I just heard on the news an update on a dog in our tri-state area that had gone missing. The dog is a companion animal for a man with special needs. I think the man has multiple sclerosis, if I remember correctly. They got a call from a man with a thick accent, saying he has the dog, but the $50 reward offered isn't enough. He says he wants $500, or he'll sell the dog to someone who will use it as pit bull bait, which means the animal will be used to train pit bulls to fight, viciously and brutally.

In searching for a news link (I couldn't find it, sorry), I found three other stories about dog kidnappings for ransom. It sickens me!!!! One was about a little puppy that, by the time they got to the dognapper's home, it was too late. The puppy had been beaten up and brutalized, and later died of its injuries. The guy got jail time, according to the article, but I don't know if he got any other punishment. Punishments for these kinds of crimes are never enough, IMO. Another article said this kind of thing happens a lot in the UK.

Sometimes I really hate the world.