A Virginia man is down a good dog after three women in a minivan picked up one of his hounds, ditched his GPS collar and drove off with him.
The incident took place in Rural Retreat, Virginia after Rocky Deel and his 11-year-old son had completed the day’s bear hunt. As they were gathering up the dogs they used to pressure the bears, a tactic perfectly legal in Virginia, they noticed they were one short.
With five dogs in tow, the missing was a “blue English” coonhound by the name of Ringo. Deel’s phone rang shortly after the father-son duo realized they were down a dog. It was a family friend and fellow hunter who had made contact with Ringo on Route 21.
“He said [Ringo] was out on Route 21,” Rocky said. “By the time we get down off the mountain and get to where he was at, we can’t find the dog but we’re still picking up the signal from the collar. Well, we end up finding the collar laying in the ditch.”
The man on the other end of the line told Deel that a trio of women were nearby in a minivan with Florida plates and they had Ringo in their custody. The man engaged the women and they told him they would take the dog into a better service area and make contact with Deel by calling the number found on the dog’s collar.
The van that allegedly took Ringo. Image: Gail Deel/Facebook
Well, that phone call never came.
Deel and his friend have since determined that, considering the GPS collar was left behind, the women were on a mission to save Ringo from his dreadful life of hunting. They have since offered up a $1,000 reward for the return of Ringo and have filed police reports in multiple counties.
If found and tried, the women who committed the offense might end up in hot water. Stealing a dog in Virginia is a Class 5 felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Additionally, removing a GPS collar from a dog is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which could get them another year in jail or a $2,500 fine. Interference with lawful hunting is a Class 3 misdemeanor, which might tack on an additional $500 fine.
