Dog-napped And Held For Ransom

[Pattaya_Fox]

Dog-napped and held for ransom

Editor;

Well I am a Canadian ex-pat for 8 years here now and usually do not have many complaints about the strange ways that things operate here, but…

On Loy Krathong night my 82-year-old dad, housekeeper, my dog and myself went out to Lake Mabprachan (Boat Race Park) to enjoy the festivities. Many of our Thai friends also joined us.

Now my dog (Shandy) is a 1.5-year-old lovely Golden Retriever who is very intelligent and has been in my training for obedience and to look after my old dad. He does a great job at both.

At about 1:00am I started to pack up and get ready to head home but noticed that I had not seen Shandy for an hour or so. My friends and I started the search party to try to find Shandy so we could leave but had no luck. Well we love him very much and stayed as late as we could (2:30am) looking but then decided we had to get my dad home and most of the party was staying all night and they could look out for him.

Shandy is not the type of dog who would go with anybody unless forced to. He is very kind tempered and would never bite anyone.

The next day I woke up and we went back out to the lake to look for Shandy. Our friends were still there and said he had not showed up so I started putting up signs that I had made on my computer for the typical “Reward”, “Lost Dog” etc., and went to all of the local village security guards (who were all very helpful) and the local stores, including one local Girly Bar. The reward was for 2000 THB.

On Monday at 1:00pm we received a phone call from one of the local bar girls we had given my number to saying that there was a man there asking if any farang had come around looking for a Golden Retriever because he had found one on Saturday night at the festival. (Hmmmm why would he ask if a “farang” had been asking?) She told him that she had my number so he used her phone to call and spoke to my housekeeper in Thai. He said he wanted to return Shandy and collect the reward. When my housekeeper told him that we were so happy and could meet him and give him the 2000 THB, he kind of snickered at the amount but said to meet him at Wat Nong Yai on Sukhumvit Rd. The bar girl had told us that there was three men in a motorcycle with a sidecar. We went to the Wat and waited for 3 hours but no one showed up so we went home sad.

At 8:00pm, I received another call from a Thai man who could speak good English and would only talk to me and not my Thai housekeeper. He said that he had rescued Shandy at the park and took him home to look for the owner and his daughter had taken good care of him. He said that he only wanted to give Shandy back to his owner and that the dog was sad and would not eat or drink for the last 2 days. I told him that it was great news because our family missed him and that Shandy took care of my 82 year old father. (I knew what was coming next so…) I told him we could meet strait away and I would bring the 2000 THB reward. That was when he said that he wanted more because his daughter had bought chicken and food for the dog. I offered him 2500b but he laughed and said he wanted 5000 THB and would only meet us in 30 minutes so I did not even have time to call a police officer to assist us. I love my dog so agreed to meet him.

We went to meet the three men at the Railway Station on Soi Siam Country Club and they had Shandy tied up inside their sidecar. I did bring four of my Thai friends with me but my friend said it might be dangerous to cause trouble and that I should just pay them and leave. Well he was smart and correct. The man who had spoken with me on the phone in English was not even there but the other three henchmen were so I paid them and left with my dog.

This is extortion no matter how you look at it and we believe strongly that Shandy was abused and hit while in their care. A man can tell by his dog’s actions.

Well, that is my story how my dog was kidnapped and held for ransom here in Pattaya so be careful with things like this as I am told it happens a lot.

Happy camper: Tim Rooney

Pattaya Mail

Mail Bag

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Rimmer]

Seems there are no limits to the depths some people will go to to extort money from peace loving farangs, regret as long as exiting laws here are not enforced the current lawless situation that prevails can only get worse.

Pleased you got your dog back though Mr. Fox.

Edited December 9, 2007 by Rimmer

[mikethevigoman]

Dog-napped and held for ransom

Editor;

Well I am a Canadian ex-pat for 8 years here now and usually do not have many complaints about the strange ways that things operate here, but…

On Loy Krathong night my 82-year-old dad, housekeeper, my dog and myself went out to Lake Mabprachan (Boat Race Park) to enjoy the festivities. Many of our Thai friends also joined us.

