(MY) dog-nappers

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Saturday March 10, 2007-The Star

 

Difficult to nab dog-nappers

 

By CHRISTINA CHIN

 

DOG-NAPPERS are getting creative these days, giving their victims

'total makeovers' to prevent owners from recognising their lost pets.

 

Back home at last: Liew's one-year-old Shih Tzu with its hair all grown back.

College student Lynda Liew, 18, whose Shih Tzu went missing recently

from her Pulau Tikus home, said her pet was later returned to her with

its long, shaggy hair shorn off.

 

" When I went to pet shops to look for my dog, the operators told me it

would be difficult for me to recognise it because dog-nappers often

give the animals hair cuts and dye jobs before selling them off, " she

said.

 

Liew, who also distributed posters offering a reward for her pet's

safe return, said she received a call the next day from a woman asking

how much she was willing to pay.

 

" When I mentioned RM300, the woman said it wasn't sufficient as her

daughter had gotten attached to the dog, " she related.

 

" We met at a public place the following day. She brought along my dog

but its long, shaggy hair had been cut short. The woman refused to

return it unless I paid RM500.

 

" I told her I could only pay RM300 and if she insisted on more, I

would refer the matter to the police. In the end, she relented. "

 

Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) administrator Lily

Leng said in the last two months alone, the centre received 23 missing

pet reports.

 

" Most of the dogs reported stolen or missing are small dogs like

Chihuahuas, Toy Poodles, Pomeranians, Miniature Pinschers and

Yorkshire Terriers, " she said.

 

" These 'toy breeds' are popular among dog-nappers because they are

easier to sell. Many dog lovers live in apartments and condominium, so

they don't have space for big and medium sized dogs.

 

" Just a few days ago, I received an e-mail from a dog owner whose car

was hijacked at the highway near Bidor along with her Poodle-Shih Tzu

and Shih Tzu, " she said, adding that chances of finding these pets

were very slim.

 

When contacted, state CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Abdul Samah Mat

said those who suspect that their pets had been kidnapped should make

a police report, adding that dog-napping was classified as theft under

Section 379 of the Penal Code.