Darren Debenham, who runs the Guardian K9 Training Centre in Claydon and leads a team of search and rescue dogs, said the theft of dogs for breeding or resale has become increasingly common.
He stressed that owners should take extra care to prevent their pets from being left exposed, such as unattended in gardens or in parked cars.
“People leave dogs in front gardens or let them roam,” Debenham explained. “It only takes someone to open a gate and grab them.”
He noted that while his team can locate dogs that have run off, recovering animals taken by thieves is far more difficult.
“It’s usually the smaller dogs that get taken. So it’s really important nobody leaves their dog tied up outside a shop for example and you have to watch out because people will walk onto your property and take your dog these days.”
The warning comes in the wake of a theft in Coney Weston, near Bury St Edmunds, where a two-year-old spaniel, Mabel, and her five-week-old puppies were stolen from a family home on December 2.
Intruders forced their way into the property, smashing the front door before taking Mabel, her litter, and a cream jewellery box.
Mabel has now been found alive in a garden in Wouldham, Kent, more than a hundred miles away, but her puppies remain missing.
The family described their relief at being reunited with Mabel while continuing to appeal for help finding the pups.
Police are asking anyone with information, or anyone offered a King Charles Spaniel or very young puppies for sale, to contact Suffolk Police on 101.
Debenham said dog thefts, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, have continued across the UK.
“We are seeing more of it, and it isn’t just in Suffolk,” he said.
“There is an increase everywhere now, unfortunately.”