If someone took your dog off your property or out of your car tomorrow, Delaware would treat it the same way it treats a stolen television or bicycle: as a property crime with a dollar value attached. That single fact shapes almost everything about how dognapping laws in Delaware actually work, from what charge a prosecutor files to how much time a convicted thief could spend behind bars.
This guide walks you through how Delaware defines and punishes dog theft, what pushes a case from a misdemeanor into felony territory, and the practical steps you can take if your dog goes missing under suspicious circumstances.
Important Note: This article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. If your dog has been stolen, contact local law enforcement and consider speaking with a licensed Delaware attorney about your specific situation.
Is Dognapping a Specific Crime in Delaware
Delaware does not have a standalone “dognapping” statute that applies to ordinary pet dogs. Instead, the state folds dog theft into its general theft code, treating your dog the same way it treats any other piece of personal property. All dogs shall be deemed personal property and may be the subject of theft pursuant to Chapter 5 of Title 11, meaning the same larceny statute used for stolen electronics or jewelry applies to a stolen dog.
There is one notable exception. Delaware carved out a separate, harsher rule specifically for service dogs. No person shall intentionally steal, take, or wrongfully obtain a service dog owned by a private person or agency, and whoever violates this subsection is guilty of a class E felony. This means stealing a working service animal is automatically a felony in Delaware, regardless of the dog’s market value, while stealing a typical family pet is assessed under the general theft framework.
Delaware is also part of a small group of states that address animal theft directly in its criminal code rather than leaving it entirely to case-by-case interpretation. Reporting on pet theft nationwide has noted that only 15 states include animal theft in their criminal code, among them California, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, and several others. That places Delaware ahead of most states in formally acknowledging that animals are property worth protecting through statute.
How Delaware Classifies Dog Theft: Misdemeanor vs. Felony
Because dogs fall under Delaware’s general theft law, the classification of the crime comes down to a legal test that has little to do with sentiment and everything to do with dollars. Larceny is defined as an illegal taking of another person’s property with an intent to permanently deprive the lawful owner of the property, and the penalty for stealing a dog mirrors the state’s criminal larceny statutes rather than following a separate animal-specific sentencing scale.
Under Delaware’s core theft statute, theft is a class A misdemeanor unless the value of the property taken is $1,500 or more, in which case it becomes a class G felony. If the victim is elderly or has a disability, the bar drops even lower: when a victim is 62 years of age or older, an impaired adult, or a person with a disability, theft is automatically a class G felony unless the value is $1,500 or more, in which case it becomes a class F felony.
These aren’t just abstract numbers. A 2023 Hockessin case illustrates how this plays out in practice: a Delaware woman was charged after police said she took her neighbor’s therapy dog from a Hockessin property, and she was ultimately charged with felony theft of $1,500 or greater. The case shows prosecutors treating a stolen pet’s value the same way they would treat any other stolen item once it crosses that felony threshold.
Pro Tip: If you own a purebred, trained, or working dog, keep purchase receipts, training invoices, and appraisal documents on hand. These records can help establish value quickly if you ever need to report a theft.
Penalties for Stealing a Dog in Delaware
Once a charge is filed, the penalties scale directly with the classification discussed above. Delaware’s sentencing structure separates misdemeanor and felony theft convictions by both incarceration length and how fines are calculated.
| Charge Classification | Typical Trigger | Maximum Incarceration | Fine Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A Misdemeanor | Dog valued under $1,500 | Up to 1 year | Up to $2,300 (fixed by statute) |
| Class G Felony | Dog valued $1,500+, or victim is elderly/disabled | Up to 2 years | Set by the sentencing judge |
| Class F Felony | Dog valued $1,500+ and victim is elderly/disabled | Up to 3 years | Set by the sentencing judge |
| Class E Felony (service dogs) | Any service dog theft, regardless of value | Felony-level exposure | Full restitution required |
Punishment for a class A misdemeanor includes a sentence of no more than one year of imprisonment and payment of a fine up to $2,300. Once a case crosses into felony territory, a class G felony carries punishment of up to two years imprisonment and a fine set by the judge, while a class F felony conviction can bring up to three years of imprisonment.
Notably, misdemeanor fines are fixed by law, while for felony convictions, sentencing judges can impose whatever fine they deem appropriate. On top of any jail or prison time, sentencing judges must also order defendants convicted of theft to pay restitution, meaning a convicted dognapper can be ordered to cover your dog’s value, veterinary costs, or other losses tied to the crime. For service dog theft specifically, a person convicted must also be ordered to make full restitution for all damages, including incidental and consequential expenses incurred by the service dog’s owner.
