Dognapping is up by 70% says the AKC

There seems to be a growing number of people who think they have a right to other people’s stuff.

And that includes their dogs.

Dogs are being stolen from cars, yards, stores, tied out on sidewalks and even from shelters. Small dogs have become a favorite for burglars to steal during home robberies. Dogs have also been stolen from people out walking their dogs in deserted areas.

Although we read stories about stolen dogs being found, the sad fact is that most stolen dogs are not returned to the owners. Many of the dogs are sold on the street or on Craigslist by people who think of dogs as drug money.

To these people even the growing number of surveillance cameras is not a deterrent.

It takes such a short time to snatch a dog. With so many dogs being stolen recently, we should probably think of them as babies and toddlers who should not be untended in yards, cars or tied in front of a store.

The first recommendation is to have the dog microchipped, but that isn’t an entire answer even for dogs that have strayed or gotten lost.

Technology is only as good as the information people provide.

A recent study of shelters across the country found that 35 percent of microchipped animals that came into shelters had incorrect or disconnected phone numbers. Another 24 percent of the animals were registered to a former owner.

In other words more than half of the microchipped animals had no accurate information on the ownership linked to their microchip.

The main job of a shelter is to unite lost pets with their owners. Shelter workers know that an animal with a microchip has been a beloved family member.

Approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. With a heavy work load it is difficult for workers to make repeated phone calls and search the internet. Every effort is made by responsible shelters before the pet is offered for adoption, but often workers hit a blank wall.

Updating the information with the microchip company when you move is as important as leaving a forwarding address and getting a new driver's license.

Comments

[Jerry]

Thanks for the reminder. We often let our dogs into the front yard where anyone could reach over the short fence annd take one if we weren't watching.

[yellowdoggranny]

I'm afraid to ask what they do with them

[Sherry in MT]

I would be interested to know if anyone also has asked how many shelters ALWAYS scan pets brought in be they stray or not. Ours doesn't and gave some stupid excuse that only one person there is "qualified" to do it! WHAT??

[geogia little pea]

Sold for drug money! Never heard of that before :(

[Jan]

Sherry, That is inexcusable. Scanning for a microchip is NOT rocket science.

I know that our shelter has to spend a lot of time with disconnected numbers or people who have sold or given away a pet and have no information on the new owners. So sad.

[Jan]

GLP,

Yes, that was really new to me too. [drips sarcasm]

[Jodi]

You're so right! This scares the sh*t out of me.

[rhea]

This is a horrifying state of affairs. I always tell people never to leave their dog tied up to a street sign or parking meter, which people in my neighborhood do all the time! It's creating an opportunity for a vile person to steal your beloved pet!

[Kristine]

I'm always worried about this, though I don't know if anyone would bother to steal my wingnut. Purebred puppies I would think are quite valuable to thieves. There was a recent case in Nova Scotia where a house was broken into and the very young puppy was taken. Fortunately the public outcry caused the thief to return the dog by dropping him off at a police station. I don't know if they ever actually caught the individual but at that point the owners were just thrilled to have their dog back. Not every story ends so well.

[Jen @MyBrownNewfies]

It's so important to update those microchip registrations! I get a quarterly reminder emailed to me to check and make sure all of our information is up to date!

[Karen Friesecke]

A 70% increase in dognapping? I'll buy that for a dollar...

[Dennis the Vizsla]

hello jan its dennis the vizsla dog hay i pitty the fool wot tries to kidnap me or tucker frum mama that persun wood be fown in peeses spred akross most of suthern kalifornya!!! i suspekt they wood hav better luk if they tried to kidnap dada insted!!! ha ha ok bye