10,000 Reasons Not To Leave Your Dog In A Car
I’ve posted numerous articles on why not to leave your dog unattended in a car, but it still happens all the time.
Debby Brown will think twice, possibly 10,000 times, before she ever leaves her chorkie again.
CONCORD, Calif. – On Monday morning, Debby Brown was ecstatic, having been reunited with her tiny dog Lexi 2 1/2 days after the pet was taken from her Cadillac Escalade parked behind a Concord, Calif., restaurant.
But it was a tough weekend for the Concord woman, who offered – and paid – a $10,000 reward to get back Lexi.
“We got so many calls, about 40, and some of them wanted to meet us,” said Brown, who had posted fliers all over the East Bay region. “It was scary sitting in those parking lots, waiting, afraid of getting robbed. … It’s been a very stressful few days.”
Her ordeal began Friday night, when Brown and her boyfriend left the Elephant Bar on Willow Pass Road and found a window of their vehicle had been smashed. Lexi, a 2-year-old, 3-pound Chihuahua-Yorkshire terrier mix – a ‘chorkie’ – was gone.
So Brown posted fliers promising a $10,000 reward, no questions asked, for Lexi’s safe return. That brought out the callers – most of whom, of course, didn’t have Lexi.
She tried to meet with a few of the people who called over the weekend, claiming they had Lexi. None of them showed, she said. Then Brown received photos of her pet via e-mail, convincing her that this was the real deal. And indeed, early Monday morning, Brown and her boyfriend met with people in a parking lot in Alameda, Calif., where the cash and the dog were exchanged.
Since Brown offered the reward with no conditions she has not pursued the matter with the police. It would be one thing not to involve the police if Lexi had simply been found and returned. However, if what is reported is true, Brown was blackmailed and the police should be involved. If the perpetrators aren’t caught what’s to stop them from doing it again?
* Pic of Brown and Lexi courtesy Contra Costa Times
Sounds to me like the culprit was probably an animal lover who saw that sweet little “furkid” panting in the car and decided to save her life! Good for you, and now you’ve gotten a reward for being a good human!
She deserves to have lost the $10,000 and the dog deserves to be re-homed to someone more responsible.
Anyone who leaves their dog in the car to go into a bar doesn’t need to be owning a pet.
I’ve almost rescued dogs many times after seeing them in a hot car. They always look so pitiful. No wonder someone took the little thing.
I was shocked to see a car with a big sign on the side advertising the dog training facility that the car was obviously part of with a dog locked inside. This was following the Seattle Furry 5K a few weeks ago, ironically at the same park where the dog ate all that cannabis. I really though that someone in the pet business should know better, especially since it was unusually sunny and around 80 degrees outside.
BEFORE you all jump on this lady, READ it said the dog was left in the car at NIGHT, hard to get that sun beating down warming the vehicle AT NIGHT.
You folks are missing the POINT. It should be safe to leave ANYTHING in your vehicle anytime, removal of anything constitues THEFT. Myself, I leave my dogs in the car all of the time (not in hot sunny weather of course) because I have two that MUST go with me or they stress to the point of appoplexy. I do have large dogs, that is a factor brcause i can leave my windows open…go ahead…open that door…you’ll regret it. I also leave my keys in the ignition and my purse on the seat. It IS my car and as I said, taking anything from it constitutes THEFT.
I cannot condone your thinking the blackmail/ransom was okay. Some day one of your pooches will disappear…then maybe you will realize who the TRUE culprit is in this story. This lady LOVES her dog, I wonder how many of you would fork over 10K to get your dog back? That is a LOT of money. How about 100K? the concept is the same, only the amount has changed.
The criminal extortionist needs to be found and jailed.
Horst,
Glad you feel the same way about this as I do.
There is nothing in this story that implies the dog was left in a hot car or that the owner was irresponsible. Please don’t assume that was the case.
This was a crime. If someone took the dog to rescue it, I would think they would shelter or adopt the dog, not accept a ransom for ten grand. This was criminal, and for so-called animal enthusiasts to side with the criminals in this case is ridiculous especially since this will lead to more dog kidnappings without a doubt.
Poor Chorkie! I never leave my pooches in the car because thats death row for the pets!
Poor little dog, what a traumatizing experience. Expensive night out. Dogsitter would have been cheaper. Or take the dog into the restaurant. I see people take their pursedogs everywhere.
Folks, I am 60+ years old, have owned dogs my whole life, have followed safe and sane rules with them. I have NEVER had a dog either expire in or be stolen from my vehicle. I did once have a dog taken from her “pen” (a 100′X20′ enclosure) which she was left in once when I thought it was safe. She came home about three weeks later (I harassed my entire community) pretty skinny and “tweaked”. I suspect she was nabbed by puppy mill people or those intent on bringing her to a dog auction, she is a beautiful GSP.
