A New Crime Wave,

seems to be sweeping across the UK,

and other counties too I guess, dognapping, the increase in this crime has been reported Nationally in many newspapers in the UK, so when I saw this photograph I assumed it was to stop thieves picking the animal up and having it away on their toes, well I was sort of correct, it is a deterrent to a thief, a bird, apparently in America to the bald eagle, it's a snack, to improve their dogs' chances of staying safe from hungry bald eagles, some owners dress their dogs in armoured vests, such as the Coyote Vest from the store, pictured above, The Wall Street Journal (sorry, it's paywalled) reports:

"Eagles are strong enough to carry a 12-pound salmon, so a four-pound dog is nothing," says Mark Robokoff, owner of AK Bark pet shop in Anchorage. His shop sells CoyoteVest, a protective jacket covered in Kevlar and spikes, intended to protect small pets from coyotes. Mr. Robokoff immediately recognized its potential in a state with an estimated 30,000 bald eagles. The vest is topped with bright red nylon whiskers that he says scare off the birds from above.

I have to wonder if some sort of similar vest might deter dog thieves in the UK?