Thought I’d Pass this On “Police Report Disturbing Increase In Dog Thefts”
FORT WORTH, Texas — Police across North Texas are reporting a disturbing increase in reports of stolen dogs.
Experts said dogs are often stolen either for resale or for use as bait dogs to help train larger dogs to fight. An in-depth review of the stolen dogs in the Metroplex shows that purebred dogs stand the greatest chance of being taken, but that dogs of all types have been reported missing.
Dog thieves will troll neighborhoods in search of rare breeds that can be sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars, NBC 5 reported.
“Me and a neighbor saw a four-door car park in front of my house,” said dog owner Josh Hamiter. Hamiter’s rare catahoula leopard, Buddy, disappeared after being left for only a few minutes in the back yard.
“I went out about 10 minutes later, cause it was getting cold that night — he was gone,” said Hamiter.
Hamiter said his dog Buddy could not have left on his own because he is blind and in need of constant care. Hamiter fears thieves may have just abandoned Buddy after realizing no one would buy the dog that he would spend thousands of dollars to have back.
“Every time I go outside I swear I can hear him barking in the distance,” said Hamiter.
Jonnie England of Operation Kindness pointed out that aside from their resale value, some dogs are being used for a much more disturbing purpose.
“If one of those disappears from your back yard and your yard is secure there is a good chance that that dog has been stolen and is going to be used as a fighting dog,” said England.
England said large, unneutered, male pit bulls are stolen more than any other breed and that smaller dogs can be stolen to be used as bait dogs to help train large pit bulls to fight.
England added that she has had a problem getting law enforcement agencies to follow up on a report of a stolen dog since theoretically a dog could leave on its own.
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