The point IS sometimes we cannot monitor our dogs twenty four seven. We must make decisions on which circumstances are safest and most comfortable for both the people and the dogs. As long as the dog is NOT endangered by heat/sun, there is absolutely no reason to NOT leave ones dog in a vehicle anymore than to not leave your dog in your home. I wonder why you folks do not see that a vehicle is NOT to be entered with the intent of theft anymore than a house is.
Okay, dude! SHE WENT INTO A BAR! Yeah I’m, talking to you fricknfarms! Even if it’s night, sometimes that’s the hottest part of the day! It would be safe at home with air conditioning and water and a safe bed to lie in, but instead the poor dog was locked up in a car while her owner went into a BAR! How urgent is that!? She is totally irresponsible and selfish. I’m sure she has enough money to offer 100K if she wanted! It was nice of her to offer such a large reward, but hey, it was her own fault. You shouldn’t leave your dogs in the car either. Let’s say you go to the dog park, and then out for dinner. How much work is it to bring your dogs home first? Less work than trying to find it after someone steals it or it gets sick. Point: Leaving your dogs in the car alone unless in emergencies is irresponsible and stupid. Deal with it.
Yeah I’m being mean right now, but it’s because your saying that it was okay for this lady to do that. It’s totally not.
~ Rosie
We had a similar situation in the Chicago area last week. A woman’s dog went missing from a dog park. She offered a $2,500 reward. Lo and behold, some one claims they “found” the dog on a nearby street. I don’t believe it. Who would take that kind of money from the distraught owner of a lost dog.
I hear dogs are being taken from their backyards as well. This is terrible.
Oh Gee, this is a tuff one to comment on as I loved to run errands on cool days and eves with my Mama. Some of her “stops” did not allow dogs so I would happily sit and wait for her and catch a few ZZZ’s for the few moments she was gone. I know this sounds stupid but if Mom left me at home she would worry that the house would burn down while she was gone…crazy woman…BOL…
It’s a sad world when private property is vandalized…even worse that people would steal pets…very sad indeed!!!
Glad the family has been reunited!!!
Cisco Kid
(Priceless)
xoxoxo
Oh no!
that is so sad :’(
but im glad she got lexi back!
i dont know what i would do if that was my angel Daisy <3
I am glad that she got her dog back! I can’t imagine what I would do if our dog was stolen from us… It is so sad that some people think it is okay to take anything that doesn’t belong to them.
As for the lady in the story, I am not sure we shoudl judge her situation with out having all the facts – it doesn’t sound like the dog was suffering in the heat and for all we know she may have intended on being away for only a short while.
We leave our dog in the car all the time, never for extended periods but she loves car trips and loves to watch people and cars in the parking lot. We don’t do it when it is hot out and usually leave the car running with the air conditioning – even on a cold day if the sun is out – and she always has her water bowl. I feel like she is much safer and more content in the car with her blanky and toys watching the world than in our appartment where the same things could happen.
I guess the bigger issue is society and what is ours can be vandalized or threatened at any moment. I have 2 small Poms and live in a small town but am still hesitant to leave them in a car – period! I would be mortified to come back to my car to find they were missing so I error on the safe side. If I am with them fine, if not they stay home.
This is California! People in that state are bound to have their dogs stolen.(espesially if they are FAMOUS) Besides, how do you know if Brown is/was irresponsible?
rosie, how do you know the car was “hot”….Please, it was CA at night. You are mistaken when you jump to conclusions, as other posters have pointed out…nowhere does it say the dog was in any danger. With your attitude, I would love to invite you to “save” my girls one of these days. They are plenty big enough to fight back. it was aplain and simple case of dognapping, it was quite prevelant a number of years ago when times were tough. I guess the dognapping business is picking up again. THEFT is THEFT, period. The dog was NOT in danger, period.
I had a run in with a couple of nosybodies that remind me of some of these posters. I had a small terrier mix who got car sick. She would foam at the mouth (nothing to do with temp.). I consulted with her vet who told me to “take her everywhere so she could get over it’. I did. One nice May morning, temp 55 degrees, I went to get my hair cut. I had a nice little pickup with a cap which had LARGE windows on each side. I opened them and put KnickKnack in the back. While I was getting my hair cut I noticed a couple of women at the back of my truck…KnickKnack was of course foaming at the mouth. I went out and asked what the problem was, they said the dog was in distress…I told them, “no, we’re just working on getting her over being car sick. It is NOT hot back there. Second go round I just told them to get the hell out of there. Third go round well, here’s the dog catcher. Semms he found NOTHING WRONG. The truck was not hot, as a matter of fact if I knew my little Nicky, she was probably a little cold.
