Purebred Dogs Disappear Across Cancun as Activists Warn of Black Market

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A growing number of purebred dogs are disappearing in Cancun, raising alarm among pet owners and animal welfare organizations that suspect the animals are being stolen and sold through an underground market.

Sara Rincón Gallardo, president of the animal protection society Luum Balicheo, said her group has received multiple reports from owners looking for their pets, particularly purebred dogs. Many say the animals were taken from their homes or vanished without a trace.

Rincón Gallardo said the organization is currently helping in several searches and has identified between two and three new reports a day involving missing pedigree dogs.

Behind those disappearances, she said, there could be an illegal trade network. Some stolen animals may be transported to other cities and later sold, according to the reports the group has received.

“There is already a black market,” Rincón Gallardo said.

She added that the problem is not new but could get worse due to what she described as poor management at the Benito Juárez Animal Welfare Center, which serves the Cancun area.

“While people are desperately looking for their pets, we also have difficulties responding to reports of abandoned dogs, animals struck by vehicles, poisoning and abuse,” she said.

The group regularly receives between seven and ten reports involving abandonment, dogs hit by cars, poisoning, mistreatment and lost pets, according to the activist.

Rincón Gallardo urged pet owners to remain alert and report a missing animal immediately, especially when it involves a purebred dog, so it can be located before it ends up in an illegal sales network.

She also called for stronger follow-up mechanisms for reports of missing and abused animals in Cancun, as well as better coordination between authorities and animal protection groups.