Bold Thieves Stealing Tulsa Pets Before Owners' Eyes

Dogs are being stolen from Tulsa homes while the owners watch. Two Tulsa women said it's happened to them and that they're not the only ones.

Tulsa police said it isn't a problem, but the women said, based on what happened to them and what they've seen on social media, it is an issue in the community.

Saturday, Samantha Alam and her dog, Duke, were out in her front yard near 71st and Yale enjoying the sunshine.

"We were both outside, my husband and I, and he had went to the restroom, and we were just kind of watching him, just sitting by the tree," Alam said.

That's when she noticed a man roll by in a white SUV.

"Next thing we knew, he opened his car door and made a whistle, or whatever, at the dog and Duke just kind of jumped in and he sped off," she said.

At first, Alam thought he just didn't see her and her husband - a Good Samaritan, thinking the dog was lost - but days later, Duke hasn't returned.

"And you don't what happened to them. You don't know where they're at. You don't know if they're being abused, if they're being dumped, if they're being used as a bait dog. You have no idea," said Alam.

It's a story that sounded all too familiar to Ashley Velazquez.

"A kid had grabbed them by the scruffs of their neck and was running to a truck," she said.

Velazquez said a teen and an older man snatched her pit bull pups, Papucho and Cocoa, from her backyard near 41st & 129th back in January.

"My husband ran out the front door and chased them, actually right down this street right here, and they got away," she said.

She's since seen a Facebook post of someone trying to sell her stolen dogs.

Tulsa Police aren't seeing a rash of dog-nappings, but Alam said she's seen differently online. She's seen many posts from people saying their big dogs were stolen from their yards.

"You feel like you're violated. I mean, what if it was a kid? And I know that happens all the time, too. But it's almost exactly the same thing, to me anyways. It's just like having one of my babies being taken," Alam said.

Tulsa Police encourage anyone who has had this happen to them to file a police report, so police can be aware and work any potential leads.