Why would anyone do this?

[ginasevern]

Tie their dog up outside of shops. It worries me to death and makes me so angry. Don't these owners realise that their dog, in the blinking of an eye and so easily, could be taken away by anyone.

Dogs aren't just stolen to be sold, they are also taken for animal experimentation, hare coursing and for animal porn and/or torture websites.

The chances of ever seeing your dog again are negligible and god only knows what unthinkable fate you could be condemning it to.

It's not as if stolen dogs have never been in the news is it. Just why do it?

It must be a strange life to be constantly on the alert for dog porn intenrt kidnappers roaming sleepy villages

I'm not constantly on alert, I just know I would be broken if something happened to my dog, so I do everything I possibly can to keep him safe - which (for me) means not taking unnecessary risks with his safety.

I think it very much depends on where you live. In our village I've never ever heard of a dog theft - been here 50 years. I don't tie them up outside a shop but I do leave them I the car to go into shops.

It's not rife here either, but theft isn't the only risk you take when you leave your dog tied up unattended.

I tie mine up depending where. My local shop still has dog ties all along the front, you can see outside too from inside the shop, local town I wouldn’t unless they were in my sight.

You do you, and poet others sort them and their dogs out!!

No need to be so defensive - if you're happy with your choices, crack on lol. Nobody's stopping you.

I don’t think I’ve ever been to our local shop and not seen a dog sat outside…

In fact, if there wasn’t, I’d presume it was shut 🤣🤣

Warning OP, you might need smelling salts for this one.

We’ve got s local collie that actually sits outside the shop NOT tied up. His owner just asks him to stay- toddles in, gets his paper/ milk/ whatever- and then off they go again.

I have such dog envy- not a chance mine would do that promise I won’t steal him

I’ve really enjoyed this thread. Great example of “completely MN bonkers worries that’ll never happen”

10/10 great stuff

I occasionally leave my dog tied up outside the shop - he is a rescue with separation anxiety and can't be left alone at all (distressed him & barking isn't fair on neighbours!). This morning I needed poo bags, last week a pint of milk. Never know a dog be stolen in our village (or in fact any crime) and I can see/hear him as I'm not disappearing off for a weekly shop.

There's a big difference between constantly worrying about your dog being stolen, and just choosing not to leave your dog tied up outside a shop because you feel safer/happier leaving them at home.

Also, dog theft is a thing, so it's not like people are worrying about nothing. Though if it makes you feel better to take the piss, then crack on, I guess.

Dog theft is a thing

Dog theft for the purposes of dog porn has such a vanishingly small risk that there is absolutely no point in worrying about it and absolutely deserves to have the piss taken

I'd rather they were tied up outside than annoying me in clothes shops. Can't you alarm it 😆

I guess the purpose of the theft is irrelevant, though. I mean, I'd never actively worry about my dog ending up in some snuff video but I do know I'd be absolutely devastated if anything happened to him, so I do whatever I can to prevent that.

Referring back to the OP, I'm reasonably confident that animals are not stolen for animal experimentation.

You can't really collect valid data from a mismatched group of whatever dogs you manage to pilfer while their owners buy the paper.

Yes, dogs are stolen. There are bad people out there. But it's better to present factual examples to help people calculate risk than present any hypothetical bad thing that might happen.

Each to their own of course, but I agree with you op. I never leave my dog unattended. If I take any of them to the shops as part of a walk or something it’s always with someone else. Would never take the risk of leaving them. I live in a lovely semi rural area, but I’m from a big city and I still have that mindset, always lock my doors, etc.

I don't get it and judge the intelligence and care those who do.

If my dog was tied up and someone walked up to him, he'd probably bite them so I'm not concerned of him being stolen but causing harm to another dog or person and being put down. It's in the breed. He is well trained.

If they don't have a dog like mine then theft is a massive issue. Why risk it?

Dog snatchers drive around and target villages and small towns where owners think "It wouldn't happen here".

Yes, they do. As for the purpose behind the dog theft, does it really matter?
I can absolutely assure you that dog thieves do not steal dogs because they want to give the adorable creature lots of love and cuddles.

Dog theft has been so prominent in the news. It is a very much a thing and it could be your dog no matter where you live.

The RSPCA, the Police and Battersea Dogs Home (amongst other organisations) specifically tell owners never to leave their dogs tied up outside of shops even for a few minutes.

Every time I've seen a story about a dog going missing/slipping its' lead after being left tied up somewhere, it's also been accompanied by a stream of comments from people calling the owners every name under the sun.

I always think it must be incredibly upsetting to read when you're already absolutely heartbroken because your beloved pet has gone missing.

I'd never leave mine outside a shop but I do leave her in the car if I nip to a supermarket/in the pub for a quick one etc.

She's part wolf, wary of new people. If someone tried to steal her I'm more than confident that they would be instantly regretful, she's huge and she'd go absolutely off it at them.

We often tie our dog up outside our local shop, probably twice a week on average.

The two scenarios it happens in...If I walk youngest dc to school on my day off, ddog comes with us. I often then nip into the shop which is a few doors down from school. Often on a Friday or Saturday evening one or both teens will decide they want a snack and walk to the shop so take ddog with them.

For me it's about weighing up the risks vs benefits.

Risk assessment- we live in a nice enough area, as nice as anywhere can be really. Ddog is a Springer Spaniel - so not an overly popular dog, not a designer breed or worth £££ and not of a size she could be easily scooped up. Personality wise she is wary of unknown adults and will politely side step or back away from them if they approach and if they keep coming she will bark at them, loudly. I've never seen the slightest hint of aggression in her so I'm confident she's not about to lunge at a random passer-by.

Benefits wise - she gets an extra half an hour round trip a couple of times a week.

For me, I consider it of high benefit and low risk. So we do it 🤷‍♀️

I live in a tiny village in a very rural off the beaten track location people don’t even lock their doors here. By nothing short of a miracle we have a tiny community shop dogs are allowed in. I don’t consider myself particularly paranoid (I only lock my front door when I go on holiday) but if I couldn’t take my dogs into the shop and there was no one from the village in the nearby vicinity of the shop to keep an eye on them I wouldn’t leave them tied up outside even though I can easily watch them whilst in the shop I very much doubt they would be stolen but I won’t take the risk.
I do however leave them in the car for 10 minutes and pop into a shop, assuming it’s not hot, (a rarity here) and I also do a lot of long distance driving on my own and leave them in the car in a service station if I need the loo which I know some wouldn’t.
I guess we all assess risk and what to us as individuals an acceptable level of risk in different ways.

It's incredibly unlikely I'll have a car crash but I always wear a seat belt. Just in case.

It's not something I do but I do get a bit at the view that there is only one at to keep a dog well. A set of strict rules that, if not followed, mean the dog is not well cared for.

Millions of dogs are kept well all over the world in hundreds of different ways.

As a op said - most of life is about a risk assessment in which we take risks in exchange for freedoms.