In Ohio, a group of investigative reporters has uncovered an alarming upsurge in dog theft. Embarrassingly, the team also discovered that the state’s laws mean criminals face little to no punishment for this heinous crime.
FOX8 in Cleveland reports that its investigative journalism team — named the I-Team — decided to research the issue after several recently reported dognappings occurred locally. Alongside their investigation, the I-Team also spoke to several experts about whether what they were witnessing was an isolated event or part of a national trend.
Tom Sharp is a spokesperson for AKC Reunite, a national nonprofit that uses microchipping to help reunite lost or stolen dogs with their parents. According to Sharp, Ohio is not alone when it comes to dog theft. “Pets reported stolen to us are up 30% year over year,” says Sharp.
Furthermore, he says that people’s motivations for stealing dogs have changed with the pandemic. According to Sharp, the increase in people working from home during lockdown led to direct inflation of puppy prices, both nationally and overseas. As a result, many people saw an opportunity to make money by reselling dogs to the highest bidder.
FOX8 spoke to several locals about their experiences struggling with dog theft. One person, Pascal Mahvi, suspected a delivery driver had stolen his dog, Murphy. Initially, Mahvi offered a reward for his return. After reaching out to the police for help, Mahvi says somebody dropped Murphy off at the police station. “23 days of torture. It was not fun. 23 days,” said Mahvi.
Getting the Law on people’s side
Unfortunately, the I-Team found that Ohio’s laws don’t do much to prevent dog theft. Ohio classifies the crime as a misdemeanor, with only a fine and a low possibility of jail time. After contacting local lawmakers, however, it seems that some are heeding the call to do more for people’s pets.
“This is one of those laws that needs updating. It doesn’t pass the smell test. We should be doing everything we can to deter stealing, or pet-napping, or theft or whatever,” says State Representative Casey Weinstein. Another lawmaker, State Senator Kenny Yuko, told FOX8 that he would work on getting tougher penalties for stealing dogs. According to Yuko, “And maybe if we do that, people think about the consequences. It might deter the thoughts of someone taking someone’s dog.”
