Entire Dog Blog

Six Labrador Retrievers and one German shorthair have disappeared from one New London (Minnesota) neighborhood on Thursday or Friday during daylight hours since Thanksgiving.

Tilly (above) is the Jakobson family's missing dog. Lynn Gauer's 7-year old black Labrador is also among the missing.

“She’s the type of dog who, if you whistle, she’s back within 10 minutes max. She does not drift off,” [Gauer] said.

Some speculate that an unscrupulous breeder or dog seller is to blame. Other unlikely (in my opinon) theories include all the dogs being picked up by passers by as strays (6 Labs?) or the dogs being injured in some way (no bodies have been found). Either way, there are few leads in the strange case. The most recent victim reports seeing a green pick-up truck driving in the area.

[Shannon] O’Donnell [of the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Department] urged dog owners, especially those who live in rural neighborhoods, to keep a close eye on their dogs.

“Make sure they have a collar with identification. Maybe they could invest in a microchip,” she said. A microchip containing ID information can be placed under the skin of the animal.

That advice was echoed by Bobbie Bauman, animal care director for the Humane Society of Kandiyohi County.

“We do microchipping down here, $25 an animal,” she said. “There’s been at least two dogs we’ve gotten back to the proper owner that way.”

Owners might want to install locks on outdoor kennels, Bauman suggested.

Since most of the dogs disappeared during the daytime, owners should consider keeping their dog indoors while they’re away from home, O’Donnell said.

Bauman said the Humane Society has been alerted about the missing dogs so that shelter staff can be on the lookout in case any of the dogs show up at the shelter in Willmar.