Not a "Wishbone" Mystery...

We all (hopefully!) remember the mysteries of "Wishbone," the terrier who helped his human best friend solve mysteries.  Well, there's a real mystery happening out there that Wishbone can't solve.

In Northern New York, in St. Lawrence County, some strange things have been happening.  Within a 26-mile radius, at least 15 dogs have gone missing, and that's only been what's reported.  There are missing dogs from Potsdam, Lisbon and Canton, all towns next to each other.  

While it's not unusual for a dog to run away, the strange part about the occurrences is that they've all happened in the last three weeks.  The rate at which these disappearances are happening is highly unusual.

The St. Lawrence County Sherriff's department released a statement about the dogs that have gone missing, saying "St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Deputies would like to warn the public and seek their assistance after receiving multiple reports of missing dogs over the last few weeks."

So, what's happening, then?  Who would steal dogs, especially so close to the holidays?  While it's possible that the dogs have run away themselves, that is highly unlikely.  So, most likely, it's an outside force that is responsible for these missing dogs.  So that means, either other animals or people.  But there has been no evidence that any of the dogs have been harmed, they simply have disappeared.  And many of the dogs that went missing were in a fenced-in yard when it happened.  One was even removed from a chain.  And there have been two attempted abductions, in which owners witnessed their pet getting snatched (thankfully both thieves fled before they took those dogs.) So the biggest suspects now are people.

But why would anyone want to steal other's people's dogs, especially so close to the holidays? Well, in the past, there have been organized theft rings to steal dogs and then "adopt" them out in order to make a profit.  And because none of the missing dogs from St. Lawrence have been found, police suspect that another theft group has been organized.  

Scott Bonno, a sheriff in St. Lawrence, suggests that this particular circumstance of organized theft is happening around the holidays because the thieves might be taking them to a location farther away where they might have a store or location they're selling them out of, at blackout holiday prices.  

So, what do we do?  Well, there's not much we can!  Unless you're reading this and live in the Northern New York area.  In that case, keep an eye out!  If you see anything suspicious, call and report it!  You might be able to reunite some dogs with their owners just in time for the holiday.

Remember, wherever you live, always keep a close eye on your pooch!  Sometimes, unfortunately, dognappings can be a reality.  Let's hope they find those culprits soon!