Dog-napping

[Sheryl]

As if the pets were not already running my life..........

My niece's little pomeranian (who I must admit is, indeed, the cutest creature on the face of the earth, bar none, and I'm not even a dog fancier...) is staying with me temporaily while she is on a semester break from school. The last time she had a break, she took him back to Camboidia with her, but he got dog-napped and it took the hiring of every child in the neighborhood to spy out his location and a hefty ransom payment to secure his release, so she doesnt dare take him back there any more.

All was fine, he gets along great with my chihuahua, and the cat seems to feel that 2 dogs is not much worse than one..until last week when some people drove up and asked to buy him. I was away at the time so they talked to the person who was pet-sitting who of course told them no way. They drove off but a short while later a young boy drove up in a motorbike and then fled when he saw the pet-sitter (my house is the only house down a long dirt driveway so it is unusual for strangers to drive up to it). 2 days later, the same. then yet again. each time fleeing when someone spotted him. Inescapable conclusion being that the people who wanted to buy the dog have commissioned someone to steal him.

So now I'm on full-time dog thief alert, made complicated by the fact that this little Pomeranian has no fear of strangers whatsoever and will run up to anyone, jump in anyone's car, etc. He truly believes all the world is his friend and adores him (actually, thus far they do, it's hard not to...). So stealing him, unlike my chihuahua whio has a healthy fear and dislike of strangers, would be a snap.

I can't keep him in the house all the time because of the cat, who has dibs on the house and who has some stress-related conditions as it is, which I am trying to get resolved. Introduction of dog into her territory would tip the scales in the wrong way.

I'm trying to figure out what else I can do. I am going to set some inqueries in motion to try and find out who these people are and then persuade the local policeman to go talk to them (no easy matter, but I'll try) and basically try to scare them off. I'm also thinking of getting a microchip put in the dog in case he is stolen and I need to prove he doesn't belong to whoever has him...altho my experience with local law enforcement doesn't give me much hope in terms of getting assistance in retrieving a stolen pet.

Any other suggestions/thoughts? Where is Ace Ventura when he's needed.....

P.S. ANnone thinking of getting a pet, do not get a popular breed like a Pomeranian unless you want to spend your life standing guard. Get a mutt that no one wants.

[jdinasia]

Get some pics of the suspected potential thief ... then pay a visit to the local headman

[Nienke]

Do you have a solid fence around your property? Or maybe better, a fenced-off part within your property far away from the boundaries of your garden, which is big enough for both dogs to play and run? I'm thinking of something like 10 m2 or something?

If the pom is able to run outside, chances are high that one of these days the dog will be gone.

Nienke

[Patsycat]

I would get him chipped, if possible.

[sbk]

Get some pics of the suspected potential thief ... then pay a visit to the local headman

Excellent advice, and could even scare the guy off. Be sure to make yourself highly visible with your camera and take pics of him, his face and his bike.

[babz]

As if the pets were not already running my life..........

My niece's little pomeranian (who I must admit is, indeed, the cutest creature on the face of the earth, bar none, and I'm not even a dog fancier...) is staying with me temporaily while she is on a semester break from school. The last time she had a break, she took him back to Camboidia with her, but he got dog-napped and it took the hiring of every child in the neighborhood to spy out his location and a hefty ransom payment to secure his release, so she doesnt dare take him back there any more.

All was fine, he gets along great with my chihuahua, and the cat seems to feel that 2 dogs is not much worse than one..until last week when some people drove up and asked to buy him. I was away at the time so they talked to the person who was pet-sitting who of course told them no way. They drove off but a short while later a young boy drove up in a motorbike and then fled when he saw the pet-sitter (my house is the only house down a long dirt driveway so it is unusual for strangers to drive up to it). 2 days later, the same. then yet again. each time fleeing when someone spotted him. Inescapable conclusion being that the people who wanted to buy the dog have commissioned someone to steal him.

So now I'm on full-time dog thief alert, made complicated by the fact that this little Pomeranian has no fear of strangers whatsoever and will run up to anyone, jump in anyone's car, etc. He truly believes all the world is his friend and adores him (actually, thus far they do, it's hard not to...). So stealing him, unlike my chihuahua whio has a healthy fear and dislike of strangers, would be a snap.

I can't keep him in the house all the time because of the cat, who has dibs on the house and who has some stress-related conditions as it is, which I am trying to get resolved. Introduction of dog into her territory would tip the scales in the wrong way.

I'm trying to figure out what else I can do. I am going to set some inqueries in motion to try and find out who these people are and then persuade the local policeman to go talk to them (no easy matter, but I'll try) and basically try to scare them off. I'm also thinking of getting a microchip put in the dog in case he is stolen and I need to prove he doesn't belong to whoever has him...altho my experience with local law enforcement doesn't give me much hope in terms of getting assistance in retrieving a stolen pet.

Any other suggestions/thoughts? Where is Ace Ventura when he's needed.....

P.S. ANnone thinking of getting a pet, do not get a popular breed like a Pomeranian unless you want to spend your life standing guard. Get a mutt that no one wants.

Sheryl, get a crate, put him in it in the house when you cant be with him, it's just not worth the risk, for the dog or ending up with a broken hearted niece, at home I have a Griffon, same sort of size, and he is never unattended as if anyone got the chance we'd never see him again, chipped or not. These little dogs handle crating well as long as it's in a cool spot and a decent size, it's only for a short time

[Sheryl]

Thanks all. I don't own a camera but been meaning to get one so wil try that angle. As well as chatting up the local policeman and generally trying to put out the word.

The yard is fenced but he's so small he can easily slip through it and it would take quite some doing and $$ to erect something so solid that he couldn't. He is really, really small (much smaller than the cat) - only weighs 2 kg and almost all of that is fur.

My niece is back on the 20th so I only have to keep him safe till then. I've got my stun gun plugged in just in case, ready tio defend the little fella....

[elfe]

i would just keep him safe while i'm not around, better safe than sorry

[smileah]

Get him chipped, and do not leave him outside unattended.

Our cat was kittyknapped, but I found her after five days - as it turned out, the theives were waiting for me to put up reward signs so that they could be paid for 'finding' her.

And yes, do whatever you need to to scare those people off. Well, within reason, of course! But seriously, get a crate, or seperate the cat and dog in the house somehow when you're away.

[Sheryl]

Happy to report that my niece returned today and was successfully re-united wih the Pomeranian who is now safely esconced with her in her condo at school.

What a relief! I can finally relax my anti-deog napper vigil.