puppy freed from police custody

@The__Hollies/Twitter

Puppy freed from police custody after huge social media outcry

Bungle the chow chow was released after a social media outcry.

 

Elizabeth VanMetre

IRL

Posted on Nov 24, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 12:57 am CDT

One good boy is free after being taken into police custody.

Meet Bungle: a 4-month-old chow puppy who got a little too excited after getting loose near his home in Towncaster, U.K. When officers caught him and tried to get him tied up, he bit an officer’s arm and hand.

This meant big trouble for Bungle. He was detained and, under the U.K.’s Dangerous Dogs Act, faced up to nine months in puppy prison.

But after an outcry over his arrest, the fluffy pooch is free after serving five days for his crime. Bungle’s owners David and Susan Hayes unleashed a major social media campaign criticizing the Northamptonshire police department for taking strong actions against a puppy.

https://twitter.com/TejinderITV/status/1065599469473927168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065599469473927168&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Ffree-bungle-dog-social-media%2F

If you’ve ever been around a puppy, you know they don’t have the best manners and are still learning what is OK to put in their mouths.

And people heard the Hayes’ pleas. Since they posted about the incident on social media almost 11,000 people signed a petition to free the chow and thousands joined a Facebook group created to draw attention to the cause.

People also took to Twitter advocating for the pup to be set free, using the #Bungle or #FreeBungle hashtags.

https://twitter.com/JaneBarnett5/status/1065342914304376833

https://twitter.com/Stacey_JL/status/1065502195695656960

https://twitter.com/denisegibson57/status/1065684415932702721

The story got so much attention Bungle made the cover of the U.K. tabloid the Sun.

https://twitter.com/silvesterldn/status/1065373557201473536

After returning Bungle to his owners Friday, the police department put out a statement denying the release had anything to do with the social media attention and backing the department’s decision to seize the puppy.

“To be absolutely clear, I fully support the officers’ actions, in this case, the dog was unattended in a live carriageway and was aggressive to those present resulting in the officer being bitten and receiving injuries that required hospital attention,” Chief Superintendent Chris Hillery said in the statement.

Now all the focus is on if Bungle is even still a puppy after spending time behind bars. Five days can really change a pup.

https://twitter.com/milo_miles34/status/1065913591314989056

All jokes aside, it’s good to see Bungle back with his owners. Even if he is now a little more bad to the bone.

H/T Mashable

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*First Published: Nov 24, 2018, 2:27 pm CST