The past 51 days for Lisa Arcaro have been filled with sadness and tears. Her dog Presley was stolen out of a fenced in yard while he was at a private doggy daycare facility.
“Only my dog was stolen,” Arcaro said. “I am offering a $3,000 reward. I started a Facebook page Bring Presley Home. They are thieves so you would think they want money so I can't figure out what I can do to talk whoever it is into giving him back.”
Arcaro’s story is one out of many involving a family pet stolen in the Bay Area. Some are sold on Craigslist for profit, others are used as bate dogs for fighting rings.
“Hopefully, Presley didn’t meet an awful end,” Arcaro said.
Tracking down a stolen dog is tough. Many law enforcement agencies don’t have the resources and if your dog is micro-chipped, but you forgot to register the chip, law enforcement, in some cases may not be able to take your side and prove it is your dog. At that point, it might turn into a civil issue.
“It is happening more and more all the time,” Michelle McClusky said.
McClusky started a Facebook group Stolen Pets of Florida after she learned of a friend that was having trouble tracking down their stolen dog. A lover of animals McClusky maintains the page and actually helps people that post pictures of lost animals try and track down where they are.
“The best advice is always stay with your dog, even if he is in the backyard,” McClusky said. “File a police report, so there is a record. Get your dog microchipped and register it. A lot of people don’t.”
McClusky said there are people with stolen parrots and cats as well. The page in less than two months has already grown to 600 members and each day gains more attention.
“I want it to be a good reference,” McClusky said. “If you are buying a dog look on the page to see if you see it stolen.”
Arcaro said she is holding out hope that her dog is found. The emotional toll it has taken on her has been debilitating.
“I just want to spend whatever time he has left with him and these people are stealing that from me,” Arcaro said. “My mom is 80 and she is dying. She just wants to hold Presley one last time and I can't even give her that because of these people. We don't have kids. So, these are our kids and we'll do anything to get him back.”
