http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10838
North Yorkshire Police
11
March 2013
Police
in Whitby and
other areas of the county want to reassure residents that there are no gangs of
dog thieves operating in the area and placing stickers on vehicles.
A
local officer who was called by concerned residents, has enlisted the advice of
a local tyre fitter to prove that marks left on vehicle tyres are not the work
of dog-nappers.
Rumours
have been circulating on social media sites that dog thieves have been placing
stickers on vehicle tyres to mark the homes of dog owners, ready for them to go
back and steal the dogs. This is not the case.
The
red and yellow dots seen on tyres are placed there by tyre manufacturers. The
red dot denotes the heaviest part of the tyre and a yellow dot denotes the
lightest. They are not the work of dog thieves. [...]