BY JOSEPH CUNNINGHAM, STAR Writer
FOR THE LAST three months increased reports of 'dog-napping' - stealing dogs - have reached alarming levels says Dr. Paul Turner, senior veterinarian at the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA).
Dr.Turner explained that the profile of 'toy-dogs' has created a renewed craze about 'man's best friend'. Consequently, Dr. Turner stated that stealing dogs has become a profitable undertaking.
EXPERIENCED HANDLERS
He said: "Dog thieves are usually experienced in dog-handling. They study their target and apply a particular method of 'napping' based on the dog's character.
The veterinarian explained that certain food and colourful toys are items thieves use to lure playful dogs.
Furthermore they use ropes and sedatives (forms of drugs) to capture more aggressive ones.
The doctor has urged dog owners to become more security conscious, as inexperienced dog thieves can be very dangerous. "Dog stealing has become so lucrative that some thieves use guns," he said referring to a report in Thursday's STAR.
POODLE STOLEN
THE STAR reported four gunmen swooped down on a woman while she walked with her white Shih-Tzu poodle along Swallowfield Drive in Havendale, St. Andrew last Saturday night. The four men who were travelling in a green Suzuki Vitara, and were all armed with guns, accosted and relieved the woman of her dog.
Corporal Jean McDonald of the Constabulary Communication Network issued a warning that dogs should all have identification marks. "If a dog is stolen, it can be rescued if the owner has a picture of the animal, or some discrete type of recognition," she said, adding that placing a leash around the dog's neck, and monitoring the animal when 'unleashed', will go a far way in frustrating thieves.
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