Plan B Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 REPORTS of illegal dog fighting in The Hills and Hawkesbury are being treated as a hoax by police based on the lack of evidence and absence of complaints from residents.Last month, fears of small dogs being stolen and used as bait for illegal dog fighting went viral after a Facebook posting but strangely no official complaints were made to the police in The Hills, Quakers Hill and Hawkesbury local area commands. Police linked the hoax to similar ones in Western Australia and England. "After speaking to the RSPCA media liaison officer, police can confirm that the RSPCA have not received a single report of dogs being stolen for a deliberate act," a Quakers Hill police spokesman said. Police said there has only been one report made of a stolen dog in The Hills and two in the Hawkesbury area this year. "We believe the stories about dog fighting in our areas is a hoax and there is no link between dogs reported missing being used for these fights,'' The Hills LAC's Sergeant Nigel Johns, of The Hills LAC, said. "If there are dogs being stolen, their owners haven't reported it to us.'' Meanwhile, a spokesman for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA), which put up a reward of $5000 for any information on dog fights in May, said no one has approached them. Source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeckoTree Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 The problem is the boy who cried wolf, Dog fighting has existed here since dogs were here were even reported in matches in the newspapers of old, and will continue. Reports have come along the recent decades of busts most notably in WA when the cretin known as the Axeman in APBT circles was busted back in 2001 fighting dogs in Albany, the circles they seek are well known online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Note for the police ..... dog fights are not conducted under a light in the main street. Dogs fights are conducted in secret and difficult to find locations with only those interested and "safe" advised how to get there. I get heaps of notifications of dogs being stolen on facebook and when there is a photo, and a phone no. I doubt it is a hoax. The shop where I live always has brochures on the notice board about stolen/lost staffies/x staffies/bull arabs and big boofy bitsas. Dogs are being stolen for dog fights. For bait, or for potential fight dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan B Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Dogs are being stolen for dog fights. For bait, or for potential fight dogs. Where's the evidence? If there's no or little evidence of dogs being stolen, as opposed to missing, and absolutely zero evidence that dogs are being stolen for "bait" or dog fighting, why is it so easy to jump to that conclusion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Note for the police ..... dog fights are not conducted under a light in the main street. Dogs fights are conducted in secret and difficult to find locations with only those interested and "safe" advised how to get there. I get heaps of notifications of dogs being stolen on facebook and when there is a photo, and a phone no. I doubt it is a hoax. The shop where I live always has brochures on the notice board about stolen/lost staffies/x staffies/bull arabs and big boofy bitsas. Dogs are being stolen for dog fights. For bait, or for potential fight dogs. There is a big difference between stolen and missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) Note for the police ..... dog fights are not conducted under a light in the main street. Dogs fights are conducted in secret and difficult to find locations with only those interested and "safe" advised how to get there. I get heaps of notifications of dogs being stolen on facebook and when there is a photo, and a phone no. I doubt it is a hoax. The shop where I live always has brochures on the notice board about stolen/lost staffies/x staffies/bull arabs and big boofy bitsas. Dogs are being stolen for dog fights. For bait, or for potential fight dogs. Fake posts with borrrowed photos and made up phone numbers abound Jed. Some people delight in creating havoc on social media. If the police continue to say "no thefts reported and no evidence of bait dogs" then I struggle to understnad why people so desperately WANT to believe these stories. The problem with people concluding their dogs have been stolen is that they stop looking for them. That is never a good idea. Edited July 24, 2013 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan B Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Here's an article I wrote about the "bait dog" phenomenon last night. Maybe it might make a few stop and think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannibalgoldfish Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It's always the same types of dogs as well. Bull breeds and lil fluffies. The normal byb backyard dogs. These dogs are very common and often owned by less dog savy owners. The kind of owners who might let their dog roam or assume that if their dog has gone missing it must be stolen because "it has never gotten out before" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 There are quite a few posted on facebook ..... and whilst I believe that some numbnuts would make it up, I don't think it is all fake. There is a fighting ring about 20k from here. Local dogs - specially staffy types - are disappearing from locked back yards at an all time high. I doubt that people would put fake notices on the shop notice board ---- not that number anyway. Years ago, there was one at Dalby --- "everyone" knew, including the police,but they couldn't get enough hard info to go and find it for nearly 12 months. And prior to that, dogs disappeared. One disappeared from behind a board fence. Two boards had been jimmied off. The cat population on a suburb was dropping, dropping, dropping, since a Chinese restaurant moved in. Everyone thought it was a joke until the Council found 20 cats in the freezer. Made the front page of the paper ...... as it would. You can believe that all lost dogs wandered away, or the people who posted photos and phoney phone numbers were all froot loops, but I think, on consideration, that I will continue to believe that some of these dogs are stolen. People on the south side of Bris have posted the stolen dog thing but with the reg. number and type of car. How far can a scam go? A lot of these dogs disappear from secure yards. Some here are purebred staffies and amstaffs (the minority)> Whilst I do believe that fluffy dogs are stolen because (a) the thief wants one or (b) he plans to sell it for a few bucks to someone, and some wander off some are stolen for bait. Keep your minds open :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan B Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 I think most rational people do have open minds. Saying that evidence is needed before jumping to conclusions isn't having a closed mind - it's accepting that until there's proof that a) dogs are stolen and b) what they're stolen for, it's ridiculous to say one way or the other what is happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It must all be a hoax. I guess that why people are being arrested. