#FreeBungle: Thousands call on cops to release young dog from puppy jail

Thousands of animal-lovers are calling for the release of a poor young puppy taken into police custody after it escaped from its home and nipped an officer as it cowered under a vehicle.

Bungle, a four-month-old Chow Chow puppy, faces being caged in secret boarding kennels for up to nine months under the Dangerous Dogs Act, and could even be put down. The pup’s millionaire owners David and Susan Hayes say it escaped from their home on Saturday and ran under a van, where it bit a Northamptonshire police officer who was trying to remove it.

The officer didn’t suffer any serious injuries but did visit a hospital for “precautionary checks, antibiotics and tetanus vaccination.” Unhappily for the young dog, Bungle was taken away as “evidence” while police investigate. The puppy is now being held at an unknown site, where it could remain for several months because of a backlog in cases.

“We were informed that based on current case loads we would not likely see Bungle again until New Year and potentially up to nine months,” David wrote. If investigating police decide to bring charges against the owners under the Act, they could face a fine or jail time, and Bungle could be euthanized.

The distraught couple are pleading for the puppy’s release, calling the actions of police “callous” for keeping the dog away from their son over the Christmas period. They said they are “massively regretful” for the incident, and have hired lawyers to legally fight for their pet’s freedom.

Police have defended their actions, however, saying the public reaction would be different if the dog had “bitten a child rather than a police officer or if it had caused a serious accident on a busy road.”

More than 4,000 furious animal lovers have joined a Facebook group in support of the banged-up pooch, while more than 1,500 people have signed a ‘Free Bungle’ petition to release him from police custody “before the loneliness damages his personality for life.”

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