Now my dog (Shandy) is a 1.5-year-old lovely Golden Retriever who is very intelligent and has been in my training for obedience and to look after my old dad. He does a great job at both.

At about 1:00am I started to pack up and get ready to head home but noticed that I had not seen Shandy for an hour or so. My friends and I started the search party to try to find Shandy so we could leave but had no luck. Well we love him very much and stayed as late as we could (2:30am) looking but then decided we had to get my dad home and most of the party was staying all night and they could look out for him.

Shandy is not the type of dog who would go with anybody unless forced to. He is very kind tempered and would never bite anyone.

The next day I woke up and we went back out to the lake to look for Shandy. Our friends were still there and said he had not showed up so I started putting up signs that I had made on my computer for the typical "Reward", "Lost Dog" etc., and went to all of the local village security guards (who were all very helpful) and the local stores, including one local Girly Bar. The reward was for 2000 THB.

On Monday at 1:00pm we received a phone call from one of the local bar girls we had given my number to saying that there was a man there asking if any farang had come around looking for a Golden Retriever because he had found one on Saturday night at the festival. (Hmmmm why would he ask if a "farang" had been asking?) She told him that she had my number so he used her phone to call and spoke to my housekeeper in Thai. He said he wanted to return Shandy and collect the reward. When my housekeeper told him that we were so happy and could meet him and give him the 2000 THB, he kind of snickered at the amount but said to meet him at Wat Nong Yai on Sukhumvit Rd. The bar girl had told us that there was three men in a motorcycle with a sidecar. We went to the Wat and waited for 3 hours but no one showed up so we went home sad.

At 8:00pm, I received another call from a Thai man who could speak good English and would only talk to me and not my Thai housekeeper. He said that he had rescued Shandy at the park and took him home to look for the owner and his daughter had taken good care of him. He said that he only wanted to give Shandy back to his owner and that the dog was sad and would not eat or drink for the last 2 days. I told him that it was great news because our family missed him and that Shandy took care of my 82 year old father. (I knew what was coming next so…) I told him we could meet strait away and I would bring the 2000 THB reward. That was when he said that he wanted more because his daughter had bought chicken and food for the dog. I offered him 2500b but he laughed and said he wanted 5000 THB and would only meet us in 30 minutes so I did not even have time to call a police officer to assist us. I love my dog so agreed to meet him.

We went to meet the three men at the Railway Station on Soi Siam Country Club and they had Shandy tied up inside their sidecar. I did bring four of my Thai friends with me but my friend said it might be dangerous to cause trouble and that I should just pay them and leave. Well he was smart and correct. The man who had spoken with me on the phone in English was not even there but the other three henchmen were so I paid them and left with my dog.

This is extortion no matter how you look at it and we believe strongly that Shandy was abused and hit while in their care. A man can tell by his dog's actions.

Well, that is my story how my dog was kidnapped and held for ransom here in Pattaya so be careful with things like this as I am told it happens a lot.

Happy camper: Tim Rooney

Pattaya Mail

Mail Bag

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The term ruthless ,greedy b@stards comes to mind,.!

[cm-happy]

Too bad the Canadian lass doest know any shady characters in Pattaya, there must be many,who for a small consideration. would hide out somewhere near the pick up point. Thrash the dog knappers, and keep the reward money as a bonus.

[cali4995]

"No limits" is exactly right, the only thing that slows them down is someone who

might be potentially more dangerous than they are. I'm afraid the only way of

successfully dealing with Thai thugs is Thai style. It's not just limited to Pattaya.

[Atli]

Dog-napped and held for ransom

Editor;

Well I am a Canadian ex-pat for 8 years here now and usually do not have many complaints about the strange ways that things operate here, but…

On Loy Krathong night my 82-year-old dad, housekeeper, my dog and myself went out to Lake Mabprachan (Boat Race Park) to enjoy the festivities. Many of our Thai friends also joined us.

Now my dog (Shandy) is a 1.5-year-old lovely Golden Retriever who is very intelligent and has been in my training for obedience and to look after my old dad. He does a great job at both.

