Family fears fighting ring behind dog theft

Narelle Oldroyd says her family has been devastated by the theft of their dog Brandy, who was taken from the backyard of her daughter’s Valencia Drive home last month.

The padlock on the gate was cut and the dog taken, leaving three other dogs to escape.

Two of the three small dogs were recovered, but the third was found dead on the Northern Distributor.

“It was a very sad outcome,” Mrs Oldroyd said.

The family has searched for Brandy with no luck.

Mrs Oldroyd said because there was little noise at the time of the theft,  the person who took the dog may have “made friends” with her before the dog was snatched.

“There was no barking,” she said.

“Neighbours didn’t hear anything.”

Mrs Oldroyd has heard stories about other dogs going missing in similar circumstances.

Despite a reported sighting of a staffie fitting Brandy’s description, Mrs Oldroyd has been unable to find the dog.

“She could be anywhere, interstate, anywhere in Australia,” she said.

“I believe these dogs are being stolen for baiting and killing other dogs.

“It’s definitely an organised group.”

Mrs Oldroyd said she was disgusted to think anyone could be so cruel to animals.

“Brandy was a soft cuddly toy. When she was taken she was wearing a lime green dressing gown, we call it, with pink piggies on it,” she said.

“Who would ever steal a dog like that for fighting?”

Mrs Oldroyd says the family wants closure and urges anyone with information about the stolen staffy, who is tan with grey around her mouth, to contact police.

“”I think they’re [the thieves] sussing places out and befriending dogs beforehand,” she said.

“People need to lock their staffies in the laundry, garage or somewhere they can’t be seen.”

No investigation into missing pets

POLICE say there is no evidence to suggest dog theft is a problem in Orange, despite flyers and social media posts warning residents to protect their dogs.

One of the flyers  warned people that dogs were being stolen from yards in Orange, Bathurst and Lithgow at night.

“Hundreds of dogs have been stolen. It is believed they are taken to Sydney and trained for fighting,” the flyer said.

The flyer warned staffie owners to watch out for red marks at the front of their houses, signal ling the thieves’ intention to take the dogs and use them as fighters.

The note also said a  green mark meant the dog would be used as bait “to be torn apart by other dogs”.

Canobolas Local Area Command acting Inspector Scott Russell said police had  seen the flyers and social media posts, however, there was nothing to suggest a large-scale organised racket was occurring in Orange at this time.

“But people still need to take precautions and report any suspicious behaviour to police,” he said.

Acting Inspector Russell said police were not investigating a dog-theft ring in the area.

While the Central Western Daily reported on the suspected theft of two staffies in Orange in May, acting Inspector Russell said there had only been one reported dog theft this month and that occurred in Cowra.

tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au