Atlanta

Dog owners beware: Thieves are targeting expensive breeds, selling them for thousands

By Tom Regan, WSB-TV
By Tom Regan, WSB-TV

ATLANTA — Increasing numbers of dogs, especially pure breeds, are being stolen in metro Atlanta and across the country by thieves trying to make a quick buck.

Channel 2’s Tom Regan spoke with one woman who said her dog was taken from her front yard and is still missing.

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The American Kennel Club says reports of dog theft have been increasing by over 20 % per year, since 2021.

“This is a big problem. It was up 140% over the previous four years. That is how much it has been going up.” said American Kennel Club Reunite CEO Tom Sharp.

The American Kennel Club says the top five stolen breeds currently are French Bulldog, German Shepard, Labrador Retriever, Siberian Husky, Yorkshire Terrier, and Shih Tzu. Thieves can quickly sell these high-in-demand breeds for a huge profit.

“To buy a Yorkie from a reputable breeder could easily be $1,500 to $2,000. So if you get that dog for nothing because you stole it, and you turn around and sell it for $500 to $1,000 to someone who is not going to ask a lot of questions, you just made a lot of money,” said Sharp.

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Jess Sonnenberg, who lives in southeast Atlanta, says a man stole her Yorkshire Terrier after he left the porch of her home nearly two weeks ago. She said partial images of the theft were caught on a porch camera.

“Someone walked up, petted him, took pictures of him. Then right off camera, he picked him up and walked down the street. We have three neighbors who confirmed he was holding our dog,” said Sonnenberg.

She spends hours each day posting flyers of the missing dog Murray in the neighborhood, while also asking around if anyone has seen her dog.

“Your pet is a member of your family. It’s devastating. To have it stolen, I just can’t believe people would do that. You know it’s not a car or a watch. It’s a living thing. I mean he has to be terrified. It’s not his home. I don’t know if he’s been abused. He’s a member of our family, but he may be just an animal to someone else,” said Sonnenberg.

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The American Kennel Club Reunite is the nation’s largest pet microchip and recovery service. Sharp says chipping your pet will help to identify it, in the event that the animal is stolen.

Sonnenberg says her dog has a microchip. She is hopeful that will help bring him home.

“We are not interested in anything but getting our dog back. We are offering a reward. Even if the person who took our dog just brings him back, we don’t want anything else but that,” said Sonnenberg.

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