February 14th is Pet Theft Awareness Day

According to Last Chance for Animals (LCA), perhaps as many as two million animals are stolen in the United States each year. That's a staggering figure.

Some 50,000 are horses, and some are farm animals, such as cows. But the overwhelming majority are dogs and cats. In so many cases, their people will never find out what has happened to them. That is heartbreaking, and it is one of the reasons I have launched the "Finding Animals Stolen Tipline" (FAST). As this community continues to grow, we will make a difference.

This year marks the 20th time that LCA has used the occasion of Valentine's Day to bring awareness to the problem of animal theft, and to educate animal-loving people about how they can protect their creature companions from becoming victims. Their public service announcement shows how shockingly easy it is for an unsupervised animal to be grabbed in broad daylight.

I hope it never happens to you, or to the animals you love. Keep them close.