Quote:
Originally Posted by lexi43  Who cares if it's legal. you saved the life of a puppy that never would have made it through the night. Your neighbor didn't care that what she was doing was illegal. Someone like that should be tied to a tree in the cold and rainy weather. I don't know what I would have done to this person if I had seen this poor puppy. Anyway I'm glad you spoke to the dirtbag and that this puppy will have a good home. |
There are actually a lot of good reasons for caring if it's legal or not. First and foremost is your own physical safety. In this case, it worked out that the owner (I use that word loosely) didn't care. But this isn't always the case and you could just as likely end up with the type of person who thinks retaliation is best. The next reason is that you could be charged with a crime, even though you were acting in the best interest of the dog. Legal fees aren't cheap. The last reason, is that by doing it this way, there is no record on file of their neglect and abuse, and therefore, no consequences for them.
I think that in most cases, it would be a much better idea to call either animal control or the local police and tell them that there is an animal in peril. Let them come and take their pictures, file their reports and possibly press charges.
While I think most of us would react in a manner similiar to the OP and we believe that the judicial system would look the other way, theft and rescue are not the same thing in the eyes of the law.