But they’re puppies …

Property rights still king in Arkansas

It’s impossible — at least for us — to critique compassion as a motivation. To be honest, the world could stand a bit more of it.

To witness suffering and be unmoved reflects a calloused heart.

Compassion was, most likely, at the heart of a recent kerfuffle in Franklin County over the fate of some puppies and their mother. Activists for animals clashed with sheriff’s deputies after two women attempted to go onto someone else’s property to, from their perspective, rescue a dog and her pups. The two women ended up in jail on trespassing charges.

We say their motivation was “most likely” compassion because it’s hard to get inside people’s heads and know what truly motivates them. But let’s assume compassion was at the heart of their actions: Were they in the right?

Here’s the story: The two were arrested as they sought to retrieve some puppies taking shelter under part of a ramshackle house described by law enforcement as abandoned. The more accurate description would be unoccupied. Its owner, the Sheriff’s Office said, was in the process of demolishing the structure.

At least one of the two arrested was identified by The Artemis Project as a member. The organization is a no-kill animal rescue group based in Sebastian County.

The pair’s arrest sparked quite a ruckus, with about 20 people standing near the house calling for better care for the animals, some making claims of neglect. The animals appeared to be well fed and were ultimately all adopted, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Those who sought to intervene are, to say the least, skeptical. They demanded proof of the dogs’ wellbeing. Artemis Project members eventually had a “good conversation” with Sheriff Johnny Crocker and remained hopeful he would continue to remain receptive to their concerns.

Better relations would certainly be a productive outcome. Neglect or abuse, whether it was the situation in this case or not, happens too often. When it does, people advocating for humane treatment of animals ought to have friends in law enforcement, not adversaries.

But should these arrests have happened? Well, the law’s the law, they say. And last time we checked, stepping uninvited and unwelcome onto another person’s property — especially one marked “No trespassing,” like this one — is a surefire way to end up in cuffs no matter whether a law enforcement officer is sympathetic to one’s cause or not.

One can argue whether property rights should eclipse animal rights, but this here is Arkansas.

There’s no question which rights are likely to come out on top.