Pistol, a two-year-old tri-colour Border Collie, is an important part of Shirley Leavitt’s family.
But they’ve been without their beloved pup since Nov. 25. She vanished without a trace and the family is desperate to bring her home.
“Please let us have her back,” says Leavitt.
Leavitt lives just west of Cardston, Alta., and says Pistol was last seen near the Waterton Shell plant.
“Is she OK or has somebody hurt her? Or has she been run over?”
The Leavitt family doesn’t know if their dog was taken or took off, but there’s a possibility their experience could be part of a concerning trend.
Alberta RCMP say there are five investigations into what are believed to be dog thefts.
There are also about 150 cases of an ex-partner or known person taking a dog and refusing to give it back, which doesn’t technically qualify as theft.
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There are about 75 cases where the dog was reported stolen but later found, RCMP said.
The report from the RCMP also said there are about 30 fraud files related to dog transactions.
Staff at the Claresholm Animal Shelter are worried about what’s been happening to the animals in their community. Most recently they have been forced to turn down surrenders because they are running out of room.
“We’re turning down, on average, about 30 dogs a month of either surrenders or dumps — found dogs that we just can’t take,” says Lorraine Norgard, chairperson of the shelter.
The volume of cats being turned down at the shelter isn’t quite as bad, but volunteers say there are a number of reasons why people are coming in to drop off their pets.
“Finances is one thing. A lot of the new generation is irresponsible. ‘I don’t want it anymore.’ So, they just dump it,” Norgard said.
“A lot of people will not spay and neuter. Either they can’t afford it or they choose not to, thinking they’re going to make some money off a batch of pups and they don’t.”
They are hoping pet owners are responsible and consider all the cost factors and risks before committing to purchasing an animal.
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