Desperate owners of a popular dog breed are on edge as dognapping incidents for this canine have surged by 140 percent since 2020.
These dogs can carry a staggering price tag of $10,000 and cost even more to raise because most females require artificial insemination to produce puppies and yield fewer offspring compared to other breeds.
The pups in question? French Bulldogs.
‘It’s the most targeted breed. They are great family dogs, so they are very desirable. At the same time, they are also very expensive,’ Tom Sharp, the CEO of American Kennel Club Reunite told ABC.
‘[It] can go anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 to try to buy one. And that’s beyond a lot of people’s means, yet they still want one,’ he said.’
Owner-reported ‘dognappings’ of French Bulldogs to his nonprofit group have seen a dramatic 140 percent increase since 2020, according to Sharp.
The trend is highlighted by the recent incident where the distraught Los Angeles based dog owner Ali Zacharias was filmed clinging to the hood of the car belonging to the thieves who had stolen her pooch, Onyx.
Desperate owners of a popular dog breed are on edge as dognapping incidents for this canine have surged by 140 percent since 2020, according to Tom Sharp, the CEO of American Kennel Club Reunite
The trend is highlighted by the recent incident where the distraught owner Ali Zacharias was filmed clinging to the hood of the car belonging to the thieves who had stolen her pooch, Onyx. Pictured: a suspect who allegedly stole Onyx
DailyMail.com has exclusively obtained a screenshot of a photo that shows Slater holding Onyx on her lap in what appears to be a car. The text message from Slater to an unidentified person says, ‘Do yuh know who would want to buy him for 2500 or 200’
Onyx, pictured, is still missing
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‘In 2023, twice as many French Bulldogs were reported stolen to us as the next breed,’ Sharp said.
According to data from the American Kennel Club, in 2022, French Bulldogs outpaced Labradors to claim the coveted title of the country’s most favored breed.
Numerous French Bulldog owners have expressed alarmed when news broke that Zacharias’ dog Onyx was stolen by a dognapper who grabbed the dog from her and walked off last month in downtown Los Angeles.
Video of Zacharias’ terrifying ordeal went viral after a bystander filmed her on the car. She was eventually flung off when the driver made a sharp right turn.
Miraculously, she survived and is recovering from minor injuries after the terrifying incident, but the hunt for her one-year-old dog remains ongoing.
Numerous French Bulldog owners are alarmed after Zacharias (pictured) lost her dog Onyx as the dognapper grabbed the dog from her and walked off last month in downtown Los Angeles
The thief jumped into a waiting car and Zacharias tried to block their way, but they sped off and hit her. She clung onto the hood for a few blocks before they made a sharp turn and threw her off
U.S. Marshals arrested and booked Sadie Slater, 21, on February 2 in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood.
She was charged with felony robbery. But within one day, the suspect – who has had prior 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 I was given 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 am beside myself. She’s out free, walking around? Where’s the justice in this?’ said Zacharias, who was given Onyx as a gift from her 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 found out about the suspect’s surprise release when informed by DailyMail.com.
‘This woman almost killed me. She wasn’t driving the car, but her boyfriend was behind the wheel,’ she claimed. ‘Why hasn’t he been brought in for questioning and more importantly – where is my dog?’
The popularity of French Bulldogs has surged to the extent that even celebrities have fallen victim to dognapping incidents.
Tough time: Lady Gaga is pictured here with her French Bulldog Koji, which was stolen off the street during an armed attack on her dog walker on February 24, 2021
James Howard Jackson took a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2022
Ryan Fischer (left), Lady Gaga’s dogwalker, was shot in the chest while walking the singer’s French Bulldogs, which were then stolen in Hollywood
Koji (left) and Gustav (right) were snatched by the attackers after Jackson shot Fischer in the chest during a scuffle
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! I´ve been shot!’ and ‘Help me!’ and ‘I´m bleeding out from my chest!’
The pop star’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed she had found them tied to a pole and asked 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 the father of another suspect is charged with helping him avoid arrest.
Authorities said the Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence, and the singer’s pets were not targeted due to her celebrity status.
Instead, the motive was the value 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 a microchip for their pets 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 from you,’ Sharp said.