How the Dog’s Value Affects the Charge in Delaware
Because Delaware’s theft law is value-driven, the single biggest factor in how a dognapping case gets charged is what the dog is worth in dollar terms. Prosecutors and courts look at purchase price, pedigree documentation, training investment, and sometimes veterinary or insurance appraisals to arrive at that number.
This is where breed and training history matter more than people expect. Dogs bred or trained for specific work, including personal protection breeds covered under Delaware’s Rottweiler ownership rules or Doberman ownership regulations, often carry higher purchase prices and training costs than a mixed-breed rescue. The same goes for dogs covered by Delaware’s pit bull ownership laws, since insurance and liability considerations for these breeds can add to their documented value. A higher appraised value pushes a case closer to, or over, the $1,500 felony threshold outlined in Delaware’s general theft statute.
Working and field dogs add another layer. A trained retriever or pointer used under Delaware’s hunting regulations may carry significant training value that a court would factor into sentencing. And as covered earlier, when the value of stolen property is more than $50,000 but less than $100,000, theft is charged as a class D felony in Delaware, though this tier is rare for pet dogs outside of exceptional show or breeding animals. Service dogs remain the one category where value never enters the equation at all, since stealing one is automatically a class E felony no matter what the dog is worth on paper.
What to Do Immediately If Your Dog Is Stolen in Delaware
Acting quickly improves your odds of recovery and strengthens any eventual criminal case. Follow these steps in order:
- Call local police right away. Dog theft is a criminal matter in Delaware, and an official report creates the paper trail needed to pursue charges under the state’s theft statute.
- Contact Delaware’s Office of Animal Welfare or your county animal control office. They can flag your dog in local systems and alert field officers.
- Check your dog’s microchip registry. Log in and mark the chip as lost or stolen so any vet or shelter scan triggers an alert.
- Call nearby veterinary clinics and shelters. A stolen dog is sometimes surrendered or brought in for care under a false name.
- Post to local lost-pet networks and social media. Include clear photos, last-known location, and any identifying marks or gear, such as whether the dog was wearing a leash consistent with Delaware’s leash requirements at the time it disappeared.
- Gather your ownership documentation. Police and prosecutors will need proof the dog is legally yours, which is covered in detail below.
Common Mistake: Waiting a day or two to “see if the dog comes back” before contacting police. Early reports make it far easier to establish a timeline if the case moves toward criminal charges.
How to Prove Ownership of a Stolen Dog in Delaware
Since Delaware law treats your dog as personal property, proving a theft occurred requires proving the dog belonged to you in the first place. Courts and police rely on documentation, not just your word, especially in disputed cases where the accused claims they believed the dog was a stray or a gift.
The strongest evidence generally includes:
- Microchip registration showing your name and contact information tied to the chip number
- Veterinary records, including routine visits and immunizations consistent with Delaware’s pet vaccination requirements
- Purchase receipts, adoption contracts, or breeder paperwork, particularly important for dogs imported from out of state under Delaware’s pet import regulations
- Dated photos and videos of you with the dog over time, ideally with timestamps
- Dog license records, since Delaware requires dogs to be licensed and licenses are typically registered to a specific owner
- Witness statements from neighbors, dog walkers, or family members who can confirm the dog lived with you
Keeping these records organized before anything happens, rather than scrambling to find them after a theft, makes a real difference if your case ever reaches a courtroom. Prosecutors need to establish both that a taking occurred and that the person who took the dog did not otherwise have permission to do so, and clear ownership records make that second element much easier to prove.
How to Prevent Dognapping in Delaware
Prevention comes down to reducing opportunity. Most dog thefts are crimes of convenience rather than elaborate schemes, which means simple habits go a long way.
- Never tie your dog up outside a store unattended. Even brief periods leave a dog exposed, and Delaware’s tethering regulations also limit how long dogs can be left tied up unsupervised in the first place.
- Keep your dog leashed and supervised in public spaces. Compliance with Delaware’s leash laws keeps your dog physically closer to you and makes an opportunistic grab far harder.
- Microchip your dog and keep the registration current. This is often the deciding factor in recovering a stolen dog after the fact.
- Secure your yard. Locked gates and enclosed fencing prevent a thief from simply walking a dog off your property in broad daylight.
- Be cautious with “free to good home” or rehoming posts. Screen anyone requesting to see or adopt your dog before agreeing to a meeting.
- Avoid leaving your dog alone in a parked car. An unattended vehicle is an easy target, even for a short errand.
Protecting your dog from theft largely comes down to staying vigilant in the situations where dogs are most exposed: outside stores, in unfenced yards, and during rehoming transactions with strangers. Combining these habits with solid ownership documentation gives you the best possible position if a theft ever does occur.
Key Insight: Because Delaware treats dog value as the deciding factor in criminal charges, documenting your dog’s worth protects you two ways: it helps police build a stronger case, and it strengthens any restitution claim if the thief is convicted.