of the dog or the amount that its original owners are willing to pay as ransom.
In Vietnam, dog and cat theft for consumption as meat was described as a growing problem in 2020.[1]