The receiver is the one responsible for taxes, so you could add “tax evasion” to theft and attempted murder on the list of charges.
Paying a small fortune to recover stolen dogs sets a dangerous example.
Seems like almost every celebrity has pets. I hope dog napping doesn’t become the newest way to cash in. A lot of innocent people could get hurt or killed taking these animals from the owners or their employees.
It took the tragedy of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping for Congress to enact the Federal Kidnapping Act (Lindberg Law).
AFAIK it doesn’t apply to animals.
I’ve got that wiring too, but I don’t regard it as a problem.
I’m the same way. Animals and kids.
It doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean that either local authorities cannot invite the FBI any time they want, or that the FBI cannot assume jurisdiction in the presence of very good evidence of multi-state crimes by the same people-- for example, a string of celebrity pet-nappings in different states with something in common that made them appear to be by the same people, and not just copycats.
And if it seems far-fetched that the FBI would step in for a pet-napping, if it involved very high ransoms, or an attempted murder of a human dogwalker, they very well could.
It’s possible that the robbers decided to release the dogs because they were in enough shit already and didn’t want to provoke even more outrage.
I like thinking it would provoke outrage.
I couldn’t finish Cujo because I was fairly sure that the boy and the dog would die hard deaths. Never watched the movie. I am a huge Stephen King fan, but I think I wouldn’t finish it if it was the last book on earth. Cereal boxes don’t count as books.
A wise decision. I’m a big fan too, but even Pet Sematary is easier to stomach than Cujo.
Dogs were found tied to a pole. Gaga has shown support on Instagram for the dog walker.
Having offered such rewards myself (n. it was not $500000 nor was there any murder involved!), I perfectly understand the motivation, which has nothing to do with criminals and everything to do with incentivizing apathetic, jaded city dwellers to give enough of a shit to go out of their way and bring the stray doggy to the nearest vet.
At the same time, for example once I found a poodle running around by the time the reward was up to $1000 but I could not conceive of actually accepting any money. I figure anyone who would is at best the aforementioned stereotypical selfish asshole and at worst dishonestly involved. (“Needing the money” would be a really bad excuse BTW, whether 1 or 500 large; if you are going to accept a reward just keep your mouth shut to excuses and say thank you. That is what “no questions asked” is about, among other things.)
With relish?
I’m happy the dogs are safe (and that the dog walker will recover). But now I’m thinking of kidnapping her dogs myself if it will net me a cool half a mil. I’ll pass on shooting anyone though.
Signs of a poor heist…
Step #1, announce intentions on internet…
Step #2 videos self while doing the deed
Might “no questions asked” involve paying the criminals off and arranging with them to leave the dogs tied to a pole in a safe location?
I once found and returned a dog. I went to some trouble to find the owner, and kept the dog for two days. It was tied up in my yard during the day (the weather was in the 60s, it had shelter and water), and confined to a room at night, since I didn’t know its health, nor its feelings about cats. It was very friendly, though, and I did spend time playing with it, petting it, and walking it.
I also fed it and bought it some rawhide and a toy.
There was a reward for it. I didn’t accept the whole thing, because it was pretty high, and it really looked like more than the owner could really afford, but I did accept $30, because that was about what I’d spent on the dog. I told the owner if they felt they owed more, they could make a donation to a rescue organization (the dog was a Pit Bull). I have no idea what happened.
I think I was perfectly within my rights to be reimbursed for what I’d spent on the dog, albeit, I would not have asked for it if nothing had been offered.
In that situation, I think that I would ask them to donate the money to a shelter or rescue. Or take the money and do so myself (If they insisted on giving it to me).
So the dogs have been recovered unharmed, the thieves have been arrested, and the woman who tried to claim the “no questions asked” reward has also been arrested.
No surprise that the person who “found” the dogs was in on it. Crooks are stupid.
The dog walker, Ryan Fischer, never had a chance against 3 LA gang members. He was walking French Bulldogs easily worth 10k.
I’ve read Ryan is home and doing well. That’s wonderful news.