Dognapping On The Rise, One Pup Returns Home

On April 13th a 4-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Thompy was stolen from a Boerum Hill Deli. His human, Jon Crawford-Phillips, had tied him outside when he dropped into the establishment around 8:30 that night.

Somewhat surprisingly, the pup's story has a happy ending. Today the Brooklyn Paper reports that Crawford-Phillips conducted a stakeout in Red Hook after a tipster mentioned seeing the dog being walked in the neighborhood. Upon seeing Thompy with his own eyes, he called the police and they approached the dog's new owner, who allegedly bought him on a street 10 days earlier. The new owners wouldn't say where or from whom they purchased the dog, however.

Maybe now people will think twice about leaving their dogs tied up on the street, even if it's just for 30 seconds? Crawford-Phillips says, “[My family and I] are going to be much more vigilant. I already thought that we were being safe and careful, but we have to be more aware if there’s a guy out there trying to take dogs.” Recently the Today Show looked at the recent rise in dognappings, and what to do to avoid becoming a victim. Rule #4: "Never leave your dog tied up outside a store or restaurant."

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By Jen Carlson in News on April 26, 2010 11:52 AM

Comments [rss]

Pachinko

I mean unlocked.

Pachinko

There was a time one could leave their front door locked.

maatthias

Why all the alarm over a sleeping dog? Let sleeping dogs lie.

Rocknrope

I can't believe you guys are blaming the owner for getting his dog nicked. WTF? Now it's wrong to tie a dog up if I have to pop into a bodega to quickly pick something up?

Ralph Steadman

Not sure about ¨wrong," but if you let anything out of your sight in NYC, you shouldn´t be too surprised if it disappears. These are older NYC rules, before we became like Boston, that I certainly was raised to understand and which newer arrival type folks may need to learn if our city is taking a turn for the worse.

Also, now that you´ve both been warned by other New Yorkers that dogs will get stolen, are you really going to keep tying your dogs up?

I would gently suggest that you don´t care that much about keeping your dog then.

really!?!?

agreed. it is one thing to leave your dog outside when you are going grocery shopping in the winter (wrong!). but if i'm running into a deli to get a pack of gum on a spring day it is fine to leave the dog for a few min. it is not the same as a child. a child can't protect him/herself, a dog can.

really!?!?

agreed. it is one thing to leave your dog outside when you are going grocery shopping in the winter (wrong!). but if i'm running into a deli to get a pack of gum on a spring day it is fine to leave the dog for a few min. it is not the same as a child. a child can't protect him/herself, a dog can.

handsomedevil

The New York rule of thumb is don't let your shit out of your sight. Don't leave your bag at the table while you pee, don't leave stuff visible in your car...So, yeah, that would presumably apply to your dog. Why not.

Sure, it's not your fault, it's the thieves' fault for being selfish assholes, but still...

ur doing it rong

I wonder if white people stole the dog?

ozik

I've seen dogs tied up and left in freezing rain and other horrible conditions. Some dogs need to be stolen. Probably not this one though.

karenadverb

People who tie their dogs outside of shops deserve exactly what they get.

JRod5417

My dog is my most precious possession. I don't understand why people insist on leaving their dogs unattended while they run errands. Especially in the winter, it just seems cruel.