Missing dogs leave owners worried

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This article was published 13/01/2018 (2286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A recent spate of missing dog reports in the RM of Emerson-Franklin has hit home for one Roseau River resident, whose dog disappeared nearly two months ago and has yet to be found.

Jennifer Andrusyk said Bandit, her family’s seven-month-old Neapolitan mastiff, disappeared from her yard between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Nov. 15. It was unlike the 90-pound dog to wander from the treed riverside property where he had lived for six months.

“At first I thought maybe he had been locked in a shed,” Andrusyk said. “I went door to door and I put up some posters at the post office.”

After hearing similar stories from other rural dog owners on social media, she now thinks Bandit, an unfixed purebred worth upwards of $1,000, was stolen.

“I think someone’s coming around snatching them,” she said, and believes breeding for financial gain, not dogfighting, is the most likely motive.

Andrusyk said she notified Morris RCMP of Bandit’s disappearance when Emerson-Franklin issued a public notice on stolen dogs on Dec. 8.

“I didn’t file a police report right away because I didn’t realize so many were missing,” she said.

Vassar resident Amanda Zimmerman said her family’s two mixed-breed dogs—one large, one small, and both unfixed—went missing from a locked outdoor kennel during the night of Nov. 28.

She said she suspects the dogs were stolen, and notified Sprague RCMP and the Piney municipal office.

According to Andrusyk’s counts, 13 dogs are now missing from communities in the RMs of Emerson-Franklin, Piney, and Stuartburn.

Emerson-Franklin’s notice said large breeds had disappeared in Roseau River, Stuartburn, Emerson, and Vassar.

An animal control report on the matter was presented at a Dec. 12 Emerson-Franklin council meeting.

Reeve Greg Janzen said eight or nine dogs were missing, based on reports filed at the municipal office in Dominion City.

The municipality’s animal control officer, John Derksen, seconded Janzen’s estimate.

Except for one report from Emerson, all have come from rural areas, Janzen said.

Derksen said the Emerson complaint involved two St Bernards that went missing from a fenced yard in early December.

“Those are two big dogs to lose,” he observed.

RCMP media relations officer Tara Seel said RCMP in Morris and Emerson have received one formal dog theft complaint to date, and therefore can’t determine a pattern or hotspots for disappearances.

“It would not appear that reports of dogs being stolen are on the rise in the region or province as compared to other years,” Seel said.

While Emerson-Franklin’s public notice referred to the dogs as “stolen,” Janzen was hesitant to attribute the disappearances to a single cause.

Cougar, bear, and coyote sightings were reported in the RM last fall, he noted.

“Are they stolen, or is it wildlife taking care of them, or are they actually just getting out and running away? We don’t know,” he said.

Derksen, who said he has over 20 years of experience in animal control, said it was possible the dogs were being stolen for breeding purposes.

“In the past I’ve known of breeders that move around a lot and actually farm dogs out to other people because they’re over the limit at the location they’re at,” he said.

Seel said officers work closely with municipal animal control officers when dealing with missing dog reports, and encouraged rural dog owners to keep their canines leashed, supervised, or in a fenced enclosure.

Dogs captured at large in Emerson-Franklin are cross-checked against photos of dogs recently reported missing locally, Derksen said.

Emerson-Franklin’s notice asked the public to watch for and report strange vehicles.

“With the word being out now, there’s more people watching,” Janzen said.

Derksen encouraged rural residents to tattoo, licence, and spay or neuter their dogs, even if the municipality’s bylaws do not require it.

Owners who wish to report a missing dog can contact Emerson-Franklin animal control at 746-0593, while dogs suspected stolen can be reported to local RCMP.

Andrusyk said she has not yet decided whether to replace Bandit, but has appreciated the kindness of the Manitoba dog owner community as she continues her recovery efforts online.

“We were actually offered a free dog from a lady in the city who needs to rehome hers,” she said.