Desperate owners of a popular dog breed are on edge as kidnapping incidents of this canine have increased by 140 percent since 2020.
These dogs can cost a staggering $10,000 and cost even more to breed because most females require artificial insemination to produce puppies and produce fewer offspring compared to other breeds.
The puppies in question? French bulldogs.
‘It is the most attacked breed. They make excellent family dogs, making them highly desirable. At the same time, they are also very expensive,” said Tom Sharp, executive director of American Kennel Club Reunite. ABC.
‘It can cost between $3,000 and $10,000 to try to buy one. And that’s beyond the means of a lot of people, but they still want one,” he said.
French Bulldog ‘kidnappings’ reported by owners to their nonprofit group have seen a dramatic 140 percent increase since 2020, according to Sharp.
The trend is highlighted by the recent incident in which distraught Los Angeles-based dog owner Ali Zacharias was filmed clinging to the hood of the car of thieves who had stolen her dog, Onyx.
Desperate owners of a popular dog breed are on edge as incidents of dognappings of this canine have increased by 140 percent since 2020, according to Tom Sharp, executive director of the American Kennel Club Reunite.
The trend is highlighted by the recent incident in which distraught owner Ali Zacharias was filmed clinging to the bonnet of the car of thieves who had stolen his dog, Onyx. Pictured: a suspect who allegedly stole Onyx
DailyMail.com exclusively obtained a screenshot of a photo showing Slater holding Onyx on his lap in what appears to be a car. Slater’s text message to an unidentified person reads: “You know who would want to buy it for 2500 or 200?”
Onyx, pictured, still missing
“In 2023, we reported twice as many thefts of French Bulldogs as the next breed,” Sharp said.
According to data from the American Kennel Club, in 2022, French bulldogs surpassed Labradors to claim the coveted title of the country’s most favored breed.
Numerous French Bulldog owners have been alarmed when it emerged that Zacharias’s dog, Onyx, was stolen by a dog kidnapper who snatched the dog and ran away last month in downtown Los Angeles.
Video of Zacharias’ terrifying experience went viral after a passerby filmed her in the car. She was finally ejected when the driver turned sharply to the right.
Miraculously, she survived and is recovering from minor injuries following the terrifying incident, but the search for her one-year-old dog continues.
Many French Bulldog owners are alarmed after Zacharias (pictured) lost his dog Onyx when the kidnapper snatched the dog and ran away last month in downtown Los Angeles.
The thief got into a waiting car and Zacharias tried to block their path, but they accelerated and hit her. She clung to the hood for a few blocks before they made a sharp turn and threw her.
U.S. Marshals arrested and searched Sadie Slater, 21, on February 2 in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood.
She was accused of theft. But within a day, the suspect, who had previous run-ins with the law, was released after posting bail set at $70,000.
“I was able to identify her at the police station when they gave me a row of mugshots to look at and there she was,” Zacharias told DailyMail.com.
‘I was so relieved when they made the arrest, but now I’m beside myself. Is he free, walking around? Where is the justice in this? said Zacharias, who was given Onyx by his boyfriend when the dog was just two months old.
Photos of Slater’s arrest were made available on the US Marshal’s page on X, formerly Twitter.
“I’m horrified that this woman is out on bail,” said Zacharias, 44, who only learned of the suspect’s surprise release when DailyMail.com reported it.
‘This woman almost killed me. “She wasn’t driving the car, but her boyfriend was behind the wheel,” she stated. ‘Why hasn’t he been brought in for questioning and, more importantly, where is my dog?’
The popularity of French Bulldogs has increased to the point that even celebrities have been victims of dog kidnapping incidents.
Hard times: Lady Gaga is seen here with her French bulldog Koji, who was stolen from the street during an armed attack on her dog walker on February 24, 2021.
James Howard Jackson accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2022
Lady Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer (left) was shot in the chest while walking the singer’s French Bulldogs, which were later stolen in Hollywood.
Koji (left) and Gustav (right) were kidnapped by attackers after Jackson shot Fischer in the chest during a fight.
In 2021, James Howard Jackson and two accomplices shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, 41, and took two of the pop star’s three pets named Asia, Koji and Gustav.
A nearby doorbell camera recorded the dog walker screaming ‘Oh my God! They have shooted me!’ and ‘Help me!’ and ‘I’m bleeding from my chest!’
The pop star’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed to have found them tied to a post and inquired about Lady Gaga’s offer of a $500,000 reward if the dogs were returned “no questions asked.”
The woman was charged with receiving stolen property and another suspect’s father is accused of helping him avoid arrest.
Authorities said the connection to Lady Gaga was a coincidence and that the singer’s pets were not attacked because of her celebrity status.
Instead, the reason was the courage of the French Bulldogs.
Jackson pleaded guilty a year later and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Sharp advised French bulldog owners to take precautions, such as getting their pets microchipped and being mindful of the information they share on social media.
“(If) you say, ‘Hey, I’ll be at the park at 2:00 today with my beautiful little French bulldog puppy,’ you’re almost inviting strangers to take that dog away from you,” Sharp said.