Dognapping

Let me tell you a true story of four dognappers.

Two would-be dognappers wake up, look out their window, and see two beautiful young German Sheppard's. As they watch through the morning, the two are joined by another, for a total of three young German Shepherd's, "guestimated" to be about 7-8 months old.

Through the course of the morning, the couple watch the dogs in the large field between them and the next house. Sometimes the dogs are at the fence nearest the couple, sometimes they are lounging around near the neighbor's house... and the neighbor is not home.

Eventually, the couple feed the dogs when they are near their fence, and with the couple next door, even give them a bowl of water (which, after the water is gone, the dogs chew to pieces).

Calls and SMS messages to the neighbor who is gone, and who's house the dogs seem to be congregating at, are unanswered. The dogs, on close examination, have no collars, are dirty and seem to be un-owned, or at best, owned by a "farmer" who has a number of dogs, and doesn't really care for any of them well. It should be noted, that the neighbor who's house the dogs are centered on... isn't known for liking dogs.

So, as the day goes by, the two watch the dogs lounge about, and roam about randomly. They hatch an idea.

Surely, they say, these dogs must be strays. All the signs are there. No collar, no tags, dirty, kinda thin. Yes, that's it. No owners.... or owners who don't deserve these beautiful creatures, and won't miss them.

We'll "rescue" these creatures. We'll make sure they are neutered, inoculated, and cleaned up. We'll adopt one, and our neighbors (not the one who doesn't like dogs) will adopt another. They seem to be pure-bred German Shepherd's, so surely the other one will also be adopted quickly... or maybe we'll adopt two.

So, the plan was hatched.

The couple enlist the unwitting help of their underage accomplices, as well as their dog-friendly neighbors.

Unable to go through the gate, the dognappers cut the fence that adjoins their property and the next. They slip through, entice the dogs with food, and off they go with the dogs in cages, to the nearest veterinarian to "do" the dogs.

All is arranged. The accomplices have fallen in love with the dogs already. So, too, the next door neighbors who have decided to adopt one. The dogs are at the veterinarian, ready to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated within days. The two "ring leader" dognappers congratulate themselves over a bottle of formula (for one of the accomplices).

Then, the phone rings.

It is the neighbor whose house the dogs had been hanging around. The one whom the dognappers had SMS'ed and called, to no avail.

It seems the dogs were supposed to be there, a friend or relative had left them there. Where were the dogs now?

Oh no! What to do?

Since the dognappers would still have to live there for another few years, and the neighbor temporarily with the dogs is also their landlord... it seemed the best thing to do was to take the dogs back rather than make a run for the border with them.

So, off the hapless dognappers went. Carting the dogs back along the same roads they'd happily traveled a short hour before. Soon, the dogs were back with the apparent owner, not seeming too happy, and the rest of the neighborhood had turned out to see just what sort of crazy people would dognap three German Shepherds in broad daylight... from someone who may well have mafia ties?

The dognappers were released to the custody of their underage accomplices.

And we'd do it again in a heartbeat. That's amore!