This story, written by well-known author, Jon Katz, has been circulating for awhile and has been sent to me many times for my opinion. As a member of a legitimate rescue organization, was I part of it? Do I know any of the people mentioned? What do I think about their actions? Inquiring minds want to know...

It is a story about the misguided intentions of some that can hurt the dedicated efforts of many other hardworking animal protectors.

Here is the gist of the story. A Florida animal lover and avid rescuer spotted ‘Fly’, a Border Collie, looking miserable and left tied to a tree. This person changed her route to work so she could check on the dog and observed after several weeks that the dog remained so. She spoke with a neighbor and was told that the dog hadn’t worked out as a herding dog (translation - the farmer didn’t train the puppy). Now grown, the dog was neglected and consigned to spending her days tied to a tree. The story then details how this woman snatched the dog and set the wheels in motion to transport it to New York state with a variety of help along the way.

What? Wait!! Hello???

Why did this woman bypass all the reasonable first steps and move right to “stealing” Fly? Could she be the only dog in the world that has been left tied outside? No! Did she know what the farmer’s motivation for doing so was? Was the neighbor’s story the real truth? How do we know that some little girl or boy did not love this dog with all their heart and in turn have it broken when the dog was taken? How should this situation have been handled?

Step A - Drive by at different times of the day.

Step B - Speak with several neighbors for a consensus of opinion.

Step C - Ask the farmer if he’s willing to relinquish the dog, and if not,

Step D - Offer money to “buy” the dog from him.

Step E - Request that the local animal control investigate whether the dog is indeed neglected and left out 24/7

Step F – Get a local rescue group involved in the situation.

What a waste of time, effort and resources! What a black mark on the rest of the rescue community! And for the record, I don’t personally know who stole the dog nor is she associated with any legitimate and reputable Border Collie rescue group I know. I don’t know of any rescue group that steals dogs. I am shocked that a well-known writer would reveal their new dog has been stolen and transported across state lines. I am also a bit hurt that we (rescuers) have been portrayed as emotionally needy women. I don’t fulfill my emotional needs snatching out-of-state dogs!

Epilogue: I contacted Mr Katz personally and he assures me that the dog was in bad shape when she arrived, requiring extensive physical and mental recouperation. He also told me that he contacted and mailed the farmer a check (for the ultimate ‘purchase’ of his dog). I have no reason to doubt he did so.