Please read, for your Yorkie's safety
 

I know that it's been a very long time since I posted here, but I wanted to check in to tell everyone what happened at my home today, in the hopes that you can take steps to prevent what could be a tragic event.

I got a call from my husband while I was at work today, after he had talked to the police.

Two men tried to enter our home and steal Google, my Yorkie.

From what the police told my husband, as these sorts of thieves walk down the street, they look to see if there are any small dogs perched in the window barking--which they take as a sign that no one's home. Google will perch on that sofa whether we're home or not; he enjoys looking out at the world and likes to bark "hello" to anyone passing by.

My husband was home when Google started barking; since his office is inside of the house, he's always home. Google wouldn't stop barking so he went into the living room to see what the commotion was about. He noticed two men at the street, staring toward our picture window for a while and talking to each other. He stood in the living room and watched the men and it "clicked" that they were watching Google. The men started down the driveway and my husband walked to the den where the door is. When he got to the den, one of the men was already opening the door. When the men saw my husband they turned and ran; he didn't know what the men wanted until the police told him about the recent pet thefts.

Google is microchipped so if dognapped I'd eventually get him back...if the object of the theft is to make money and sell him. However, there are some sick people out there who steal dogs for other reasons, and if that were the case, Google would never be seen or heard from again.

The police told my husband that young men steal small dogs to "train" pit bulls and other dogs used for illegal dog fights; the little dogs rarely survive these attacks. It is a GROWING PROBLEM. I live in Northern NJ, in an upper-middle class neighborhood...the last place I'd expect a break-in for the purpose of stealing a dog.

If your Yorkie baby likes perching on the sofa and looking out a picture window...find a way to prevent it. Move the sofa, if need be. Keep your doors locked EVEN IF YOU ARE HOME.

On Saturday we're getting an alarm system installed as an additional step. Whoever these people were...they know we have a small dog. They might come back. So we're getting alarms.

Find a way to secure your Yorkie baby, because people will not think twice about breaking into the sanctity of your home in order to get him or her. I can't stress this enough. Find a way to make sure your baby cant be seen from the street. It is far better for your dog to lose the ability to watch the world go by, than to become a "training implement" for a pit bull.

Right now Google is lying next to me by the laptop, completely oblivious to what almost happened. Thank God.

Wow how scary! Good thing your husband was home! I would get a security system put in my home just to be safe. I always feel like people might watch me to see where i live and try to take my dogs, so im always looking around but i live in a building and no one has ever been robbed here or anything, i guess its hard to get in.

omg im so glad your husband was home so they werent able to take your baby. thats really scary. im really weary about leaving roman by himself. hes almost always is with someone because my dad works from home and watches him during the day. but when he does get left alone its always at my parents house. im just feel uneasy about leaving him alone in my apartment where people can hear him barking. i think getting an alarm system is a very good idea because there are some sick people out there!

I'm so glad your husband was home and was able to stop the thieves. Was your door unlocked or did they force their way in? That is so scary... I've thought about this possibly happening several times, especially now that I started vet school and am away from home most of the day now. I always open the blinds on the windows behind my couch and I have the blinds pulled halfway in the kitchen so that Lacy and the cats can see out. I'm not as worried about people seeing her on the couch in the daytime because walking up to my house, the screen makes the window so dark looking that I can't every see through it well at all. But someone could see her easily through the kitchen window. And I know she loves to bark at people if they walk by (I live in a townhouse complex so we're in a row of houses - lots of people walking by). I just hate to shut her and the cats in the house all day with no way to see out - I'm sure she's bored enough already without being able to look out the window. But I know there is a possibility of somone seeing her and definitely hearing her (loud bark). It makes me sick that these crimes are becoming so prevalent..It scares me to death thinking about someone taking Lacy away from me and never seeing her again :mad:

Because my husband was home, the door was unlocked--the neighborhood is so quiet and safe, used to be you could actually leave the house unlocked and go out, and not worry (although we never did that). When we're home though, we'd leave the door unlocked.

