Odd News
Why French bulldog thefts are on the rise across the US
The two thieves who brutally robbed 27-year-old Marieke Bayens at gunpoint on a California street were not after her purse. They wanted her little dog: Merlyn, a French bulldog.
From New York to Los Angeles, and from Miami to Chicago, thefts of the prized breed have been on the rise.
Small and friendly — and thus easy to grab — French bulldogs are hugely popular, selling at thousands of dollars on the black market.
The most famous victim so far has been Lady Gaga. Armed men last year stole her pet bulldogs Koji and Gustav, even opening fire on an employee who was walking them.
The superstar singer offered a $500,000 reward for their return and eventually got the dogs back. Police made five arrests in the case.
Bayens survived a similar traumatic attack in November while walking Merlyn, a friend’s dog, in the California city of Oakland. The brazen attack occurred in broad daylight.
Bulldog thefts elsewhere in the country have been carried out with similar cold-blooded tactics.
So why are French bulldogs quite such a tempting target for thieves? Two key reasons: their high resale value — $3,500 to $5,000 or more — and their relative rarity, Brandi Hunter Munden, vice president of the American Kennel Club, told AFP.
“Their rise in popularity has led to an increase in thefts. The use of violence, however, is new and alarming,” she said.
Why French bulldog thefts are on the rise across the US
The two thieves who brutally robbed 27-year-old Marieke Bayens at gunpoint on a California street were not after her purse. They wanted her little dog: Merlyn, a French bulldog.
From New York to Los Angeles, and from Miami to Chicago, thefts of the prized breed have been on the rise.
Small and friendly — and thus easy to grab — French bulldogs are hugely popular, selling at thousands of dollars on the black market.
The most famous victim so far has been Lady Gaga. Armed men last year stole her pet bulldogs Koji and Gustav, even opening fire on an employee who was walking them.
The superstar singer offered a $500,000 reward for their return and eventually got the dogs back. Police made five arrests in the case.
Bayens survived a similar traumatic attack in November while walking Merlyn, a friend’s dog, in the California city of Oakland. The brazen attack occurred in broad daylight.
Bulldog thefts elsewhere in the country have been carried out with similar cold-blooded tactics.
So why are French bulldogs quite such a tempting target for thieves? Two key reasons: their high resale value — $3,500 to $5,000 or more — and their relative rarity, Brandi Hunter Munden, vice president of the American Kennel Club, told AFP.
“Their rise in popularity has led to an increase in thefts. The use of violence, however, is new and alarming,” she said.
Experts recommend owners have a computer chip implanted in the pet to allow tracing, and strongly advise against the temptation of posting cute photos or videos of their pets on social media, which may allow thieves to locate them. –ndtv.com
Odd News
Message in bottle floats from Canada to Ireland in 13 years
A message in a bottle launched by visitors to Newfoundland’s Bell Island was found washed up on an Irish beach nearly 13 years later, after apparently crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Kate Gay said she was walking a Dingle Peninsula beach this week when she spotted the wine bottle with a sheet of paper inside.
Gay showed the bottle to members of Creative Ireland NeartnaMacharaí during a meeting at her house that evening, and they broke the bottle open.
The note, written by a couple named Brad and Anita, was dated Sept. 12, 2012. The letter described the couple’s day trip to Bell Island.
There was a phone number on the letter, but there was no answer when group members tried to call.
The Maharees Heritage and Conservation group posted photos of the bottleto social media on Monday, and within an hour group members were messaging with Anita.
Group member Martha Farrell said Anita reported that she and Brad had married in 2016 and are still together to this day. -upi.com
Odd News
Woman earns world record for collection of 15,485 egg cups
A Spanish woman who has been collecting egg cups for over 50 years earned a Guinness World Record when her collection was tallied at 15,485 items.
María José Fuster recruited two witnesses to help her tally her collection at a community center in her hometown of Campo, Spain.
Fuster’s collection includes multiple patterns, colors, designs and even novelty cups bearing the images of characters including Superman, Betty Boop and Garfield.
Fuster maintains two blogs related to her hobby — one to catalog each piece, and one to list the names of the people who have donated egg cups to her collection.
Some of her most prized egg cups, about 1,143 of them, are currently on display at a local museum.
-upi.com
