Pets probably look forward to the summer season just as much as their owners do, however with weather conditions becoming ideal for outside play time there are a few dangers pet owners should be aware of. Aside from protection from pests and overheating, be sure your pet is safe from prowlers.
Starke County Humane Society Director Shanna Lloyd wants to warn people about the very real danger of dognapping,
“We receive calls every month about this particular issue, whether this be people that are concerned that their personal house pet has been possibly stolen, or maybe someone was attempting to steal their dog. We certainly have some tips for that. Number one: Always make it difficult for someone to just walk in and take your pet out of your yard. So if they’re outside we encourage you to keep them in a fenced in area to avoid the animal running as a stray and being easily picked up by anybody that’s just going down the road. Secondly if you do see at any point in time a suspicious vehicle going very slow past where your pets are out in the yard, running around.. get a description of that vehicle. Give us a call, let the police department know. The only way that we’re going to be able to stop these people is to get the information out there as soon as possible that they’re out their prowling trying to possibly take your animals”
People looking to place an animal in another home should also practice caution when doing so. Aside from dog-napping there is a growing popularity of ‘dog-flipping’ which is another danger that your animal could face by ending up in the wrong hands.
Shanna Lloyd provided some tips for people looking for a new home for their animal,
“If you have an animal to place we really discourage you advertising placing it in a home for free. This opens up the animal to perhaps the wrong type of people that don’t have the best intentions for your pet. There is unfortunately dog fighting that does go on in the area and there is also something called ‘dog-flipping where people will take your puppies that you may have or if you have an animal that they think they can resell and make a profit they essentially just advertise them on craigslist, on facebook pages and they’re just standing to look to get some money out of it and they’re not going to offer your pet a good home.”
To be sure your animal ends up in a loving home, Lloyd suggests charging a new-homing fee and making note of the interested individuals’ personal information. Someone looking to sell the dog for profit would most likely be unwilling to provide either.
By taking heed of these tips you can be sure the only dog-napping you need to deal with this summer is taking place in the sunspot on your living room floor.