At about 1:00am I started to pack up and get ready to head home but noticed that I had not seen Shandy for an hour or so. My friends and I started the search party to try to find Shandy so we could leave but had no luck. Well we love him very much and stayed as late as we could (2:30am) looking but then decided we had to get my dad home and most of the party was staying all night and they could look out for him.

Shandy is not the type of dog who would go with anybody unless forced to. He is very kind tempered and would never bite anyone.

The next day I woke up and we went back out to the lake to look for Shandy. Our friends were still there and said he had not showed up so I started putting up signs that I had made on my computer for the typical "Reward", "Lost Dog" etc., and went to all of the local village security guards (who were all very helpful) and the local stores, including one local Girly Bar. The reward was for 2000 THB.

On Monday at 1:00pm we received a phone call from one of the local bar girls we had given my number to saying that there was a man there asking if any farang had come around looking for a Golden Retriever because he had found one on Saturday night at the festival. (Hmmmm why would he ask if a "farang" had been asking?) She told him that she had my number so he used her phone to call and spoke to my housekeeper in Thai. He said he wanted to return Shandy and collect the reward. When my housekeeper told him that we were so happy and could meet him and give him the 2000 THB, he kind of snickered at the amount but said to meet him at Wat Nong Yai on Sukhumvit Rd. The bar girl had told us that there was three men in a motorcycle with a sidecar. We went to the Wat and waited for 3 hours but no one showed up so we went home sad.

At 8:00pm, I received another call from a Thai man who could speak good English and would only talk to me and not my Thai housekeeper. He said that he had rescued Shandy at the park and took him home to look for the owner and his daughter had taken good care of him. He said that he only wanted to give Shandy back to his owner and that the dog was sad and would not eat or drink for the last 2 days. I told him that it was great news because our family missed him and that Shandy took care of my 82 year old father. (I knew what was coming next so…) I told him we could meet strait away and I would bring the 2000 THB reward. That was when he said that he wanted more because his daughter had bought chicken and food for the dog. I offered him 2500b but he laughed and said he wanted 5000 THB and would only meet us in 30 minutes so I did not even have time to call a police officer to assist us. I love my dog so agreed to meet him.

We went to meet the three men at the Railway Station on Soi Siam Country Club and they had Shandy tied up inside their sidecar. I did bring four of my Thai friends with me but my friend said it might be dangerous to cause trouble and that I should just pay them and leave. Well he was smart and correct. The man who had spoken with me on the phone in English was not even there but the other three henchmen were so I paid them and left with my dog.

This is extortion no matter how you look at it and we believe strongly that Shandy was abused and hit while in their care. A man can tell by his dog's actions.

Well, that is my story how my dog was kidnapped and held for ransom here in Pattaya so be careful with things like this as I am told it happens a lot.

Happy camper: Tim Rooney

Pattaya Mail

Mail Bag

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In 1987 I was in Montreal where I ordered some machines from a frellow call Pierre Bellemare, representing Agi-Sec, that sells machines imported from a company called Frimair in France, to open a business in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I am not a French Canadian. After doing a credit check on the company I made a substantial down-payment to Agi-Sec. I also had a sales contract signed by Bellemare. Short story: Agi-Sec never delivered the machines and has never returned my money. Since it was an obvious fraud case, I went to the Fraud Department of the Montreal Police. They refused to accept fraud charges. Following that I took a lawyer, a Louis Renault. With him I went to the Crown Attorney's Office. He, too, refused to accept fraud charges, because, as he said, "It was the first time that Bellemare and Agi-Sec and taken money and not delivered. Later I found out that Bellemare had defrauded others before, but every time people who were not French Quebeckers. Renault then took a $6,000 down-payment for his representation, brought the now "Civil" case to the wrong court, and the rest is history.

I am sure you would have stood a much better chance receiving police support in Thailand than I received in Quebeck when I was obviously defrauded. Alas, fraud seems to highly acceptable in Canada.

[Lance_A_Lot]

I am very happy that you got your beloved dog back. This story not only pisses me off but also makes me cringe when I hear LOS referred to the Land of Smiles. The only time they are smiling is when they are either taking your money or after it!

