What the four nations actually allow
Animal welfare is devolved, and since 2023 the four nations have genuinely
diverged. This is the same practice compared across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland, with the primary source and a last-checked date against every cell.
Last reviewed 25 August 2026; the oldest cell on this page was last checked against its primary source on
22 August 2026. Every cell carries its own date and source below.
Data: /api/law.json.
This is a description of the
law, not legal advice. Every row links to the primary source and carries the date it
was last checked. Check the source before relying on it — general licences are reissued
each January and commencement dates move.
Companion animals
Taking someone's dog or cat is theft everywhere in the United Kingdom. What differs is whether there is also a specific offence: England and Northern Ireland have one under the Pet Abduction Act 2024, Scotland has passed a dog theft Act that is not yet in force, and Wales has neither.
England
Banned
- In force from
- 24 August 2024
- Instrument
- Pet Abduction Act 2024, sections 1 and 2
Sections 1 and 2 create offences of dog abduction and cat abduction, carrying up to five years' imprisonment on conviction on indictment. The offence is committed only where the person and the animal are both in England or Northern Ireland at the time the animal is taken or detained. The sections came into force at the end of three months beginning with Royal Assent on 24 May 2024. Taking a pet also remains theft under the Theft Act 1968, for which the maximum is seven years.
legislation.gov.uk
· checked 25 August 2026
Wales
Banned
- In force from
- 1 January 1969
- Instrument
- Theft Act 1968, sections 1 and 7
There is no specific pet abduction offence in Wales. A dog or cat is property, so taking one is theft, for which the maximum on conviction on indictment is seven years' imprisonment. The Pet Abduction Act 2024 extends to England and Wales as a single jurisdiction, but its offences are committed only where the person and the animal are both in England or Northern Ireland, so they are not available in Wales.
legislation.gov.uk
· checked 25 August 2026
Scotland
Banned
- In force from
- not recorded
- Instrument
- Common law (theft)
Taking a dog or cat is theft at common law in Scotland, so there is no instrument or commencement date to record. The Pet Abduction Act 2024 does not extend to Scotland.
Proposed change — not yet law
The Dog Theft (Scotland) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 10 February 2026. It creates a standalone offence of dog theft and an aggravated offence where the dog is a helper dog, carrying up to five years' imprisonment on conviction on indictment. Section 5 provides that the offence comes into force on a day appointed by the Scottish Ministers by regulations; no such day has been identified, so the offence is not yet in force. The Act covers dogs only, not cats.
Source
Scottish Parliament
· checked 25 August 2026
Northern Ireland
Banned
- In force from
- 24 August 2024
- Instrument
- Pet Abduction Act 2024, sections 1 and 2
Sections 1 and 2 create offences of dog abduction and cat abduction, carrying up to five years' imprisonment on conviction on indictment. In Northern Ireland the sections came into force on a day appointed by DAERA by order; DAERA states that the offences applied from 24 August 2024. Section 4, which extends to Northern Ireland only, gives DAERA power to make corresponding provision for other animals commonly kept as pets.
legislation.gov.uk
· checked 25 August 2026
How to read this
Status describes the position today. Anything proposed, consulted on or before a
legislature is shown separately as a proposed change, and is never counted as law.
“Not recorded” means not recorded. Where a commencement date or an
instrument has not been confirmed against a primary source, the cell says so rather than
estimating.
Data: /api/law.json. Corrections with a primary
source are welcome — a wrong cell here is worse than a missing one.