Yesterday morning I got a phone call from a woman. She asked me what associations did in case of negligence or mistreatment of animals. Would they be allowed to just take away their animal? My answer was no. The reason why she asked was the following. 

One afternoon  in the beginning of this year she went with her Mum shopping. Her dog a little pedigree terrier was on his chain as usual in he garden. Before she left she noticed a dog cookie, one that she usually doesn't give to her dog, but she thought it was one of the neighbours' kids who had given it to the dog. 

 When she came back from her shopping the dog was gone and the fence was open and the garden was broken in to. When she asked her neighbours whether they had seen anything one of her neighbours said that someone spoke to the people who took her dog and that they heard the word SPA. 
The woman has contacted the SPA to ask whether it was true that  they had intervened, but they had not heard of or seen her dog. The dog was chipped. The woman never had any complaints from her neighbours about her dog. 

She has reported it to the Gendarmerie and I suggested she also contacted the DDPP, the Brigitte Bardot foundation and the association 30 millions d'amies. 

The message that I would like to put across is this: in any case we are not in favour of leaving dogs on chains all day long  unattended in the garden. Dogs are group animals. They want to be be  with their family in the house and not outside on it's own. Of course you can not always bring your dog along with you. Then leave him in the house. It is there where he is most useful (gardening your house and valuables)  and most safe from other people too.