Strange is the world.
Denizens in the badlands of Bihar are forever worried to death about kidnapping of family and close relatives while their counterparts in the canyons of Manhattan are presently in a tizzy about dognapping (kidnapping of their dogs).
As we were poring over our copy of the latest issue (Jan 5, 2009) of the New Yorker yesterday, our eyes wandered to a story on how the ladies of Manhattan have all got their knickers in a twist over stories of dognapping and ransom demands.
Here’s an excerpt from the New Yorker story:
And then, several weeks ago, dog-napping terror hit the Upper West Side. E-mails began circulating (one subject line: “DOGNAPPING attempts in NYC with RAZOR and RANSOM—get dogs ON LEASHES—happening on West Sideâ€), and flyers were posted at dog runs and veterinary offices and pet stores (“COMMUNITY ALERT: DOGNAPPING attempts on the West Sideâ€). Dog owners, particularly women with small dogs—said to be the prime target—began to panic.
A survey of Upper West Side dog runs and pet stores turned up various versions of the same story. “There’s a two-man team, with one in a gray hoodie on a bicycle who comes by and slices the leash with a razor, then goes away with the dog. The other guy calls you up later on and says, ‘Hey, I found your dog! What’s it worth to you?’ †said Charlie Allen, the owner of Gotham Pups pet services, who was glumly watching two of his charges (Beezus, a mutt, and Delta, a yellow Labrador) romp across the dog run on West Eighty-first Street the other day. “It’s completely unpleasant.â€
Besides the obvious ransom opportunity, other Continue reading »
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