Rash of dog thefts seen in Albuquerque area

ALBUQUERQUE — Authorities in the Albuquerque area say there’s been a rash of dog thefts and that it may be related to dogfighting.

Bernalillo County sheriff ’s Sgt. Aaron Williamson said about a dozen dogs have been stolen in the area in the past two months.

The sheriff ’s department spokesman said some of the stolen dogs likely were taken for use as fighting dogs, while others were intended to be used as bait in training fighting dogs.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that Williamson’s advice for dog owners is to keep their animals inside if they can and to look outside kennels to make it difficult to steal dogs.