When Stolen Pets are Advertised as “For Sale” Online

We often hear of criminal cases made under the pretext of stolen goods advertised online, from victims of mobile phone theft bringing theft perpetrators to court (with online ads as incriminating evidence), to persons noting the questionable state of advertised as “for sale” goods in online listings and shopping venues.

Early this month, a unique take on that situation took place, with the story of how Thunder, a blue-nose pit bull, was reported lost/stolen, and how Thunder was able to go home after the dognapping.

Owners Jenna and Edwin Drew reported Thunder being lost a few weeks ago, convinced that the dog was stolen, given its secure enclosure ruling out the whole “the dog accidentally got out” case. A local animal shelter based in Baker County, Fla, couldn’t find any trace of Thunder after doing its best in identifying a dog matching Thunder’s description, but shelter workers did something better.

They suggested scouring online advertisement/shopping/sale venues for potential leads of Thunder’s whereabouts to the Drews, and a Craiglist post stood to be a match.

After gaining insight over the listing’s details, the Drew’s learned that the listed dog was already sold, but this didn’t stop them from getting ahold of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.

The office managed to find leads on the buyer, who in turn revealed a Timothy Weathers being the seller of the dog. Long story short, Thunder was reunited with the Drews, as Weathers got charged and arrested for grand theft and criminal mischief related to the dealing of stolen property.

Thunder’s story can be somewhat linked to the theft of an award winning Great Dane, and as such stands as a reminder for pet owners to keep close watch over the safety of their wards.

The story also tells a moral: If your pet is missing, you may want to check Craiglist listings to see if he/she is there.

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