Policemen often have a negative connotation attached to them in lots of countries because of police brutality and other rights violations that they are involved in. However, it seems that even dogs can be subject to such excessive force and punishment. A chow chow puppy in the UK was in danger of being detained for nine months, something which a lot of people and the owners considered unjust.
One morning in the town of Towcester, Northamptonshire, UK, a puppy named Bungle managed to escape his home and went strolling about. Bungle caught the attention of one policeman who walked up to the pup. However, perhaps fearing for his safety from a stranger, Bungle nipped the policeman on the hand and cowered under a vehicle. For this, Bungle was taken in police custody.
“We were informed that based on current caseloads we would not likely see Bungle again until New Year and potentially up to nine months,” said Bungle’s owners. The reason for such a long detention is the amount of police investigation backlog, apparently.
The four-month-old pup was caged in secret boarding kennels for up to nine months under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Meanwhile, the policeman suffered only minor injuries, mostly a small puncture wound, and some bruises. Hence, the owners of Bungle hired a lawyer and even began a movement which was aptly titled the #FreeBungle petition in Facebook.
The petition gained much attention, 5,000 people, in fact, where the police were criticized for its “draconian” handling of the case. In their defense, the police said that public reaction would have been different if Bungle “bitten a child rather than a police officer or if it had caused a serious accident on a busy road.”
Oddly enough, we all know that a fully grown man is vastly different from a child in both health and fortitude, save for the police probably. Hence, a dog specialist was hired by the police and Bungle was released shortly after an agreement was reached by the owners and the police. Bungle is now free and can finally spend Christmas with his family.
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