Now i wonder, if that had been a child would those women have done the same? Just look at the number of kids that bake every year…
You see those busybodies wasted EVERYBODY’S time, mine, the hairdresser’s (I had to run out three times during one haircut) and the dogcatcher’s. I thought that since they were TOLD the circumstances and filed a false report ANYWAY they should have been billed for a call-out of a city official.
So please think before you go on with your rantings, things are not the way you say (think) they are what they are…and NOWHERE does it say ANYTHING about heat, only CRIMINAL activity, theft…breaking and entering and extortion. Why that isn’t evident to you I don’t know…then again, maybe you are 12?
Stop judging this woman. You don’t know the full story, so stop. It was night, at night, there is no sun. Could still have been hot, but the sun wasn’t beating down on the car, because there was none. She could have had one of those little portable fans in the car, you don’t know. She could have even left it running. It didn’t even say how long she was in the bar!
Obviously this woman loves her dog, or she wouldn’t have paid $10,000 for her return!!! Don’t judge people until you know the full story. That means, they gave you how hot it was in the car, the dog’s condition, and how long they were out of the car.
Teddy has a good point. You don’t know all those things. And the woman does love her dog- she did pay the 10,000 dollars! So plz stop judging the poor woman! It’s not right to judge anyone- god made all of us!
incidentally, Lexi is a dead ringer for my little KnicKnack who passed away November of ‘07 at age 16. She finally got us trained just the way she liked us by the time she was 12…
In my opinion, both parties were in the wrong…the owner for leaving her furbaby in the auto while she went into a bar, and the thieves for breaking in and taking what didnt belong to her.
Of course there are circumstances and reasons why sometimes we take our babies out for a ride, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt be responsible about it…and use common sense either way. And there are times that they can be left in the auto and times when they cant be…and again either way we have to be responsible and use common sense.
As for the theft, there is no excuse, or good reason for that, and if the story really happened as it says, then yes this was theft, somebody broke the window of a auto that didnt belong to them and took a furbaby that didnt belong to them. If it had been to “rescue” the dog then in my opinion they wouldnt have broken into the auto and just took her like that.
But all the above is just my opinion on the story…as are all the other comments on here, each one our individual opinions on how we feel about the subject…so why get angry because certain opinions dont jive with another. Different strokes for different folks…
I would never leave any of my animals in the car long enough to even run into a store to pay for gas. I always make it a point to get gas, and come back for my fur kids. This woman was not thinking, and that poor dog was left in the car. That’s what she gets. I hope that doesn’t happen again, but if it does, it’s because she is really dumb. This story could have ended a lot worse, poor dog could have died in that car. Personally, if I was the person that had the dog, I would have called the police to get the dog out and make sure she was okay. This woman should be thankful her dog was not hurt, but at the same time, really needs to wise up. You never leave an animal in the car, I don’t care what time of day or night it is, or what the weather is like. It’s just plain wrong, if you can’t take the animal in someplace with you, then leave it at home where it’s safe and content.
I don`t care what anyone says, leaving your dog in the car all alone is irresponsible. Why couldn`t she just go home first? It`s not that hard! The person that dognapped could`ve been some crazy loonatic that would find some horrible way to kill her. Also, saying that your dog is as safe in the car as it is at home is silly. If she had left the dog at home, she could`ve avoided this whole mess it the first place.
Bottom line: It was her own fault, she was careless. Now stop trying to convince me otherwise, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
BTW: Next time you leave your dog in the car alone, just remember that your saying whatever you are doing is more important than your dog. Would you leave your child in the car at any point in the day?
Lets all look at the title of this little story! 10,000 reasons NOT to leave your dog in the car. And some of you are still thinking its ok to do so. I love taking my pups on car rides. And they loooooove it too! Its their favorite thing. But to go into a bar, no matter what time of day it is. Why would you even do that? It doesn’t make sense. Maybe running into a gas station for a minute. But any longer than that is irresponsible. And just because its night time doesn’t mean its not hot. I live in AZ and it can still be 100 out at 10PM. And there are plenty of places in CA that are just as hot.
I have heard plenty of stories of people out there looking for dogs in cars so they can smash the window and steal the dogs. Sometimes its to steal the dogs to take them to animal testing facilities because they get paid to turn dogs in. Sometimes its to rescue the animals. Lots of reasons.
We have a lot of dogs die here because of people leaving them in cars. In fact, 2 police dogs have died in the last 2 years from being left in cars. So no matter what, it is wrong and irresponsible to leave your dog in the car while you go in a bar, restaurant, movies, grocery shopping, etc. I hate doing it while I run into the gas station, and I can see my vehicle and dogs the whole time.
