Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

filet0fish · Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 30 Location: Pee Jay

Doggone! They are after the prized breeds now!
By: Lee Shi-Ian @ NST (29 July 2007)

PETALING JAYA: There are a new breed of burglars who break into private residences but leave the valuables untouched, the reason ... they take the dogs.

As strange and ludicrous as it might seem, it is true as many pedigree dog owners will testify after seeing "members" of their family whisked away in the middle of the night.

On July 13, Rafiq Seth Muthana returned to his house in Taman Saujana Puchong to discover Stella (German Shepherd) and Myra (Siberian Husky) missing.

"After checking with my neighbours, I found out the dogs were last seen being driven away in a red Honda Jazz by a man," the 27-year-old IT analyst said.

It is learnt the suspect may have staked out the victim’s house for several days to monitor Rafiq and his wife’s schedule before finally making his move.

Varghese Martin Paul, a project manager, said his two daughters were heart-broken when Cierra, the family’s Siberian Husky, was stolen back in April.

"The same suspect came back the following night and attempted to break into my house to get the second dog, a cocker spaniel but fled when I spotted him," Varghese added.

Coincidentally, Varghese is also residing in Puchong.

He lodged a police report over the incident as the suspect fled in a Kia Spectra.

In February, an 8-year-old boy cried bitterly after Tasha, an American Cocker Spaniel he received for his birthday, was stolen in the middle of the night.

His mother, Wang Pin Yong, 40, said she heard a dog squealing in fright before the sound was drowned out by the roar of a motorcycle.

The incident happened at the family’s house in Taman Kaya Baru, Cheras, and she believes the thief had been surveying the area before making his move.

Selangor police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that dog-napping cases had been reported in the state.

"We have had reports of pure and mixed breed dogs being stolen although the number is not a cause for alarm," he said.

A dog breeder, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the pure breed dogs stolen are often sold to "backyard" breeders who are out to make a quick buck.

"Backyard" breeders are literally unscrupulous people who will send out word that they require a dog of a certain breed and gender.

Once the breeder acquires the dog, it is mated and several months later, the litter of puppies can fetch the breeder up to RM100,000 in revenue.

"There is a rising demand for pure breed dogs especially Siberian Huskies and German Shepherds with prices ranging from RM1,500 to RM10,000 for a puppy," the source revealed.

C.T Leong, a pedigree dog breeder based in the Klang Valley, estimates the canine market to be worth about RM400 million annually nationwide.

"Having been in this business for about 20 years, many Malaysians are attracted to pure breed dogs especially during the dog shows and competitions," he said.

It is learnt that in Puchong, up to 15 dogs had been reported missing in a two-week span this month.

A less pleasant prospect for dog owners is that illegal immigrants steal the dogs to have it later as the main course for dinner.

filet0fish · Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 30 Location: Pee Jay

guys... i would like to add on to this story.

you guys don't know that i was the one who got my friend from the crime desk of NST to write about this.

i was there when he interviewed people regarding them losing their dogs. and i was also there when he spoke to the Deputy Commissioner. i was shock to hear that the number of stolen dogs is "not a cause for alarm". to add on what was not reported in the article, the Deputy Commissioner said that in the past 7 months (Jan 2007 - July 2007), there were ONLY 6 reported cases.

if u think about it, it is quite not right. we hear or get emails sent to us about someone losing their dog on a weekly basis! we read in forums that dogs have been stolen. i understand that in some cases, lost dogs are because their owners didn't do a good job in closing the gate after it's opened.

but we're talking about stolen dogs now.

amazingly, these people claim that their dogs have been stolen, but most did not bother about going to the police. people, if your dogs are stolen, PLEASE LODGE A POLICE REPORT!

it doesn't matter if u believe or don't believe that the police will take action. don't just cry your eyes out and paste posters at pet shops, vets, street lamps or forums. go and lodge a police report. and then collect the official report a few days later. THIS IS IMPORTANT!

as long as there are 3 similar cases (in this case, stolen dogs) reported in a week, the Deputy Commissioner MUST BE informed! and actions MUST be taken!

this is a chicken-n-egg story. ppl don't bother about lodging a police report because they "believe" the police won't do anything about their dogs. at the same time, if you keep quiet and don't let them know what's going on, how the heck will they know that there is a syndicate that has been going around stealing dogs?!!

i don't wish for your dogs to be stolen, but the next time you receive an email or phone call that somebody's dog has been stolen, please advice them to lodge a police report.

do this for yourself and for the previous and next person who got their dogs stolen too!

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

This is why a pedigree cert is important. When buying a dog in the first place, always insist on a cert. Besides proving the pedigree of the dogs, it also proves its ownership. Those dogs that were kidnapped and bred, its puppies would not have the right cert, and therefore should have been valueless. Unfortunately, people still buy them at high prices.

Also, microchipping is very important. It is also another proof of ownership. We must also push our government to implement microchipping for pets.

filet0fish · Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 30 Location: Pee Jay

having a cert/microchip or not will not stop the problem.

yes... it does prove ownership of the dog IF the microchip is still in there.
if the scumbags want to do it, they can remove the chips. and perhaps replace the chips!
and being in Malaysia, everything pun boleh!

and how could these bad eggs replace chips? there are breeders out there with additional chips and certs. when 1 or 2 puppies from a litter passed, they could have well used the chips for other purposes then to return the chips. and i believe, MKA is not doing their rounds to breeders' houses to confirm the litter size anymore. they just pass it along based on trusts.

anyhow, i don't think it really matters now if your dog has a microchip or not.

we need to create the awareness now. and the more your neighbours know about your dogs, the guards are keeping at eye out for dogs in the neighbourhood the better. make friends with your neighbours if they see any suspicious looking people lurking outside your house. make it more difficult for these bad eggs to make a move on your dogs.