The Rise in Pet Theft

Kathleen,

I'm so sorry to hear about your missing cocker spaniel.  Did you ever find her?  I can only dream of living out of town.  There's not much "land" here in The O.C. but some of the older homes have large, by our standards, yards (10,000 sf +).

Terry - Thanks for the important reminder that permanent ID can bring your dog home.  I spent most of last Wednesday afternoon helping a man whose Wheaten Terrier got out of his yard.  "She never runs away" he said.  The dog didn't have tags and no permanent ID.  Fortunately, this dog was found - in Montana and last I heard her owner was busy making airline reservations to go & get her. 

Microchips are the easiest and most reliable.  Whether you microchip or tatoo (I've done both), you MUST register your contact information with the provider's registry.  And if you move, you must report your new contact information.  Most veterinary clinics have a universal chip reader these days so it's easier for the finders to return your dog to you. 

You're right Terri, it's unfortunate that people are so uncaring. 

I was out this afternoon looking at a rental for a client (one of our Marines currently serving in Iraq) and had one of my dogs with me.  I didn't want to bring her into the home, so tied her to the hosebib outside the front door.   Nice neighborhoon, and you could see the private entry patio from anywhere (except the bathroom) from the 485 sf condo, but I still worried about her being out there alone so I quickly toured the home and made my notes outside on the patio with Madison.  It's hard not to be protective with the thought of so many pet thefts being top of mind. 

Katie, glad to hear you're being proactive about protecting your kids.  It's also a good idea to keep current photos of them handy, just in case.

Debbie, I agree with Terry about invisible fencing.  Not only can your dog get out if s/he really wants to, but any animal without the special collar can come in and do whatever they please.  On the other hand, I don't know if I'd want to completely block off my yard from the world.  I live in a patio home and have wrought iron gates on both ends of my long narrow yard and my dogs (that's Madison and Savannah in the photo in the original post) run back & forth from one gate to the other whenever someone is walking their dogs nearby.  They get great exercise and also get to see the world outside our walls.  The downside is that it usually comes with alot of barking at the people & pets that walk by and my next door neighbor gets upset. 

Roberta, Glad to hear you're being proactive about protecting your and your parents dogs.  No matter how careful we are they can get out in a heartbeat.   I live alone and my dogs have gotten out a few times.  Even though I got them back within minutes, it was so scary when it happened.

Donna, Since my dogs usually bark whenever they're in the yard, I almost always go out with them so I can sush them immediately and keep the peace in my neighborhood.  I try to take one or two of them in the car with me when out running errands if it is cool enough, but mine ride in a crate in the back of my SUV, which keeps them out of site, but is no guarantee they won't be taken anyway.  What a world we live in where we can't take our dogs for a ride without having to watch out they don't get stolen.