Vorhaus’ initial $8,000 reward for Chloe has grown to $20,000. That leaves pet owners with few options beyond hiring detectives, offering huge rewards and hoping for the best. “You will have more luck if somebody stole a stereo out of your car than if they stole your dog out of your backyard.” “The risk for criminals to go up and steal somebody’s dog off their property is so low that it’s just profitable,” TarQwyn says. It’s even less strict in Michigan, which punishes dognappers with fines as low as $50 and no more than a year in jail on the off chance they’re caught, charged and convicted. In Connecticut, somebody who steals a pet, or even kills one, wouldn’t face more than a $1,000 fine or more than six months in prison.
It varies by state, but if the perpetrator has no prior criminal history, the penalty is typically a small fine and often little to no jail time. Pet thefts are mostly considered misdemeanors, and the punishment is similar to the consequences of stealing someone’s couch. For dog thieves, little to loseīecause pets are lawfully viewed as personal property nationwide, those who steal them have relatively little to lose. Recently, he says, there’s been a “serious increase in animal thefts,” as criminals realize there will likely be minimal action by law enforcement. Brazeman entered the pet detective world a year and a half ago when thieves broke into a local veterinary hospital in Atlanta and stole two prized French bulldogs. “It’s gotten out of control,” says Brazeman, a traditional private detective, who works missing-animal cases for free. The American Kennel Club and say their evidence of an increase has been anecdotal, but pet detectives, both amateur and professional, say there’s been an obvious rise in the last year. It’s more difficult to track pet-theft patterns in the U.S., where no major advocacy group or law-enforcement agency collects new data. So far in 2021, at least 106 dogs have been reported stolen, compared with 55 from the same period last year, says Karen Harding, the group’s police liaison. In the U.K., dog thefts have increased 170% from 2019 to 2020, according to DogLost, which works to reunite lost dogs with their owners. “Criminals are definitely getting a lot bolder now,” TarQwyn says. On March 3, the nonprofit issued an “ emergency alert,” cautioning of a rise in pet thefts by “brazen” thieves. The attack prompted warnings from prominent animal groups, including the American Kennel Club, of potential dognapping crimes. 24 in Los Angeles by gunmen who made off with her two French bulldogs. Vorhaus, left bleeding and screaming at the top of her lungs, believes the assailants may have been targeting Chloe, her 6-month-old French bulldog, because they didn’t touch her 8-year-old Shiba Inu.įrench bulldogs can cost up to $10,000 and are a favorite among celebrities, including Lady Gaga, whose dog walker was shot and seriously wounded Feb. One of them, who was holding a gun, punched her in the face multiple times, police said. 5, Sarah Vorhaus, 30, was walking her two dogs in San Francisco around 6 p.m. “People will see a French bulldog in someone’s window and just break into the house,” says Craig Brazeman, who owns a private investigation firm in Atlanta. Not only are pets yanked from yards, cars and stores, but those in high demand are targeted in home invasions and armed robberies on the street. "Criminals are definitely getting a lot bolder now." Calls to her small agency by people needing help finding French bulldogs, an expensive and highly coveted breed, have increased about 60% to 70% in the last 18 months, averaging about three to five requests a week. “It’s gotten progressively worse,” says Karin TarQwyn, a private investigator in Nebraska who specializes in missing pets. More pets, particularly small and easy-to-grab breeds and puppies, are being stolen and resold by thieves eager to prey on petless people’s desires for animal companionship. It’s the reality many animal lovers are facing as a surge in pandemic pet adoptions offers opportunities for criminals to seize on nationwide demands and shelter shortages. Puzzlement turned to panic when an elderly neighbor waved him down and uttered five words: “Someone just snatched your dog.” dog with the cream-colored face, his yard was empty. 22, when Rodriguez stepped out of his house to walk the 25-lb.
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