STOLEN DOGS
Since 1 July 2003 I have received thousands of emails and phone calls and have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have told me their dog was stolen and has never been seen again.
I believe dog stealing is a major problem in Australia even though people tend to think, or more appropriately, want to think it is a rare occurrence.
In Australia there is apathy right 'across the board' towards dog stealing even though dog stealing is a criminal offence and a serious form of animal abuse and cruelty which is directly linked with child abuse and cruelty.
Crime reports are rarely completed by the Police. Therefore no statistics are collected on stolen dogs even though a dog has the same legal status as a motor vehicle (refer The Legal Status of a Dog web page) and even though a dog can mean a great deal more to a human than a motor vehicle.
There is a huge incidence in Australia of people dishonestly keeping lost dogs they find for their own selfish reasons without making any attempt to locate the legal owner of the dog. 'Found' advertisements in newspapers are free of charge. This behaviour falls into the category of stealing a dog which is a criminal offence.
Council dog pounds, RSPCA animal shelters and veterinary practices do not maintain accurate and reliable Lost and Found records.
Veterinary practices are not determining legal ownership prior to treating dogs and a veterinarian is not obliged by any law to scan animals he is treating even if it is a Police matter e.g. when the dog has been stolen from his or her legal owner.
Stolen dogs and lost dogs are categorised as missing dogs.
The only time a missing dog is scanned for a microchip, to determine legal ownership, is when the dog gets away from the criminals who stole him or her and ends up as a stray dog, and is then taken to a council dog pound, RSPCA animal shelter or veterinary practice. Veterinarians are not obliged by law to assist in these situations.
Therefore, there is no data collected to determine whether or not the stealing of dogs (all animals) is in fact a serious problem in Australia.
What is happening to all the missing dogs (all animals) like Beau that are literally vanishing into thin air every singe day in Australia ?????
If council dog pounds and RSPCA animal shelters do not collect accurate and reliable information they are not in a position to know what the real problems are.
A dog (all animals) is stolen because it is of value to the criminal. Stolen dogs (all animals) are usually owned by responsible dog owners who care for and love their dogs dearly. The trauma suffered is immense. It is the 'worst nightmare' faced by any responsible dog owner.
Obviously some dogs are stolen for illegal dog breeding, illegal dog trading and illegal dog fighting.
Yet, absolutely nothing is being done to even discourage the stealing of dogs (all animals), despite the unacceptable killing rate in council dog pounds and RSPCA animal shelters throughout Australia.
Then there is the general attitude that dogs are not intelligent and do not possess sophisticated feelings and do not suffer grief. Therefore, many humans do not see anything wrong with dog stealing, even though it is a criminal offence and even though a human has trespassed onto another's property and the sanctity of another's home, and stolen a very much loved and respected family member.
The normal and accepted attitude is that the missing dog will never be seen again, so why bother .. go out and buy yourself another dog .. and 'move on'.
This is a photo of Beau when he was a puppy, chewing one of his mum's shoes. Beau was always a very happy, fun loving boy and he had a zest for life. He was oblivious to any type of danger because he was loved so much by his mum and his family.
Little did Beau know the trauma and danger that awaited him that terrible day on 1 July 2003. Neither did his mum because she took extraordinary lengths to protect him, as well as his family.
Unless this happens to you and your dog, and you and your dog have a close bond, you could not begin to imagine the trauma and the grief suffered by everyone involved, including the dog. Despite the general opinion in Australia, a dog does have feelings and sophisticated emotions and intelligence.
Beau's love for his family and me did not stop because he was stolen from us.
When your dog dies, this is very difficult to cope with, if you love your dog very much. However, you know what happened to your dog; where your dog is; and that your dog is safe and cannot be harmed.
When your dog is stolen from you, and this applies to the situation when a dog ends up outside his or her property and is found and deliberately kept by someone else, you do not know what has happened to your dog; where your dog is; who your dog is with; how your dog is being treated; and you know in your heart your dog is grieving just as deeply for you as you are grieving for them.
A dog will never forget the person he loves. If he is taken away from them against his will, he will grieve and wait for this special person he loves to find him.
A dog lives in the moment, but this does not mean a dog does not suffer stress, trauma and grief.
Please take a moment to think about this .. when Beau came to live with me as a 4 months old puppy, he knew instantly that he was very deeply loved and respected, and he knew he was safe. He was fed a high quality natural diet, and provided with appropriate exercise and a routine he loved. He was given the opportunity to use his natural instincts. He was very well socialised. He was bathed, brushed and groomed regularly. He was an indoor dog and had free run of the house and was allowed to sleep on the bed. He was never left alone. He was loved unconditionally. Beau and I have an extraordinary bond with each other.
Beau grew into a strong, athletic, healthy, happy dog and he knew how much he was loved by me.
Can you imagine the unbelievable trauma, fear and confusion Beau suffered the day he was stolen ? .. and Beau would have suffered these terrible feelings for a very long time.
Beau would have been held captive because he would have tried to escape otherwise. He would have barked constantly, crying out for his mum.
Why didn't his mum come and get him and take him back to his home ? What had he done wrong ?
Humans die from unresolved grief.
Don't you think a dog can also die from unresolved grief ?
I wonder if Beau is still the strong, athetic, healthy dog he was on 1 July 2003 ?
Do you think what has happened to Beau is acceptable ?
Do you really think stolen dogs live happily ever after ?
What has happened to Beau is very wrong, and this is happening to many other innocent dogs every day in Australia. Something should be done to even discourage people from stealing dogs (all animals). The apathy that exists towards missing dogs in Australia is an indication of the selfish, arrogant and uncaring society in which we live.
Because of this apathy there is no system in place in Australia to reunite missing dogs with their legal owners if the dog is not found in a short period of time i.e. within weeks. This applies to dogs who have identification in addition to the local government Council registration tag ID i.e. a microchip or an ear tattoo.
As previously stated, you are also obstructed by the general attitude of people in our society today.
These are some opinions on an internet Lost and Found Dog Forum from dog owners, who consider themselves dog lovers, about a lost dog who was later found:
1. "I ask myself how much a good home can you provide for her, if she ran away ? Maybe she doesn't have a reason to stay ?"
2. "It makes me so mad that people don't look after their dogs properly and that people like us have to stop and get so emotionally involved for senseless people who don't take care of their pets. Wake up to yourselves and realise that if you can't look after your pet then you don't deserve to keep it. WHOEVER FINDS THE DOG SHOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP IT".
The 2 people who expressed these opinions knew nothing about the circumstances of how the dog became lost; the home environment of the lost dog; nor anything about the legal owners of the dog. They did not stop to consider for one moment that the dog may have been stolen from her home.
Is it any wonder so many missing dogs are never reunited with their loving families, who are their legal owners, even when the dog is microchipped or has an ear tattoo !!!
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
