Margo the dog
A reader writes in about a recent break-in & dognapping.
Our next door neighbor's house was broken into during the day today (1500 block of D Street, NE). His dog turned up missing in the incident. I've attached a pic -- her name is Margo, and she's a 20-lb cockapoo, last seen with a black/white collar with red trim.
As for the burglary -- not entirely sure if it's related, but we did have a random person show up asking for "Emily" on two consecutive days in the past week. Maybe someone was casing the neighborhood?
If anything, we all hope Margo turns up safe and sound.
++++++++++++
UPDATE
++++++++++++
Margo's owner is now offering a reward for her safe return. If you have info, but don't want to post it in the comments, you can email it to me at elise.bernard[at]gmail.com, or call MPD's tipline at 202-727-9099
More details:
-2.5 year old female cockapoo
-Margo is recently groomed
-She is microchipped (ID# 985121010681957)
The robbers broke into the basement, took some trivial electronics, Margo, and her dog food.
+++++++++++++++
UPDATE
+++++++++++++++
DCist says the reward is $10,000.
++++++++++++++++
UPDATE
++++++++++++++++
MORNING ALL!
I just wanted to give everyone an update on the stolen dog. MPD-5D FOUND MARGO THIS MORNING!
I'm not sure of the details yet, but she was found here in the area safe and sound. MPD 5D got a tip and went to investigate this morning. When they arrived, they found Margo, Eric's belongings, and the jack@ss that allegedly dognapped her!! Thank you to all of you that posted pics and information on your Facebook pages and to all of you that forwarded, posted, or handed out flyers over the last 36 hours. One of you may have been the key to finding her! Eric, Margo, and all their friends thank you!
And to MPD-5D: Y'all work so hard to keep everything in check here in the neighborhood. In the heat and humidity of summer and in the middle of a polar vortex. THANK YOU so much for what you do and especially for bringing that scared little dog home to her family. It's probably not the most important thing you'll do all day (or all year), but it was a great thing for Eric and his friends. We appreciate everything you do! Keep up the good work!
++++++++++++++++++
UPDATE
++++++++++++++++++
WaPo has more details on the remarkable spread of the Margo story (it was shared more than 700 times on social media), and her recovery.
19 comments:
God, that so sucks.
This is the worst. Having your stuff stolen sucks, but at the end of the day it's just stuff. This is heartbreaking. I feel so bad for Margo's owners and her too :(
How much is the reward?
I live near 15th & F NE. I was out walking my dog, and when I returned I had a young kid at my door asking for someone. Eric I think. The kid was probably 14, it was mid-week around 10:30am. He argued with me about whether his friend lived at my house, saying that he had seen him come there the previous day after school. I think he was casing the place. My dog remains safe.
They took the food, they meant to take the dog. They may keep it, but it's more likely they'd try to sell her or breed her. So, if you have a minute, go over to Craigslist or Google and see if you can find anything in the area matching the description. A minute may bring Margo home. Of course keep your eyes peeled while walking your own pooches and selves.
4:54,
I'm told she is spayed.
This is so sad! Saw on the news this evening. Really hope she is found safe.
As reflected in the update above, Margo is home safe, & suspects are in custody.
Thank goodness! I kept coming back to check hoping for a happy update! So glad she's home safe and they got the scum who did this!
YAY! This story had me worried sick over the safety of my own dog. Glad to hear the jerk that did this was caught red-handed.
I asked a friend who does some fundraising for animal rescues about this type of theft, and she said it's fairly common for dogs advertised on Craigslist "to a good home for a rehoming fee" to actually be stolen. Certainly, not all of them are, but she gave me some warning signs:
*The "owners" don't have vet records, even though the dog has a rabies tag (bonus points for the tag being from a different, nearby jurisdiction than where they say they live).
*The "owners" won't let you come to their house to meet or pick up the dog...they insist on either coming to your house or meeting in a public place.
*They don't have much in pet supplies: no toys, treats, bowls, grooming products, etc. that they offer to give you with the dog.
*They are put-off by you asking to have your vet do a health check before you agree to take the dog.
She said to contact the police immediately if anything like this comes up if you try to adopt a dog. If you pay the rehoming fee and the dog winds up being stolen, you may be able to get it back to its owner through the microchip, but you've just given the thieves incentive to do it again. They don't care about the dog, they want the $100-200 for the "rehoming fee." And if you think someone wouldn't do it for as little as $100, when my home was burgled (before I got my dog, thankfully), the thieves stole a *5* year old iPod that couldn't have been worth more than $20...
^Same anon, again. Yes, rehoming fees are, therefore, a catch-22. When you're legitimately trying to re-home your dog because of circumstances beyond your control, they help to weed out people who would take a free dog to re-sell (to anyone who will pay regardless of how they would care for the dog) or use in dog fighting. But they give dog-nappers an incentive that didn't really exist before people started using rehoming fees as a matter of course.
If you need to find your pet a new home, talk to a reputable rescue to see if they can help you. They may be willing to advertise your dog and screen applicants for low or no fee (especially if you can provide current vet records, your pet is up-to-date on all vaccinations, it's spayed/neutered, and you can hang on to your pet until a good home is found so they don't have to care for it in their shelter or a foster home).
Maybe now we can get to some real news. This maudlin pablum is finally over. I learned about this faux news yesterday, and frankly It's really sad that this happened, but it isn't anymore news than our cars being vandalized. Please H Street get some gumption and move on. In the end it would only be one dog (and I'm a dog owner) in a city full of dogs and dog owners. This isn't like say the shooting yesterday, the folks who died due to the cold last week, or even the ill conceived street car.
Just enjoyed a great dinner at Union Market's Bidwell's. Following dinner I spoke with the owner and complimented him on the venue, meal and service and welcomed him to the neighborhood.
During the conversation I asked him how long was his lease, to ascertain his commitment to the neighborhood. The owner replied, "That's personal, like asking how much I make." I did not think so; but given his uncomfortableness, I made the conversation lighter and said, "Doesn't this remind you of the Meat Packing District in New York?" To which he replied, "Yes, about 15 years ago."
This exchange between me-a resident who lived through the remnants of the "Rayful Edmonds" years in Near Northeast- and a new restauranteur, hoping to "make his mark" in this gentrified neighborhood, is a constant reminder of how dismissive and naive some "new comers" are to the significant impact and value of the support of us "old timers".
There are several great restaurants/owners on H Street, who share their lease status with residents in order to help gain support when their liquor licenses are in jeopardy; when they want to get extensions and are concerned about maintaining a good rapport with local residents...I hope this gentleman does not take these issues "PERSONAL", should they befall his "tenure". :)
Warmly,
5th Street
Translating Robbie's post for everyone: I'm not interested in this, therefore, no one else should be either.
Almost without exception, those who need to tell you that they are "significant" and "valuable," as opposed to simply demonstrating it, are neither.
Sitting in one place longer than some other person does not have any inherent value in it, and it certainly does not imbue you with the sort of wisdom and authority you seem to think it does, but, hey, you just keep on being your warm and precious self!
From the picture it looks like little Margo is a VAMPIRE
DOG !!! I hope the dognapper is ok and doesn't try that again.
Although my whole name appears, thanks to Google. If you're gonna call me by my nick name, it ends in a Y not IE. I'm just saying.
Robby -- sorry, I was going from memory, and my memory failed me.
Freaky! Losing something of value is always distressing; even more so if it involves a life. Glad she was returned to her owner, and thus sparing both of them from any more trauma and harm. Now would probably be the best time install more strenuous locks to avoid any future mishaps.
Todd @ Protech Security
Post a Comment