Pet store robbery and Daytona show

Ben, excellent idea. Not only would it make tracking down stolen animals easier, but I think the customers would appreciate it, especially since the information can be changed when they purchase a chipped animal. The chip has a number encoded in it, punch in the ID code and up comes the info.

What I've done for ID purposes is take 2-5 pictures of each animal I have...full shot, closeup of the head, belly shot, and shots of any odd markings or scars. Not that anyone has any idea that I keep reptiles at home or where I live, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I and I believe Neil are well aware of microchipping. It has been around a while, very popular with dogs and cats. However, we were both refering to something that can actually track the animal down. Microchipping the I.D. is good, but you have to actually locate the animal first before you can scan for I.D.

Dennis Gulla

Dennis....My point, exactly! It's like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack! You've got to be able to "find it" first, before that micro-chip means anything! That's where the micro-BATTERY comes in to play....Neil

I am not sure I understood the post by " MOUTH " on page two .........Are you saying that Dave Lawson was in the papers for Stealing snakes ?  I was unaware of this if this is indeed the case.  Either way I think it is absolutely a huge insult to all the honest people in the reptile trade who go and spend ... $200-$250 a table to sell at Daytona.  People who steal 6 common boas don't get a table at Daytona and no animals are allowed in to the show, so no one can go there and try to pass off stolen animals while the show is open.  I think Peg may have jumped the gun and put a black mark on the best show yet.  And before I forget I was not accussing Dave Lawson of anything I just was not sure I understood the post correctly.  Oh and one more thing before I forget .... In my opinion most pet stores buy inexpensive animals that they can move quickly and investing in a microchip system is not something your average pet store would invest in unless they could get a return on that as well, it's just good business sense to minimize you expense on an animal you are selling to cover the overhead you have in a store, every penny counts sometimes.


Gary Walsch
Sunshine State Reptiles

This is mostly to Gary and Neil I think....

Consider that if all the local shops who seem to be the targets of serial theft used the same system, and all donated a scanner to the county sheriff, and politely asked that he send a deputy to the show and screen animals - even if not all of them, random ones, or special target groups even (but the show has the time for a vet to check all the animals, right? ....should have time for a deputy or even hired security guard to scan all the animals.)

That would be a MAJOR deterrent to the theives - if in fact they sell at the Daytona show (but I still think it'd be easier to move them on the black market... the timing is probably just subterfuge(sp?))

Now, how much is the value of an animal you can sell, spam_vs. an animal you breed and is stolen by theives? If there is actual evidence of serial theft it almost seems like a no-brainer. Charge the $7.00 per animal to the customer and explain that the chip is a value-add, and I don't think it would drastically reduce sales... just a hunch...

Don't you think it'd raise suspicion if a large number of the animals at one or more vendors all had scars where someone had recently removed the ID tag?

^Curtis Brown

I haven't seen the news clip, and neither have any of you! So, how can you possibly take this one paragraph as gospel?

...Tonight on Tampa local news Peg Vincent of Peg's exotic pet in Wesley Chapel Fl. blamed the Daytona reptile expo for her store burglary.She said that people commit pet store robberies to supply their tables tables at the show...

I know Peg, I've spoke to her a bunch of times....I can guarantee you that she DIDN'T blame the Daytona show for her burglary?? From what she tell me, she was saying that the people who are burglarizing the shops around here are taking things that can be easily "black-marketed" to someone that actually has tables at the show! The recipient of these animals probably don't even know they're hot! Every one of us that are doing that show, are stocking up on babies to sell right now!...that's what she was talking about....so she can go to the show, and try to find the table that has her animals (good luck) and then work backwards to find out where they got them...she's certainly wasn't saying that because of the Daytona show, she was burglarized? That's ridiculous....

And Gary....She was hit for a lot more than a couple of baby boas....the largest was a 14' Albino Burm, amoung a bunch of other things....remember, they had all the time in the world because they came in through the wall so the alarm didn't go off, she was basically wiped out! Even if it is a small store....that was a lot! ....Neil

Well I did see it and she directly blamed the Daytona show.

she said "Every year at this time pet stores are robbed and it is due to the upcoming Daytona expo.People steal animals to put in the show to sell" now she may have meant something else but that is what she said.

She went on to tell them that she lost $10,000.00 worth of animals.yet the list that she called in to other shops was more like $800.00.

The point is that the show should not have even been mention end of story.It cast a shadow on the entire industry.
The reptile industry already is in bad standing with everyone from insurance companies ,Police all the way up to Capital Hill the last thing we need is to make the private sector think that everyone the breeds,sells or has a pet store is a crook.
She had no right to call the news station and request a crew to do a interview all she did was make the thieves stay in hiding and the polices job twice as hard.

Dave,

spam_ spam_You said

spam_ spam_The reptile industry already is in bad standing with everyone from insurance companies ,Police all the way up to Capital Hill the last thing we need is to make the private sector think that everyone the breeds,sells or has a pet store is a crook.


Dave are you saying everyone in law enforcement and government are anti-reptile? spam_Do you have personal bad dealings with these groups? spam_If you do, please post your experience so we all know how bad you've messed things up. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

Franklin, If I understand you correctly,

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Dave are you saying everyone in law enforcement and government are anti-reptile? &nbsp;Do you have personal bad dealings with these groups? &nbsp;If you do, please post your experience so we all know how bad you've messed things up. </td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

It is my fault that one state after another are making laws to ban certain herps ? It is my fault that most insurance companies have inflated rates for pet stops? It is my fault that most police do no take reptile thieft seriously?

Dave,
YES, everything is YOUR fault. spam_From inflation, to teen drug use, all the way to foreign affairs and my dog getting nocked up. spam_While we're at it, even Sadam Insane is YOUR fault. spam_Haven't you caught on yet. spam_C'mon man, put the 6th grade edumication to work.