[News] Guard Your Yorkies Against Dognapping

[blackwidow]

Yorkshire Terriers have become very popular items for thieves due to their value

The Yorkshire terrier trend has not only caught on with celebrities like Tara Reid, Britney Spears and Carmen Electra. It seems that the public's infatuation with these little dogs has created a demand that thieves can no longer ignore. Thieves and robbers across the country are passing on the usual loot of electronics, jewelry and other valuables, and snatching yappy Yorkies instead.

Due to the skyrocketing popularity of these miniature dogs, people are ready to pay anywhere between $600 and $2500 for a well-bred pup, making them a hot commodity on the "black" market.

Sergeant Thad Pickard, of the Hutchinson Police Department in Kansas, said he's worked at least two theft cases involving Yorkies in the past several months - and he's aware of one other case in Hutchinson where the dog was found dead.

In one case, the would-be thief fled before being able to capture the animals. The other case had a happy ending, as the dog was returned safely home, thanks to the ability of it's owner to recognize the value of microchipping.

The thefts appear to be catching on nationwide. February's newspapers included pleas for help from families in Queens, New York, as well as Reno and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Last Friday, a video was released to the public showing armed gunmen tossing Yorkies into a black plastic garbage bag at an apartment in Los Angeles. On Saturday night, four of the five missing dogs were safely returned to their owners after a man turned himself in for the crime.

"I don't know what's driving it," Pickard said. "They're a nice dog to have, they're small and they're easy to care for and they're an expensive breed."

Connie Marcotte of Hutchinson, growing tired of the ruckus caused by her dogs outside, opened the back door to quiet them, only to see a would-be thief attempting to coax her Yorkies out of the yard.

A teenage girl squatted near the gate, attempting to lure Bubba and Rocky out of the yard.

"I was furious - I was beside myself," Marcotte said. "I called my husband and told him to come home. ... they're our babies - both our children are grown and gone."

When Marcotte came out of the house and approached her, the girl fled.

If there was any doubt as to the intentions of the teen, they were quickly erased when Marcotte discovered the purse-like dog carrier, leash and blanket the girl had left behind.

A few months later, Shad Flint arrived home and was surprised when his Yorkie, Megan, didn't bound to the door to greet him.

Flint filed a report with Pickard, and told the officer the dog had been "chipped", whereby a tiny microchip containing a serial code is implanted under the dog's skin. The microchip, coupled with a neighbor's detailed description of the suspect, was crucial in the dog's recovery.

"Another $30 investment and a good neighbor stepping up and the odds of getting your dog back triples," Flint said.

With a suspect in mind, Pickard approached area veterinarian Randall Smith, with Apple Lane Animal Hospital, about the electronic recovery devices.

"I don't think we would've gotten the dog back without the chip," Pickard said.

Marcotte has since had microchips implanted in both her dogs.

"Hopefully, if something ever does happen it will help me find them," she said.

Marcotte added that despite the new additions, she doesn't feel comfortable leaving her dogs alone anymore. With all the news accounts of thefts, and her personal experience with a potential dognapper, she worries about letting them out in the back yard, and she's still a little angry.

"I just can't believe someone would go around taking other people's pets," Marcotte said. "If you want a dog, go to the pound."

Protect your pet:

One stolen Yorkie was recovered with the help of a microchip that positively identified the dog.

Microchip installation costs $35 to $50, and involves implanting a device about as small as a grain of rice under the skin, usually between the shoulders.

Recorded by serial number, the chip's database then contains information about breeder, proper owner and street address etc.

A handheld scanner is used to record the serial number, which allows police and Humane Society workers to track down the animal's owner.

Smith said many people mistakenly believe that the microchip is a Global Positioning Satellite system that helps them track the whereabouts of their animals. The truth is, he added, the chip, without a scanner, is useless.

http://www.dogflu.ca/03052007/09/gua...nst_dognapping

[txshopper73]

It is very scary that people are stealing our beloved pets. Wasn't it just last year someone in the San Antonio area had like 20 yorkies stolen. It's shocking how low some people are!!

[cindy0721]

question on the micro chipping.... Gizmo is not microchipped... due to my worriedness over the needle going in and hurting him... I know.. my problem.. but if I microchip him and someone steals him can I track him..sorta like a GPS or is that a different type of mircrochipp?

Smith said many people mistakenly believe that the microchip is a Global Positioning Satellite system that helps them track the whereabouts of their animals. The truth is, he added, the chip, without a scanner, is useless

aha... answered my own question....

[chachi]

Originally Posted by cindy0721

question on the micro chipping.... Gizmo is not microchipped... due to my worriedness over the needle going in and hurting him... I know.. my problem.. but if I microchip him and someone steals him can I track him..sorta like a GPS or is that a different type of mircrochipp?



aha... answered my own question....

The chip is good though because if someone had your dog it is one way you could prove it is your dog

[txshopper73]

But, the microchip has been known to cause cancer at the injection site.

http://www.louisville-pets.com/micro...cer_study.html

Implanted Microchips Cause Cancer

By Jane Williams GFN contributing writer---
(For Publication in the January 2007 "American Family Voice")

At the National ID Expo in Kansas City, Arkansas Animal Producer's
Association President Michael Steenbergen asked, "What safety studies
have been conducted on the chips that are inserted into animals?" His
question was met with total silence. Did these manufacturers not know,
or were they unwilling to admit that research has confirmed that
implanted microchips cause cancer?

Melvin T. Massey, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
from Brownsboro,Texas, brought this to the attention of the American
Horse Council when he wrote, "I am a retired Equine Veterinarian and
still breed a few horses. Because of migration-infection s-increased
risk of sarcoids I will not want to have microchips in my horses."

