Why do people steal other folks' pets?

There are many reasons why people steal other people's pets. Some of them are quite sad, too. Of course there is the obvious... someone spots a dog that seems like a great pet that they would like to have and, maybe they can't afford to just go get their own in some way, so they just take it. Sometimes it's a parent wanting to give their child a pet, even. That's still no excuse for stealing someone else's pet, but it happens often enough. Another reason people's pets get stolen, especially cats and small dogs, is very, very sad. It used to be that you'd hear people's pets were being stolen "to be used in laboratory experiments" but research companies actually raise their own animals for this purpose. However, what is true is that dog fighting rings will steal small animals and use them to "bait" their fighting dogs. Basically, to train their dog to attack and kill without them actually getting hurt themselves. They will start with small dogs and cats and move up to submissive, bigger dogs, as a way of training the fighting dogs to be more aggressive so they're prepared for a fight against a rival. This is the epitome in dog fighting cruelty, too. It tears my heart out to think that this is how some family pets, pets that have known nothing but love, will meet their end. Yet another reason why dog fighting needs to be stopped.