Dognapping After Hours

[Tom]

I keep on seeing posts popping up online about people and gangs stealing people's pet dogs. This appears to be a worldwide crime as it hit the headlines yesterday when a poor guy employed as a dog handler was shot four times when he was walking Lady Gaga's French bulldogs just to steal them. Shocking. I couldn't believe each dog was worth ten thousand pounds, although now worth significantly more as Lady Gaga has offered five hundred thousand for their return.

While I think it is despicable people are stealing other people's pets, obviously if a lot of money is involved it will happen. It's the stealing of your average dog that isn't worth a lot of money (although invaluable to the people that own them) that baffles me. Why are they doing it?

 

[David76]

People will steal for breeding, dog fighting, or just for the sake of stealing in the hope of getting the reward.

 

[Sad Professor]

It's been rife over here for the last year.

During Covid, every second family with young kids is getting or looking for a dog. Huge demand for certain breeds.

Some like the Lab or Golden Retriever are on waiting lists and go for a minimum of £2-3k.

Warnings went out early last spring of garden gates being marked or chalked on the footpath in front of houses with sought after dogs.

Generally it was younger dogs, for breeding or sale.

Absolutely despicable b*st*rds, in my view, on so many levels

 

[hannah]

I have a huge problem with people buying breeds of dogs, it sets up unhealthy health probs for some dogs and people want to steal them, why do you need a expensive pure bred animal, it is not a fashion accessory, why do you want a breed of dog that needs surgery to breathe properly or have too short legs to walk properly

I would be very happy if breeding and puppy farms stopped and only rescue dogs are available

 

[Son Of Jack]

Breeders are now charging 3.5k for a dog that would be described as a mongrel when I was younger. Dogs are being stolen mainly because of the money involved but to steal a living creature from a family is very, very low.

 

[Deleted member 63]

I have a huge problem with people buying breeds of dogs, it sets up unhealthy health probs for some dogs and people want to steal them, why do you need a expensive pure bred animal, it is not a fashion accessory, why do you want a breed of dog that needs surgery to breathe properly or have too short legs to walk properly

I would be very happy if breeding and puppy farms stopped and only rescue dogs are available

Ditto cats. There's plenty of adoptable cats out there and cats are pretty dang good at breeding on their own. No need to breed them. And I am not fussy about breeds; just a friendly indoor cat for companionship.

As far as the Gaga case, shooting someone to steal dogs strikes me as being some level of sociopath (or psychopath? I'm not good at keeping the two straight). The monetary value of the dogs in no way exceeds the moral value of a human life.

(And I was very pleased that when my son and his former roommate got a cat, they adopted. My son is now living with his partner so the roommate has the cat.)

 

[Gemma]

Hearing about this sort of thing happening now more than we used to. I know people who have had dogs stolen and others who have had their premises marked with chalk or spray.

On the Lady Gaga saga, I noticed she's now recovered them after they were "found" by a woman. Doesn't sound right offering up 500k and no questions asked when someone was shot and almost murdered. Hope the police deal with it properly

 

[Fraser]

Dogs have been highly sought after during lockdown which has seen prices rocket. High demand and high value creates a black market for scum to exploit and that is what we are seeing now with the increase in stealing. Before it may have been for dog fighting purposes but now thieves are looking at puppy farms and profits.

 

[Crabtree]

Just reading the local paper, two dogs stolen last week from the next village to me. One was pregnant with pups and stolen from the owner's garden, the other one was 7 months old.

 

[Donna]

A few houses in my neighbourhood have been "marked" in the past week. A young male was seen spraying white paint on the pavement - a circle with an arrow. The marked properties all have dogs so it isn't just a coincidence.

Shocking that people are now in fear of taking their pets out in case they get stolen.