Beware! Dognappers pretend to be animal-control officers to steal dogs

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Here's a heads up I was forwarded meant for dog owning residents of British Columbia, Canada, but it's something for all dog owners to be wary of. --- By Kate Webb, The Province Published: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 Brazen dognappers posing as animal-control officers have seized a pup from its Burnaby home in an apparent attempt to rescue it. The theft of Tommy, a purebred American black lab worth more than $1,000, follows three unsuccessful attempts to snatch dogs in Surrey. In all cases, the dognappers arrived in vans with decals on the side reading "B.C. Animal Rescue and Control." They wore uniforms bearing the same name and produced fake documents showing they had the authority to seize the animals. "I can't say for sure it's the same group, but it's the exact sheet of paper as the one left in Surrey, except the name of the city is changed," SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk said yesterday. "They believe they are rescuing animals that need help, but it's sort of a vigilante approach." Tommy was stolen from the Toor family's home at about 2 p.m. on Monday. A man and a woman, both white, walked straight to the rear of the home in the 7900-block 16th Avenue, opened the door and seized the puppy from inside the house. The woman, a blond, was wearing a vest labelled "Animal Control. "My mother opened the window and said, What are you doing?' and the lady who was there putting the leash on, she started swearing at my mom," said Anju Parmar, whose niece, six-year-old Natasha Toor, got the dog for her birthday. Natasha's mom, Renu Toor, followed the woman to a van parked in front of the house. The dognapper threw a "notice of seizure" to the ground. It said she had the authority to seize the dog. But when the family called the SPCA to get the dog back, they were told no SPCA officer had seized a dog from their house. The SPCA has visited the Toor home four times to follow up on anonymous complaints in the past two months. After the family complied with the SPCA's requests for better fencing and shelter for the pup, it deemed them fit to care for the dog. Before each of the attempted dog snatchings in Surrey in December, anonymous calls were made to the SPCA complaining of cruelty. The SPCA, which receives 6,000 reports of cruelty each year and responds to every one, dispatched investigators to all of the homes and determined there were no grounds for removing any of the pets. In all three cases, the owners were suspicious of the phony officers and refused to turn over their pets. Police are investigating. "It's a pretty brazen act," said Cpl. Jane Baptista of the Burnaby RCMP. "If these guys are caught, they will likely be charged with impersonating a peace officer or a public officer, as well as one count of theft, and possibly break-and-enter." The SPCA is the only animal welfare organization in B.C. with the authority to enforce cruelty laws and remove animals in distress. "We wouldn't just come and take a dog and leave a piece of paper," said Chortyk, noting such a seizure would require a legal warrant, not a "notice of seizure." Meanwhile, Natasha just wants her puppy back. "Last night she was crying before she went to bed," said Parmar."It's very low. I don't think they have feelings at all. Who can take a dog? It's like taking a family member from us." Call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if you can help.