Recently in Pet theft Category

Speaking of stolen dogs, there was an interesting story from last week in our sister paper the Whittier Daily News:

A man and a woman were arrested on Sept. 27 for allegedly keeping their neighbor's missing dog, authorities said. They were booked on suspicion of receiving stolen property, said Los angeles County sheriff's Detective Rebecca Basnett.

..... Muneca, a 5-month-old purebred Siberian husky valued at about $1,000, disappeared from her yard in the 1100 block of Corley Drive on Sept. 19, detectives said.

More than a week later, after the neighborhood had been flooded with fliers reporting the missing animal, a neighbor told the dog's owner they'd spotted the missing puppy at another neighbor's home ...

Alberto Hernandez, 27, and Anna Gallardo, 19, were arrested for receiving stolen property and held in lieu of $20,000 bail, detectives said. Gallardo told investigators she was holding the dog at the request of Hernandez.

Here's that surveillance video that seems to confirm that Bubba the puppy was the victim of a dognapping. 

MISSING PUPPY 

BROWN BULL MASTIF NAMED BUBBA 

LAST SEEN IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSE 

1123 S. PATTON SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 

ON THE AFTERNOON OF OCT. 3RD 

WEIGHS 20-25 LBS AND HAS A RED COLLAR WITH TAGS 

NEEDS MEDICATION 

REWARD BEING OFFERED 

NO QUESTIONS ASKED, 

PLEASE CALL WITH ANY INFORMATION(310) 308-5666 OR (310) 892-2223

Some "welcome" to the neighborhood. 

We have some new neighbors who were just moving in this weekend when their 11-week-old, purebred bull mastiff puppy, Bubba, was apparently stolen. 

When I got home from church this afternoon, a crew of friends and relatives were mobilizing with signs and flyers in an effort to help the couple find their dog.

There's reason for hope. Another neighbor happens to have a video camera that's installed on their property and she says the stolen puppy caper was caught on tape. The videotape  reportedly shows a woman driving up and stopping her gray FJ Cruiser (with roof racks), then picking the puppy up from in front of the house in the Vista Del Oro section of San Pedro.

The couple moving in had spent much time securing (they thought) the backyard for the puppy before moving in. But puppies are puppies and he apparently made his way out Saturday and was sitting in front of the house when he was seen being taken (the owners were gone).

Bubba was wearing a red collar and a large ID tag. He weighs about 25 pounds and is fawn colored. These are recent photos of him posted here. 

If you know anything about his whereabouts, give his owners a call: 310-308-5666 or 310-892-2223. Hopefully with everyone on the look-out and a videotape of the incident, he'll be back in his new home soon.