New Zealand teen kidnaps dog to save him

Good for him, I would have done just the same... I know it is probably "not right", or "not politically correct" but it is not right for the vet either, to not offer treatment, and just euthanize the dog for lack of money.
My cats are my family, and I just couldn't leave them there to be killed without doing anything... I know it would be stronger than me.

Is this any different than the people that won't take their dog to the vet when sick or injured because they can't pay and know it would result euthanasia? Isn't that cruelty?

What was done was wrong. Had the public not stepped in to pay for the puppy's care, and say the vet didn't report them - what would have been the outcome? The puppy would have lived with that broken leg until it either healed poorly or died from infection.

If they're living on welfare, why the heck do they have a puppy? Puppies are expensive, need vacs/vet checks/neuter within the first few months. And why can't the 19 year old do some sort of work? I don't think there are many vets here that would be unwilling to put someone to work cleaning up after the livestock.

I do also wonder the same things as strange wings - what if no one had stepped up to care for the puppy? I realize being on welfare, they cannot afford much, but again - if you can't afford to live as is, how can you afford a pet?

How do they intend to get the pup spayed/neutered (if it isn't already)?

I can't say I'd let them euthanize my dog, either, or any of my pets. That said - I don't like that the vet clinic refused to give the pup back - although I wouldn't let it suffer. I wonder if the people had looked for a different clinic to take the pup to? Or sought financial assistance at all?

You guys are WAY too quick to judge IMO.....
The facts are: The vet did not work with them, who asked for help..., and was going to euthanize the puppy NOW. The boy ran away with the puppy... That is NOT to say that he wasn't going to do anything about it. Who said he wasn't going to do anything about it? You guys are assuming this - I find very hard to believe that a boy who is willing to go to jail to save his buddy's life will let him suffer like this. In fact, he told the TV, didn't he? And money poured in, didn't it? IF he didn't kidnap the puppy, it would be dead.

You don't know WHY he is on welfare.
Hell, I am unemployed for a LONG time, trying like hell to get a job... and so is like 15% of Texas. and what, 12-13% of the US?
So, as I said.... let's not be too quick to judge here...

The vet on the other hand... He COULD have saved that puppy's life, and he didn't. THAT for me is cruelty. Not what the boy did out of love.

You weren't in that vets office to know what was said. The story is vague leaving out a lot of facts.

It said the family was on welfare -meaning the parents. The kid could still have asked neighbors if they needed chores done or something.

And yes, you're unemployed right now. Are you going to go get a young kitten that needs several vet visits and spay/neuter when you don't have the money for that?

If he didn't have the money to get the puppy's leg fixed how would he have done it then?


I see this a lot in the area I live in. People that do not have the money to get new pets in the first place, then let them suffer because they can't afford or won't pay for the vet care needed. Pregnant cats and dogs, cats and dogs with fight wounds, rotted teeth, worms, anemic from fleas, etc.

A question to those who work in shelters. How often do you see people bringing in puppies and kittens that they can't afford? I'm not talking about people who were suddenly laid off, but those who have been struggling for a bit and impulsively got a pet then realized they couldn't afford it.

The vet clinic refusing to give the puppy back saying they were going to euthanize it - I do not at all like that. I wouldn't think they could take someone's puppy & euthanize it without consent? And the vet clinic refusing to work with the people as well - not OK in my book.

I'm not saying I blame the boy (or that if in the same situation I would have done differently ) - but that information is left out of the article. (Which, IMO, will lead to speculation)

I realize how hard it is to find a job, I've been looking for almost 3 years now.

That is exactly my point Nat... That is how I feel too.

As for the boy...
The thing is, when you consider a pet your family, or a brother, like he said (he probably didn't choose to take the pet in, first of all, probably his parents did - note he said "he is like my brother")... How can you just leave it there to die? Because you don't have the money? Knowing that is the reason? When you love an animal so much, how can you do that? I bet this boy saw nothing but saving "his brother's life" in front of him. I can NEVER judge him for that.

We don't know how the vet said it, not with mostly the family's side of the story being presented. We also don't know what would have happened - it could have been turned over to a shelter, staff could have stepped up and helped. No one knows.

As for working with them. No business is going to accept being paid $3.50 a week. Go try to get a loan for $500+ and see if you don't get laughed at. That would take well over three years to pay off. No mention as to whether the vet would have worked something out for higher payments is made in the article.

........................

Doesn't matter. If it's the family dog that he "loves like a brother" the family should provide vet care.