I wouldn’t go in a bar and leave my dog outside, if I was going to a bar- which I normally don’t except for a few ‘doggie happy hour’ events- I would go to one that allows dogs or take them home first.
HOWEVER- in cool or cold weather I sometimes take my dog along to run errands where some of the places allow dogs and others don’t. My dog would much rather be going for a car ride than sitting at home in her crate and she is fine with being left alone in the car for a few minutes. I also take her on vacations/trips and sometimes you have to stop for a bathroom break on the way.
Anyone who tried to steal my dog would have first the blaring alarm to alert everyone to what is going on, and second would have a big surprise when they try to enter the ‘property’ of a 75 pound Shepherd.
It’s nice that she got her dog back. But I don’t know. There are some suspicous things about this story. Anonymous thieves who e-mail?! Someone who is sitting in parking lots several times in two days with $10,000 cash?! I don’t believe this story to be true. I suspect there is more to it.
However, if I’m wrong. I think she was really wrong for not involving police. I don’t have $10,000 for her “thieves” to take my dogs, so now…has she started a trend for easy money.
I can’t find anything positive about this story, but that’s OK…I don’t think it’s true.
Rosie, take a gander at these two links, maybe you will realize that home isn’t safe either…better not go to work without your dogs…
http://www.patriotledger.com/homepage/x845562679/Dog-gone-it-thieves-steal-puppies-in-Abington-house-break
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C04E3DE1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB4668389639EDE
http://www.comcast.net/video/-thieves-steal-puppies-mother-dog-killed-/934749139/
now what do you say rosie, are your dogs safe at home????
I am happy for her that she was reunited with her baby and I completely understand why she wouldn’t involve police. If it were me in that situation I would also only care about getting my little one back! I would pay and promise to not involve police if it meant having them safe at home BUT now thanks to her inaction with police this might just start happening a whole lot more with creeps thinking it’s easy money so the result is VERY BAD.
I do. If you lock the doors, which smart people that have living things in the house do, then yes. They ARE safer than in the car. And you didn’t answer my question; Would YOU leave your kids in the car?
I am saddened by all the posts suggesting that this dog owner deserved to “lose” her dog and have “to pay” to get him back. Who, honestly, HASN’T ONCE taken their animal with them in the car?? And in that ONCE, your animal could be the victim. It does not seem to me that she left her chorkie in any harm by leaving him in the car with a window open. It was night-time, there was no hot sun beating down causing the inside temps to increase, she wasn’t jeopardizing her dog in that regard. She went into a bar, no different then you going into a store or a mall. We don’t know for how long. We don’t have all the facts…it could happen to anyone going into a gas station for 2 minutes to get a soda, for crying out loud.
And the fact remains that her window was SMASHED (HELLO!!!!!!), and her dog STOLEN! It is a CRIME! To those who think the story is suspicious for the owner to receive e-mails, or to wait in parking lots…well, the sad truth is that there are just more criminals out there looking for an easy mark. Let’s face it, $10,000 sounds really appealing to a criminal. And when that criminal doesn’t have the dog, why would they show up at the parking lot?? Suspicious? No, I don’t think so…more-so just following through on the “hopes” that someone was talking the real truth and would show up with the dog.
And, what’s worse, is that SOMEONE out there just got $10,000 to commit a crime. Instead of focusing on the real story here, some are turning the blame on the dog’s owner. To those people, put yourself in HER shoes!
*I in no way condone leaving pets in cars in unsafe conditions. I want to be clear that according to the story, I really don’t think she had the dog in the car unattended in a dangerous situation. If one IS going to take a pet, night-time, with the windows open, is about the safest way to leave a dog in a car. Of course I would not allow my dog to be in a dangerous situation unattended anymore then I would leave my own children. But, then, I wouldn’t leave my children unattended at HOME, either.*
Rosie, do you keep your kids on a leash??? Do you let them go to school on their own? What if someone snatched them??? Would it be okay to demand money for their return??? After all the “snatcher” might think you were abad parent for leaving your child open for a kidnapping.
Sure, I HAVE left my kids in the car WITH my big dog, not when they were infants of course or toddlers even, but the answer is YES, and I did it without fear. My dog was trained and so were my kids. They all KNEW what was expected of them and we had no “events”.
My kids went to the park (5 & 12 and ensuing years)with my big dog guess what? nobody
was on a leash, they all lived thru it, at least a thousand times.
