Miss-Delectable
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http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060404/1026481.asp
Parker, the homeless pit-bull mix who was stolen and returned last month, is missing again.
This time, somebody wants money to return him.
Half an hour after Parker vanished from his fenced-in yard on the West Side, the phone rang, says his owner, Robin Smith.
"My boyfriend [Jeff Brennan] got a call - both of our cell numbers are on the tag - and they said, "How much money will you give us for the dog?' " said Smith, a 38-year-old social worker. "After his initial shock Jeff said, "Fine, I'll come with money, I'll meet you.' "
The woman on the phone then passed it to a man.
"They said, "OK, we're going over to the East Side to run some errands and we'll call you in half an hour,' " Smith said. "They never called back."
That was March 20. Brennan's phone has caller ID, but the call was from an unlisted number. Smith filed a police report and hopes to get permission from the telephone carrier to trace the call and find the culprits.
Smith is flabbergasted that anybody would think that her dog is worth ransom money.
Parker is not exactly a champion full-breed pit bull that anybody would want to breed or take to dog shows.
For one thing, he's been neutered.
For another, he's deaf. And his dog tag says so.
"Parker is out there, he's deaf, and he may be at risk for being used as pit-bull bait or involved in dog fighting," said Anne Bingenheimer-Serravalle, an adoption counselor at the city shelter where Parker was adopted by Smith at Christmastime. "There's no rhyme or reason to any of this."
Smith has been through this before. She was playing with Parker in a vacant lot at 19th and Utica streets on March 6, when he slipped through a gap in the fence and ran. Two girls found him and called Smith, but before she could get Parker back a motorist pulled up and demanded that the girls give him back his dog.
After Parker's picture appeared on television and a reward was offered, a man who said he found Parker roaming around Smith and Broadway called and returned the dog, refusing a reward.
"I'll build a fortress around my yard if I can just get him back," Smith said. "I'm worried that someone's really doing something wrong with him. I'm willing to give a reward - but they didn't use the word "reward.' It was like, "Give us money or you're not going to get the dog back.' "
Parker is about 11/2 years old and has a white head and body, except for a big brown spot on his lower back and some brown on his tail.
He's also friendly and goofy, adds Bingenheimer-Serravalle at the animal shelter.
"Volunteers would be walking him and he would walk them," she said. "He would turn around and face them and drag the leash and he would walk in reverse. It turns out he was deaf. So this is his way of relating." Robin Smith can be reached at 848-6412.
Parker, the homeless pit-bull mix who was stolen and returned last month, is missing again.
This time, somebody wants money to return him.
Half an hour after Parker vanished from his fenced-in yard on the West Side, the phone rang, says his owner, Robin Smith.
"My boyfriend [Jeff Brennan] got a call - both of our cell numbers are on the tag - and they said, "How much money will you give us for the dog?' " said Smith, a 38-year-old social worker. "After his initial shock Jeff said, "Fine, I'll come with money, I'll meet you.' "
The woman on the phone then passed it to a man.
"They said, "OK, we're going over to the East Side to run some errands and we'll call you in half an hour,' " Smith said. "They never called back."
That was March 20. Brennan's phone has caller ID, but the call was from an unlisted number. Smith filed a police report and hopes to get permission from the telephone carrier to trace the call and find the culprits.
Smith is flabbergasted that anybody would think that her dog is worth ransom money.
Parker is not exactly a champion full-breed pit bull that anybody would want to breed or take to dog shows.
For one thing, he's been neutered.
For another, he's deaf. And his dog tag says so.
"Parker is out there, he's deaf, and he may be at risk for being used as pit-bull bait or involved in dog fighting," said Anne Bingenheimer-Serravalle, an adoption counselor at the city shelter where Parker was adopted by Smith at Christmastime. "There's no rhyme or reason to any of this."
Smith has been through this before. She was playing with Parker in a vacant lot at 19th and Utica streets on March 6, when he slipped through a gap in the fence and ran. Two girls found him and called Smith, but before she could get Parker back a motorist pulled up and demanded that the girls give him back his dog.
After Parker's picture appeared on television and a reward was offered, a man who said he found Parker roaming around Smith and Broadway called and returned the dog, refusing a reward.
"I'll build a fortress around my yard if I can just get him back," Smith said. "I'm worried that someone's really doing something wrong with him. I'm willing to give a reward - but they didn't use the word "reward.' It was like, "Give us money or you're not going to get the dog back.' "
Parker is about 11/2 years old and has a white head and body, except for a big brown spot on his lower back and some brown on his tail.
He's also friendly and goofy, adds Bingenheimer-Serravalle at the animal shelter.
"Volunteers would be walking him and he would walk them," she said. "He would turn around and face them and drag the leash and he would walk in reverse. It turns out he was deaf. So this is his way of relating." Robin Smith can be reached at 848-6412.
