Pet thefts rise as economy hits dog-gone low

[MSNBC]

Pet thefts rise as economy hits dog-gone low

Some dognappers are stealing pets for quick profit



By Kim Campbell Thornton
MSNBC contributor
updated 9:19 a.m. ET, Mon., July. 28, 2008

Kit Lofgren let her two dogs out in her front yard — on a small cul de sac of only nine homes in her somewhat rural neighborhood in Los Gatos, Calif. — and took her attention away from them briefly. When she turned back, the Labrador was still there, but Heikki, a 4-month-old Bernese mountain dog, had vanished.

Within minutes, Lofgren had neighbors combing the area, but the 11-pound puppy was nowhere to be found.

It was then that she and her neighbors remembered seeing the same man sitting in a truck on subsequent days.

It might not be up there with burglary or other types of property theft, but dognapping is on the rise, says American Kennel Club spokesperson Lisa Peterson, who tracks dog news around the country.

Police reports don't make a distinction between pet theft and other property theft, so there's no way to pinpoint the exact number of stolen pets each year, but anecdotally, officers say that pet theft is increasing this year.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25852354/