Dog and cat thieves hit animal shelters to avoid fees and fines

SASKATOON - People who snatch dogs and kidnap kittens from animal shelters are breaking the law simply because they don't want to pay fees or fines, say animal rescue workers.

"I've caught a few people stuffing (pets) under their jackets, and there are people who have gotten away with it," says Joan Kobylko, with the Yorkton Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"It can get pricey getting an animal out of a shelter. A lot of people think they should be free."

Last week, a culprit broke into the Yorkton SPCA building over night, snapped locks and chains, and swiped a beagle-shepherd cross from its kennel.

Kobylko says it's obvious the pooch was targeted, possibly by its owner, although RCMP have yet to crack the case.

"There were lots of dogs here, lots of really cute dogs," Kobylko says.

The stolen dog, picked up as a stray, was aggressive and bit Kobylko a few days earlier. The dog wasn't yet up for adoption because Kobylko wanted to work on its behaviour issues.

The shelter has been robbed of animals before, both during and after hours, she says. Some people have slipped kittens and puppies under their coats and walked out of the building.

If Kobylko catches them, she takes back the animals and writes down licence plate numbers of the offenders in case they return.

It usually comes down to money, she says.

Most shelters have mandatory spay, neuter and vaccination programs. If roaming animals are picked up by animal control officers, there are pound fees, daily care costs and possible fines if they are unlicensed.

Pet theft from shelters has been a sporadic problem across the country.

In 2007, a black Labrador-cross named Charlie was stolen from a dog-run at the SPCA in Sudbury, Ont. The dog disappeared, along with its bowl of water.

Last year, RCMP in Kamloops, B.C., arrested two girls who broke into the local SPCA through a rooftop skylight. Each girl was caught carrying a puppy under her arm.

"We're getting cute puppies," they told officers.

Tiffiny Koback with the Saskatoon SPCA says there have been some brazen theft attempts at her shelter.

"We've had people try and distract the office staff while somebody sneaks in the back with tools to cut their animal out of a kennel," she says.

"We've had all kinds of stuff happen like that."

Saskatoon staff are also on the alert for underhanded people trying to manipulate the system by waiting until an animal is adopted by someone else and then steal it from its new home, Koback says.

"Fortunately, we don't see a lot of that."

An alarm system has so far prevented break-ins at the Regina Humane Society.

But spokeswoman Gail MacMillan says people have threatened to force their way in to steal back animals.

"People do get angry," she says. "They object to the fact that we're charging for these animals and mandating spaying and neutering. They're not thinking rationally, or they're just plain stupid maybe.

"What they tend, in the heat of the moment, not to realize is that they're lucky their animal is here safe and sound and well fed rather than lying crushed under a vehicle on the streets."