Do you want a good example? My step sister took in a stray dog. She does not work, her husband finally started working but his wages are garnished. They rely on food stamps and the only reason their dog gets feed is because DH and I provide them with free dog food. She thought it was good for her kids. The dog has not once been to the vet - no vacs, no deworming, no spay. It got pregnant and the cycle continues. That poor dog looks terrible, wormy, and she'd had her jaw dislocated when attacked by another dog. It wasn't fixed. But her kids sure love that dog, so she won't try to find her another home. Love is enough to take care of it, right?

Well well... Strange_wings, facts are facts, and the only ones I know from that story are that the vet, who COULD have done something about the dog, didn't, otherwise the dog would have had the surgery. Simple as that. The boy did kidnap the dog, and because of that, right or wrong, call it whatever you want to call, the dog is getting the proper surgery. That, my friend is A FACT. No ifs, no buts, just facts.
So, IMO, good for the boy, who did something about it, and shame on the vet.

The rest, is a much more complicated issue.

While it would be nice if everyone ran themselves out of business with charity and ok for people to steal because they want to - things just do not work that way. And that's the fact. Pup should be taken away and be rehomed to a family that can provide for all of it's care for it's entire life (and not let it run around loose) and the kid should get community service for breaking the law instead of being rewarded for it.

The way it worked is a whole lot nicer.... The vet got his money, the puppy got his surgery, and the kid got his beloved puppy in one piece, healthy, safe and sound... Everybody is happy.

I surely hope, strange_wings, that you never go through this in your life - that you never need help for vet care, because you don't have the $$$, and you are put in that situation. I surely hope you never go through that.

I recently went through it, and let me tell you, that if it was not for the help of others, and of Bugsy's Dentist, giving me possibly over $1,000 in discounts, I don't know what I would have done.

In the past, when I was making a lot of money, I was also very quick to judge... Now I find myself somewhat in the boy's position... Not as bad, as my babies still have health insurance, good food, and I can afford a medical emergency, but all the same, I couldn't afford Bugsy's dental problems...

Yes, I got the money, and I negotiated with the vet. The same vet told me that I don't need to EVER again pay a dime in there for Bugsy, because they can see how important he is for me, and that is what they can do for me. THEY CAN take care of Bugsy.

On the first day, his treatment would been $700 - They charged me $70. That is $630 discount. Since I had won from a friend $400 toward his treatment, I left that money in there, as I knew he is going to need surgery in a few months, I being unemployed I would certainly use that money for my day to day survival.

They said I won't ever pay another dime in medicine, in surgeries, in boarding, in the follow ups... His meds cost $30/month. He has a follow up visit on the 16th, then at 3 months...

Anyways, my point is, When you are a vet, or a doctor, you are not simply a business person... You are taking care of lives... It is not only about the money.
I guarantee you that MANY MANY vets in the world with the state of the economy like it is are doing things like my vet is. Maybe not to that extent... But yes, they are. I have seen here in the forum, quite a few times.
I also guarantee you that performing this surgery would not have broken this vet's bank.

Vets, like doctors should always have the animals and patients well being at heart BEFORE their checking accounts. That is why I like, trust and respect my vets so much.

I've already stated what should be done. Thieves shouldn't be rewarded.

Some Vet clinics do things differently. My wife Teri is the hospital manager for the Vet Hospital we utlilize and she established what is known as the "Angel Fund".

It is a donation based fund, with some local businesses, wealthier clients, the staff and monies from fund raisers being contributed.

The fund is used only for animals surrendered to the clinic with serious injuries when the client can't pay and the alternative is euthansia.

Those animals are treated with the fund paying the entire tab, then the animal is put up for adoption by the clinic. Often the new owners will contribute to the angel fund to replenish some of the funds and in a few cases new owners have re-imbursed the hospital the entire bill out of the goodness of their hearts.

The outcome of cases like the one referenced in this thread can be positive when caring people figure out ways to make it win/win for the vet clinic and the animal.

IMO if the boy is a thief, the vet is a murderer.
He was going to kill the puppy when he could be easily save him with an amputation or surgery. His accident was not a death sentence that required euthanasia. Therefore, if the boy is a thief, the vet is a murderer. Should murderers be rewarded in keeping his practice?

