By CASEY NEILL
CRANBOURNE police are reassuring residents their Staffys are safe from thieves following a frantic weekend search for a diabetic pooch.
Sarah Leavasa’s five-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Bailey went missing from her Lyndhurst front yard about 10.15pm last Friday night.
“We’ve got two other dogs. My husband took all of them outside to go to the toilet,” she said.
“He came back in to grab a beanie, for 15 seconds, and Bailey was just gone and the other two dogs were still there.
“He was definitely taken. We have a very enclosed street. We drove around for six hours and saw no sign of him.”
She launched a Facebook campaign for his safe return and through it heard from 12 other people whose Staffys had been stolen from the area.
“I’ve heard that people have been walking around the streets with dog whistles,” Ms Leavasa said.
“There are heaps of dogs going missing at the moment.
“I’ve walked around and warned the neighbours.”
Cranbourne Senior Sergeant Phil Atkins could not corroborate the rumours.
“Over a period of time, between Pakenham and Botanic Ridge and beyond, there’s been a number of dogs go missing,” he said.
“Some of them have been Staffys.
“But I cannot honestly say the dogs have been stolen.”
Sen Sgt Atkins said some dogs had run away and been adopted by their finders.
“If you have a dog, make sure that your gates are secure, the fences are in good condition because if there is any loud thunder or fireworks it can scare the dog,” he said.
“If it has an exit route it will find it and run away.
“I would encourage everyone to have their animal microchipped and registered with the council.”
A local ranger found Bailey in Beaconsfield on Sunday afternoon and returned him to Ms Leavasa.
“He was jumping around and then he went in his basket and slept for a few hours,” she said.
“I don’t know where he’s been over the weekend, we’re not even 100 per cent sure what happened.”
Bailey had lived with Ms Leavasa for the past year.
“We fostered him from a dog rescue organisation,” she said.
“We put our hand up at 2.30pm and he was to be put down at 3pm at a kill shelter in New South Wales.
“I instantly connected to the dog. We only officially took ownership of him a week ago.
“He follows me everywhere. He loves kids as well. He sleeps at the end of their beds.”
