Community members concerned about possible pet thefts in the North Okanagan and Shuswap

NORTH OKANAGAN – Alarm bells are being sounded on social media about people trying to steal dogs in the North Okanagan.

Posts on various Facebook groups warn of stolen dogs, and attempted pet thefts, around the Vernon and Salmon Arm areas.

One post states a man tried to coax a dog from a yard near Vernon Secondary School, while another describes a man trying to lure dogs out of a yard and into a truck in the Gleneden area.

Despite the number of cases being discussed on social media, local RCMP detachments say they’ve received few to no reports of stolen dogs.

Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy of the Vernon detachment says they haven’t received any reports of stolen dogs, or attempted pet thefts recently. Meanwhile, Sgt. Scott West of the Salmon Arm detachment says they’ve only heard of one incident.

“We have one reported possible attempted dog theft from January to present,” West says.

Concerned community members, however, are encouraging dog owners to be vigilant, and keep an eye on their pets at all times.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.