Tampa criminal lawyersTampa criminal lawyers are the public against a recent rash of dog-nappers who steal dogs and then resell them on the side of the highway and roadways claiming they can no longer afford to feed the animals.  This is not only happening in the Tampa area but all across the nation according to The American Kennel Club.

Over this past summer, within just weeks of one another, it was reported that dog-nappers grabbed a puppy off a five-year-old girl’s lap at a public park in Idaho, a Lhasa Apso dog was stolen from a backyard in North Carolina and a 16 week old boxer was taken from its yard in Oklahoma.

The AKC first alerted the public of this growing trend back in April 2008 and has continually tracked the incidence of dog theft.  In all of 2008, there were approximately 71 dog thefts across the nation in the news; however as of September 2009, there have been more than 100 dogs and puppies taken from their owners.

Tampa criminal defense attorneys, along with other city criminal defense lawyers, have to defend dog-nappers who are caught red-handed; however this does not happen very often unless the dog has been micro-chipped or tattooed with the owner’s identification making it impossible for the dog-nappers to prove that the dog is otherwise theirs.

Many people in the criminal justice system and the AKC feel that the downward economy has a lot to do with this new rash of dog-napping because people are willing to pay a great deal of money for full-blooded puppies even if they do not have the AKC registration papers.

In response to this disturbing trend, many states are considering legislation that would address pet theft.  The Texas legislature is considering a law making pet theft a felony, while California and Delaware have tried to regulate roadside pet sales where stolen pets are often resold.

Even Tampa DUI attorneys are getting into the act by refusing to represent those convicted of DUI who also had a stolen pet in their vehicle.

Criminals have become aware of the strong financial and emotional value dogs have in society and therefore some thieves will try to collect a ransom; however many simply resell the family pet to make a few hundred dollars.

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