The Institute of Experimental Pathology at Hannover Medical School
in Germany reported , "An experiment using 4279 CBA/J mice of two
generations was carried out to investigate the influence of parental
preconceptual exposure to X-ray radiation or to chemical carcinogens.
Microchips were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsolateral back for
unique identification of each animal. The animals were kept for lifespan
under standard laboratory conditions. In 36 mice a circumscribed
neoplasm occurred in the area of the implanted microchip.
Macroscopically, firm, pale white nodules up to 25 mm in diameter with
the microchip in its center were found. Macroscopically, soft tissue
tumors such as fibrosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma were
detected."

Ecole Nationale Veterinaire of Unite d'Anatomie Pathologique in Nantes,
France, reported, "Fifty-two subcutaneous tumors associated with
microchip were collected from three carcinigenicity B6C3F1 micestudies.
Two of these 52 tumors were adenocarcinoma of the mammary gland located
on the dorsal region forming around the chip. All the other 50 were
mesenchymal in ori! gin and were difficult to classify on morphological
grounds with
haematoxylin-
eosin."

Marta Vascellari of Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie
at Viale dell'Universita in Legnaro, Italy reported examining a
9-year-old male French Bulldog for a subcutaneous mass located at the
site of a microchip implant. "The mass was confirmed as a high-grade
infiltrative fibrosarcoma,

with multifocal necrosis and peripheral lymphoid aggregates."

The Toxicology Department of Bayer Corporation in Stillwell, Kansas
reported, "Tumors surrounding implanted microchip animal identification
devices were noted in two separate chronic toxicity/oncogenici ty
studies using F344 rats. The tumors occurred at a low incidence rate
(approximately 1%), but did result in the early sacrifice of most
affected animals, due to tumor size and occasional metastases. No
sex-related trends were noted.

All tumors occurred during the second year of the studies, were located
in the subcutaneous dorsal thoracic area (the site of microchip
implantation) and contained embedded microchip devices. All were
mesenchymal in origin and consisted of the following types, listed on
order of frequency: malignant schwannoma, fibrosarcoma, anaplastic
sarcoma, and histiocytic sarcoma.

The following diagnostic techniques were employed: light microscopy,
scanning electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry. The mechanism of
carcinogenicity appeared to be that of foreign body induced
tumorigenesis. "

Additional studies related to cancer tumors at the site of microchip
implants have been conduced in China; however, at this time these
studies are not available in English. At this time, no long term studies
are available covering more than two years. It only seems logical to
conclude that if carcinogenic tumors occur within one percent of animals
implanted within two years of the implant that the percentage would
increase with the passage of time. Additional studies need to be
conducted, but don't hold ! your bre ath for the manufacturers of
microchips to conduct such research and be leery of any such "research"
they may conduct. Even the limited research available clearly indicates
that implantation of microchips within an animal is gambling with the
animal's well being.

For additional Information:
www.vetpathology.org
also
National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health,
or just google for "sarcomas associated with implanted microchips".

[Bdmcs324]

This scares me so much. I really need to get Ludo microchipped. Is there a certain age they have to be? I would seriously die if someone ever tried to take him. I really don't feel comfortable leaving him alone anymore.

[Potter]

I was going back and forth on microchipping due to cancer on the spot but I think the probability of being stolen is higher than the cancer. I will microchip Siu Pao when I have his teeth taken out.

[browniesmom622]

i dont worry about Brownie And Austin
Brownie is to big and aggressive and Austin is a chicken
kayko is watched like a hawk cause hes tiny Really friendly and doesnt bark at people
we always make Brownie keep an eye on him
and stand by the door at all times

[I Love Bailey]

I have Bailey microchipped and am planning on mircochipping Angel in the next few weeks when she gets spayed.
I talked to my vet about the cancer link with microchipping and she said that has not been proven. I feel the benefits of microchipping out weigh the supposed risk of cancer. My girlfriend did get her dog back after it ran away by having it microchipped. It is a Personal Choice and I am opting to have the extra ID protection for my dogs.

[grego160]

This makes me sick to my stomach. I am almost scared to let my puppies outside for fear that some riff raff will try to steal them. We live in a "nice neighborhood", but these days, that doesn't mean a thing.

[PANAMA69]

My friend got a pup (pug/chi mix) so cute it look like a mini boxer, not even last her daughter a couple hours, her daughter who is 14 took the dog at the front yard and a car pass by ,grab the dog and left, poor girl she was crying for days. I only walk Pheobe with my Hubby my mice, I will not take any chance with my baby

[Little Bit]

Originally Posted by txshopper73

It is very scary that people are stealing our beloved pets. Wasn't it just last year someone in the San Antonio area had like 20 yorkies stolen. It's shocking how low some people are!!

Oh, I didn't hear about that! That's awful!

[Little Bit]

Originally Posted by PANAMA69

My friend got a pup (pug/chi mix) so cute it look like a mini boxer, not even last her daughter a couple hours, her daughter who is 14 took the dog at the front yard and a car pass by ,grab the dog and left, poor girl she was crying for days. I only walk Pheobe with my Hubby my mice, I will not take any chance with my baby

That's unbelievable! I am afraid these types of things are becoming more and more common.

[YorkyMommy]

Thanks for the heads up.

[Ozzie'sperson]

I have to think that with all the bloodwork and other procedures we all end up having to have done on these dogs at some point, that you could use either blood-typing or DNA to reclaim a dog if a dispute erupted. All that info is on file with your local vet.

Seems a lot safer than the microchip, though in a general way I think they are good. Ideally, they will come up with something similar with less of a carcinogenic factor.

At home though we always say that if they ever took Ozzie , they would bring him back!