Teen Kidnaps Dog

A 19-year-old New Zealander couldn’t bear to see his 5-month-old puppy put down, so he kidnapped his own dog from a clinic to save it from euthanasia.

A car hit Buck, Bronson Stewart’s dog, two weeks ago. Neither Bronson nor his father Kevin could afford the $1,730 needed to pin the puppy’s broken leg back together. They couldn’t even afford the $555 to have the leg amputated. The Stewarts, who live on welfare, offered to pay the clinic $3.50 a week until the debt was paid off. The clinic declined and the veterinarian refused to return the puppy, saying “it was best the dog be euthanized because he was in agony.”

Bronson then went to the clinic and asked to see his dog. He grabbed the puppy and ran home.

Once the story gained publicity, local people began donating money to save Buck’s life. Val Waters, manager of the Wanganui Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, reports that enough cash has been raised to pay for Buck’s surgery.