Would You Protect a Stranger's Dog?

Oct. 29, 2010— -- A young man watches as an unsuspecting dog owner ties up her beautiful dog outside a cafe and ducks inside. He immediately walks up and exclaims to people nearby that it's his long lost pup. Is he telling the truth or is he trying to steal the dog?

From dachshunds to Great Danes, man's best friend is one of the most popular pets around, with more than 77 million dog owners in the United States alone.

Sadly, dogs' enormous popularity, and sometimes their purebred price tags, have led to an increase in thefts. According to the American Kennel Club, the number of dog thefts across the country jumped nearly 30 percent between 2008 and 2009.

So what would you do if you suspected someone was trying to steal another person's beloved canine companion? Would you intervene?

Click here to watch the latest episode of "What Would You Do?"

ABC's "What Would You Do?" set up an ethical dilemma to test the public's willingness to protect the safety of a stranger's pet. We set up our hidden cameras at the Hoboken Gourmet Company, a cafe in Hoboken, N.J., to see how unsuspecting bystanders would react to someone trying to steal a dog.

Walking her adorable dog Kaiya to the cafe, our dog owner, actress Traci Hovel, first approached Leyla and Scott Jaworski, a couple enjoying breakfast outside with their own dog, Tank. When Hovel asked them if they could watch Kaiya while she stepped inside the cafe to order coffee, they happily agreed.

But soon after she went inside, the couple was approached by another actor, an attractive African-American man named Hassan Goding, who told them he wanted to show his fictional girlfriend what a beautiful dog Kaiya was and tried to pry her away from the Jaworskis.

"Would you mind if I just took her around the corner real quick to show my girlfriend?" Goding asked the couple.

Leyla Jaworski instantly came to the dog's defense, even though she hadn't met Kaiya until today.

"No, I'm not going to let you take her," she told him.

Goding pressed on, undeterred, "No, seriously, it will only take a second."

"No, never! Not in a million years!" she said.

Hassan took matters in his own hands and attempted to untie the leash that Hovel had tied to the cafe's railing.