How frustrating is this situation?!
JACKSON — A rash of dog disappearances has dog owners on alert in northwest Wyoming, particularly in Lincoln County.
Mary Ann Ahrens with the Animal Humane Association of Star Valley said there have been between 12 and 14 dogs taken from cars and yards from Smoot to Alpine since early August. All the dogs are Labrador retrievers.
“It’s getting bad,” Ahrens said. “These dogs are just disappearing.”
We’re talking smashing car windows to steal pets, removing them from the bed of a pickup, or just stealing them from private property. It isn’t believed that the labs are being stolen for hunting - duh! Hunters are typically hard working and have more character than to steal other’s dogs.
The suspected reason is sickening:
Some have speculated the dogs are being taken to be used as “bait” in dogfighting rings. In late August, an alleged dogfighting ring was busted in Malad, Idaho, about 50 miles south of Idaho Falls.
Ahrens said this might make sense, as Labs are friendly and will “go with anybody.”
This is just as sick:
Ahrens said this might make sense, as Labs are friendly and will “go with anybody.”
She said there is speculation the dogs are being used by methamphetamine dealers, who will shoot the dogs up with meth and if the dogs die, they know it’s not a “good” batch. That is just hearsay, Ahrens said.
Well, Wyoming practically rolls out the red carpet inviting people to take up dogfighting:
Wyoming and Idaho are the only two states in the country where dogfighting is not a felony.
A dogfighting conviction in Idaho can carry a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. In Wyoming, punishment can be up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
I think the Humane Society has attempted to get the state legislators to make dogfighting a felony. However, when your legislature is only in session for 40 days per year, and every other year is a budget session, it can be difficult to get proper laws passed. Either way, I think Wyoming needs to just take the time to penalize such crimes in the fashion they deserve.
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OH my goodness i can not take how cute that puppy is.! Your gop hub button is up by the way ;)!
Lol MZ! You commented under me.
I fixed it for you.
I know, that puppy is too cute. I chose him to emphasize the insanity of stupid dognappers stealing peoples’ pets for cruel reasons.
If these dognappers are stealing these dogs for the possible reasons listed in the article … they should truly be shot in the head.
That is just awful! My Grandpa Dean raised, trained and sold black labs for hunting.
(I think it about killed him to give us grandkids one for a pet)
I cannot imagine anyone ever wanting to hurt “Duke” or any of the other Labs out there.
Perhaps every owner caught fighting dogs should themelves be forced to fight to their death.
I know CavMom — it’s just heart breaking to even think about. I wish I knew what caused people to be so freaking cruel to defenseless animals. Just ticks me off.
When my lab died in ‘05 (at the age of 12), I was heartbroken. I cannot imagine how those owners must be feeling.
The new puppy (the super-cute one in my Facebook) is definitely a love-everyone dog. I walked in the back door around midnight, never having met her, and didn’t get a bark. I got a slobber, a tail wag, and a “please love on my cuteness” look.
As for dogfighting - please, that’s like… well, I would say that’s like kicking dogs, but it’s worse. Anyone who picks on something so defenceless and tortures it to death is too good for shooting. Long, slow death of starvation in the Alaskan wilderness - maybe that’s how they should go.
So very sad.
Hi Bridget,
I can’t even stand to think about how these pet owners are feeling. I’d be hunting me some dogfighting rings with guns a blazin’.
What’s the new puppy’s name? He’s so cute!!! (Or is it a she?)
Gah… words can’t even express how much crap like this pisses me off. It’s kind of like killing babies, or trying to kill off old people and the disabled. Picking on people (or in this case dogs) that can’t defend themselves, yeah, nice work.
Like Bridget, I think shooting is too nice a punishment for these freaks. I think we oughta bloody ‘em up a bit and stick ‘em in a shark tank. Just my opinion.
Hi Tieki,
As bad as this is, the only way to get something done about it is to get the citizens upset and keep it at the front of the media as much as possible.
Same goes with that whole Michael Vick fiasco. At least it’s bringing attention to a cruel barbaric practice, that normal, humane individuals usually do not give much thought to. I mean, why would we? Who would imagine that people could be such low life scum sucking individuals? Yet, to combat it, we must recognize that it goes on.
I have been told that dogfighting is very common on the reservation — and you know how difficult it is to uphold the law on that place.
It’s not what you guys think. You should be blaming the environmentalists for re-introducing wolves into your state, as if it was falling apart without them.
See, wolves group together in packs, or what humans call a ‘gang’. Gangs, as we all know, have been known to break into cars as well as commit other crimes. Wolves are no different.
It’s possible that they are breaking in to eat the dogs but recent evidence suggests they are trying to recruit the dogs as new gang members. Sadly, dogs are notoriously gullible and sometimes fall in with a bad crowd, aka wolves.
Face it Wyomingites, Idahoans, and Montanans. If you aren’t shooting wolves, you hate dogs. Don’t let man’s best friend be led into a life of crime. Kill a wolf, save a puppy! It’s that simple.
(You have to admit, the logic is pretty sound. If you don’t, you hate dogs!:))
Oh my Kevin! Where do you get this stuff? Too funny!
And this post needs a lighter side to it.
I think you could market these bumper stickers in the tri-state area, become rich, and move to Jackson to ski all winter:
We have had incidents along these lines in the past around here. However, the culprit was not anything you guys have mentioned thus far… it was the anti-hunting imbeciles. All the dogs were hunting types taken just about now… the onset of hunting season.
My pointers are both chipped and they always get locked into my truck cab, in plain view when I am not there. Otherwise, they stay with me. Since they patently refuse to carry (it’s the only liberal sign they have ever exhibited!), I keep a pistol in my pocket at all times, too.
Thats just sick. I love black labs, I have had one most of my life. I hope the lawmakers get with the program.
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