Dog Napping is on the Rise in Midland

MIDLAND – Purebred French and English Bulldog owners in Midland beware as theft of those dogs is on the rise.

Sarah Vincent, a French Bulldog owner, said her bulldog, Bella Mae, was stolen out of her front yard.

Vincent said, “She was sitting right by me, and a car came up on the side of the house – didn’t think anything of it- and I heard a car door, looked up, and Bella Mae was gone.”. Vincent said she felt panic take over and she quickly took to social media.

“That was the worst 35 hours of my life.,” Vincent said

The dog-nappers dumped Bella Mae at the Momentum Bank Ballpark less than two days later thanks in part to social media.

“It’s an uncalled-for business, and it’s absolutely moved into the Midland community,” Vincent said.

Another Midland resident, Alex Rendon, was not as lucky. Rendon had his backyard broken into and his English Bulldog puppy, Cooper, stolen.

“That’s not something we were really prepared for, and like I said, he’s out there for 15-20 minutes each time. You don’t expect something to happen that quick,” Rendon said. “We hope whoever has him has the heart to bring him back.”

These types of dogs can sell for $15,000.00.

The high-value dog breeds according to petkeen.com are:

1. Tibetan Mastiff
2. Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
3. Samoyed
4. Lowchen
5. Chow Chow
6. Azawakh
7. Rottweiler
8. Canadian Eskimo
9. Dogo Argentino
10. Pharaoh Hound
11. Afghan Hound
12. Akita
13. French Bulldog
14. Saluki
15. Portuguese Water Dog
16. English Bulldog
17. Bedlington Terrier
18. Irish Wolfhound
19. Lakeland Terrier
20. Saint Bernard

Theft of a high-value breed dog is a felony due to the value of the dog.