Not any more.

This happened in the middle of the day. The middle of the day is apparently "prime time" for break-ins, as most people are at work or school.

I'm over in Passaic County, just a few miles from the Willowbrook mall. :)

That is Very Scary.. Just so you know a chip does not mean you would get google back.. A member lhad her Chiped dog stolen overtwo months ago and he is still out there missing.

I am glad that everyone is safe in your home.:)

This is a huge eye opener for me. Thanks for posting this. My boys sit in the window all the time and watch the world go by. I won't even move the furniture around because I know they enjoy it so much. This kind of thing scares me to death!

So glad your baby is safe. Good thing your DH was home. I am alwasy paranoid that something like that could happen. You never know what people are going to do. People have no heart who steal pets from others. They do not understand what they do to those pets and their mommies and daddies.

I'm over in Passaic County, just a few miles from the Willowbrook mall.




I grew up close to there. Actually I was back up there in July visiting family in waldwick (bergen county). very very tiny world lol

Very scary business. Winston is always secured in the kitchen away from windows if we are not home. But has full run of the house if we are...and during the day or night our front door is always locked. But...the back door to our enclosed backyard is usually only locked at night or if we are away. It's really sad that the world has come to this, feeling like a prisoner in your own home...What the heck is wrong with these people anyway???

So glad everything turned out okay, but I understand that you'd still be nervous!

I have thought of that happening, so Coby is always crated before we leave just to make it "less obvious" that he's here. My Shi Tzu has the run of the house, however and barks if anyone comes near the house.

How frightening that a few seconds later they might have been inside the house by the time your hubby got there. I'm so thankful that you're all okay.

Oh that is scary. I am so glad you posted and that your husband was home to call the police.

Oh my God, that is scary. Thank goodness your husband was home. My girls always look out the window and bark. It never crossed my mind someone may want to steal my dogs.

Wow that is really scary! No one and nothing really seems safe these days unless taken absolute procaution when it comes to even little things like a pet looking out the window! its so ridiculous

OMG. thank god your fur babies and husband are ok. it is really scary to think what could have happened if your husband had surprised them after they were in the house.

i know how you feel.. you're one lucky gal that your husband was home!!! (and get that alarm, we just got ours)

last week, monday, my house was broken into.. they took mostly electronic items, helped themselves in the fridge and pantry AND also took my kapono (4months old only) =( this was when NOBODY was home. we were all at work, and all the windows, except the downstairs bathroom, were locked. it happened between the hours of 830am-4pm (they either knew our schedule or since there was no car out front, was lucky). i havent heard anything from the sheriff's nor kapono. im really bitter how sick these people could be!!! and to think where he is just worries me and makes me sick to my stomach about what you mentioned about the pit bulls (i actually started to get teary eyed)...

now, we're all aware - LOCK ALL DOORS/WINDOWS BEFORE LEAVING HOME, EVEN IF ITS HOT, LOCK YOUR DOORS/WINDOWS!!! turn a fan on for him/her to be able to get some air or a possible a/c... you dont want to come into your home and your baby missing just like i did.. it wasn't the best day of my life...

in closing, whoever has my kapono. please bring him home. he missed his vet appt this past weekend and really needs to see a vet. bring him home, no questions asked. a monetary reward will be given!!! 714.292.9489 ericanbrian@gmail.com

That scares me most of all. My son, who works nights, was sleeping upstairs and my teenaged daughter was home in her room watching TV when this all went down. If this had been a home invasion, it would have involved nearly my entire family.

The part that gets me is these two men tried to enter a home that had TWO CARS parked in the driveway. The high possibility that someone was home was not a deterrent to them!

