Dog Snatchers are back

A lot of dogs have gone missing lately – are the dog thieves back and up to their nasty tricks?   Most of the dogs who have disappeared are valuable as well as being much loved pets.   The breeds that are commonly targeted are not usually show or pet dogs – the ones taken are working dogs such as collies, labradors, pointers, spaniels, border terriers, lurchers and Jack Russells.   These all sell for hundreds of pounds, cash in hand, in pubs,markets and at sporting events.    After all, you would expect to pay £600 plus for a pedigree springer so £150 in the car park of a pub would be a bargain.   The thieves want young and healthy dogs so the old stagers are safe.    It would be rare for a Staffi or a German Shepherd or Rottweiler to go – there is only a market for these dogs when they are puppies.  The thieves will take a stolen dog many hundreds of miles away to sell him, sometimes passing him on to associates.   A dog stolen in Chesterfield might be sold in the South of England (this happened a few years ago.  The dog had actually changed hands twice before it was found).      It’s a lucrative business, steal five a week and the dog-snatchers can pocket £1,000!   Ah, but my dog is micro-chipped ….. this might not make the difference you think.   The people who snatch dogs won’t check for a chip, nor will the new owner be bothered.    The micro chip does, of course, help you to identify your dog and get him back if he is found.   We’ve had several reports of Jack Russells, Border Terriers and Collies going missing.   A tan coloured farm dog with a ridge down his back disappeared on 6th May and hasn’t been seen since.  The owners have reported him missing everywhere they could think of but with no response.    This dog can’t have vanished into thin air, he must be somewhere.   If you see or hear anything of him please let us know straight away, the owners are desperately worried.   Lock the gates, keep your dog in sight, remember that thieves usually send young people to get the dogs, they are used to handling dogs, a titbit, a slip lead on, round the corner into a waiting van and they’re away.   If this has happened, offering a big reward is the only hope of ever seeing your dog again.