Dog Theft

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Yet again on FB I saw something about dog thefts, and in particular the "marking" of properties. What I found funny about the post was that a lot of the "markings" that were on the post are used by council and vicroads to mark repairs that are required to roads/footpaths/concrete manhole covers/etc. Some were unique, but others well I think it's questionable as to whether they are done by dog-nappers or if they are just people marking out where work is going to be completed.

I think there is a lot of hype around dog thefts and a lot of paranoia.

I think dog thefts happen, but I think there is a lot more hype than actual frquency of dog thefts. To be honest I'm not really interested in why dogs are stolen - there is no doubt a range of reasons and none of them are good. But I am interested to see what the frequency actually looks like! I know we are a closed community in asking this question, but maybe it will give a bit of a snapshot. Maybe I'm wrong maybe it is really frequent and I'm being naive (sp??) about it.

Anyway interested in poll responses and any thoughts on this.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Pretty Miss Emma

[LisaCC]

A friends dog was stolen from their fenced and locked backyard. The police got involved when they were anonymously tipped off to where it was, and the police were able to get their bitch back for them.

The police believe the dog was stolen for breeding purposes from other animals and evidence found where the dog was found.

[Staffyluv]

My sister had one of her Staffords stolen many years ago. She lives in a very small town on the far north coast of NSW and everyone knows everyone else.

Her dog, Ellie used to walk down the road to the little bakery and they would give her a treat and then she would walk back home again.

The young lass working in the bakery, felt sorry for Ellie being home alone all day and when she was dismissed from the bakery, she took Ellie home with her.

It took 3 years, but my sister got Ellie back. Sadly by then, Ellie was very old and blind. Sister also had a new SBT, who was now about 18 months old.

When she came back home, she was really freaked out, so my sister did the best thing for Ellie and sent her back to the people who stole her. Ellie was happy there, knew her way around, was very spoilt and well looked after. Sister had visiting rights up until Ellie passed away.

I personally had a guy try and take Ziggy off me at the local leash free park. He claimed Zig was his dog, wash pushing me and pulling Zig's lead. When others got involved and told him he was wrong, he didn't believe them (lucky they all knew us). People called the police because the man started threatening me.

When he drove off (before the police came), I put Zig in the car and took off in the other direction that he went and then went home.

I went straight to the police and made a complaint (I had video footage of him and the incident and photos of his car rego etc that were all given to the police).

When I went back to the park a few days later, the people I know said that he came back with three big guys looking for us, not long after we left that day.

Police eventually convinced him that his missing dog was not my dog by comparing photographs of Zig and his dog (which look NOTHING alike - Zig is a brindle staffy cross with 4 white paws and a white chest blaze and his dog was a black staffy cross with only one white toe.. How he mixed up the two dogs is totally beyond me!)

It was pretty awful while it was going on and I am glad it is over and he no longer things my dog is his.

[Salukifan]

Yet again on FB I saw something about dog thefts, and in particular the "marking" of properties. What I found funny about the post was that a lot of the "markings" that were on the post are used by council and vicroads to mark repairs that are required to roads/footpaths/concrete manhole covers/etc. Some were unique, but others well I think it's questionable as to whether they are done by dog-nappers or if they are just people marking out where work is going to be completed.

I think there is a lot of hype around dog thefts and a lot of paranoia.

I think dog thefts happen, but I think there is a lot more hype than actual frquency of dog thefts. To be honest I'm not really interested in why dogs are stolen - there is no doubt a range of reasons and none of them are good. But I am interested to see what the frequency actually looks like! I know we are a closed community in asking this question, but maybe it will give a bit of a snapshot. Maybe I'm wrong maybe it is really frequent and I'm being naive (sp??) about it.

Anyway interested in poll responses and any thoughts on this.

I'm always intrigued by this. Don't dog nappers use FB or the internet??

There was a spate of "suspicious vehicle in area" posts in Canberra not long before I left. Dogs WERE being stolen apparently.

I asked the ACT Police. If dogs were being stolen, no one was reporting them.

I honestly think some people get their jollies scaring the bejesus out of dog owners. Yes, it happens. But so do gates left or blown open and dogs that would rival Houdini for escaping.

[Guest donatella]

I know quite a few people who have had their dogs stolen I think it's becoming more common

[J...]

