The American Kennel Club is claiming that the recession has caused a dognapping wave in the U.S. They have reported 224 stolen pets so far as opposed to 150 at the same time last year. However, it would seem that a recession would give people a reason not to own a dog rather than to steal one. Dogs can cost money to care for, something more difficult to find in a recession. In addition, it can also be very low-cost or even free to adopt or buy a new pet, which raises the question of why someone would risk stealing a dog rather than legally obtaining one. Therefore, you have to question how these statistics are found because they seem to go against economic theory, but nonetheless it makes for an interesting story.

Source: Slate