A Yorkie was dognapped. A man who hunted al-Qaeda came to the rescue.

[douglas9]

Raquel Witherspoon had spent a frantic 24-hours searching for her daughter’s Yorkshire terrier, after making a shocking discovery. Footage from her doorbell camera showed a young woman with dyed-red hair creep onto her front porch, throw treats to Avery and then make off with the tiny dog.

Witherspoon’s 12-year-old daughter was distraught. Semaj relied on Avery for emotional support and could barely eat or sleep since he vanished. Suddenly, Witherspoon’s iPhone buzzed to life in her Maryland home that day after the pup disappeared in June.

In menacing texts laced with profanity and misspellings, someone said they had Avery and sent a video of the brown and black pup in a cage. Avery looked forlorn as he lifted his diminutive furry head to the camera.

The conversation was punctuated with a threat to kill the dog and a demand for ransom: “y’all not gettin y’all dog baxc y’all payin 1200 no funny’s.”

Witherspoon was the victim of a crime that appears to be on the rise across the nation: dognapping. Police generally don’t maintain statistics that separate stolen pets from other thefts, but the latest numbers available from an American Kennel Club affiliate that registers animals show dognappings increased 30 percent in the third quarter of 2022 over the same period the previous year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/12/maryland-yorkie-dognapped-rescue-team/

[ananda]

1. Wow!

Interesting story.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. How awful - for both the pup and the owner!

There are a lot of old TV shows on late at night and there was a Dragnet I saw where these two guys did just that. Only they didn't threaten anybody (this was the late '60s), they dognapped beloved pets out of cars in shopping plazas and waited for a reward to be offered in the newspaper. And of course they got caught!

[Quakerfriend]

4. Years ago our miniature poodle was stolen

and there were several witnesses who said they had seen an older woman and man take her.

So, I ran an add offering a reward.
Shortly thereafter I received a call from ‘a neighbor’ of those who had taken her. She said that they ‘do this all the time’ are ‘totally crazy’.

My sister and I went to their house and knocked.
At first they wouldn’t answer the door. I told them that I could see my dog and could I please have her back.
They handed her over.

[niyad]

3. May all involved receive everything they deserve.

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. Awful, but why was the dog on the front porch unattended? N/t

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Here's a no paywall link to the article

No paywall

Incredible and dedicated sleuthing. What an adorable pup and glad he is back with his forever family!

[Marthe48]

7. I have a friend who recovers lost dogs

She has tracked and caught dogs who took off from their homes, and either got lost or were enjoying the adventure too much to come home. She is becoming the go to person in the area if your dog gets loose. She also picks up dogs running loose and takes them to the humane society.

Around here, we have coyotes and bobcats and horrifically bad drivers. It is just not safe to let your pets out unattended.