Are boarding kennels safe?

It seems that lately dog thefts have been on the rise, I'm wondering if boarding kennels have ever been targeted & do you guys think that thieves would target them? Justin has stayed at kennels several times during the 10 years I've had him & before it's never occurred to me that he wouldn't be safe, but now I'm starting to feel uneasy; I've got a 10 night holiday to Cyprus booked next April/May.

This is going to vary both with the kennel and with the dog. If Justin is 10 years old, it's unlikely he will be stolen, as thieves target young dogs of certain breeds. For your own peace of mind, you might want to talk with the kennel owners and find out what security they have. That said, where you find problems, you are more likely to find strong security measures. A family run rural kennel that doesn't specialize in dogs with high market or prestige value is likely to be safe with no locks on the door.

Dont mean to scare you but if thieves want to target your dog they have been doing it at home as well as kennels, speak to the kennels are ask what their security is
ATD x

Being an ex kennel owner dog thefts from kennels is rare but it does happen. In the 21 years of kennel ownership we didn't have a single dog theft or cat for that matter.
However when checking out kennels have a quick look at what security there is , ie cameras and alarms. A kennel owner obviously would be reluctant to discuss their security arrangements.
Targeted dogs are usually lurcher and staffie types both for obvious reasons, the ordinary "pet" dog is not what thieves are after anyway.
In the 21 years I suppose we heard of less than 5 thefts out of the large number of boarding kennels where we had ours in the West Midlands.

Kennels by law (boarding establishment act of 1963 ) clearly state that a person must be on the premises/ or close by whilst any animal under the act is being boarded.

Unlike home boarding with unlicenced businesses the person offering their home as an alternative has no such restrictions and may well be away from the house all day.
The other alternative is the pet passport scheme or somewhere that will accept dogs where you are staying.

Now we are on the other side of the fence so to speak dog theft from kennels is so rare you are more likely to be hit by lighting, so theft is the last thing we would even worry about

Remember a kennel full of dogs at night is going to kick up one hell of a noise, enough to scare anyone away.
Your car is more at risk of being stolen than a dog in a boarding kennels

Thanks guys.