Remembering posible setter theft

[Angela Clarke]

Hi All

Siting last night in the silence of a sunny evening, watching by beautiful girls sleep after their supper I remembered an incident nearly 6 years ago.

I had been out with abbie in the woods, we had had a good workout and on our way home. Nearly home and geting slower, we were walking along a cul-de-sac when I was aware of a car which had been parked further down the road coming towards us quite fast, when the car got level with us the driver did a three point turn at speed.The car then stoped and the driver about 20 ish opened his window and said he was sorry, he had not seen the dog and would not have done that if he had.I was then aware that his passanger had got out of the car walked around the back of the car and was coming up behind us. Why I dont know but I replied to the driver " Dont worry she is ok she is deaf and blind brain damaged at birth", the passanger returned to the car and they sped off down the road.

I left the cul-de-sac by the closed end, and it was some time before I realised what may have been, and that without thinking I had protected her or us with this lie which I told unaware of what I was saying at the time.

These lads clearly knew nothing about dogs as Abbie was a lovely health bright eyed two year old.

[Dawn Riddell]

How traumatic for you, It beggars belief what some people will do, I suppose for money in the end. Well done you on your quick thinking.

 

Dawn R.

[Fran Griffin]

I had an experience last year.  I think they were Gypsy's working in the area. One of them came over started asking too many questions about my dogs, so I said they are useless hunters, no there would be no puppies because they are all altered, and they are all too old and all have health problems. You will be better off with Jack Russells and lurchers.

[Ellen Turberfield]

 I also had a encounter with a couple of 20 something lads last year asking to many questions, are they expensive to buy are there many around, can we fuss him, said i was late for meeting my police women daughter, they suddnely had to hurry off.

[KC and the boys]

I had a similar encounter when I took Errol on his first trip into town a few years back. It was a busy Saturday and lots of people stopped and wanted to kuddle him. Irishes do attract attention and elicit fond memories. However, there was one guy who was very persistent and who asked lots of really fishy questions such as age, name, what type of food does he eat, how much did you pay for him etc and for a while it felt like he kept following us around. He looked a bit rough and I got suspicisious and kept Errol on a tight leash. Luckily Errol is a real country bumpkin so hasn't been in town much ever since. You have to be so so careful. I get nervous just taking him down to the corner shop on Sunday morning to get the newspaper.

[Angela Clarke]

At the time my husband said my brain was working overtime, now after reading your posts, I dont think it was. I am just amazed at your encounters. Thank you for your replys <:0)

[Catherine Carter]

I had a similar problem a few years ago when a van stopped outside our gate and a man came out and bent over the gate and started making a fuss of my bitch Anna. My daughter who was in the garden stopped to look at what was happening. The fuss the man was making attracted my other dogs to the gate. First came Peter who was still a young dog and then Billy much older. The man bent over the dogs and Anna and Peter let him do but Billy obviously sensing something was not quite right bit the man's finger. The man then looked up and saw my daughter and said "one of your dogs bit me! And my daughter replied " what are you doing parked outside our gate ( we live on a farm with sign on gates saying 'do not enter, dogs running free') and bent over our dogs? The man said he just wanted to touch them. Fortunately it was only a very minor bite, but if my daughter or Billy had not been there I think he was about to lift Anna and take her away. We had heard of a white van on the narrow lanes in Hampshire which was suspicious! Since then it has been one of my nightmares that somebody would want to steal one of my dogs! I don't think my brain was working overtime, unfortunately some dogs do get stolen to be used as bait in dogs fights! I know a horrible thought!

[Torie Lancaster]

Does anyone remember the story in the newspapers about a Irish Setter stolen from outside a shop?

The owner came out of the shop and saw a couple walking away with the dog.  He approached them but they swore blind it was their dog and refused to give the dog back and got into a car.

A person outside the shop told the owner where they lived and the owner went round to their house but still they refused to hand the dog over.

The last I heard or should I say read was that the case was going to court but I never found out whether the real owners got the dog back.  They were heartbroken, they had had the Setter since a puppy.

Unfortunately the dog was not microchipped.

Not a good idea to leave dogs tied up outside shops or anywhere else for that matter.

[Finding_Beau]

It is a criminal offence to steal a dog or any companion animal. Unfortunately even to this day many pet owners do not know their legal rights. What this owner should have done is immediately reported his dog stolen to the Police. A crime report would have been completed upon providing proof that he was the legal owner of the dog. The matter would then have fallen into criminal law and not civil law. The Police could then have obtained a search warrant, entered the premises where the couple was living with the dog, seized the dog and returned the dog to his legal owner.  

There is an extremely high incidence of pet owners keeping pets they find without making an attempt to locate the legal owner.  Legal ownership only changes if you legally transfer your ownership of your dog. A microchip alone does not determine legal ownership. A microchip provides identification to more easily locate the missing pet. The microchipping system falls down in Australia for a number of reasons, one of which is that 90% of vets don’t care who owns the companion animal. Despite this, I believe microchipping is essential unless there is a health reason not to do this. In Australia the animal management legislation passed in the various States is contradictory to existing property law and criminal law regarding stray dogs and cats. No council pound or RSPCA shelter or private animal rescue organisation can claim they legally own a stray pet until legal ownership is determined.

As many members are aware, my English Setter, Beau was stolen on 1 July 2003. I have carried out extensive research into animal law, property law and criminal law. The only reason I designed my web page www.findingbeau.com/legal_status.htm was to try to help others. I am still receiving emails and phone calls from people around Australia and throughout the world because of the information on my website.

[Angela Clarke]

With tears in my eyes, my heart goes out to you. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.I am sending an internet hugg to you, for being so brave.

[Finding_Beau]

Thank you, Angela. I really do need lots of hugs right now, not only for Beau, for my baby girl, Annie. The first thing I noticed about Annie was her heart-shaped nose, just like Beau. I was hoping Annie's time with me would be very long, unlike Beau. I never expected Annie to die at 13 weeks of age. Annie's mother as well as Beau and Hammer were bred by the same breeder.

[Ellen Turberfield]

Tories story reminds me of my ex who never had any contact with setters till he met me, decided to kill two birds and walk my first boy to the post office where he tied him to the bin while he went in there was a wait and Muffin must of been fed up as someone came in and asked who owned the dog tied to the bin as he was running down the road with the bin still attached to him, you can imagine the telling off he got, he didn't tell me about it but every one else did (",)