Detective hired to find family dog
An Albany family has gone to the extraordinary lengths of hiring a private investigator to help locate their missing dog, believed to have been stolen last month.
Sarah and Luke Corker and their three children moved to Albany five months ago and last month their Jack Russell Milo disappeared from their Marbellup home.
Mrs Corker fears Milo was stolen from their home on Link Road on August 26 when she took her children to school in the morning.
When she returned at 11.30am, Milo was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs Corker said her family had posted flyers around Albany and on Facebook, taken out newspaper advertisements and contacted local veterinarians and City of Albany rangers, without luck.
The family are now offering a reward for the return of their much-loved pet of the past nine years, no questions asked.
"It has been very devastating; we have only just moved here," Mrs Corker said.
"I have three very distraught children.
"He just completely vanished. Normally the neighbour would see him … it just didn't seem right."
Perth-based private investigator Mick Buckley, who has been involved in six murder inquiries since retiring from the police force in 1983, said all information pointed to the dog being stolen.
Mr Buckley left the police force after 14 years in 1983 to begin work as a private investigator and has been involved in murder inquiries, including the 1983 murder of Perth school girl Sharon Mason.
After locating a stolen dog less than two months ago, Mr Buckley said it was not uncommon for people to seek assistance from private investigators to find pets.
He said he wanted Albany police to acknowledge the dog as stolen so any leads could be directed through Crime Stoppers.
"It can't be lost, someone has that dog," he said.
Mrs Corker hoped Milo had not been taken after recent reports of an illegal dog-fighting syndicate in the region.
The RSPCA confirmed to the _Advertiser _last month it had begun investigating several reports of illegal dog-fighting.
Anyone with information about Milo is urged to contact Mr Buckley on 9313 5252.
