Bella’s return sparks fears of southside dognapping ring
A reunion between a family and their beloved pet dog who disappeared eight months ago has sparked fears of a dognapping syndicate operating south of Brisbane. WATCH THE MOVING MOMENT THE DOG IS FINALLY RETURNED
Logan
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A Logan dog, reunited with her family, eight months after she went missing, has reignited fears of a dognapping syndicate operating south of Brisbane.
CHIHUAHUA TAKEN FROM VET CLINIC SPARKS DOGNAPPING CASE
Bella, the Staffordshire bull terrier cross, went missing from her Slacks Creek home in March and, after being sold to a Bahrs Scrub couple for $200, was finally reunited with her family on the weekend.
She is the third dog this year to spark an investigation with police called and staff from Lost Dogs Logan, a free pet service which helps reunite owners and dogs, ready to sniff out the dognappers.
Lost Dogs Logan spokesman Rob Wright said the dog was sold from a Crestmead site and she was able to use an identification chip embedded in the dog’s ear to contact Bella’s owner.
“I got a call from an older woman in Bahrs Scrub who said Bella was lost and asked me to come and check the ID chip to track down the owners,” she said.
“I rang the number on the chip and the owner, Jade King, could not believe Bella was still alive after disappearing eight months ago.
“When he came to pick her up, it was amazing — Bella ran around in circles and was so excited to see the kids and Mr King — it was very emotional.”
Mr King said he and his three children had spent the past eight months thinking Bella was dead.
“I took the kids to school on March 10 and when I got home, Bella was not in her usual place out the front,” Mr King said.
“We looked everywhere for her but when she did not come home after a week, I feared the worst and told the kids.
“Bella is everything to us and has helped me to overcome depression so when she went missing, we were devastated.
“I would love to find the person who sold her.”
A day after Bella was returned home, a second family, who live in Bahrs Scrub, rang looking for their lost pooch.
“They had photos of Bella and a piece of paper with registration details and said she had gone missing during the storm on Sunday,” Ms Wright said.
“They paid $200 to a man in Crestmead eight months ago and had taken Bella into their family and grown very attached — they even held a birthday party with a cake for her when she turned two.
“It is highly concerning to know there is a man out there who is stealing and then selling dogs.”
Bella’s case is the fourth dog brought to the attention of police and Lost and Found Logan after going missing and then surfacing after being sold through a third party on the black market.
Jipsy the chihuahua was found after owners posted a $100 online reward to find the missing pooch, stolen from a vet clinic and later sold in a Bunnings carpark in June.
Last year, Frank the French bulldog was stolen from his Logan Reserve home with his grieving family paying $1200 for a billboard to search for him.
Sadly, he is still missing.
In July last year, Sara Whomsley’s pet Staffy Gertie was stolen from her Moorooka home.
But she was able to get her dog back from a man at a Slacks Creek address after he answered her lost dog ad on Facebook.and she paid him $300 for the dog’s return.
Ms Whomsley’s letterbox had a black tape mark, believed to be a sign that a home is targeted by professional dog nappers.