[Mobi]

I am very happy that you got your beloved dog back. This story not only pisses me off but also makes me cringe when I hear LOS referred to the Land of Smiles. The only time they are smiling is when they are either taking your money or after it!

So the 'developed world' is free of criminals, scumbags and conmen then?

[mikethevigoman]

I am very happy that you got your beloved dog back. This story not only pisses me off but also makes me cringe when I hear LOS referred to the Land of Smiles. The only time they are smiling is when they are either taking your money or after it!

So the 'developed world' is free of criminals, scumbags and conmen then?

No,however from where im sitting the ratio of criminals.scumbags,conmen,( and conwomen !) does seem rather higher than the developed countries, ...im getting rather tired of of the thai protectors ,.this is thaiand and to those that consider the cotswolds,or the okanagon.or redding calif to be the "same " you are in cuckoo land, .when posters post to tell of their experiences i think we should be made aware, not everyone is a smart as some ,.my wife is thai, and no they are not all bad, and she is more security conscious than me and probably for good reason, ive never had to consider this in the uk ,canada, the us ,and other places i have lived, and yes before you all start " well you can always leave " i know that and unlike some my @ss is not glued to thailand and if needs be and it gets worse ( as it has done ) we will leave,.id be no different if i had moved to watts,calif,or holdsworth birmingham and found out after that i was in a dangerous place, id be gone i have a family to think of,.however im a realist and consider myself street smart, some arent, and to warn them of what is going on around them in my opinion is fine,. Edited December 10, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[Mobi]

I am very happy that you got your beloved dog back. This story not only pisses me off but also makes me cringe when I hear LOS referred to the Land of Smiles. The only time they are smiling is when they are either taking your money or after it!

So the 'developed world' is free of criminals, scumbags and conmen then?

No,however from where im sitting the ratio of criminals.scumbags,conmen,( and conwomen !) does seem rather higher than the developed countries, ...im getting rather tired of of the thai protectors ,.this is thaiand and to those that consider the cotswolds,or the okanagon.or redding calif to be the "same " you are in cuckoo land, .when posters post to tell of their experiences i think we should be made aware, not everyone is a smart as some ,.my wife is thai, and no they are not all bad, and she is more security conscious than me and probably for good reason, ive never had to consider this in the uk ,canada, the us ,and other places i have lived, and yes before you all start " well you can always leave " i know that and unlike some my @ss is not glued to thailand and if needs be and it gets worse ( as it has done ) we will leave,.id be no different if i had moved to watts,calif,or holdsworth birmingham and found out after that i was in a dangerous place, id be gone i have a family to think of,.however im a realist and consider myself street smart, some arent, and to warn them of what is going on around them in my opinion is fine,.

I have no problem with these kind of criminal acts being reported. Indeed I too have a Golden retriever which I sometimes take to swim at Mabprachan, so in future I will certainly keep an eye on potential dog nappers.

I also was very pleased to hear that the owner got his dog back safe and well.

And I do not claim that all is well in LOS.

I am not a Thai defender - just trying to get a bit of balance here. You can pick up an English, American or European newspaper any day of the week and read about equally terrible criminal acts, being committed daily in those countries.

Indeed it has been posted on this forum many times that the crime rates in many western cities surpasses that of Pattaya, where most of us, by using a bit of common sense , rarely, if ever get bothered by the criminal elements.

And this is not The Cotwolds or Redding Calif - this is a very high profile, international, sex tourist resort , which attracts all the scum and dregs of the developed world together with the disenfranchised and desperate of a 3rd world country.

Is it surprising there is a fair amount of crime here?

He is pissed off when Thais Smile. Well, I'd rather the smiles than the confrontational glares you would get in the West.

[mikethevigoman]

I am very happy that you got your beloved dog back. This story not only pisses me off but also makes me cringe when I hear LOS referred to the Land of Smiles. The only time they are smiling is when they are either taking your money or after it!

So the 'developed world' is free of criminals, scumbags and conmen then?

