Who knew that dogs were such a desired pet to own? My boyfriend recently bought the 3 month old husky pictured above. The puppy’s name is Ren, which means “love” in Japanese, and of course he is absolutely gorgeous. I have never been fond of dogs because I never owned one growing up, but I can assure you Ren has captured my heart. He is loving, playful, and mischievous. If anything were to happen to him, I would be absolutely devastated! One might think that letting a puppy loose in an unfenced backyard to enjoy the space is as safe a place as any for a dog to have fun, but I was appallingly mistaken. Before Ren was 4 months, he could be let outside without a leash because he would not stray from the familiar vicinity; huskies need a lot of space to run and explore, so the backyard was a likely scenario for Ren to enjoy. One afternoon, my boyfriend left Ren in the backyard for a few minutes, as per usual. Ren was left outside with the back door wide open for maybe 5 minutes until my boyfriend went back to check on him. As my boyfriend walked through the back door he was started to see a red truck with the door opened stopped by the street next to our backyard, and a man holding Ren on his way back to the vehicle. My boyfriend instinctively asked “Hey what’s up? Everything okay?” The man froze in his tracks and turned around wide-eyed. He replied hesitantly: “Oh I thought this dog was a stray… He’s really beautiful…” My boyfriend assured the intruder that the puppy belonged to him, and the man quickly disappeared in his truck. My boyfriend later narrated to me the story, and I was appalled! I could not believe that people abduct pets. I was left with just one question: Why? Why would anyone want to steal a dog? Albeit the dog is beautiful and pricey, he could have been implanted with a microchip for easy tracking and locating. According to Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts, there are several theories that could explain the man’s criminal activity (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Something in the man’s genetic makeup could predispose him to such risky behaviors. Sometimes criminal activity can be attributed to sociological factors. Finally, social psychology proposes theories that consider the dispositional and situational factors associated with crime (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). There are several biological, sociological, and psychological theories to explain the dog-thief’s criminal behavior.
There are biologically based theories as to why the man might have wanted to steal Ren. Perhaps the man’s parents were also criminals which increased the likelihood that he would be a criminal, because he inherited some of their penchant for crime (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Some biological deficits inherited by the dog-thief such as low monoamine oxidase could have caused disinhibition which led to the risky behavior of stealing a pet (Jones, 2005). A personality disorder like Oppositional Defiance Disorder could also be the reason that the dog-thief was willing to steal the innocent puppy. Perhaps, the dog-thief was inclined to commit a crime because of his biological configuration (Jones, 2005). A biological component could explain why a person decides to commit crimes like stealing.
Criminal activity cannot be attributed to biology alone but to sociological factors, as well. This view attempts to explain the dog-thief’s crime in relation to sociological principles like social class, poverty, or socioeconomic status (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). If the man was from a social class that promotes crime, then he was probably more willing to steal than someone from a social class that frowns upon immoral behavior. In addition if the man was poor and could not afford to buy a husky, then perhaps he was more inclined to steal one. Maybe it was his young daughter’s birthday, and he wanted to surprise her with a new puppy that he could not initially afford. Finally, if the man was from a lower socioeconomic status in general, then it is more likely that he would be willing to steal Ren (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). I am not convinced the man was innately evil, but that an outside sociological influence could have affected his behavior.
Social psychological theories can also help explain the dog-thief’s crimes. These theories would consider both the dispositional and situational factors that could influence criminal activity (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). According to the social learning theory, the man may have learned to steal for profit from his family or friends. If his friends would reward him for stealing gum from a drugstore throughout his adolescence, then receiving positive reinforcement for stealing could explain the dog-thief’s reasoning for criminal activity. Realizing that gaining desired goods through theft can lead to positive outcomes may have inclined the man to rob the cute puppy. Andrews and Bonta developed the general personality and social psychological model of criminal behavior. This idea would attribute the dog-thief’s crime to temperamental or personal characteristics. If the man had weak problem-solving abilities, then he may have concluded that stealing the pet would be the only way to acquire the animal, rather than getting a loan or trying to find a higher paying job. Even the use of drugs or alcohol could have impacted the man’s reasoning during the incident. Maybe the man’s parents poorly monitored his behavior as a child and did not explain to him that stealing is wrong and can hurt others (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Social psychological theories pose many valid explanations for the man wanting to steal Ren.
Whether the dog-thief was influenced by biological, sociological, psychological, or a combination of factors, stealing is wrong and not justifiable in this case. Biologically, the man could have been highly susceptible to criminal activities like stealing. Possibly, sociological theories could explain the dog-thief’s need for crime. Lastly, social psychology could provide adequate reasoning for a person wanting to steal a puppy. Whatever the reason, I hope that the man does not successfully steal anyone’s dog, because for most dog owner’s it would be like losing a family member.
References
Jones, C.M. (2005). Genetic and Environmental Influences of Criminal Behavior. Retrieved from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/jones.html
Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (Eds.). (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
First of all, great post! I like how well you told the story about your puppy almost being stolen. He is adorable. All the reasons that you posted about why a person might want to commit a crime were great, and they make sense. A person might become a criminal because of many different factors, including his or her environmental influences, or by psychological factors. If a person ends up being caught and goes to trial, these factors should be considered when a jury is reaching a verdict to determine if the individual is guilty or not.
When I worked with a youth program a couple of years back, I worked with youth who lived in rough parts of the city. They used to tell me about the influence of their peers on them, and how they had gotten involved with gangs and sometimes were forced to steal cigarettes and other things from stores. One of the kids mentioned that he knew that stealing was not morally correct, and he knew that he was committing a crime, but he did not want to look bad in front of his peers, so he continued with the crime. This could be an example of how the environment influences a person to steal.
I found this story and the detail you provided absolutely fascinating. Seeing a picture of Ren, I agreed with you 100%! He is absolutely beautiful and it seems if you aren’t a dog person, being around one that is playful, loving, and affectionate would change this aspect. Much like you, I thought about why a person would want to steal a dog. As you have stated, it could be biological, it could be attributed to social learning, a mental or personality disorder, social class, their environment, a combination of these items; the list is endless. However, one will never know without evaluating the “dog-thief” to determine the basis.
On another note, I wonder if your boyfriend didn’t come back in time to see the man taking Ren, would someone have stopped him or spoken up. According to Schneider et al. (2012), it would depend on how many bystanders were nearby or present. In considering the bystander effect, individuals are less likely to help in emergency situations when others are present. It is believed this is due to the diffusion of responsibility, which places the responsibility on others as they are available and the individual can remain anonymous (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 247). While this questions an alternative outcome, luckily in this instance, it rests as a happy unknown as Ren remains in your care.
Reference:
Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (Eds.). (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.