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So I took PC to the dog park last night, just like I do every night. Lately, there have been Bulldog thefts in the area and owners of them told to watch your dog closely when you go to parks or Meetups. The San Diego Bulldog meetup has almost 500 members, and at least 100 show up to any given event, so it's a prime location for dog thefts. We do not go to those because a lot of the dogs are unneutered and aggressive and they advertise so publicly that anyone looking for a Bulldog knows where they will be and at what time. Our friends had one stolen out of their locked, gated yard in April and haven't seen him since.
So last night we are at the park, our local park, which is nowhere near the road. You have to drive up a hill and into the lot in order to even see this park, so it's not like these guys were driving through.
Two guys pull up and are just looking at the dogs. They notice PC and get out of the car with no dog, and just a leash. They walk up to him and me and are checking him out. They don't ask anything except if he's neutered. Those were the only words out of their mouth. Then they whisper to each other and are just acting really shady.
At that point, my dog senses something and goes beserk, growling and barking at the guy (he is one to rarely bark), and they move back and leave. They get into their car with the leash and drive off. They did not have a dog in the car, so now I'm paranoid and don't want to take him back to any park. My husband says I'm overreacting and they were probably just looking at the breed, but I highly doubt it since they only asked if he was neutered and nothing about the breed. I guess he's worthless to them because he is neutered. Would you go back to the park after this? I really hate people sometimes.
I would report that to the police....My guess is that they were hoping he was NOT neutered so maybe they could breed him? That is weird but it could be helpful that you have a description of the men and the car. Who goes to the dogpark with no dog but a leash just to ask questions? I would probably not go to the park alone for awhile....
I would report that to the police....My guess is that they were hoping he was NOT neutered so maybe they could breed him? That is weird but it could be helpful that you have a description of the men and the car. Who goes to the dogpark with no dog but a leash just to ask questions? I would probably not go to the park alone for awhile....
We moved to this area not that long ago and this is the best park we've found. It's not fenced, and there could be 70 dogs there and they're not on top of each other. In fact, most dogs just play ball with their owners and ignore all the other dogs. These guys totally ruined that for me.
It was Sunday, so there were only about 20 dogs there when they showed up, but if it was a weekday, there would have been at least 70 of the regulars and safer since we know them all well. I definitely remember what they looked like, since both were very distinct looking, so I'm trying to see if other Bulldog owners have seen them around.
I totally agree; you need to report them ASAP. There is no doubt in my mind they were looking for unaltered bullies to use in a back yard breeding operation.
I totally agree; you need to report them ASAP. There is no doubt in my mind they were looking for unaltered bullies to use in a back yard breeding operation.
I wanted to report them when they were there (I had my phone) but my husband said I'm being overly dramatic. Just another reason to neuter your pet, though I find that Bulldog owners around here are pretty stupid and refuse to spay/neuter their dogs because, "I paid so much for him/her that I want to make some money back by breeding." I hear that all the time. Let me tell you, nothing like an almost in-heat female at the dog park to get all the males going.
Wow! So...I wonder what they would have done if you said he wasn't neutered????? Grabbed him and run???? Yikes!!!
I would have taken down their lic.plate # and snapped a pic with your phone....smart dog PC for reacting the way he did!
Wow! So...I wonder what they would have done if you said he wasn't neutered????? Grabbed him and run???? Yikes!!!
I would have taken down their lic.plate # and snapped a pic with your phone....smart dog PC for reacting the way he did!
I'm so glad he did react that way! He's never done that at this park, because we know everyone, and he runs up to the people to be pet all the time. When they reached to touch him, he growled and moved back, which is not typical behavior for my dog.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see their plate because their car was all the way in the lot, but I did get a good look at them and know the make/model of their car, so that's a start.
Please notify the police! They need to know about this and, since you remember what they looked like, this will help. If nothing else, perhaps it will inspire them to send a patrol car through from time to time; if criminals know the parks are being watched by the authorities, hopefully they won't show up again and you can go back to enjoying your time w/PC.
Another way to look at it would be like this... let's say you are an elderly woman at the park with her dog. These would-be criminals could have taken advantage of her, whether or not the dog was neutered... they could have viewed her as an easy target and taken her purse, for example. Definitely NOT something that should happen while enjoying a public park!
Hope you and PC are well, and maybe next time you can head over to the park with a buddy.
I agree with everyone. Please report this. That is SO scary. I can't believe they would be so obvious about it... showing up to the dog park w/ no dog and a leash!!! Yikes!!!
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