Grand theft canine

Grand theft canine

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Two dogs peep out of a car in Mexico City - a place where animals like them can become the targets of crime.

According to animal care and control organisations, robberies and kidnappings of pure-bred dogs have quadrupled in Mexico over the past few years, as gangs steal pets and extract sizeable ransoms from their owners.

. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

A tiny dog yelps next to a van used by Mariam Luzcan, an animal lover who cares for purebred canines on behalf of clients and also rescues dogs from the street.

Some of the breeds she looks after could be targets for criminals, who threaten owners with guns to snatch their animals, or else use dogs in heat to lure the pets away. Ransoms for the four-legged hostages can reach up to seven times the dogs' original value.

. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Luzcan’s dachshund "Doggie" has been kidnapped four times, racking up a total of $800 in ransom.

The Council for Law and Human Rights, a Mexican NGO, warns of other dog-related crimes committed in the country, including con artists posing as medical officials and giving pets bogus anti-rabies vaccines, and criminals posting fake adverts for free pure-bred dogs and then assaulting and robbing those who respond.

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Slideshow

Dog lover Mariam Luzcan drives her "canine car", a vehicle which she uses to transport the animals in her care and to rescue abandoned dogs.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Dog lover Mariam Luzcan drives her "canine car", a vehicle which she uses to transport the animals in her care and to rescue abandoned dogs.

She drives around purebreds that she looks after for clients, as well as her own dogs and other canines that she puts up for adoption.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

She drives around purebreds that she looks after for clients, as well as her own dogs and other canines that she puts up for adoption.

In total, she has over 40 dogs in her care.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

In total, she has over 40 dogs in her care.

One of the animals looks out of the window of the "canine car".
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

One of the animals looks out of the window of the "canine car".

Luzcan smiles for the camera as she sits with her own dogs and a group of the animals that she hopes will be adopted.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Luzcan smiles for the camera as she sits with her own dogs and a group of the animals that she hopes will be adopted.

One precaution that can be taken against dognapping is inserting a microchip into animals to keep track of their movements - a procedure this dog is about to undergo.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

One precaution that can be taken against dognapping is inserting a microchip into animals to keep track of their movements - a procedure this dog is about to undergo.

A man displays the serial number matching a microchip embedded in a dog. According to Canine Advocacy Program, the average cost of having adopted pets spayed or neutered and implanted with an identification chip is around $50.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

A man displays the serial number matching a microchip embedded in a dog. According to Canine Advocacy Program, the average cost of having adopted pets spayed or neutered and implanted with an identification chip is around $50.

A vet scans his patient after implanting it with a chip.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

A vet scans his patient after implanting it with a chip.

A three-legged dog plays in a public park in Mexico City.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

A three-legged dog plays in a public park in Mexico City.

A poster offering a reward for the return of a lost dog is left taped to a tree.
. Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

A poster offering a reward for the return of a lost dog is left taped to a tree.