Lost Dog Held for Ransom

[crow_noir]

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=...&id=5752974


Lost Dog Held for Ransom?
WPVI By John Rawlins

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - November 15, 2007 - Not only has a man lost his dog, now he has to endure the cruelty of demands for ransom, be they real or heartless pranks.

It has been a nightmarish time for Bill Whiting, who is trying to find his dog Edna.

Whiting, an artist, fondly painted the one time medical therapy dog into a huge mural that graces the lobby of Shiner's Hospital.

Edna got away Halloween night near the Italian Market.

Whiting plastered the area with posters, but then came the ugly demand by phone for more money than the $500 reward.

"They were going to hurt my dog so they could hear that I had my dog. They started to brutalize and harm the animal. Whether it was mine or another animal, I don't know. The pitch of the dog's voice was very consistent with the sound of my dog," he explained.

But Whiting couldn't understand where to meet. A few hours later came a second call.

"A male said 'I killed your dog. It's dead.' Click. Another extortion call came in last night a few minutes before 9:00 asking for a thousand dollars," he said.

Now the SPCA and police are involved. The extortion of pet owners, while rare, does happen. Kidnappers of a German Sheppard in Columbia ended up in a shootout with police last month. The SPCA said pet owners must be careful of scammers.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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www.nbc10.com/news/14609870/detail.html?rss=phi&psp=news

Owner Gets Ransom Calls For Missing Dog

POSTED: 6:43 pm EST November 15, 2007
UPDATED: 7:04 pm EST November 15, 2007

PHILADELPHIA -- A dog disappeared from a South Philadelphia street on Halloween night. The owner thought Edna somehow got out when children came to the door trick-or-treating.

He posted signs all along the area and has gotten some calls, but not with the news he was hoping to hear.

"This is one of the most horrible things that has ever happened to me," said Bill Whiting.

The West Washington Square man is beside himself over his beloved missing dog, NBC 10's Dawn Timmeney reported.

But the worst part, after posting missing dog signs with a $500 reward all over the city was that he received a threatening phone call from several young kids saying they have Edna and will kill her unless given big money.

"One of them said, 'Mister, you want us to hurt it so you can hear it?' I said, 'No, don't hurt the dog,' and then they hurt the dog so I could hear the yelping and howling."

Whiting said they wanted $600. He called the police.

He said he doesn't know for sure it was his Edna but fears it could have been.

"I could hear the jangle of tags, and I do know that my dog had a lot of tags," Whiting said.

Edna, whose dog bed is empty and toys are still on the floor, visited nursing homes and children's hospitals.

Whiting said he still couldn't believe someone is holding hostage the dog he adopted from an animal shelter 10 years ago.

"She was just a very bright, very alert, very loving animal, and whoever has her, give her back. I will gladly pay the reward," he said.

Whiting said he also got a call from an adult saying that the dog was dead, so he doesn't know if it's all just a cruel prank or something worse.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has gotten involved, posting a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for this and possibly harming the animal.

Whiting said that, if he doesn't find Edna, he wants whoever is responsible for doing this to the animal to be caught.

Copyright 2007 by NBC10.com. All rights reserved.

Second article has nice photo of pooch

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This is so tragic and it seems to be a trend on the rise. So is stealing dogs at gunpoint.

(Don't these sickos realize they'd probable be more likely to get the money if they DON'T hurt the pets?! Not to mention less sentencing if they do get caught. ...Yes, i realize some of them probably do it just to make others miserable and aren't really in it for the money.)

[jackie]

That is disgusting.

I can't even think how something like that would affect me, I hope they find poor Edna alive and OK.

[Miss Z]

Ugh. Let them hang.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be in the shoes of Edna's owner, how frightening. If Edna has indeed passed on, I hope she suffered as little pain as possible.

[Laura's Babies]

People can be SO cruel.... They will pay for it sooner or later.

[sumbirdy]

That is so sad. I can't imagine the pain that poor dog felt, whether it was Edna or some other. And the fear and lonliness she must be experiencing! This has brought me to tears. Poor Edna and her poor owner. How can people be so cruel?

[loveallfurryfriends]

I hope that Edna is alright. This is an absolute outrage. How could someone do this? I will pray for Edna and her owner tonight

[Kfamr]

I am bawling my eyes out here. I feel for people very much when they've lost their dogs. Could you imagine if someone had done this to Kiara and I when she went missing?

Keeping Edna and Bill in my thoughts.

[pitc9]

I pray for Edna's safe return.