Much-loved pets often go missing and in many cases find their way home again through the assistance of Domestic Animal Services, the RSPCA or the grassroots associations in the territory.

In most cases dogs escape their confined locations through persistence in a need to explore, fear during a storm or fireworks, or the search for love when de-sexing has been neglected.

But anecdotal stories where pets have gone missing out of backyards with no evidence of escape are troubling.

Pet owners who do the right thing and microchip their animals are left at a loss when they go missing and never turn up again.

While some of course end up in the great dog park in the sky, the great majority do turn up and are able to be matched with their owners.

The Lost Pet Database, which gets about 20 reports a day of missing pets, says while most people do the right thing and hand found pets in to vets or the pound, some decide to keep the animals.

Canberra Pooch Rescue founder Maree Sheahan believes misguided rehoming is becoming more common in the capital, particularly for dogs that are friendly and well-bred.

Dogs, being adaptable, happily accept the new reality of their situation while their real owner is left looking for them.

The Gabriel family of Dunlop demonstrate just how painful this can be and are devastated their puppy could have been stolen.

Pets are often considered fully fledged members of households and regularly play critical roles in people's lives – from the lonely, to the sick, to the vision impaired or to the kids who are learning for the first time about how to look after a living creature.

The pain expressed by owners when a long term animal companion dies demonstrates just how much they are treasured and play an important role in people's lives.

For someone to deliberately take ownership of someone else's treasured pet is despicable and it's a culture that needs to be stamped out in the territory.