MACON, Ga. — The American Kennel Club says pet theft is on the rise, especially in more expensive breeds such as yorkies or chihuahuas.
Just this weekend, two goldendoodle puppies were stolen from a pet shop in Macon.
Manager of Noah's Ark Pet Store Alan Keene says the thieves would have had to have broken in during the early morning hours after the shop was closed up. He says thieves smashed in the window and took the puppies.
While those puppies are still missing, more animals could be at risk of pet theft.
Heather Zaresky owns Georgia Canine Rescue and Rehabilitation. She says she’s extra careful with their dogs at the rescue.
"People think when you put your dogs in your backyard that they’re going to be safe, but unfortunately, the world is changing," said Zaresky.
The American Kennel Club says they've been tracking pet thefts and the number keeps increasing, especially in more expensive or smaller breeds like Shih Tzu or Maltese.
"They’re smaller so you can just pick them up put them in a bag and no one knows none the wiser," said Hunter.
Brandi Hunter with the AKC says to deter thieves, don’t leave your dog in your yard without watching over them and avoid posting on social media about leaving for vacation.
She says a a couple years back there was a Dallas Cowboys player posting online he was on vacation and his friend was watching his house, and someone broke in and stole his dog.
Hunter says to be careful about the information you give to strangers about the cost of the breed, and if you’re used to going to the park with your dog alone at a certain time, be cautious of people who are looking at the dog. She says it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
More information on dog theft here.
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She adds when it comes to thefts, like those goldendoodle puppies, it’s extremely hard to trace them back without microchips that can prove ownership.
Microchips are implanted chips about the size of a grain of rice that contain information about the animal and who it belongs to.
"Microchipping is not like a GPS, so it's not going to find your dog, but it is implanted. It's something that people can't see, so they don’t know it is, so it might not be tomorrow or the next day, but eventually that microchip is going to be scanned and tracked back to you," said Zaresky.
Zaresky says she pushes microchipping. They even offer discounts at microchipping events to make sure that the animals they adopt don’t end up running away or being returned to a shelter and back in a cage.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says someone is caught stealing a dog, the crime is theft by taking.
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