It was a chilly Wednesday morning that the dog Scott and his owner Thomas Söderberg were out for a walk in the residential area north of Stockholm. A few days later, Scott developed diarrhea and started vomiting uncontrollably. X-rays showed he had two fish hooks in his small intestine. It has now been four weeks since Scott was allowed to come home, who against all odds survived.
– It was just joy really. Our daughter had longed for him very much and came along to the hospital to pick him up. And he was very happy when we arrived, says Thomas Söderberg, Scott’s owner.
– It was extremely nice that it ended so that we got Scott home. There was a bit of anxiety for a few days, but then you noticed that he was perking up. A relief and nice to have our fifth family member home again, adds Linda Söderberg, Scott’s mother.
Three hooks in the neighbor dog’s feces
But it’s not just Scott who got hurt. A fishing hook was discovered in 8-year-old Bazinga’s stomach just days after Scott’s surgery. Bazinga had only been visiting the area. A few days later, three hooks were found in the feces of a neighbor’s dog.
Despite several police reports for the same incident, all preliminary investigations have been closed. TV4 Nyheterna has contacted the police for a comment, but they do not want to be interviewed.
– The crime as such is not really only against us, but it affects all dog owners. It causes great concern among many. Having said that, you might think that they should prioritize this type of case a little more, you lose trust, says Thomas Söderberg, who is disappointed after the police’s few words.
Even the dog owners’ national organization, the Swedish Kennel Club, shares that view.
– We want them to take it more seriously, at least. They are a law enforcement agency. We as a kennel club can try to go out and warn, but we don’t have the opportunities to keep track of where everything is happening. One is left speechless by the evil that lies behind such actions, says Janina Pfalzer, press officer at the Swedish Kennel Club.
“It doesn’t feel safe”
Although there is joy that Scott was able to come home and, under the circumstances, is fine, a sense of anger and hopelessness rests behind the scenes. Thomas and Linda Söderberg describe it as a sense of security that has been destroyed.
– It feels extremely sad and boring. If you can now do this to dogs and animals, what will be the next thing you might come up with? It’s a boring feeling. Now we have an enclosure here for Scott to run loose and play. But now we can’t use it to the same extent, we feel. It doesn’t feel safe, says Linda Söderberg.