I did leave my GSP who was pretty fierce in the truck with a cap, windows open about 5″ in the cab and the glass sliders open and the windows open all the way on the cap over the bed, screens in. It was summer in VT, temp around 70…he was fine, loved his TRUCK. As we were leaving the truck to head into a tourist souvenier store, (it was some slide thing built on a ski slope attraction), we noticed a young man applying bumper stickers to cars. we told him NOT to touch our truck as we had a touchy dog in it and didn’t want him upset. About 20 minutes later as we were checking out, there was that guy, telling the cashier about how he put that bumper sticker on that truck despite what he was told, and how that dog wasn’t so smart because that dog couldn’t catch him. SOMEHOW Leo got out of the truck, to this day, I don’t know how. I immediately ran out and there he was, laying under the truck…waiting for you know who…
In 60 years of dogs, that is the ONLY mishap and it was caused by an idiot. Normally I could leave our vehicle with the windows wide open and Leo would never leave it.
Anyway, that is why I could leave my kids in the car and NEVER worry a bit. I have ALWAYS had at least on large dog,and guess what, I can and do leave anything I care to in my car in plain sight. Those of you who don’t have a large protective companion just don’t get it. You really do NOT appreciate dogs and their roles. They are not here to be pampered and primped, dogs are here to HELP us, that is why we have such a variety of breeds. Breeds have SPECIFIC tasks. It is a relatively new phenomenon to have dogs that have “no work” to do. that is one of the reasons there are so many neurotic dogs. ALL of my dogs WORK, they guard, they herd, my Jack Russell cross is my vermin eradicator. Some live OUTSIDE ALL OF THE TIME, they prefer it. Some like it INSIDE, that’s okay too. Everyone outside has plenty of food a nice sheltered front porch, high and dry and fresh goat milk twice a day as a reward for tending the herd. Four WORKING dogs…a Lab/great Pryennes mix, a Treeing Walker Coonhound, a GSP and my little Widget. They round up the goats, drive off the not so timid deer, keep the coyotes at bay and the moles and squirrels go someplace else or suffer the consequences of trespassing on Widget’s domain. With them on the “loose” it is a lot harder to steal them, they can run away or if they must, attack enmasse. My inside girls guard the house and weather permitting the car and me.Two GSPs and a now 100lb Black&Tan who wandered in last Sept., all willing and eager to defend their home.
I don’t know why people think that “spoiling” a dog is healthy or good for it. It seems that too often people are using dogs as substitutes for people. it is not good for people, and even worse for the dogs to think that way.
I love my dogs more than most folks ever will, more IMPORTANTLY I REPECT them for what they are, fine friends, loving companions and most of all HELPERS and purpose driven animals to be enjoyed as DOGS not substitute humans.
PLEASE do all dog lovers a big favor and do NOT equate dogs with humans, that kind of attitude makes enemies of some folks. Humans really ARE more important than dogs. If you believe in the words of the Bible, man was given dominion over the animals, he IS superior, that is, ifyou
believe in the bible.
um… hey, frick? did you notice that one of those articles you linked is from 1922?!
omg why didnt she go to the police sounds to hoekey to me, hmmmmmm
Such dog as on photo is possible to packing in bag and taked in bar, or say in bar to have serviced on street or in car.
and this one is a year old:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23817557/
and this one is about a week old
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/a-dognapping-at-montrose-dog-beach.html
just trying to PROVE…nothing new under the sun and going into a bar and leaving your dog ion a SAFE place is no crime.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/peter_wedderburn/blog/2009/05/02/dognapping__is_your_dog_safeand incidentally, it isn’t just the U.S.
try these safeguards:
http://www.pawfun.com/2009/04/dog-gone-low-economy-causes-rise-in-dognapping/
My dogs are chipped, how about you other concerned dog owners?”
I’m sure she is terrified of the threats the criminals made too.