No,however from where im sitting the ratio of criminals.scumbags,conmen,( and conwomen !) does seem rather higher than the developed countries, ...im getting rather tired of of the thai protectors ,.this is thaiand and to those that consider the cotswolds,or the okanagon.or redding calif to be the "same " you are in cuckoo land, .when posters post to tell of their experiences i think we should be made aware, not everyone is a smart as some ,.my wife is thai, and no they are not all bad, and she is more security conscious than me and probably for good reason, ive never had to consider this in the uk ,canada, the us ,and other places i have lived, and yes before you all start " well you can always leave " i know that and unlike some my @ss is not glued to thailand and if needs be and it gets worse ( as it has done ) we will leave,.id be no different if i had moved to watts,calif,or holdsworth birmingham and found out after that i was in a dangerous place, id be gone i have a family to think of,.however im a realist and consider myself street smart, some arent, and to warn them of what is going on around them in my opinion is fine,.

I have no problem with these kind of criminal acts being reported. Indeed I too have a Golden retriever which I sometimes take to swim at Mabprachan, so in future I will certainly keep an eye on potential dog nappers.

I also was very pleased to hear that the owner got his dog back safe and well.

And I do not claim that all is well in LOS.

I am not a Thai defender - just trying to get a bit of balance here. You can pick up an English, American or European newspaper any day of the week and read about equally terrible criminal acts, being committed daily in those countries.

Indeed it has been posted on this forum many times that the crime rates in many western cities surpasses that of Pattaya, where most of us, by using a bit of common sense , rarely, if ever get bothered by the criminal elements.

And this is not The Cotwolds or Redding Calif - this is a very high profile, international, sex tourist resort , which attracts all the scum and dregs of the developed world together with the disenfranchised and desperate of a 3rd world country.

Is it surprising there is a fair amount of crime here?

He is pissed off when Thais Smile. Well, I'd rather the smiles than the confrontational glares you would get in the West.

The perfect place dosent exist unfortunatly,and if it did it woulndt stay that way long,.i have an ex friend ! that has been to thailand 30 times at least, he arrives at the airport,gets in a taxi to pattaya and stays within a 3 km radius of pattaya for the duration of his trip, we fell out when i picked him up for telling someone thailand was full of whores and people out to get your money,.and he still comes 4 times a year ! ,.. i liken it to a thai going to soho for a holiday, he would have the same to say abuot there,.i have ridden all over thailand and in off road competitions in remote areas, the real thai people are beautiful and would give you their last banana,it saddens and maddens me to have pattaya spoke as thailand,.pattaya is to me a bit like a dog that may bite,.i keep my eye on him and if he ever does he will be history, ..but ill still love dogs,.

[twix38]

How very very true.

The LOS tag should stand for Land Of Scams!!

Why not get our own version of LOS into everyday modern conversation for foreigners.

I am very happy that you got your beloved dog back. This story not only pisses me off but also makes me cringe when I hear LOS referred to the Land of Smiles. The only time they are smiling is when they are either taking your money or after it!

[mickyboy104]

Dog napping is quite big in England and not just happening in Los

[KKK]

Glad you got your dog back. However none of this would have happened if you'd followed the law and had Shandy on a lease while on public land. Apparantly the lease must be no longer than 50cm though the shortest I've found for sale is 70cm. You can get them at the pet shop on North Pattaya Road opposite Best supermarket for Baht 200. They are very strong and suitable for large dogs such as Goldens.

I'd also advise microchipping Shandy as well. That can be done at Muang-Ake vetinary clinic on Sukhumvit highway between Tesco and Underwaterworld. Cost is baht 500 and you'll get some kind of certificate a month later. My dog's certificate should be ready for collection later this week. So I'll have more info then. And don't forget to register Shandy at the city vet on third road near the fire station. You don't need to take the dog just its vaccination certificates. A simple and free procedure.

My own Golden bitch, Honey, should be on heat in a few months...so if you're interested in making some pups let me know via this forum.

[timekeeper]

if any good came out of this painful event i can tell you after reading about it on this forum, i got my wake up call and had my Great Dane chipped and registered him at the city vet. it doesn't make him immune to kidnap or anything but i feel more secure for him. whilst on this subject any Dane owners out there? he needs a playmate since his brother passed over