The owners of dogs rescued from the clutches of a sophisticated smuggling syndicate could lose them again as the criminals can trace the animals.
Mariette Hopley, manager of the National Animal Welfare Task Team, said syndicates had planted microchips in some of the dogs.
Hopley said more than 80 dogs had been rescued since August. Twelve of them had been returned to their owners but, she warned, they could be kidnapped again.
Some of the dogs had two microchips in them - that of their rightful owner and that of the syndicate.
"They [the syndicates] are very clever. They could go back and steal the dogs."
Hopley said targeted breeds include German Shepherds, pit bulls, Rottweilers, huskies and boerboels. The animals were smuggled to Angola for breeding and dog fighting.
"Runners" sold stolen dogs for as little as R100 to syndicates, which, in turn, sold them for as much as R30 000 on the Angolan market.
Most dogs have been snatched in the Western Cape, followed by parts of Johannesburg, Limpopo and Free State.
On Monday, 13 dogs were confiscated at Cape Town International Airport en route to Angola.
Captain Frederick van Wyk, the Western Cape police spokesman, said four Angolan men were arrested on charges of possession of stolen property and for contravening the Customs and Excise Act.
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