Is not believing in the bible a BAD thing? And this is a dog website, so I’m not going to say anything about you letting your five year old go to the park with only a 12 year old for supervision. Do you keep your dogs outside!? That’s horrible if you do! The poor things. I can see now that you are not one of those people who only think dogs are useful for tasks. It is true, but geez, saying not to treat your dog like a human on Dogster is like saying God dammit in church! I am sorry if you feel that dogs are inferior to humans. I believe each life has an equal value. Except for bugs. They scare me. We we not born to be “superior” than everything else, and I am sorry that you feel superior but honey. It doesn’t work that way. Dogs are loyal creatures. They would never hurt with the intention to hurt. Unlike humans. Which are the only animal that kill for joy. That are racist. That bomb. That ridicule and put people down to make themselves feel good. You tell me that a person that killed and raped 20 woman is superior to a dog. A loyal, caring animal. I do not treat MY dog like a human, but I do care for her to the best of my ability. I feed her the best food. Even if it cost hundreds of dollars. I give her the best veterinary care. Even if it cost thousands of dollars. I let her sleep in a warm, comfy bed with me every night. She loves it. I train her with only the most humane techniques. I use positive reinforcement, because she is sensitive and would not respond to yelling. If she swam out into alligator infested waters, I would jump in after without a second thought, and I would paddle until my arms fell off. I care for her to the best of my ability. No, she is not a human. She is MY dog, and MY responsibility. And she loves me. She loves me more than anything or anyone can love. She would give her life for me a thousand times for me. I am her mom, and she is my baby. My child. My life. No, I don’t not go out because I NEED to spent time with her. I do go out frequently, but I always come home and let her out first. If you think this is spoiling my dog, then yes. I do spoil her. But if you think this is spoiling you will never understand the true bond that we humans share with our dogs, and I am truly sorry for you. I think this is the bond that ALL dog owners should have with their dogs. If you don’t, then you aren’t deserving of a dog. I do hope you let your dogs inside. They are a PRIVILDGE, not a right, and I hope you cherish them as so. I consider it neglect to keep them outside.
They are also ALL spayed and neutered. That IS a big deal.
BTW: All my animals are microchipped. Its not that big of a deal!
The most loved dog, Rosie
I’m gonna keep my opinon to myself as to wether or not the owner should have left the dog in the car but I will speculate as to why the dog was stolen. Either the criminals stole the dog because they where going to sell her to some laboratory or they stole her to breed her or they where gonna hold her for ransom. If they had stolen the dog to sell her to a laboratory or to breed her maybe they changed their mind when they saw the huge reward being offered. Just speculating though
Does anyone else notice it’s usually “hybrid” or purebred dogs being stolen? is it because they’re considered more valuable than mutts?
mine are spayed or neutered too. Mine are well fed and happy and live the live THEY prefer…not one I FORCE them into. I’ll bet if you allowed your pooch off the leash, she’d take off like a shot. What YOU think is GOOD for a dog, well, that isn’t necessarily so.
Many dogs bite people, some even kill their owners kids or their owners.. dogs DO kill for pleasure and if you think not, well, think again, i have SEEN it. So yes, even atrocious criminals do have rights superior to dogs. My own feelings? I enjoy the company of my dogs and goats and horses to that of many people. However, that is MY opinion and not a FACT. It IS a fact that legally and even Bibically dogs ARE inferior to people.
As I said, the dogs who are outside PREFER to be outside, the ones who like a couch potato life with all the indoor amenities, ARE inside.
I feel sorry for you Rosie, I have real live human children to lavish MY love on as well as a number of adoring and adorable canine PETS.
And as far as not “deserving” a dog, I’m afraid Rosie, you are the one who doesn’t deserve one. I am here on my farm twenty four seven except for my weekly four hour excursion to shop for myself and my four legged buddies. By you own words, my dogs must be happier because I am here with them…always. And my dogs don’t need to be “let” out, four ARE out, the other three, we all go out TOGETHER several times a day.
By the way, I do believe that you are in the MINORITY with your Nazi approach to dog owners rights and responsibilities. I sure hope you are active in practicng what you preach, I’m sure you have rescued many more dogs off the street than I…only four of my present “pack” were dogs dumped off to live “the good life in country”. i have of my own volition taken in strays (one even had been shot in the head), had them vetted and found them GOOD homes at MY OWN expense.
I’m sure you have saved many more… My vet bills never run into the thousands, because I bring my dogs in REGULARLY for shots and check-ups, feed them well and they are properly cared for. They get PLENTY of exercise as they have the run of the 40acres.
As I said they also WORK, and what is wrong with THAT? Don’t YOU work? Do you feel you are being abused because you work?
Rosie, you sound like a scarey person when you equate a human life to that of say a rat…a goat or a pigeon…” Except”‘ of course “for bugs”… I do hope you eat no meat, poultry, fish, eggs or milk…all animal products and niether wear leather nor fur or use them in any other way. By the way, what DO you feed your dog? Seems unfair that other creatures should need to die to provide sustinence for her. Have you thought that one out?
And you say:
“saying not to treat your dog like a human on Dogster is like saying God dammit in church! ”
and you add a little further on:
” I do not treat MY dog like a human”
Well, which is it?
I sure hope that you focus some of that love toward members of the human species (after all, we are animals too).
