[News] Putting the collar on Yorkie-nappers

[blackwidow]

Thieves covet the cute, portable dogs, but there are ways to thwart them.

By MELODEE HALL BLOBAUM
The Kansas City Star
The Associated Press

Yorkshire terriers are hot. Hollywood celebrities carry them, YouTube videos celebrate them.

And thieves are taking them.

It?s happening from Los Angeles, where cameras recently caught armed gunmen shoveling Yorkies into a plastic garbage bag, to Hutchinson, Kan., where Detective Sgt. Thad Pickard has handled two Yorkie cases since November and knows of a third in which the owner didn?t file a report because the dog died.

?People are worried,? said Carol Huskey, secretary of the Yorkshire Terrier Club of Greater Kansas City. ?It makes people nervous.?

Owners with litters of puppies to sell are thinking twice before advertising the animals and letting would-be buyers come to their homes, she said.

Popularity, portability and price combine to make the dogs targets.

In 2006, Yorkies bounded past German shepherds and golden retrievers to become the second most popular dog in America, behind only Labrador retrievers in the number of American Kennel Club registrations.

Their small size, which makes them as perfect for apartments as for suburban backyards, also simplifies a would-be dognapper?s task.

?You can?t stuff a Labrador retriever under your shirt,? said Kennel Club spokeswoman Daisy Okas.

And the dogs fetch a handsome price.

Though the value of a dog would be less without Kennel Club papers, Okas said someone could still get a couple of hundred dollars for a paperless pup.

Huskey thought that was low: She said area pet stores sell Yorkies for around $1,000, and some go for twice that.

Pickard said the Yorkie he recovered last month in Hutchinson was valued at $1,200.

But, he said, he?s not sure the alleged abductors planned to sell the dog.

?The best I can tell is that they planned to keep it as a pet,? he said.

Pickard was called in when the owner came home and found his Yorkie missing.

Pickard tracked down the dog with the help of an implanted microchip, and hopes to send the case to the district attorney soon.

It was his second Yorkie case in three months.

In November, a Hutchinson woman who went outside to see why her Yorkies were yipping found another woman attempting to coax the diminutive dogs through the gate in her fenced yard.

The woman fled, but left behind a purselike dog carrier with vents, making it clear what she was after, Pickard said.

That case remains open.

His advice to Yorkie owners: ?If you?ve got a high-dollar dog, definitely invest the $30 to $40 to have the chip implanted. I believe the dog was recovered because it had the chip.?

Huskey recommended a leash ? one that fits snugly because Yorkies can back out of a loosely fitted leash.

Martha Lewis of Kansas City, Kan., who heads the Yorkie Rescue Club of America, said a fenced yard with a securely fastened gate is another good idea.

Some of the 12 to 15 Yorkies she rescues annually are lost dogs, often male Yorkies who have gone on amorous adventures and can?t find their way home.

Connie Marcotte, the Hutchinson woman who prevented the Yorkie-napping attempt in her backyard, was furious that someone would attempt to take the pets she describes as her babies.

?I just can?t believe someone would go around taking other people?s pets. If you want a dog, go to the pound.?
Yorkshire terriers

?They?re Kansas City?s fourth-most-popular breed, according to the American Kennel Club.

?Yorkies are a versatile dog, great with owners of all ages, though the Kennel Club doesn?t recommend them for families with very small children who might not know how to interact safely with a pet.

?They?re lively dogs, but their small size ? the breed standard is six to seven pounds ? means they can get enough exercise indoors. No need for miles-long walks that would tire out their little legs.
Protecting Yorkies

?Keep the dog on a leash when you go outdoors, no matter how small it is. No dog fares well in a canine-car collision. But small breeds face some additional dangers ? like kids on skateboards or bikes ? that larger, more visible dogs might avoid.

?Consider implanting a microchip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. To reach Melodee Hall Blobaum, call (816) 234-7733 or send e-mail to mblobaum@ kcstar.com. Source: American Kennel Club

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/16840917.htm

[Travelvixen]

This news story has it ALL!- celebrity, sports, yorkie love, police arrests and a yorkshire fugitive on the run!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ea/6660485.stm

I don't have authorization to post a new thread..so sorry for posting this as a reply to the above news story.

Cordially,

Travelvixen