Dog crate thieves halt pet adoptions

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ATLANTA, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Thieves halted efforts to get some 40 homeless dogs new homes for the holidays in the Atlanta-area, pet rescue officials said.

Forty dog crates were stolen from behind a 9-foot-tall chain-link fence at Park Haven Pet Rescue in Dunwoody, Ga., last week and the dogs could not be taken to a local pet store Saturday for adoption.

"I did six adoptions last week and got those six dogs out of a high kill shelter," Dorease Shairrick, a volunteer at Pet Haven Rescue, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She said the black folding dog crates may have been taken on Christmas morning.

The crates, which will cost around $5,000 to replace, are spray-painted with the word "rescue." Dog bedding and four banners also were taken by the thieves.

The pet rescue group holds weekly adoption events at a PetSmart on Saturdays.