Alarm over dog thefts

THE theft of a dog in Nenagh last week has added to hightened fears among owners following a number of similar incidents throughout Tipperary and the country in general.
Taff and Eileen Jones and their four children Cassandra (14), Emmet (13), Rhiannon (12), and Evan (9) were "heartbroken" when they returned from Emmet's Confirmation ceremony on Friday night last to discover that one of their two dogs, Suzie, a six-year-old Staffy Boxer-Cross dog, was missing.
"When leaving we locked the gates and when we got home at around 9.20pm only our other dog Paddy, a terrier, was waiting at the gate. I knew immediatey that Suzie had been stolen," Taff, who runs a car valeting business from his home at Tullaheady, told The Guardian. "We searched all over the place and called her, but she was gone."
Taff immediately posted a message with a picture of Suzie on Facebook, stating that she had been stolen and they were all heartbroken. The awful news subsequently generated a huge online reaction with large numbers of people sharing the post.
But ultimately, the story had a happy ending. Suzie was found by a local man, Jody McGeen, at the Dark/Grallagh Road junction later that night in an agitated and distressed state. Jody took Suzie to his own home for safe keeping, and seeing the post on Facebook, was able to alert Taff that his pet was safe and well.
"I reckon she must have bolted from the people who took her. She's a clever dog and was obviously making her way home when she was found on the Dark Road, which is only about half a mile from where we live," said Taff.
"Someone had tied a three feet length of red twine on her collar. The guards think she may have been in the process of being transferred from one vehicle to another when she bolted."
"When the guards came out to our house they pointed out to us a cable tie that had been tied on our gate. We never even spotted it," said Taff, whose testimony concurs with fears expressed by many other owners who believe dog thieves are using the plastic ties to mark houses where dogs are resident.
"My dogs never go out on to the road even when we leave the gates open, and on this occasion we locked the gates and we have a six foot high boundary all around. So, someone must have come on to our property to steal her."
Taff added that he and his wife Eileen and the children were thrilled to get Suzie back. "We're animal lovers, so I can only imagine what people who have had their dogs stolen must be going through - it's like losing a parent or a child.
“I can't thank Jody McGee enough for bringing Suzie home to his house and keeping her safe for us."
The ordeal experienced by the Jones family comes amid growing concerns about the rate of dog thefts in Tipperary and throughout the country in general.
Last week the classifed website DoneDeal said it was temporarily suspending advertisements for the sale of dogs after gardaí highlighted a number of thefts in recent months.
On Friday last Tipperary TD Michael Lowry reported that two Jack Russell pups were seized by gardaí after stopping a car on the Jimmy Doyle Road in Thurles. The pubs, christened Ben and Kev by the gardaí, were being cared for in the local station.
Meanwhile, Roscrea Independent councillor Shane Lee has reported that he has been contacted by concerned residents in his area who reported chalk marks on their gates - another method dogs owners say is being used by thieves to identify houses with dogs.
Back in Nenagh, a resident in the Ballycommon area said thieves were marking households that had dogs with chalk and cable ties. He said he had cut a plastic tie off the gate beside his home.
The latest developments follow the seizure in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, on Saturday week last of ten dogs that were believed to have been stolen.
Last week Tipperary Independent TD Mattie McGrath reported that gardaí in Tipperary and council dog wardens are to combine to try to stamp out such thefts in the county.
Deputy Mattie McGrath said dog theft was "a heinous crime". He said thieves were deploying drones to stake out properties and using cable ties to mark properties with dogs.
Deputy McGrath urged the public not to buy dogs from unreliable sources, saying that if there was no demand there would be no such crimes.
Gardaí believe many of the stolen dogs are are being shipped to the UK where prices being paid have spiralled in recent times.