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What kind of world do we live in where those rescuing animals are charged with crimes? That's what my friend Stephen Bailey is wondering after he was arrested and charged with theft for unchaining a dog who was stuck in a backyard with no food or water.Please sign my petition asking the Fulton County prosecutor and Georgia officials to drop charges against Stephen Bailey who was just trying to help a chained up backyard dog. Steve's next court date is this December 2, so we need as many concerned members of the public to sign to support him before then.
Thank you for reading guys...
I think Steve did a GOOD THING,this country has really gone insane!!!!!
The owner of the dogs had called 911 with a false accusation that Steve stole her dogs to sell them!!
He is facing 90 days in jail for 3 counts of theft!!!
Please sign and help this man take a stand against animal abuse and neglect before the December 2 date by which the prosecution must decide if it is worth wasting public resources to punish Steve for helping animals in need..
The problem was he entered the property and took the dogs to his home. Never did he make any attempt (according to the police and animal control) to contact them to report or seek guidance before he acted. The amount of time between the dog being tied up and his intervention is also an issue because the 'danger' factor is questionable. Unfortunately, based on what he, his attorney and others have posted, I believe the arrest was appropriate. You also have the neighborhood witnesses who were the one who called the police reporting the theft. The question is, did he really act to save the dog or did he jump the gun and had no real basis to do what he did because the dog was not in any danger at all? The prosecutor may decline to pursue this, but he brought it on himself by acting like a theft stealing a dog.
I think Steve did a GOOD THING,this country has really gone insane!!!!!
The owner of the dogs had called 911 with a false accusation that Steve stole her dogs to sell them!!
He is facing 90 days in jail for 3 counts of theft!!!
Please sign and help this man take a stand against animal abuse and neglect before the December 2 date by which the prosecution must decide if it is worth wasting public resources to punish Steve for helping animals in need..
UNREAL!!!!
It is not unreal, according to the law he was trespassing and he took dogs without permission of the owner which is theft.
He should have called the proper legal authorities and reported animal cruelty.
Yes they did and he was only trying to help the dog!!!!!
YA CANT EVEN BE A GOOD CITIZEN ANYMORE
You can be a good citizen you just have to be a good citizen legally and he could have helped the dog legally without trespassing and without stealing.
What part of "Steve broke the Law" do you refuse to comprehend?
This all started on a hot day in July 2013 when Steve was taking his dogs for a walk and after speaking with a concerned neighbor about puppies who were running in the street, he learned about was a dog chained to a tree without food or water on a day that was over 90 degrees. The concerned neighbor had called animal control 3 times but with no response.
Steve, who is a well known animal advocate in the community, including a recent Fox 5 news feature highlighting his work, took immediate action for fear the dog would dehydrate so he unchained the dog. Once unchained, the dog and the puppies who were running loose followed him, the concerned neighbor, and his own dogs (who were properly leashed) back to their home a few blocks away.
To prevent the dogs from running in the street any longer, he secured them inside his fence, gave them food and water, and he and his wife called 911.
The 911 operator said she couldn't do anything about it and for them to call animal control.
They then called animal control to report, and moments after calling police officers stormed the Baileys' home, climbing the fence and tackling Steve to the ground, handcuffing his wife and the concerned neighbor and taking both Steve and the neighbor to jail!
The owner of the dogs had called 911 with a false accusation that Steve stole her dogs to sell them! (They can check the phone records for the Baileys' calls to 911 and animal control). And it turns out animal control didn't show up until 3 days later, which means the chained dog likely would have suffered for a long time.
Steve and his wife have rescued numerous animals from the streets of their neighborhood who were wandering loose, cold, starving, or injured over their 5 years there. They have paid for their vetting out of their own pocket and re-homed the animals after having them checked for microchips and canvasing the neighborhood to see if they could find their owners.
Our tax funded local agencies consistently & repeatedly fail to aid and/or enforce the law when it comes to neglected dogs so the laws in Georgia for animal cruelty and neglect need to be addressed and stiffer penalties applied to those who neglect and abuse their animals. But for now the immediate goal is to help an animal rescuer who was protecting a dog in need of help! Steve stands up for those rights and will not back down from that fight.
He was just trying to be a good person and not let the dog suffer,I dont think its the wrong thing to do!! (Most people dont give a rats tail ABOUT ANYTHING and its sad)
There are groups like this that work to help unchain dogs - Coalition to UnChain Dogs |. They used to have a chapter in Atlanta, but I don't see the link on their new web page.
Sorry, but he had no right to enter a person's property and let their dogs loose. He's lucky the dog did not get hit by a car or severely maimed in the street since the article clearly states that it was running loose after he let them out.
His first step should of been to put out a bucket of water for them, if they truly had no water. Entering a person's property and removing their pets or children or property is a big no no legally.
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