Dog Stolen In Front Of Tulsa Owner

Police have a warning for pet owners this evening after four people in the same area say someone stole their dogs.

A Tulsa woman said they took her dog from her front yard two weeks ago.

Then three other neighbors reported it happened to them.

Cathy Buettner said her dog Bopper was walking right next to her at the end of her driveway near 81st and Harvard when a dark car pulled up and the driver got out

"He grabbed him and took him away ... Right in front of me," she said.

That was more than two weeks ago and the sign she made still sits in her front yard, begging anyone with information about her 8-year-old Lhasa Apso mix to call. 

"I'm so incredibly sad because my dog has medical issues," Buettner said.

Buettner said three other people she knows of, who live in the area, have had dogs taken as well.

"The police said they just grab those dogs for pit bulls," she said.

While that is a possibility, another thing to be aware of is people stealing animals and then trying to sell them on Craigslist.

Oftentimes, the seller asks for a re-homing fee.

"When we charge an adoption fee it covers spay and neuter, microchip, vaccine, so those are all costs that we've incurred with this animal. Whereas they are just charging a re-homing fee there's not really a need for that," said Evan Fadem with Humane Society of Tulsa.

Buettner did file a police report and her dog is micro-chipped, something the humane society says is a must when you have a pet.

If you pet was stolen and you find it trying to be sold on the internet, call police.

"Let them know there is the animal so you can have some back up while trying to meet that person," Fadem said.

We did check with police in the area and they haven't officially seen a spike in cases like these, but perhaps people just aren't reporting them. 

If it happens to you, posting a sign is always helpful and spread the word through social media. It goes a long way.