Dog homeowners in Alberta, Canada, are on excessive alert following the alarming enhance in canine theft circumstances throughout the province. In response, a newly shaped advocacy group is looking for the enforcement of stiffer animal safety legal guidelines to assist curb the rising disaster.
Dozens of alleged canine thefts have occurred in Alberta in recent months
According to the Alberta Abducted Dogs Welfare Association (AADWA) — a brand new advocacy group majorly targeted on monitoring the variety of lacking dogs in Alberta — about 52 dogs have been stolen throughout the province since Nov. 2023. Through their investigations, the AADWA found {that a} majority of the stolen dogs had been giant, rural dogs.
AADWA is made up of canine homeowners who’ve misplaced their pets to thieves, canine rescuers, and ex-police officers.
While talking to CTV News, Aynsley Foss, an AADWA board member, recalled how her canine disappeared, by no means to be seen once more. Foss advised the information outlet her Maremma livestock guardian dog went lacking in November of final yr. “She was kind of stolen right under my nose as I was doing farm chores,” she defined.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) can’t affirm whether or not canine thefts in Alberta are certainly increased now than ever. This is as a result of they don’t usually monitor canine theft circumstances individually from different theft circumstances.
There aren’t any reported puppy mills or dog fighting rings in Southern Alberta, stated a spokesperson for Alberta RCMP. For this purpose, the RCMP can’t fairly pinpoint the driving power behind the rising canine thefts.
Nonetheless, the AADWA desires the federal government to implement more durable legal guidelines that may deter canine thieves. Under present Canadian regulation, solely theft circumstances involving $5,000-plus valuables are thought-about worthy of harsher penalties and longer jail sentences. Unfortunately, the regulation classifies canine theft as “under $5,000 theft.”
“People must be held accountable when they’re stealing somebody’s animal as a result of it’s a lot completely different than stealing a sofa or a TV. You’re stealing a bit of somebody’s household, “Erin Deems, an AADWA member, said.
