Pet neglect - irks my chain!! (choice, Zen)

[Draka]

This has been bugging me for a while. My downstairs neighbor has a pet dog, a beautiful black labrador a little less than a year old. He is chained up on a heavy chain maybe 5 feet long in the backyard. His "doghouse" is merely a plastic summer type doghouse no bigger than he is in which he must scrunch into a ridiculous ball in order to be in. He is fed and watered about once every two or three days...which the water always ends up as a mud puddle because of his chain knocking over the old pan and his food in the puddle. He has been left outside during snow and ice storms in below freezing weather. I have found him with ice frozen in his fur all over his body on more than one occasion. He is ignored by them and is paid no attention except to be yelled at or kicked or yanked by his collar away from them when they do happen to go out to feed him. Turk and I try to at least pet him and play with him when we are out. We have fixed his chain when it gets so kinked up he has maybe 2 or 3 feet to move. I have brought him a blanket to keep him warm which he does use now. I simply can't bring him inside my place. I have a small 1 bedroom apartment and 3 cats. He is very big and there is no way I could keep him. We don't have a chapter of the ASPCA here, only the Heartland Humane Society which is so over-run that if the animals aren't adopted within a certain time period then they are put down. Calling the police will ilicit a warning or 2 to the neighbors before the cops eventually take the dog...to the Humane Society. I don't want to take the chance of the dog being put down and at the same time can't bear to see him treated like this. I want to see if I can find someone to take the dog themselves, steal it have to, I'll help, but I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?

I just don't understand why a person even has a pet if they aren't going to care for it the way they should!

[dawny0826]

That is really sad.

And it's sweet of you to care because too many people would ignore the poor thing.

Maybe talking to the owners is your best bet here. If calling the police would only resort in a negative situation for both the owners and the dog (the owners no doubt deserve it)...maybe talking directly to the owners and experessing concern and offering to help find the dog a new home. People who treat their pet that way can't want the pet but so much.

Maybe placing an ad in the newspaper for the dog? Labs are such awesome dogs. And they're generally great with children. Or online?

And you know...as hard as the situation may be...maybe contacting the Humane Society would be beneficial if the owners will not be cooperate. You never know...there may be someone out there who is looking for a dog just like the one you've befriended.

Hope the situation works out great for you and your little dog pal. My sister has a lab and he's like one of the family.

(And congrats on the baby in the oven.)

[kreeden]

The dog would be better off being put down . I know that sounds cruel , but at least the suffering would be shorter .

[kreeden]

I just read Dawn's post . Congratulations Draka .


And I have just now noticed your sig .... Ok , so I am slow at times ...

[Seyorni]

The situation you describe would violate several animal cruelty regulations in my state. Presumably your state or county would have similar regulations.
I'd suggest notifying animal control as a first step. If you have to take sterner measures later you can at least point out that those charged with such enforcement failed to act.

[Mike182]

im so sorry, thats so sad

i had two dogs, and i can't believe someone would neglect them!

do you know the dogs owners, how would they react to you questioning them on their choice of treatment?

[ChrisP]

Sorry Mike, but these just sound your typical arseholes... they'd probably just say something spiteful and narcissitic and carry on as is.

Take it. No question about that.

Authorities are bound by ridiculous rules, and nothing will happen without reprisals towards yourself. Ask around the families with kids in an area a little distance away and see if a new home can be found where the dog will not be spotted by the wankers who have it now.

[Atheist_Dave]

I had witnessed this too, on the way home from college I walked through backstreets and a dog was always chained up. He couldnt walk more than a metre, he had no water bowl, and I say the owners sitting down to dinner in the lounge. I felt so mad, whenever I see this stuff I just want to steal the pets or something.

Have you confronted th eowners? maybe you should suggest that they find owners that will take him and care for him properly, theyu obvioulsy dont care about him. Maybe you could offer to find him a home? I think its so digusting the way animals can be treated, luckily there are people like us who care....

Peace x

[jeffrey]

When we lived in Henderson, ky, our neighbor two doors down neglected her puppy something fierce. My wife would sneak out at night and feed it. She moved it away from her fence ( The puppy too was on a short chain) so she could not feed it. Our other neighbor, Tonya, called the Humane Society on her. They came out, gave her a warning.
Tonya went over to her house a few weeks later to find the puppy dead. Starved to death. Turns out she had two puppies, the other was dead also. She had a lean-to that fell over on that one, suffocating that one to death..
She called the Humane Society again, took her to court, nothing happened to her.