The Theft of America's Companion Animals Continues
February 9, 2000
In our earlier alerts we sought to warn the residents of Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky of the rash of pet theft in specific areas of each state. Unfortunately, we have to add four states to our list of areas hardest hit by the theft of companion animals, specifically large purebred dogs, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri.

ALABAMA:
WAFF-TV News of Huntsville, Alabama has reported that approximately 40 dogs are believed to have been stolen from and around the Tuscumbia, AL area. Witnesses have seen a white truck with a white topper present in the area when dogs turned up missing.

MICHIGAN
In Michigan, residents of the Southwest Michigan continue to search for a man and a woman driving a white van with grey paint on the doors of the van. (It is believed the grey paint has been used to hide the words "Animal Management" which had been painted and seen on the doors previously.) This couple was seen dragging dogs into their vehicle and it is believed that they also drive a white pick-up truck with a topper. The truck also had the words "Animal Management" painted on the doors. The hardest hit areas of Michigan are Van Buren County, the town of Greenville, the small rural lakeside towns and Reed City areas stretching southward. Last Tuesday,an eyewitness from Spring lake watched as a man in a white van with "Pet Rescue" written on the sides of the vehicle slowly cruised back and forth in her neighborhood. None of the authorities including the local humane society could explain who this person was. This Monday, the van was sited in Utica, Michigan, but this vehicle still had the words" Animal Managment" written on the side doors.

INDIANA AND KENTUCKY:
There has been a break in this case and more will be disclosed at a later date. The vehicle to be on the lookout for in IN and KT is a reddish older '73 Chevrolet pick-up truck equipped with a very large white dog box in the back. It has also been reported by victim eyewitnesses that the muffler is very noisy and loud. Descriptions of the thieves: One very short and very heavy set middle aged man with thick grey hair, accompanied by two younger men both with longish dark hair, one young man has a beard.

ARKANSAS AND TENNESSEE:
Many large dogs are missing from both states, fortunately, we do have eyewitness sightings of red trucks and a white van seen in the area when pets were stolen. In Tennessee, dogs have been taken from the Maury County area and the Springhill area.

MISSOURI:
MO has always been plagued by the crime of pet theft. Perhaps this is due to the fact that state of Missouri allows the citizens to sell dogs, cats and exotic animals at numerous auction sites across the state. At an animal auction there is no way to legally prove that the animals being sold are not in fact stolen animals. This activity allows unscrupulous animal dealers to flourish and puts all of our pets at risk. Although the state recently passed legislation to make the theft of a companion animal a Class D Felony, the thefts continue on, albeit not quite as bad as before. A large number of large purebred dogs have been stolen in recent months.

What Fuels the Thefts:
Stolen dogs and cats may be sold to may different clients for many uses including dog fighting rings as fighters or as bait, satanic cults, to "puppy-mills" for breeding, as meat for human consumption, as prey for exotic animals, as fur for clothing. However, the most consistent and the highest-paying client is often the research industry. High demand animal research has created a multi-million-dollar market for dogs and cats which is run by licensed syndicates as hierarchical and well protected as organized crime. For many years, the power and prestige of the medical research industry have insured animal dealers hefty incomes.

All of the above mentioned states where high rates of animal theft are occurring have one thing in common. And that is the close proximity of USDA Licensed Class B Animal Dealers (random source) laboratory suppliers living in those areas where large numbers of dogs are missing. Is it a coincidence that so many large chested dogs are missing never to be seen again? And once in a laboratory, be assured they will NEVER be seen again. One well known Arkansas Class B Dealer has a 1500 dog capacity at his compound where he services 60 research facilities across the country with dogs and cats. This dealer buys animals at auctions in MS and MO.

As we have witnessed in recent years, the illegal and horrific "sport" of Pit Bull Fighting has become a national tragedy and epidemic in proportions. We have to face the fact that some people involved in this activity have been known to steal animals to use as bait in training their fighting dogs. The act of pitting dogs against one another is a Federal offense.