CANAAN — A concerned call to the police about the safety of two dogs in an outdoor kennel on Goose Pond Road last month escalated Monday night when police say one of the dogs was stolen from the owner’s property.

The 10-month-old Drahthaar, a breed similar to a German Wirehaired Pointer, has been returned to its owner after being dropped at the Canaan police station shortly after its abduction.

Canaan police are investigating the incident, which could involve charges of criminal trespass, animal cruelty and felony theft, Police Chief Ryan Porter said Thursday.

“There’s just no place for Facebook vigilantism,” Porter said. “I understand why people are so emotional about this, but I really urge people to stop and contact the authorities and trust that we are competent enough to look into this appropriately and handle the situation.”

The dog’s owner, Porter said, “feels like he’s being unfairly attacked, and I don’t disagree with that.”

“Taking things into your own hands is dangerous,” he added.

The 2-acre property belongs to Sam Buckman, 25, of Lebanon. It includes a dog kennel and several outbuildings and bird coops. Buckman relies on his two dogs, the Drahthaar and a 2-year-old Siberian shepherd, to guard the other animals on his property, including two Jersey bulls and an assortment of ducks, chickens and pigeons.

Buckman declined to provide the dogs’ names for fear that the information could enable would-be thieves.

Shaken by the events of Dec. 2, Buckman has improved security on his Canaan property and now sleeps there in his truck.

“I’m very worried about my animals and myself, and some of my friends who have spoken out have been brought into a very disrespectful situation,” he said.

Canaan police were first made aware of concerns about Buckman’s dogs on Nov. 23 when the department received a call from a resident worried about the canines being outside all night in the cold weather and alleging that the dog’s drinking water was frozen. Canaan Det. Amanda Lewis investigated, Porter said, and found that the dogs’ living conditions did not violate New Hampshire’s animal cruelty statute.

New Hampshire statute 644:8 defines animal cruelty as purposefully depriving an animal of “necessary care, sustenance or shelter.” Shelter from the weather, the statute says, “shall allow the dog to remain clean and dry,” and “afford the dog the ability to stand up, turn around and lie down, and be of proportionate size as to allow the natural body heat of the dog to be retained.”

“Detective Lewis felt that the way the dogs were treated at that time was more than adequate. They were healthy, there was no sign of injury, there was no sign of sickness with the dogs,” and they had adequate food and water, Porter said.

The dogs are double-coated breeds who are comfortable outside even in very-cold temperatures, Buckman said. When Buckman is not on the property, the dogs are housed in a covered chain-link kennel that includes an insulated indoor space. The dogs’ presence and scent markings throughout the property serve as a deterrent to would-be predators, Buckman said.

Ian Lambe of Amesbury, Mass.-based Waldgeist Drahthaars, breeds and hunts Drahthaars. “They’re built for the cold,” and for sitting in duck blinds for long periods, he said by phone Friday.

“The kryptonite for this breed is heat,” he added. With wiry protective hair and a softer undercoat, “they are much more tolerant of cold weather,” than hot. 

On Dec. 2, the same resident, whom Porter declined to name, called the police again and was told that the department had concluded that the dogs were not being mistreated. “That apparently wasn’t good enough,” Porter said, and the caller took to Canaan’s community Facebook page to appeal to the public to help the dogs.

It is unclear exactly what the Facebook post called for, as some of the relevant posts have been deleted from the neighborhood group.

Later that night, Buckman said that a neighbor called and alerted him that someone was trespassing his property. He called the police, who came out to investigate.

At the same time as officers responded to Goose Pond Road, an individual who Porter declined to name arrived at the police station with the Drahthaar. Assuming the dog was a stray and unaware that Buckman’s call involved an abducted dog, the officer on duty did not question the person who dropped it off.

“We do know who it was,” Porter said. “We think there might be more than one person involved,” he added, but declined to elaborate on account of the ongoing investigation.

“If someone stole or harmed the dog, we will hold that person responsible,” Porter said. “It is absolutely unacceptable that someone felt they could go on someone’s property and remove a dog.”

Buckman thinks the thief intended to take both dogs but the Siberian Shepherd was able to avoid capture. The Drahthaar, which was in the early stages of his training as a guard dog, “loves people, so he couldn’t protect himself,” Buckman said.

When the Drahthaar was returned to its owner, Buckman said that it had a scratch on its neck and was “quite traumatized.” The incident, he said, “has interfered with and damaged his training.”

A Grantham native, Buckman works an evening shift at Hypertherm in Lebanon, where he lives. He plans to complete the construction of a house on the Goose Pond Road property by this summer, but until then he makes three trips each day to Canaan to feed and care for his animals.

“I’ve always been an animal guy,” he said.

The incident has not deterred his plans to build the house in Canaan. “I’ve been a small community member my whole life,” he said. “I don’t hate anyone out there, I really don’t. I don’t disagree with their feelings, I’m just disappointed in their ignorance,” he said.

He said that his immediate neighbors are “awesome” and very supportive of him and his Goose Pond Road menagerie.

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.