This weekends 'What would you do if?'

This weeks scenario is as follows:-

You live in a nice residential area where most of the residents know each other to say hello to but everyone generally keeps themself to themself. The average age of the residents is 50 plus.

Not many people on your particular street have dogs but you have two.

New people moved into the end house on your street around four months ago. They are not your average neighbours for your neighbourhood in that they are rowdy and rude with many children that run riot. It is a semi detached house with a public footpath that runs down one side of it with access to playing fields. The fence is wood panels which are run down with some holes in them and they are surrounded by brambles.

So far you have avoided them like the plague but one day you are walking along the footpath to get to the playing fields with your dogs when you notice (through a hole in their fence) that they have a puppy chained to their shed.

The puppy is around 3 months old and is a very cute cross breed. You talk to him through the fence and he wags his tail but cannot reach you as his chain is only about 5 foot long. He has a wooden box/crate laying on its side to lay in and a bowl of water.

You are clearly upset by this and decide to keep an eye on him. You walk the path every day for several days and note that the puppy is always there in the same place, on the same chain and looking very miserable indeed.

Time for action. You alert the police, RSPCA, local council and whoever else you can think of that will help. But after another few weeks the poor dog is still there. After ringing everyone back you are told that no crime is being committed.

You find the whole thing terribly upsetting and can't get the poor dog out of your mind. It has reduced you to tears on several occasions. You are telling your best friend about it who lives about 15 miles away and she says that as her old dog has passed away, she is looking for another now and would gladly take the puppy on. You know the owners will not part with it as they made it clear to the authorities that it was here to stay. You also know that the whole family goes out every friday night and doesn't get back until the early hours.

You don't know if he's chipped but you doubt it.

Would you steal the dog and let your friend have it?

hell yes!

a nice dark friday night and some chain snippers....

i would do this with every dog they got until they stopped!

I don't know where you get your idea's from hun.....but thats one for food for thought.

Natural instinct would say yes, take it away one night give it to your mate problem solved. But would it be, in my experience of these things, they would just go out and buy another one, that too subjected to the same, and to be fair you couldn't really pinch everyone....you'd soon run out of places to take them.
So after much thought I think I would get onto my council and MP, and seek action there...that's supposing RSPCA and Police were not interested.
Petitions.....thats always provided there are neighbours that feel the same about dogs, but I think your more likely to get them moved for thier anti social behaviour.
Then Pinch the dog if all else fails

ah but if they OWN the house you may not be able to get them moved on!

No I wouldn't

No I wouldn't, but nor would my first port of call be the authorities. I have very little faith in the rspca and my borough has no dog warden.
Firstly it sounds like my road, and while I'm not overly fond of noisy neighbours or brattish kids I wouldn't avoid them like the plague either. I would prefer to engage them in conversation, ask them if they would like to socialise their dog with my motley crew. Offer to walk the pup for them and try to educate them. I don't believe most people are cruel just ignorant or thoughtless. I would point them in the right direction and persevere with it. I can have the hide of a rhino if needs be. But I'm not a thief and never will be.

I have done this but they were my mothers neighbours not mine. Max had a wonderful year with us before he had to be PTS due to epilepsy brought on by brain injury caused by repeated trauma to his head, he had many healed skull fractures (hope you're having fun at the bridge sweetie).

Do I class it as theft? Not really, I saw it as liberation.

any puppy that can't have its own waydoes look miserable, is he there through the night too, have you saw any one give affection, is he under fed, do you just feel sorry for him...if I saw a dog through a hole in the fence that was chained i wouldn't stop to talk to it cause it would just upset it cause it can't get to you, hes maybe chained because of the holes in the fence, sorry I'm an analist, need more info ! lol

No, but I would use everything in my power to free the dog through legal means. I also agree with Trouble about talking to them and offering to walk the pup etc, whilst waiting for my legal liberation efforts to succeed.

Excellent answer.