Dogs believed to be stolen, not just missing

Apr. 12—LAURINBURG — For some time now, dogs have been suspiciously disappearing from the Hasty Community area and one local resident does not believe it is a coincidence.

"I believe firmly that someone in Hasty is stealing dogs and selling them, possibly even under the disguise that they were originally rescued," said Jennifer McRae of Hasty.

"I moved to the Hasty Community in August 2012. In September 2014, my Australian shepherd, Skitz, wandered off my property during a dementia spell — she was 13 and had been battling cognitive issues for a few years at that point," continued McRae. "She had pushed open our back door and was likely gone a period of time before my husband realized she was missing."

McRae and her family then conducted a thorough search of the area for several months. They passed out flyers, used social media and a call service that left messages on local phone numbers regarding the dog's disappearance. According to McRae, there was never a single sighting of her.

"On May 7, 2020, my black lab, Diamond, went missing from our yard. At dusk, she had gone over to our neighbors to visit their dog, something she had done several times. We have her on their security camera which is how we know that is where she went," said McRae. "She was definitely misbehaving and not answering our calls because she wanted to play."

McRae went to get a flashlight as it was getting dark, but unfortunately, Diamond was never found.

"Again, we conducted a thorough search during the following months including flyers, paid ads on social media, the call service and roadside signs," said McRae. "This time we promoted a $1500 reward as well. Again, not a single sighting."

Two months later, in July 2020, McRae's neighbor's labradoodle, Tippy, went missing and was also never seen again.

"I believe strongly that all of these dogs were stolen," said McRae. "All dogs were wearing identification and my two dogs were micro-chipped. There are several dogs that run loose in the Hasty area on a regular basis that are mutts; usually, pit and/or hound mixes. These dogs never go missing, only the purebred dogs."

McRae continued and said she firmly believes someone recognizes the value of a purebred dog and is stealing them for resale.

"I am certain that Skitz has likely passed away from old age at this point," said McRae, "but I hold out hope that one day Diamond will be in a situation where someone will scan her microchip and we'll receive the call that she is safe and we can bring her home."

JJ Melton can be reached at [email protected] To support the Laurinburg Exchange, subscribe here: https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/subscribe.