No, I don’t particularly believe in the bible. Some of it does not make any sense. When I said that:
saying not to treat your dog like a human on Dogster is like saying God dammit in church! ”
and you add a little further on:
” I do not treat MY dog like a human”
Most people do. Its a fact. And I am SURE that your dogs would rather be inside, unless their is something you do that does not want to make them be there. As you said, sometimes what dogs what are not good for them, so even if they DO want to be outside, its not good for them. And I still do not believe we were born “superior” to any animals. We NEED to eat, so we eat meat. Its not a matter of who is superior. My dog is healthiest on a meat diet, which they would naturally eat in the wild. So I feed her meat. A wolf is not superior to a deer, nor are we to dogs. The food chain is not the order of “superiority” as you seem to believe. And FYI: DOGS DON`T KILL FOR PLEASURE!
The only reason dogs would ever harm a human is because it was neglected, trying to protect itself, trying to protect its human, abused, or when someone provokes it. They would never kill for joy. It is out of the question. And about your saving a couple of dogs, Ive saved more!
I work with rescues and foster animals, and when my local head of rescue retires, I will be taking her place! I also feed and take in ALL the strays I see as well as a monthly donation to my rescue and S.P.C.A`s. All of my animals were rescued as well. I do thank you for rescuing your animals. Its not a competition as long as we all help out. I was just being bad!
I do have a family who I love very much. My fur family! I have cats and Rosie, I also have a bird and a fish, who by the way is 8. So you tell me that I don’t take care of my animals. And I never said that you aren’t deserving of a pet. I said that if you don’t love your animals as much as I explained, you aren’t deserving of pet. I do bring my all my animals regularly to the vet, I was SAYING that IF she required surgery I would pay as much money as it took. Even if that meant selling everything I own. No, I am not a vegan, I do eat meat and milk and fish. Milk does not hurt animals. Meat may, but its the food chain. I hate soy and its not natural not to eat meat, and I hate it when people tell me I am an animal abuser because I’m not vegan. Stupid PETA.
I do not treat her like a human. I treat her like a dog. A dog with the same value of life as you or me. I am sorry if you think that is wrong.
Nothing against vegans or vegatarians! I actually respect you for having such will power!
FYI–The Elephant Bar is a chain of restaurants. It has a tropical theme, with wicker, rattan, and animal decor. It is NOT a bar.
It’s not wise to leave your pet in a car, even in the cool of night, because of the evil people out there.
But being unwise is not a crime punishable by loss and heartbreak.
I hope she got the license number. Also, if they emailed her from a library or internet cafe, there might be a record of who rented the time. There might even be a credit card.
The “people” who stole the little dog probably were looking to make money selling her to a puppy mill or other such horrible place. They have no morals, compassion, or remorse.
I believe she should get the police involved to catch these criminals. They have learned that this is very profitable, so they will continue.
I hope
Whoa! My sentence got chopped off!
I hope they are punished somehow in some way.
Geez, I live in Concord, CA, and I leave Holly Belle in the car from time to time as well. Not in the sun or heat, mind you, and not for a long time, but she has such separation anxiety, as a previous poster stated with their dogs, that I cannot leave her home alone. I have come back to the car numerous times with nasty notes left on my car. Holly Belle has always been fine as I am very responsible with her – I love her dearly. The thought of someone breaking my car window and stealing her makes me sick. Many many people leave their dogs home alone, or in their yards, home alone. Would it be OK for someone to break down the door or gate and steal their dogs? I think NOT! Stealing is stealing, and it is obvious to most people if a dog or other animal, (or a human!) is suffering inside a car, as opposed to hopping up and down barking and/or wagging its tail. When I leave Holly, she has toys, treats and water. This article and many responses to it are extremely unsettling. Many of you are not using common sense. Leaving a pet at home alone is not always the best option.
Rosie wrote….
“I don`t care what anyone says, leaving your dog in the car all alone is irresponsible. Why couldn`t she just go home first? It`s not that hard! The person that dognapped could`ve been some crazy loonatic that would find some horrible way to kill her. Also, saying that your dog is as safe in the car as it is at home is silly. If she had left the dog at home, she could`ve avoided this whole mess it the first place.
Bottom line: It was her own fault, she was careless. Now stop trying to convince me otherwise, everyone is entitled to their opinion”
Rosie…YES, sometimes it IS that hard to just drop your dog off at home first. You dont know where this woman lives! What is she lives 2 hours away from where she was?? OR…would you rather her leave her dog home alone, for who knows how long? You really dont know the circumstances in this situation.
That being said….I live in a remote area It would be easier for someone to break into my house and steal my dogs with nobody noticing, then it would be to break into my car.. in a busy parking lot where there are people everywhere. . SO…then I guess I should not leave my dogs at home alone?? Would it make me more responsible to leave my dogs home where someone has a better chance of stealing them and getting away with it? Well, then what should I do with them?? It is ridiculous that you are putting the blame on the woman for leaving her dog in her car, regardless of where she was or what she was doing!! The fact of the matter is, the people who stole this poor dog are CRIMINALS! No matter where they stole the dog from. It is NOT the woman’s fault.
