Here is a link to a web site with much helpful advice.  http://www.eburg.com/~dalmatia/stolenpets.html

Pet theft is much more widespread than commonly known. This is a quotation from the web site of In Defense of Animals:
Some 5 million family pets are reported missing annually. Based on pet theft reports filed with Action 81, Inc., In Defense of Animals, and others, it is conservatively estimated that approximately 1.5 to 2 million of these missing family pets are taken forcibly, or by deception, through so-called Free to Good Home ads. Dogs and cats are sold to many different clients for many uses, including dog-fighting rings as fighters or as bait, to puppy-mills for breeding, as meat for human consumption, as prey for exotic animals, as fur for clothing or accessories, as protective guard dogs, or for cult rituals. However, the most consistent and highest-paying client is [the research laboratory].


STOLEN PET REPORTS
February 2, 2000
Today we received a phone call from a distraught woman whose chocolate lab was stolen from her yard in the few minutes she had let it out to do its business. Footprints in the snow led to the street, so the dog was probably taken off in a vehicle. This incident occurred in the German Village area of Franklin County. A police operator discouraged this woman from filing a formal report saying it would not do any good.

February:
Several dogs reported stolen in Fairfield County. It is rumored that a sanitation service vehicle is involved.

December 11:
Two purebred dogs stolen from  fenced yard in German Village in Columbus.

October 24:
Many pets reported stolen in the Madison County, Clark County, Union County area. The thefts involve a white van and a blue Ford pick-up. We have received many heartbreaking reports of pets being snatched from porches and even fenced yards. Never leave your pets unattended even for a short time. 

A woman on the West side of Columbus reports that neighbors saw a young couple in a late model full-size cranberry colored pick-up with black snap-on cover for the bed and matching running boards remove her pet dog from her fenced in yard. The whole family is heartbroken. The young woman who picked up the dog is described as having long dark hair parted in the middle and pulled back. (6/23/99)

A man from Sidney, Ohio reports that at least 12 dogs have been reported stolen in his area (near Lima and Dayton), including his own beloved boxer, who has been his constant companion since his retirement.  The dog had tags and an electric fence box on his collar. There is an operation near his home, Kiser Lake Kennels, that is a Class B Dealer, sometimes called a "buncher".

Two dogs stolen from a fenced yard in Johnstown, Ohio. There was a bag of dog food left behind on the ground at the open gate.

Class B Dealers "Bunchers"
Class B Dealers sell randomly collected dogs and cats to research labs. They look for certain weight and height specifications. This is a very lucrative business and not known for being particularly scrupulous about the source of their "merchandise".  Kiser Lake Kennels has a long history of chronic deficiencies in veterinary care, housing and sanitation. It is not unusual for stolen dogs to have their documentation falsified so that they can be sold by Class B Dealers to laboratories. For more on Class B Dealers go to our  Issues Page.  We will try to follow up on this report.(7/15/99)

We try to collect on this page some accounts of stolen dogs that come to us. It may be that a pattern will emerge and people can at least be alerted. On the basis of this collected information. maybe someone official will be able to take action. If you have a stolen pet to report, please email the information to  help@petfbi.org. and indicate Stolen Pet as the subject. We will post your account here, but we will exclude your name. If you have success in recovering a stolen pet, we would like to hear about that, too.

This page last updated 1/18/00