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Pit bulls are 'hot' in Pinellas Park

Four dog owners in recent months have reported thefts. Police warn that "fighting" breeds are at risk.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published July 17, 2005

PINELLAS PARK - When Mark Pankratz first saw the pit bull, she was a starving stray, so he picked her up and took her home.

Pankratz named her Kmaine and bred her with Taz, the American pit bull that lived next door. Soon they had six puppies that were in a backyard playpen.

Early this year three of the puppies disappeared. At first, Pankratz thought they had wiggled out of the playpen and fenced yard. Then, a couple of days later, the other three disappeared. In their place was a Louisville slugger baseball bat.

Pankratz called the Pinellas Park police and became the first of four pet owners to report stolen dogs over the next five months.

Police officers sent an e-mail warning community leaders about the situation in June and have their eyes open for more dog thefts.

"We have noticed a trend in the theft of dogs. The dogs of choice are the breeds that are illegally used in fighting, such as pit bulls and Rottweilers. If you have any such breed of dog that could be considered a "fighting dog,' please keep a closer watch on him or her."

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has also had four reports of stolen dogs since the first of the year, spokesman Jim Bordner said. But none were so-called fighting dogs. They were a black Labrador retriever, a border collie, a toy shepherd and a "multi-crossbreed."

In Pinellas Park, Pankratz reported the thefts of his puppies, valued at an estimated $100 each, at the beginning of February, according to city records. At the end of March, another Pinellas Park resident reported that his 4-month-old miniature pinscher puppy worth $200 had been stolen.

April passed with no reports, but in mid May, two more pit bull puppies were taken. They were valued at $450, according to police records.

Then, just days after police released their e-mail, another pit bull, this one valued at $400, was stolen.

Police say the same person is probably not responsible for all the thefts. They say it's possible that all the dogs had the same fate: fighting.

Bordner, of the Sheriff's Office, said the best thing owners can do to protect their dogs from theft is to keep an eye on them when they're outside and make sure they don't run free. The next best thing is to be sure the dog can be identified in case of theft. Photographs and microchips are two possibilities for later identification, he said.

[Last modified July 17, 2005, 01:05:20]