ST PAUL, Minn. — "It's scary — I mean, somebody pulls a shotgun out for a dog, who knows what else they might do, right?" said Randy Klossner as he stood at the intersection of Wheelock Parkway and Alameda Street in St. Paul on Tuesday.
Klossner is the co-founder of nonprofit Lost K9, along with his wife. They put out a lost dog sign at that intersection in the hopes that someone might spot 10-month-old Suga, a pitbull-terrier mix.
Klossner said Suga was taken from her owner at gunpoint around that area on Sunday morning.
"As he worked his way down the sidewalk here, they raced down the street, stopped him, cornered him," Klossner said. "And the first guy jumped out, pulled a shotgun, cocked it in his face, and said, 'Give me your dog.'"
Without much choice, the owner did. Then, the two men, in what the owner could identify as a grey two-door Honda with Wisconsin license plates, sped off going north.
After the incident, the owner got in touch with Klossner and Lost K9.
"They got the dog for their kids, and they've had the dog for about three weeks, so not that long," Klossner said. "And the family right now is devastated; the kids are really missing the dog."
Klossner said ever since he and his wife started Lost K9 nearly two years ago, they've been busy, dealing with dognappings, both intentional and accidental.
"There's been 31 dogs stolen, most of them inside of a car, most of them are just opportunity; people leave their cars running," Klossner explained. "They run into the store, the gas station, and they go outside, start their car in their home with the keys in it."
But unlike carjackings that happen with dogs in the back, intentional dognappings like Suga's case make it hard to pin down a motive.
"They might want to try to sell it, or even sometimes they steal them and wait for rewards," Klossner said. "Two: Or they might want to try to breed it. Three: There are also dog fighting rings around, they might want to take the dog for a bait dog or take it for dog fighting rings."
Klossner said if you do happen to spot Suga, do not approach. If you can, take photos and call either 911 or Lost K9 at 651-442-5308.
St. Paul Police say they are also investigating this incident.
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