There was talk of dog fighting rings and dog thefts happening not too far from here. A local FB group was set up to report suspicious activity, the FB admin allowed people to post anonymously by messaging them. There were some legitimate door to door people in the area who were of indian descent, and of course the local rednecks had a field day Police repeatedly asked for solid information on supposed thefts, even number plates of supposed vehicles belonging to those "casing backyards" but nothing ever eventuated. There was some other supposed incidents of vet clinic break ins etc which were never confirmed either.

Once the incredibly active FB page was shut down it all stopped. Most of the dogs reported as "stolen" showed up again some time later.

[Better Late]

There was a post on Facebook recently about potential dog thefts occurring in Bendigo, or at least the suspicion of marking specific properties with yellow paint on wheelie bins. There have also been reports of a suspicious man hanging around the dog park and approaching various owners, enquiring about whether the dog was for sale and following them a way when he was rebuffed. Not frequenting the dog park myself I cant say how true this is, but in a year and a bit of living here its the only time I've heard of it. It's sort of made me wonder though, Bendigo has SUCH a high prevalence of wandering/stray/lost dogs that I wonder if they even need to 'mark' properties at all, and they're just taking advantage of an opportunistic situation, if indeed its happening here

Edited June 11, 2015 by Better Late

[pheenyx]

November last year I put both dogs in their crates went to the shop was gone 25 minutes. Some low lives broke in stole 1 of the dogs and electrical items... Thank fully with the support of Facebook my boy was found and returned later the next day few cuts and bruises.

I now have such a fear of going out I always have someone at home or the dogs come with me

[YippeeGirl]

I often wonder how many people prefer to say their dog was stolen, than admit that perhaps their dog simply escaped their backyard.

At the start of the year, I had the neighbour come over to ask if one of my dogs was out.

Turns out I hadn't shut the side gate properly. When I went inside, one of the dogs went out the gate, and the gate shut behind him, leaving the other dog in the yard. He knows he is not allowed down the side of the house so I'm sure he panicked for a little while, then wandered off out the front of our house.

I'm sure if he had gotten lost, some owners might have suspected foul play.

I live in a fairly low crime area. I haven't really heard about any dog thefts, and most dog owners seem to leave their dogs out in both their front and back yards during the day.

[Guest donatella]

My friend came home to her boxers murdered (one at home stab wounds) and one found nearby barely alive and didn't make it.

Bad shit happens too often as far as I'm concerned

[Steph M]

I have no doubt it does happen, but I don't know how convinced I am that it happens on the frequency Facebook says it does, to be honest.

Most of the properties people say have been marked or cased are pretty legit council markers, general graffiti, bird crap on mailboxes (yes I have seen this reported as a marker) or people going door to door to do their jobs, most people who come door to door near us comment on the dogs, usually the big black goon trying to push through my legs to greet them is worthy of noting... I have never taken it as someone casing my house for dogs, but have seen people report similar as "proof" and take photos to post online of the supposed dognapper.

The scariest part is the threats of violence though, people post photos of some poor doorknocker WITH AN ID TAG and everyone jumps on threatening to bash/maim/kill the guy, or post number plates of a car that stopped outside their house (god forbid you pull over to make a phone call or look at a map) there is this scary mob mentality that I find more scary than someone stealing my dogs, cause lets be honest, my dogs are jerks and someone would bring them back

(I kid, mostly)

[denali]

My friend came home to her boxers murdered (one at home stab wounds) and one found nearby barely alive and didn't make it.

Bad shit happens too often as far as I'm concerned

that is horrible.

My dogs are left outside when i am not home. Which isnt really that often. But this makes me want to lock them indoors.

[Guest donatella]

My 2 friends who have had dog issues have been North Brisbane, the stolen puppy (reunited) was morayfield and the murdered Boxers was Naranba which I believe a neighbouring suburbs. I think there was a lot of dodgy dog activity that way

[Podengo]

I have no doubt it does happen, but I don't know how convinced I am that it happens on the frequency Facebook says it does, to be honest.

Most of the properties people say have been marked or cased are pretty legit council markers, general graffiti, bird crap on mailboxes (yes I have seen this reported as a marker) or people going door to door to do their jobs, most people who come door to door near us comment on the dogs, usually the big black goon trying to push through my legs to greet them is worthy of noting... I have never taken it as someone casing my house for dogs, but have seen people report similar as "proof" and take photos to post online of the supposed dognapper.