Gee Cindy... That is a lot of compassion for a Christian!
No, not everybody is a victim. And why this victim talk anyways? What do you really mean by that Cindy? Furthermore, who says he wouldn't get a job? The vet was NOT waiting, he was going to kill the puppy NOW.
Who's fault is it that this puppy broke his leg? I have no clue! Were you there to see? I wasn't, so how do you expect me to answer that question?
No one is faulting Anybody... I don't know why you are trying to give this lesson here, I never said this was the vets fault. However, could the vet done something about it? Sure he could! Even if it was putting the boy to work in there. But no... he was going to kill him.
Gotta "love" how sometimes the most conservative hard core Christians are the ones with the least compassion for others...

When I read that story what I saw in my mind was a puppy in agony, forced to suffer more agony as this irresponsible boy snatched him and ran off.

The vet wanted to save the puppy from suffering agonizing pain (according to the article). IN my opinion the boy wasn't thinking about what was best for the puppy, only what was best for himself. The puppy was "like his brother" and he "would go to jail for for (the puppy)" but neither of those pretty sentiments were going to save this puppy from suffering.

Sure it ended okay, when the press got involved and the community rallied, but it could have ended in a worse than death scenario, that puppy made to suffer even longer.

That boy is no hero, in my book.

And what will they do the next time this puppy needs medical care?

If they weren't, how come they did save him? Because that is a FACT. It ALL ended up OK.

Yeah, well... It all happened (the press got involved) because that boy "kidnapped" him.


We can't live life speculating what if this and what if that... IF I was a man, I would be called Carlos, and not Carolina.

I highly doubt that he would let that dog suffer like you guys are assuming he would. He did what he did to not let it die. Now, the community immediately came to the rescue... We can't really sit here and speculate that this boy, who loved this dog so much would just sit there and watch it scream with pain day in and day out until it died? He would not do that - I bet anything he would find a way to get proper care for that puppy.

But first, clearly, in his mind, that dog needed to get out of that vet's office, who wasn't willing to work with them. And that is what he saw fit to be done, and that's what he did, and he saved his dog's life.

I am sure there must been other vets that could worked with him. I am sure he would do anything to save this puppy... A boy who risked everything like that for a puppy? Yeah... I am pretty sure he would move mountains to get his puppy proper care - I have no doubt in my heart.

But Carolina, we're all just expressing our opinions here. Everyone has a different take on it. None of us are there. No one will ever know the entire story. I don't see it the same way you do. What I continue to see is what kind of agony that puppy must have suffered being snatched and run with like that. It horrifies me, regardless of the outcome, the suffering that puppy was forced to endure, horrifies me.

I agree with you completely here, 100%... The ONLY thing that I don't like in this story, at all, is how the vet could have done something, and chose to euth the dog instead - that for me is inexcusable. Because I KNOW he could have done something about it...

How do you feel about all the shelters who euthanize thousands of cats and dogs that are sick, wounded, or under socialized/feral? Do you think they could do more and somehow find money they already don't have?

As for not faulting anyone.. You've already decided the vet is a murderer.

How do I feel about them? It breaks my heart in a million pieces.... But it is a completely different problem/situation.
You are trying to compare apples and oranges here.

There are MILLIONS of ABANDONED pets in PUBLIC Shelters; while this was ONE dog, WHO HAD AN OWNER, in a PRIVATE clinic. So, as you can see, Apples and oranges.
You can't save the world, but you can certainly do your part... This vet didn't do his. That's the way I feel.

I said in response to you calling the boy a thief. That was my analogy to your description of the boy. The boy is a thief as much as the vet is a murderer.

That's why I said "if" and that's why I quoted you.

But the boy was. He took the dog and ran. How many times have you taken your cats to the vet? What is the one thing you must do before they'll let you take your cat? Pay for any charges incurred during the visit. In this case it would have been an office visit, sedation, and likely x-rays - so probably around $200USD

Ok, I get it... with that analogy, if you kill an animal unnecessarily, IMO, you are a an animal murderer. Simple as that... for me you are, anyways...
IMO euthanasia should only be used in a clinic like this, as a last resort, if there was no hope for the animal, or if the quality of life after a treatment would be extremely poor... But that was not the case... This vet was going to kill the poor puppy because the family couldn't pay the bill for an amputation, which is not even that much of an expensive, or complicated procedure. That really bothers me. All for the money.

You can't save them all, sadly. The vet needs money to pay for their bills and keeping the clinic up to date - no one is going to look the other way because the person did a good deed.

And yes, it's sad that money is more important. A lot of people die simply because they don't have money for medical care or even food.