Dog owner's vow: 'I'll go to jail. I don't want Buck killed'

Lin Ferguson | 9th February 2010

 A Wanganui teenager says he will go to jail rather than give up his wounded pup, Buck.

The  5-month-old pup was hit by a speeding car two weeks ago and left with a seriously broken back leg.

Bronson Stewart, 18, said the vet had told him and his  father Kevin last week that Buck's leg could be saved by having it pinned back together at a cost of $2500. Or the leg could be amputated for $800.

The vet held on to the dog while Bronson and his dad, both beneficiaries, tried to come up with a way to pay for the amputation.

The best they could do was offer the vet $5 a week, which was declined.  The vet also refused to return the pup because the little dog was in pain, Bronson said.

Bronson says that when the vet realised the Stewarts could not pay he told them Buck would be euthanased yesterday if they did not come up with the money by then.

"I just knew I had to get my dog back. He's like my brother. I need to have him. They can't just kill him because I haven't got any money," Bronson said.

He admitted he had devised a plan to get his dog out of the vets while his father sat vigil every morning out on the roadside with placards asking for the public's help.

Bronson went to the veterinary clinic last Friday and asked if he could see Buck for a little while.

"They were really nice and let me go out to the cages to see him. So I opened his cage, pulled Buck out, and ran as fast as I could out of the vets and down the road. I think one of them chased me for a while, and I carried Buck home."

 But yesterday an SPCA inspector arrived on the doorstep, he said.

"The vet had called them."

A written SPCA report  headed To Prevent or Mitigate Suffering  says: "Black and white dog has dislocated and fractured right hind leg as per vet report. Dog must have immediate veterinary treatment or must be euthanased. If you don't comply you may face prosecution."

But Bronson reckons he doesn't care about prosecution.

"I'll just be prosecuted, then. I'll go to jail if I have to. I don't want Buck killed. He's a really nice dog and I love him like a brother."

In a letter to the Chronicle, Kevin Stewart says his "resentful" attitude had come about because the vet would not accept Bronson's offer to pay $5 a week to get his dog fixed.

"And now if the SPCA think they are God, judge, jury and executioner, they had better prepare to meet the Devil.

"I invite all animal-loving citizens of Wanganui to help me with my son's plight. This puppy is not in any pain to need any drugs at present while we try to raise the $800 for his amputation or the $2500 to pin his leg back together as suggested by the capitalist [vet] and the SPCA."

Bronson said he just wanted to run away and take Buck with him.

"I'll sort it out somehow. I hate knowing they all want to kill my dog instead of trying to save him."