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A New Yorker Talk of the Town piece investigates a fear that's been plaguing Upper West Side dogowners: Dognappers who prey upon beloved pooches (especially petite ones) in hopes of a payday. One dog owner explains, according to lore, "There's a two-man team, with one in a gray hoodie on a bicycle who comes by and slices the leash with a razor, then goes away with the dog. The other guy calls you up later on and says, 'Hey, I found your dog! What's it worth to you?'" While others have heard about this team and their dastardly M.O., even heeding advice like, "Don't leave your dog outside Starbucks. And don't use leashes that people can slice through," and keeping a careful eye out for bicyclists, the police at the 12th Precinct say there have been no dognapping reports in the past few weeks. A Brooklyn College poli-sci professor tries to explain the paranoia through the lens of the financial crisis, "A small dog creates a tremendous amount of emotional attachment, but at the same time it is a luxury item--and that's being taken away."
Are Dognappings on the Rise?
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not exactly NY news, but it's one more reason to hate hamas terrorists and the fascists in their mid
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If you pay the ransom for a dog they'll be back for your kids next time.
Kidnapping is an epidemic south of the border. I wonder if the practice is beng imported.
"keeping a careful out for bicyclists"
Yeah, that's really important.
The kind of luxury item that people leave outdoors and unattended when they go shopping.
See, now if the cops actually enforced the "no riding on the sidewalk" laws, the biker wouldn't be able to get close enough to the dog.
Regardless, those little yappy dogs tend to not take well to strangers. Maybe NYPD just needs to follow the trail of blood from the bite wounds on the dognapper's hands.
I had this exact headline running through my head last night as I walked through my neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens. For real. I personally know one person who's dog was stolen, and during the past month and a half, I've seen at least 5 different stolen dog signs up around the neighborhood. This has not been limited to just Manhattan, and they have all been small dogs.
Leaving a dog outside is the most careless thing a pet owner can ever do
One reaps what they sow in this world
Be smart
This isnt 1950 anymore
and nobody keeps their baby carriages on the street anymore
and you shouldnt leave your pet outside too
As a dog owner, I never leave my dog unattended. If you must run errands while walking your dog, you should go with someone else so the dog is never alone. Otherwise, leave the dog at home. Also, as Lautaro mentioned, this problem is not limited solely to the UWS. This has also been happening in Brooklyn.
The horrible thing is that a ransom call is the best case scenario. A lot of these poor creatures who are stolen end up being sold or used as bait animals for dogfighting operations.
We had a case in my neighborhood where a woman went into a store, left her dog outside, and returned to find a teenager trying to untie and steal it. Luckily she returned in time but what if she'd come back a minute later? You just shouldn't leave a dog tied up unattended or walk it on a street off-leash. It's irresponsible and asking for too many problems.
Here's an idea: One person spying this taking place knocks the cyclist to the ground, ten other people surround him and kick until they hear several loud cracks. Problem solved.
I recently saw a guy in the East Village walking a designer dog and saying "dog for sale, dog for sale' as he walked.
The dog was most definitely not his, and I'm sure it was stolen.
horrible people and another reason why people should adopt mutts. dogs are living beings and not a commodity. it pure breeding is shameful and most of them suffer from genetic defeats.
its a shame though. in denmark i was amazed that women will leave a baby stroller with baby in it, unattended outside while they shop or get coffee or whatever. There would be like 3 or 4 babies parked outside busy delis and coffee shops everywhere we went. Why are we still putting up with supporting the ghetto trash element in our cities?
If the owners don't cough up, I'm sure medical labs and Korean restaurants will pay decent scratch for the rest.
Coming soon to NY: Zipdog.
This is unreal and pathetic. It has nothing to do with breeds... whether it's a mutt or a pure bread I'm think the thugs doing this don't exactly know what type of breeds they are snatching up. It's not to different than baby snatching.
Dog owners have to be cognizant that something like this is very likely to happen ANYWHERE.
Splicer... that's how I'd handle it if they took my furry kids. This country needs harsher punishment for animal abuse. Just chop their hands off so they could never touch another animal again.
Actually, Nanny, believe it or not, there is such a service.
Just like Zipcar, you pay an annual fee, and then a per-hour charge.
Being a single dog lover in a "no dogs" building, I initially thought it was a brilliant idea, but since we're talking about a dog and not a car, further reflection made me wonder what effect it has on the dogs, therefore, I'll confine my "dog fixes" to patting the Mighty Mutts in Union Square.
All that having been said, Dog thieves should be sold into slavery.
by choosing to live in a no dogs building you've shown just how passionate a dog lover you actually are. youre the kind of "animal lover" who will provide me with an unsolicited commenmt on my pet's well being while i'm picking up chinese food and keeping a watchful eye while he sits on the sidewalk. and certainly you have a right to do so--as much as i have a right to tell you to go fuck yourself and keep your god dam opinions to yourself unless i ask for it. in which case i'll say something like, "excuse me, vapid douche, would care to share your opinion on my pet?" or something similar. go back to your no dogs building and flip on animal planet.