KMOV.com
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Police in Southern Illinois are warning dog owners to be vigilant. They believe a pair of men posing as animal control officers are stealing dogs out of people’s backyards.
Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis told WHNT19 that they drive in a white pick-up truck.
Sheriff Steve Bareis says the purebred dogs can net thieves between $800 and $1,000 each.
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“[The dogs have] been taken out of fenced areas and so forth, they’re basically patrolling during the day for them and they seem to be coming back at night or making sure people are gone and taking them at that time,” Bareis said.
Bareis added that at least twice the thieves were scared off by owners, but they’re also likely to keep trying to take the dogs until they’re caught. Five dogs have been stolen in Perry, Randolph and Washington counties.
Bareis said the thieves are on the lookout for purebred dogs and are likely selling them off quickly for cash.
We all know dogs are members of our families, and when our families grow - …
