Show Dogs Worth $500K Stolen From Motel

http://www.latimes.com/features/odd-news/ktla-stolen-show-dogs,0,72...

My heart just broke when I saw this on the news this a.m.
Two of the dogs are corgis!

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on December 1, 2010 at 7:58am

Leaving your dogs in a van at a dog show seems stupid to me. I leave Waffle in the car when I go to the grocery store, but never more than 10 minutes! And the entire time, I'm freaking out because he could get stolen. .... -__- If they cared that much about their dogs, they would have brought them inside. I'm sure turning on the AC was not out of the question.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on December 1, 2010 at 9:21am

You have to wonder if the reporting of such high values was a way to let the thieves know that the dogs were valuable so they would not hurt them or just drop them off. I wonder if any of our members that show their dogs will comment. I am not sure how often someone would leave dogs in the car over night but I don't take lots of dogs to dog shows either. Hope the dogs are found safe!

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Permalink Reply by Shepdog on December 2, 2010 at 6:09pm

Sure... I'll comment. I don't leave my dogs overnight in the car when I go to shows. However, this may not be a "van" like your run of the mill van you're driving. Lots of these vans are totallly stripped out for the dogs, have a generator in them for AC/Heat, and are actually sometimes pretty darn cushy. Some of them I'd sleep in over some of the hotels I've slept in, thanks. Like the one with no light bulbs in the whole room, that was pretty darn awesome, haha! ;)

I think that many professional handlers do leave some dogs in rigs set up for them. Some dogs are tweaky and barky about being inside all night with people walking up and down the hallways, with the elevator noise, with people next door. They get stressed out, over anxious, and it's just easier on the dog to say in a secure, quiet place (their van or inside the rv or the trailer.) They may have simply been more comfortable outside than inside the room with the other dogs she also had with her -- I simply don't know the situation. I know the guy next to us at the last show had to take his dog to his car after the dog barked for nearly an hour straight, yipes.

As for the price on the dogs, I've noticed it varying from sources. I will say to campaign and have a dog to a #2 standing is a whole lot of money. I wouldn't doubt there's a 100,000. in the dog in show fees and ad fees and campaign/handler fees. But that said, I doubt they would have been able to claim it. I think the money part was perhaps put in by the reporting agencies to bring up the drama of it a little bit (since I've not seen it in every single article about the dogs) and to make the thief realize they'd be better off getting the dogs out of their hands asap.

Glad they got their dogs back -- and their van.

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Permalink Reply by Gail and Ashton on December 1, 2010 at 12:57pm

Part of me feels like maybe they gave the huge price just to get the news coverage. How many times a day do you see missing pet stories on the news? Honestly the last time I can remember hearing one was Jessica Simpson's dog and I'm sure they only talked about that because she is a celebrity. For everyday people like me there is no way it would ever end up on the news.

I really hope the dogs are safe. I would never leave a child alone in a car so there is no way I would ever leave my dogs alone. If my hubby and I are out running errands I will wait in the car with Ashton. Never ever alone. If someone is going to steal my car with my dogs in it, they are getting me along for the ride too. There is no reason to leave them in the van unattended.