Rise in DC dog thefts exposes illegal market for pets. Here's how to look for red flags

WASHINGTON (7News) — "An animal in a lot of ways is a quick buck to certain people," said Dan D’Eramo with DC's Humane Rescue Alliance.

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It’s a trend recently play out in the D.C. area dognappings.

In February, a dog walker in Silver Spring, Maryland was attacked and had a 13-week-old Havanese puppy named Riley taken from him.

SEE ALSO | 'We just want him back': DC couple plead for help after puppy stolen at gunpoint, 4 wanted

Last month, two dogs were stolen at gunpoint in the span of just 45 minutes in northwest D.C.

"In that moment it was you know, who couldn't do something like this? What what's going through their head," Rick Oleka, Pablo’s owner.

Oleka had a gun put in his face as thieves stole his Australian shepherd puppy named Pablo.

"I almost think that, you know, that phrase is honor amongst thieves," he said. "I mean, to go after someone's pet a puppy."

But the crooks weren’t done. The same crew robbed another dog owner at gunpoint, taking Bruno, a 14-month-old French bulldog.

READ MORE | 'Help me get him back': Owner of stolen DC French bulldog, Bruno, not giving up hope

"French bulldogs are frequently stolen because they are very expensive," said Kathleen Summers, director of outreach and research at the Humane Society of the United States.

"There's a greater danger if your dog is not spayed or neutered, because sometimes people are stealing them to sell them into puppy mills and reproduce them and try to make a quick buck off the puppies," Summers said.

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D’Eramo said it’s not just these planned thefts that pet owners should be aware of.

"We have situations where a vehicle was stolen, and the dog happened to be in the backseat, or someone's house was burglarized, and the dog also happens to be taken during that time," he added.

There are also things you should look out for when buying a new pet, to make sure it’s not stolen:

"I think it's just kind of been a heartbreaking realization that as we were scouring Craigslist looking for Pablo, like just how many other people if this happened to," said Oleka.

"It's easy to fall in love with a pet as soon as you see them," Summers added, "but you have to look for those red flags."

MORE | French Bulldog puppy 'Aurora' stolen from SW DC home, police search for suspect

That means: making sure the animal is microchipped, asking the seller for vet records and getting the name and number of the vet.

"I know it's hard because people do like to take their dogs out and about on in nice weather," Summers said. "But try to leave them if you're going into a store and a spot where you can keep an eye on them."

For more information on what to do if your pet is kidnapped, click here.