Rosie…Im not sure how much you know about dogs, as I know nothing about you, except for what you wrote here. But some dogs DO prefer to be outside. There are MANY dogs all over the world who would rather be outside, protecting their territory. It is bred into them…natural instinct. Do you own working dogs? I highly doubt it. If you did, you would KNOW this. Fricknfarms plainly stated…the dogs who want to be in, come in. The ones that don’t, stay out. So you think it would be more humane to FORCE a dog inside the house at night, when it would prefer to be outside, doing what is natural to them? That doesn’t seem right. Every dog is different. Maybe YOUR dog wants to be inside every night. Not all dogs are like your dog though. As long as the dogs are treated with respect, loved, and provided for, what does it matter to you if they are in or out?
Whether they want to or not, its not good for them. PERIOD!
You guys have all made very good points….but now the whole thing is bordering on the point of ridiculousnes with the bickering back and forth like kids. Enough already
You’re right, it is MUCH better to force a dog to stay inside when it would obviously rather be out. I’m sorry, I didnt realize causing stress and anxiety on dogs was good for them..
Either way…that is not the point of the article. I personally dont think that the woman in this story is at fault. She locked HER dog in HER car and some THIEF stole it. Its her choice to do as she pleases, and I dont know why you are blaming the woman, instead of the real culprit…the dog thief. Thats just my opinion.
Remember ….YOUR own words……
“Now stop trying to convince me otherwise, everyone is entitled to their opinion”
Yes..very true. This is MY opinion. So stop trying to convcince me otherwise.
OMD! What an absolutely horrible experience for that poor dog and owner. I am just so glad that she got her pup back, even $10,000 less is much better than what could have happened. There are some sick people out there who will demand money, but torture the dog, and even if a higher sum is offered the owner might not even be reunited with their dog. ;( I just hope she doesn’t leave her pup in the car again…
Now, I have to say I am a little between Fricknfarms and Rosie. Though I don’t agree with leaving animals in the car for any amount of time as I stated before, it’s mainly because I am paranoid that something will happen to the car with my animals in it. I would never forgive myself if my dogs were in the car with me, and it was parked somewhere, and I was in the store, and it got hit. Even if my dogs were fine, I would feel horrible. Now, when I said that I was between them on this subject, I meant just this; my dogs come in and out as they please. They want outside, they go to the door and I let them out. When they want back in, they knock on the door. It does get hot in California. So I am not about to leave my dogs outside in the summer all day long. They go out just long enough to get themselves some fresh air, and do what they have to do. They run around a bit, then want back in. I am okay with that. I am home most of the day. Someone is always here with them. Me or my boyfriend. So there is really nothing wrong with it. Some dogs do prefer to be outside. Others want to be inside. I know that my dogs are just pets. Much as my cats are, but they are still very much a part of my family, and I would be devastated if something were to ever happen to them. I don’t worry about leaving my dogs home alone when I leave, because my 15 month old pup Ace is 125 pounds, and Mandy is very good at defending herself if she has to. I don’t think a dog would ever kill for sport. I have never seen it happen. I have seen a dog defend itself, but that is understandable. If someone messes with my dogs, they get what they deserve in the end. I do take my dogs out with me, but never to any place that I can’t take them in with me. That’s just how I feel about it.
kneejerk reactions based on nothing.
i actually take my truck INSTEAD of my motorcycle which i would rather ride when the weather is cool just so my dog can go with me and wait in the car. WHILE I AM AT WORK. ALL DAY. because he loves it and chills in there. as opposed to sitting in a crate all day which he hates. and which he does do when it’s over 70 degrees out. if my dog was more chilled out at home without me things would be different, but he loves the truck and so that’s his home away from home. if i had my choice he would love waiting for me at home and i would ride my motorcycle but as it is he comes with me and loves it. it’s different for everyone. people just get fed the doom and gloom and panic on the news, dogs are NOT dieing by the dozens in cars. sure it happens by people that aren’t too bright but in general it’s safe if you use your brains.
If it’s not hot then it’s not irresponsible to leave a
dog in the car. In my situation, dogs are killed
by Coyotes in residential neighborhoods in the
back yard all the time. One of mind was. And
I live in Los Angeles not out in the country. So
it’s take the dog or let him be killed. So we leave
him in the car. I think that’s responsible. He sees
us more, gets more walks and is happier than being left alone for hours and hours inside the house, because we have to do work and have a life. Some of you people need to get perspective.