(MY) doggone!

[Guest guest]

2007/07/30-New Straits Times

 

Doggone! They are after the prized breeds now

Lee Shi-Ian

 

 

Clockwise from top left are Myra, Cierra, Stella and Tasha who were

taken away from their homes at night.

 

 

PETALING JAYA: There are a new breed of burglars who break into

private residences but leave the valuables untouched, the reason ...

they take the dogs.

 

As strange and ludicrous as it might seem, it is true as many pedigree

dog owners will testify after seeing " members " of their family whisked

away in the middle of the night.

 

On July 13, Rafiq Seth Muthana returned to his house in Taman Saujana

Puchong to discover Stella (German Shepherd) and Myra (Siberian Husky)

missing.

 

" After checking with my neighbours, I found out the dogs were last

seen being driven away in a red Honda Jazz by a man, " the 27-year-old

IT analyst said.

 

It is learnt the suspect may have staked out the victim's house for

several days to monitor Rafiq and his wife's schedule before finally

making his move.

 

Varghese Martin Paul, a project manager, said his two daughters were

heart-broken when Cierra, the family's Siberian Husky, was stolen back

in April.

 

" The same suspect came back the following night and attempted to break

into my house to get the second dog, a cocker spaniel but fled when I

spotted him, " Varghese added.

 

Coincidentally, Varghese is also residing in Puchong.

 

He lodged a police report over the incident as the suspect fled in a

Kia Spectra.

 

In February, an 8-year-old boy cried bitterly after Tasha, an American

Cocker Spaniel he received for his birthday, was stolen in the middle

of the night.

 

His mother, Wang Pin Yong, 40, said she heard a dog squealing in

fright before the sound was drowned out by the roar of a motorcycle.

 

The incident happened at the family's house in Taman Kaya Baru,

Cheras, and she believes the thief had been surveying the area before

making his move.

 

Selangor police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar

confirmed that dog-napping cases had been reported in the state.

 

" We have had reports of pure and mixed breed dogs being stolen

although the number is not a cause for alarm, " he said.

 

A dog breeder, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the pure

breed dogs stolen are often sold to " backyard " breeders who are out to

make a quick buck.

 

" Backyard " breeders are literally unscrupulous people who will send

out word that they require a dog of a certain breed and gender.

 

Once the breeder acquires the dog, it is mated and several months

later, the litter of puppies can fetch the breeder up to RM100,000 in

revenue.

 

" There is a rising demand for pure breed dogs especially Siberian

Huskies and German Shepherds with prices ranging from RM1,500 to

RM10,000 for a puppy, " the source revealed.

 

C.T Leong, a pedigree dog breeder based in the Klang Valley, estimates

the canine market to be worth about RM400 million annually nationwide.

 

" Having been in this business for about 20 years, many Malaysians are

attracted to pure breed dogs especially during the dog shows and

competitions, " he said.

 

It is learnt that in Puchong, up to 15 dogs had been reported missing

in a two-week span this month.

 

A less pleasant prospect for dog owners is that illegal immigrants

steal the dogs to have it later as the main course for dinner.