So an alarm system will give me a lot of piece of mind. As I said these two men now know for sure that a dog lives here and they weren't caught...so they may be back. I want to prepare my house in the event that they do, so we're getting the alarm system. I'm also looking to see how much cameras would cost. There's a kind of security camera that I can put at my door that I can log into and view over the internet, so I can check in from work and call the police if I see anyone milling about. I am trying to find it and see what the cost is.

I am so glad both your Yorkie and your husband are ok.
Thanks for posting that info. It's good advice for all of us.
Where ever these thugs can make money the will steal it
with no concience at all. To steal and sell to someone is
bad enough but to sell to a dog ring for bait is beyond
being human.

OMG how scary:eek:!!!! My two sit at the front door and bark, it's mostly glass and nothing I can really do about it:(

That was scary. Mine look out the window, but my Pits are right there beside's them. LOL

Wow how scary

That is scarey!!!!! I used to do a lot of things with my dogs that I never thought twice about. After hearing many stories of these types of dogs being stolen I am sooo much more careful with my boys! I almost lost one once, and that was enough to make me much more aware! YIKES! Im sooo glad your hubby was home at that time! :)

I am so very sorry for your loss--hopefully, since this was part of a larger burglary, the people who took your baby will try to sell Kapono--and then you'll have a chance at your furbaby's return.

I'll pray for you and Kapono.

There seems to be a lot of little Yorkies and other small breed dogs being stolen and it's frightening. I used to enjoy having cars slow down when I'm walking Kalina but now I wonder...are they admiring her? or do they want to steal her? My daughter is with her all day, but your incident makes it seem as if they are very brazen, which I'm sure they are! :( I'm glad it ended well for you, but I'm very sorry for what happened to poor Kapano and hope he is found soon.

How scary!
 

I live in Essex County, NJ and I'm about 5-10 minutes from the Willowbrook Mall. We've had lots of robberies in the area in the last few years. But the thought of someone breaking in to steal my dog never even crossed my mind. It's amazing that these people would try to break in even though it looked like there might be people home.

People have always driven by slowly when I've been outside with my Bichon. I just figured it's because she's so cute! I just got my Yorkie about three weeks ago and she also gets lots of attention when we're in the front yard with her. I didn't even realize that there was a dog theft problem lately.

I'm glad that your family and pups are okay!

Lori

This makes me physically ill...I can not understand how these sick people think...and it scares me to death.
I sure hope the police have some leads on the thieves, and I pray that you find your baby, Kapono safe and sound.
I think...maybe security cameras and alarm systems are becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. Especially for those that have to leave their little ones alone for any reason.
Please if there is anything we can do to help find your baby, let us know.
How old is he? Neutered? Micro-chipped? Are you from California?
OMG...I can not believe this really happens!!!

Please read..
 

Thank you for posting that. My mother works in the police department, so I'm wary of almost any and everything I hear, see, or smell. But it is always very interesting to see people who leave their garage doors open, or front doors (actually open) and think that nothing is going to happen. Even if I am living in the suburbs, I never ever left any of my doors unlocked. Dog theft is now a growing problem, even in california. My mother told me that many officers are finding reports of missing dogs (esp small dogs) more and more frequent. And most of the time they are stealing them for their girlfriends, or trying to resell them, or like the OP said, stealing them to help train other dogs in "dog fighting". Its really said.

The police have said that people will now get in cars in groups of 4 and surround you and then take your dog when you're walking it, so please be aware of your surroundings. Take a different route. Don't walk the dog at the same time. You don't know who is watching you, and who is waiting for you to do your usual routine. It's very sad. I hope this story, and my advice, will help others. It really is happening. And people should become more aware. We can't own the #2 most popular dog in the US without it having some drawbacks.

Lori, my older brother just told me that where he works (a restaurant) he heard some of the men who work in the kitchen talking about a local dogfighting ring--in the context of how disgusting it was and how bad people can be. These kitchen workers heard that the dogfighting ring is somewhere in Paterson--close to both me and you. Take care with your furbabies, and hopefully whoever these people are will be caught soon.