Your pet is a member of your family. To lose a pet is a tragedy, and for many residents of the Twin Falls/Magic Valley area of Idaho, that nightmare has come true. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance are mysterious and the dogs have yet to be found.
Amber Halsell, a Twin Falls Animal Shelter board member has compiled a list of 34 dogs that have reportedly gone missing in the Magic Valley area since Feb. 1, but she says that the disappearances have probably been occurring since about December. Many of the dogs have gone missing from inside fences and locked areas, further proving that these are not cases of animals simply wandering off, but of actually being abducted.
“The dogs have just disappeared without a trace … they’re just gone,” Halsell told the Idaho Statesman.
Some people have actually witnessed someone attempting to steal their dog.
“They saw them loading them in their vehicle,” Debbie Blackwood, director of the Twin Falls Animal Shelter, told local NBC affiliate KPVI. “They let their little dog out, and next thing she knows a red van pulls up and she has to race out and retrieve it. Another person said a black Eldorado-type car. They caught the person calling their dog over to them.”
None of the missing dogs have been recovered, but there is speculation that the cases may be related to a body of a German shepherd discovered March 12. The dog had its head smashed in and was wrapped in a purple cloth, possibly having been used in a ritualistic ceremony.
The Human Society has issued a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whomever is responsible for killing the dog, but the Jerome County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon that no one has filed a report about the dog, so it is not currently under investigation.
There is no immediate evidence that the dead dog is related to other dog disappearances, but it seems that there’s no sign that the abductions are slowing down. According to the Statesman:
The Twin Falls Animal Shelter posted a warning on its Facebook page Thursday: “In light of the recent missing dogs we are wanting to remind everyone to keep their dogs contained as much as possible for a loose dog is a dog in danger.”
“They’re not safe in backyards. They’re not safe in chains. And they’re not safe in dog runs,” Halsell said. She encouraged people to keep their pets inside or in a garage.
Reports of missing dogs continued Thursday morning. The owner of a pair of Collies in Twin Falls told a reporter at The Times-News that someone had dog-napped the Collies from a fenced yard.
It is also being speculated that the missing dogs could be being used in an illegal dog fighting ring.
Meanwhile, my prayer is that those who are responsible are caught and punished. It remains to be seen whether there is a ritualistic element to the disappearing dogs, but no matter what the reason, I sincerely pray that the dog-napping comes to an end soon.
