wow! i had no idea that dog-theft was that common, even in particular regions.
what a worry - my dogs were not taken by a stranger, my then-fiancee turned them over to his mother, who lived out of the area. i was advised a few months later, by the local police, NOT to attempt to get them back - ownership being virtually impossible to prove. this was before chips were invented, or were easily available.

the dogs were my then-3-YO Dox x Bassett, my first therapy-pet dog, and my black Shepherd, Shady (call name Nightshade, registered Dancing Crow).

umm - this may be distasteful -
WARNING to the tender-hearted, but dog-thieves are not nice ppl, generally.
i would not tattoo an ear - i would tattoo a belly, as the ear can be -removed-,
the belly cannot. (ouch, eh?)

my next-pup (my Akita) was chipped IMMEDIATELY, and her registration went in the same day - i also got her insurance-info into her file, so that if for any reason we were separated, and she needed treatment, they could start immediately.
that was a worry off my mind.
:--)

dogs here are often kept in yards, which i hate - the climate is awful, the parasites and biting insects are year-round, and nasty ppl take advantage of the dog being vulnerable. we have had dogs locally shot, stabbed, kicked, stoned, poisoned, etc -
a series of 3 pitties were found wandering half-skinned over a month or so, one spring.
THAT was truly appalling! (and there was never an arrest. :---(

but i always warn clients that the safest place for the dog if U are not home, is INSIDE the house! if the dog is not well-housetrained, use a crate, puppy-proof a room, do sumthin --- don't leave the poor creature at the mercy of heat, cold, fly-strike, mosquitoes, or some &%#@! with a baseball-bat or a rock.
best regards,
--- terry

terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, IPDTA, TDF