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here) http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-charged-over-dog-thefts-20130621-2oopm.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yes, to those saying keep an open mind. This was in The Australian, June 2013. Reference was to the Facebook page about dogs being stolen for the dog-fighting. RSPCA Qld spokesman Michael Beatty said although the Facebook page did risk creating unnecessary concern for pet owners, it educated them on how to reduce the risk of pets escaping or being stolen. Mr Beatty said RSPCA investigators and police suspected illegal dog fighting rings were operating in Queensland, but they didn't have concrete evidence to catch those responsible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I am trying to help a small dog at the moment, owner had advertised on Gumtree. She kept getting text messages in the vein of "I will come and get the dog now". What sort of person doesn't even ring up and enquire about a dog, arrange to have a look at it before deciding they'd like to adopt it? Ask questions, talk about themselves etc. I also experienced this type of response when I took over the advertising of a dog for an owner, putting my own no. on the ad so I could help with finding a good home. I ask the Texter some questions - where are you located? do you want to ask me anything about the dog? etc etc. Didn't get any responses that brought me any satisfaction that they weren't up to no good. I'm pretty sure there are people out there who would just hand the dog on, no questions asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It must all be a hoax. I guess that why people are being arrested. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here) http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-charged-over-dog-thefts-20130621-2oopm.html Last time I was in the Hawksbury, it wasn't in Victoria... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I am trying to help a small dog at the moment, owner had advertised on Gumtree. She kept getting text messages in the vein of "I will come and get the dog now". What sort of person doesn't even ring up and enquire about a dog, arrange to have a look at it before deciding they'd like to adopt it? Ask questions, talk about themselves etc. I also experienced this type of response when I took over the advertising of a dog for an owner, putting my own no. on the ad so I could help with finding a good home. I ask the Texter some questions - where are you located? do you want to ask me anything about the dog? etc etc. Didn't get any responses that brought me any satisfaction that they weren't up to no good. I'm pretty sure there are people out there who would just hand the dog on, no questions asked. :confused: The majority of people looking for dogs on gumtree have never had to go through any sort of questioning as to their suitability as a pet owner, and most sellers on gumtree would happily let the person have the dog without any information. How does what you have just said indicate dog fighting in any way, shape or form?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 It must all be a hoax. I guess that why people are being arrested. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here) http://www.theage.co...0621-2oopm.html You are suggesting that some folk think there are no dog fighting rings. You'd be wrong. But one arrest in Victoria does not validate those suggesting that its happening just about everywhere, PARTICULARLY when police and the RSPCA have no evidence of thefts at all in those areas. One black helicopter at Bankstown airport doesn't put one over your house whereever you are in Australia does it? It's not all or nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) It must all be a hoax. I guess that why people are being arrested. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here) http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-charged-over-dog-thefts-20130621-2oopm.html Last time I was in the Hawksbury, it wasn't in Victoria... Huh? Also, police wont confirm fight rings, because as soon as the fighters think someone is on to them, they move camp, and then they are harder to catch. Does't really matter - believe or not; your choice. Not worth arguing about. Edited July 25, 2013 by Jed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 What about the people who would prefer to think (and report) their pet has been stolen rather than the more usual scenario of it getting out by itself and possibly coming to a sticky end somewhere all on it's own? Seriously, there can't be so many dog fighting rings out there to account for ALL the missing dogs... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 It must all be a hoax. I guess that why people are being arrested. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here) http://www.theage.co...0621-2oopm.html Last time I was in the Hawksbury, it wasn't in Victoria... If you hadn't put the link in, I would have assumed that you accidentally posted in the wrong thread. Hawkesbury is a Sydney regional council but was not mentioned in the linked article in any way whatsoever. If you're trying to confuse people or derail the thread it's probably working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan B Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 It must all be a hoax. I guess that why people are being arrested. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here) http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-charged-over-dog-thefts-20130621-2oopm.html Oh, is that confirmed he is part of an organised dog fighting ring or is he an animal abuser? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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