Leader: Husky hijack leaves owners barking mad

WE chastise dogs for barking too loudly - but then complain when they don't bark nearly loud enough. Aldo, the Siberian husky stolen from outside a Morrisons supermarket in Livingston, had every cause to bark the store down when it was untied and taken away by a couple who were not the owners.

Few events are more distressing for owners than when their pets are stolen - especially one estimated to be worth 1,000. Aldo had not strayed to exercise a preference for a shop more reflective of the price tag - but was tethered outside the store - clearly belonging to an owner who had entered for a shopping expedition. It is easy now to say that valued pets should never be left alone and unattended in a public space - particularly a pet with a 1,000 price-tag - and presumably "chipped". Either Aldo should have stayed at home or been attended by another adult while the owner completed the shopping. Collars with the owner's name and contact details attached are no real deterrent to a determined thief - or indeed a thoughtless one. Hopes now rest on either Aldo eating the thieves out of house and home or the miscreants realising the responsibilities that come with a dog and arranging safe return. A bout of prolonged barking at this stage might help speed things along.