Celebrant Pam Vetter


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Dog thieves demand ransom
Contributed by: Pam Vetter

10/16/06 Valley News Article

Christmas is coming and thieves are getting creative by stealing pets and demanding reward money. Shocking, but it is a true story that happened in West Hills within the last two weeks.

When the Duva family's long-haired Chihuahua disappeared, the family searched the neighborhood for their little 3-year-old dog named Nacho.

"We had workers who left a door open. Within minutes, the dog escaped and disappeared. We went corner to corner and we saw gardeners at several houses, but still no Nacho," Vera Duva said. "By Saturday, we placed missing flyers around the neighborhood."

"My daughter, Julianna, suggested the word 'Reward' for the missing flyer. Within a few hours of posting the reward flyer, we got our first call," Jeff Duva explained. "A woman claimed she and her husband found our dog across town by Shoup without a collar. She kept asking, 'How much is the reward? How much is the reward?' I asked her why it matters, because if they had our dog, we wanted it back and we would pay them something reasonable for taking care of the dog. Again, she asked, 'How much is the reward?'"

"She claimed she had already spent $250 on grooming the dog, buying toys and clothes for it. She said the dog was so cute that her 2-year-old daughter fell in love with the dog and it was hard to give it up. At that point, I didn't want to lose the dog," Jeff said. "So, I threw out a number of $500. That's when the price went up and the woman said she needed more money than $500."

Three phone calls came to the house demanding more money for the return of the dog. The family drove around to dozens of pay phones in the area, searching for the location where the calls were made to their home. With their own investigation proving difficult, they called the police.

"The police said when the thieves call for an exchange of money for the dog, we should call the police and they would back us up," Vera said. "But, then days passed and we didn't get a call. Until finally, the woman called my cell phone and asked for an exchange right then at our home. The woman somehow already knew our address. She asked about the reward again. I told them we'd meet them somewhere else and give them a fair reward for taking care of our dog for a week. Then, I called my husband."

"I met them in the Pavilions parking lot in West Hills with a friend of mine. But, the dog looked different. Our long-haired Chihuahua had been shaved. In its new condition, the dog was unrecognizable to anyone seeing a missing poster," Jeff said. "The woman asked me for a picture of our dog, but Nacho was so scared and licking my hand. Nacho has a cherry eye and I knew immediately it was our dog. I went to the ATM machine, pulled out $200, gave it to the woman and her husband, and went to my car with the dog. They were angry with the amount of the reward money. I told them, 'You kept my dog for a week. Thank you very much, but $200 is more than enough to care for the dog for a week.'"

It seemed like it was over. But, it wasn't. Since they got their dog back, the family has received three angry, harassing phone calls demanding more money. Even worse, now their gray cat, named Benita, has suspiciously gone missing.

This may seem like an isolated incident, but it's not.

Adriana De Beky, also of West Hills, had her dog taken a few months ago. "Our dog, Trooper, had a collar with identification and everything. On the second day, after searching for our dog, we put up signs. Eight days later, a gardener appeared on our doorstep with our dog asking about a reward. I gave him $60 in cash. To make matters worse, the guy gave me his card to do our gardening. I told him we weren't interested," Adriana said.

This recent turn of events makes us wonder when we see a missing dog poster. There are flyers for missing little dogs, the size of Chihuahuas, in Woodland Hills, West Hills, Canoga Park, and near the animal shelter in Chatsworth. Were these missing animals taken by coyotes? Have they been abducted? Are they being resold? Or, are they being held for ransom?

With the holidays approaching, thieves need money. Any means is considered, even dog thievery and ransom demands. Keep your animals in a safe place on your property, preferably inside your home, so even the tiniest pet will stay clear of these latest abductions.

If you need to report a crime, please contact the West Valley Police Division, 19020 Vanowen Street, Reseda, or call (818) 374-7611.

For more information on recent crime in your West Valley Neighborhood link to: http://www.lapdonline.org/west_valley_community_police_station.

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