(CLARKSBURG, Mo., AP) — Residents along a rural highway in central Missouri are expressing alarm over the disappearances of purebred dogs.

KRCG-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1bNx3JS) nine dogs have disappeared since early September from their homes along a short stretch of Highway AA near Clarksburg, in Cooper County.

Among the missing purebreds are two purebred English bulldogs, two border collies, a German shepherd and a Great Pyrenees.

The residents say the number and proximity of the disappearances, plus the quality of the dogs, make them suspect someone is stealing the canines to resell them for a profit. One victim, Kasie Giannone, points out that her English bulldog is missing while her three mutts are still safely at home.