The scariest part is the threats of violence though, people post photos of some poor doorknocker WITH AN ID TAG and everyone jumps on threatening to bash/maim/kill the guy, or post number plates of a car that stopped outside their house (god forbid you pull over to make a phone call or look at a map) there is this scary mob mentality that I find more scary than someone stealing my dogs, cause lets be honest, my dogs are jerks and someone would bring them back

(I kid, mostly)

The people posting photos of "markers" drives me up the wall. It got so out of control here for awhile, people threatening to kill people they caught putting these markers up, and people removing the markers. One that I saw being shared in particular (by something like 1500 people) was a surveyor's marker, and quite a few surveyors went on the group and pointed that out. Everyone was already worked up by then and were saying the surveyor's should put notes in letterboxes to say that they're putting markers up so no one gets scared. Because surveyor's don't have better things to do than alert the neighbourhood. No wonder our roads are taking so long to be repaired after the earthquakes :laugh:

The lost/stolen dog groups on facebook insist there is an underground dog fighting ring around here now and that loads of dogs are being stolen every day... But you know, when I look at the biggest online place to list lost/stolen dogs here there are 10 dogs listed as missing in my city, 9 of which ran away on walks or escaped gardens. One was stolen (a bulldog). The facebook group posted awhile back that a whole heap of dog carcasses were found dumped at a river, turns out they were rabbit carcasses (wild ones that had been shot). Oh and there was a dog 'stabbing' here too, a dog was stabbed while in his garden and the owner was out. Everyone went crazy about it, offering to hunt down and murder whoever did it, huge rewards were offered for info, and people donated money to the dogs vet care of course. A week later the owner admitted the dog had actually been in a fight with their other dog in their garden..... oops. I hope everyone got their money back.

I'm sure dogs are stolen, and I don't leave mine outside the supermarket or loose in the garden (because truth be told, I would want to steal Ping if I saw him outside a supermarket!) but I don't think there is an epidemic here like some people are alluding to.

[Steph M]

I'm sure dogs are stolen, and I don't leave mine outside the supermarket or loose in the garden (because truth be told, I would want to steal Ping if I saw him outside a supermarket!) but I don't think there is an epidemic here like some people are alluding to.

So so much yes to the whole post, but mainly this bit.

I do wonder as someone else mentioned how many people say their dog has been stolen rather than lost?

Of course it happens, but creating panic with no proof of this epidemic is more scary than what actually happens.

I think the whole thing is creating this hysterical mob who want to lynch anyone who looks at their dog or says hi through the gate.

I also wonder if people are crying wolf about stolen dogs being sold for thousands of dollars every day that they could be planting ideas with the seedier section of society?

[Steph M]

PS I would want to steal Ping too. Hahaha.

[Dame Aussie]

Having worked at a pound soooo many people come in adamant their dog has been stolen, only to have it picked up by the ranger an hour later as it just escaped.

I don't doubt that horrible stuff goes on but I do think Facebook etc can work people up into a frenzy.

[Guest donatella]

And this story a few months back about some bitch who untied a guys dog who was at a Bondi pub broad daylight https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/27663293/facebook-plea-finds-pooch-pinched-from-the-pub-in-four-hours/

[Steph M]

And this story a few months back about some bitch who untied a guys dog who was at a Bondi pub broad daylight https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/27663293/facebook-plea-finds-pooch-pinched-from-the-pub-in-four-hours/

I think you'd be mad to leave a dog outside a pub for so many reasons, not the least of which is possible theft, but the saddest bit of the article is this;

The security vision will be used as evidence against the Bondi woman who is expected to be charged with stealing a dog, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.

That is a piddly sentence!

[Flippy Dog]

I always wonder if a dog has simply managed to get out as it is too easy for people to think their yard is secure and become complacent with checking, or for somebody to think they have latched a gate properly when they haven't.

Having said that though, I know a person whose dog was actually stolen by their tenant (dual occupancy block) a few days after she had 'done a runner' which she then sold to somebody she knew in another town. Thankfully social media tracked down the dog and the person who had purchased the dog contacted the real owner and returned the dog without asking about the reward or a refund as they were going to ensure their friend the thief repaid the money to the innocent buyer who didn't think to check the microchip etc. still too many people who don't bother about things like that sadly. At least in this case theft was proven and dog returned safely.

Hmmm, also knew a person who told me that before I knew them they got sick of seeing the same stray dog on the street and started caring for it on and off and then decided to keep it and had it desexed too. No, I don't think much of a person who does that even though the dog is safe and spoiled rotten. I had a dog go missing twenty years ago and I still cry for her and want to know what happened to her so taking in a possible stray is also not really okay.