Re: [pyrnet] Re: Lost Dogs

["Linda Weisser" <lmweisser@attbi.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rhonda Collins" <rhonda@castlepublishing.com>


<<She says that there are
unsubstantiated rumors of people stealing big dogs to sell to the med
schools in the area. Because big dogs are easier to cut up! >>

I think that the real key word here is "unsubstantiated".  These rumors have
flown around the net since it started and around the grapvine before that.
There was a time when labs and/or vet schools did purchase dogs
indiscriminately for their use.  The outcry was HUGE and they simply don't
do it anymore.  They can't afford the bad "press".  And the dogs they got
were generally not stolen.  They were either purchased from shelters or from
dog dealers who most often got those dogs from "free dog" ads in the paper.
No reputable school or lab will take a dog without at the very least
checking for tatoos or for chips.  So, if you are really worried about this
issue, chip your dog.  Frankly I think that most dogs reported stolen are
simply lost--and probably dead.  Or they have taken up residence with a
friendly family.

Linda