Gardai have urged pet owners to report any suspicious marks on gates and walls following a shocking rise in the number of dog thefts.
Heartless thugs have been using a variety of ways to mark potential homes to snatch pets.
Worried pet owners have shared warning signs on social media in a bid to keep their pooches safe from being stolen.
A message on the Meath Crime Prevention Facebook group reads: “There have been numerous reports of gates and walls being marked recently regarding thefts of dogs.
“Can anyone who has had their property marked and become a victim of crime send me a private message of what marking the thieves are using?”
Last week we reported how a concerned pet owner in Balbriggan has issued a warning after finding a suspicious stick placed upright in his garden.
He said on Facebook: "I believe they are marking houses and later come with a van to take them.
"I found this upright in the garden this morning. Check your gardens for similar markings if you have a dog as they may be back to our estate for dogs soon."
Another dog owner said their neighbour claimed they saw a drone appear over their garden with the camera moving around before it sped off.
A Co Mayo resident woke up to suspicious chalk markings on the gate pillars of his house.
In Co Limerick, a resident found her fence being marked with black marker. There were three marks- two big and one small.
Another Limerick local spotted a screw nailed to the fence and said her house had been previously marked with cable ties.
In Waterford a woman came home to find a plain white sticker on her window, a line of rocks outside the front gate, and her wheelie bin marked with white paint.
Luckily her dogs were safe indoors at the time.
