Went to visit my sister today, to find she is very worried about a group of travellers camped near the town she lives in. Apparently a few of them were wandering around the streets and knocking on doors if they saw a dog or heard a dog. The breeders she got her staffie off had these travellers knock on their door and they demanded the breeder hand over her dogs. When she refused they yelled they'd be back and have the dogs anyway.

My sister has stopped walking her dog in the local area incase any of these people see her. The breeder of her dog told the police but they said unless their house was broken into there is nothing they can do.

Could you possibly take her dogs to stay with you for a couple of weeks or so?

Margot

Unfortunately not I have my own dogs and I have my daughters dogs staying here too. I think she'd fret even if I had the dog. Her house is like Fort Knox at the minute!

When I called she was not expecting me, so she opened the door an inch or two looked out before taking the chains off. Even then I couldn't see her dog, he was hidden away with her other half who works nights.

How worrying :(

There was a story tonight in our local paper about a four month old staffy puppy stolen from a back garden :( People are so cruel stealing someones pet, the two young children are heartbroken.

i take my dog out with me whenrever i can, if i came home and had been burgled the only thing i would care a about loosing was my dog.

That's awful, I hope she manages to keep the dogs safe. :-(

It makes me mad at how we are now living in a society where dog napping is common.  Be it drugs, debt etc, nothing can justify taking a loved one from his or her loving home.  Too often we hear of dogs being stolen, either for a quick buck or sometimes for something more sinister. 

I too, have a staffie and sometimes my partner thinks I am paranoid when I insist the garden gate is padlocked, she is always within sight of me, she is microchipped etc etc. 

Poppy is one of the most important things in my life.  She loves me unconditionally, she has a fantastic sense of humour, she is always there to make me feel good, no matter how low I feel.  These people who take our loved ones have no sense, no feelings.  I have done everything possible to make sure that if Poppy should ever slip her lead or escape from our garden or be taken by someone, I can find her. 

But unfortunately, as we hear too often, this is not enough.  I would say to every person here, as dog lovers, keep an eye on the lost dogs websites e.g doglost.co.uk.  (sorry but can't do links).  If we could each put up 5 posters for each dog missing in our area,then we have a better chance of reuniting dogs with their owners, whatever the circumstances. 

Hiya polly not to alarm you but i know of several people who have had staffies stolen in the Essex area. even whilst out walking them, the gypsies have followed and waited to hear the dogs name. then shouted the dog and done a runner with the dogs. apparently there is a large gypsie site where they are selling these dogs on.
regards polly_45xxx

I noticed in our local Ad paper this week, two different notices for missing staffies in the Aberdeen area, one was male the other a bitch.I dont know how they have come to be missing whether stolen or wandered off,
but im certainly wary of strangers in the area.

This particular group of gypsies moved in two or three weeks back, they are near Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire. From what I can find out they are somewhere on the Billington Road.

Leighton Buzzard is close to Milton Keynes, and I noticed that on Dog Lost several dogs have gone from the Milton Keynes area.

a few years ago i had i westie and one day she went missing she had a tag on her collar and somebody phoned me to say that they had her and when he brought her back he told me that if she was a boy he was going to keep her, he said that he had a male westie and was wanting another but not a girl. after checking my garden to see where she had got out i realised that she had not escaped and that the back gate and the run gate were both open so somebody had let her out. i think it was him and after he took her he realised that it was a girl and so brought her back.

Thats terrible, some people :anger: make me sick...

I would be heart broken if my dogs went missing, my back gates are all locked except the side one and I always make sure it is shut before I put them out... Plus with the 4 bostons they sure make a racket when some one walks by or even near our yard so Iam always looking out to make sure they are ok... I even put T-Bone out to keep an eye on the rabbit which she does an excellent job doing...

A staffy has Been stolen from  a secure Garden Leighton Buzzard ,she is Due pups in 2 weeks.