West Seattle Crime Watch: Westwood dognapping?

| Crime | Pets | West Seattle news | Westwood

A Westwood resident who wants to remain anonymous believes someone stole her missing chocolate Labrador/pointer mix (shown at left), just 16 months old, and wants to ask you to be on the lookout. She says the thief or thieves removed “panels from a wooden fence” to get onto the property and “poorly patched up the fence in an attempt to hide their robbery.” They say they’ve reported this to Seattle Police as well as the Seattle Animal Shelter and they have reason to suspect the culprits might be in the neighborhood, so they are asking fellow West Seattleites to watch for their dog. She has a chip and was wearing its tags when taken. If you have any information, they have an e-mailbox set up via CL; click here to launch a mail window.

d October 10, 2008 (5:38 pm)

I travel through Westwood frequently, so I’ll keep an open eye.

But I am wondering what the dog’s name is. Does the owner think it would come to a stranger if called by name?

WSB October 10, 2008 (5:39 pm)

I’ll ask.

j October 10, 2008 (7:00 pm)

Not trying to be overly skeptical, but “removed panels from a wooden fence”….and “poorly patched” it? Is is possible that the dog itself pulled the boards open and left?

Unless there is more to the story, it seems odd to assume someone stole her dog. A 16 month old lab can be very strong, capable and curious enough to escape. And the description sounds exactly like an escape, too!

B October 10, 2008 (7:41 pm)

If her dog was stolen, this is absolutely disgusting. For most people taking someone’s dog is like kidnapping a member of their family.

HTL October 10, 2008 (8:27 pm)

I am in the Westwood area frequently, and will keep an eye out. However, dog theft is a not uncommon occurrence; all dog owners would be well advised not to leave their pets out in the yard when they are not supervised (we certainly don’t, for this very reason).

With all of the dogs just waiting to be adopted, it seems ridiculous that someone would stoop so low as to steal one. Obviously, however, someone is out to disprove this hypothesis.

Anna October 13, 2008 (3:23 pm)

If she has a chip in her, wouldn’t the owner be able to run some sort of GPS/trace? Otherwise, what is the point of chipping?

Tim October 14, 2008 (6:03 am)

Hi this is my little girl. Her name is Ading( pronounced AH-Ding, it means baby sister) and she would acknowledge if somebody called her name. She may not come to you but if you see her let us know. We believe there was foul play because the fence boards were put back in place with a brick leaning on them. Thank you for any help you can give us.

Niki October 14, 2008 (6:30 am)

I was sadly surprised to hear from the Animal Shelter that dog/pet theft in Seattle is actually fairly common.

Regarding chips, most aren’t trackable by GPS. If a lost pet is found, the animal shelter or any vet clinic can scan the chip for the owner’s information.

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