neighbours neglect dog

Whispered

Hi, can anybody advise me what to do in this situation please. I have 2 cats who are indoor/outdoor. My neighbour hates cats and didn't like them in her garden, so (as I said in another thread) I advised her to throw water over them. Everything seemed to be fine, they stopped going in (in fact they rarely leave the garden) and she was grand. She started doing it to any cat in her garden and seemed to be happy with the idea.

Next thing she has a dog! An absolutely lovely golden lab. Who is alone 24/7 she whines morning to night and never gets taken out of the garden. The only time i hear people interact with her is when they are feeding her and give out to her for jumping up. This will be her first winter and she has a cr@ppy little kennel she has long outgrown. It's so bad that I sometimes bring a chair out to the fence to sit with her for a while so she has some company! Anyway, my problem is, she is not "mistreated" in the common sense of the word, she is fed, has water etc but is totally and utterly neglected otherwise. What should I do? There is no point trying to talk to my neighbour as she has heard me discussing what a lovely sweet dog she is and how she never gets a look in :eek: with my b/f out the back (I thought she wasn't there) so I'm sure my opinion means nothing to her after that.

January

Call the SPCA and have them come around and judge if it's neglect.

Bagheera

It's a tricky one if the dog is well fed and has outside shelter. We were in a similar situation before where our ex-neighbours kept 2 big Dobermans in a tiny backyard with hardly any stimulation. In my opinion that is neglect as dogs need lots of stimulation and company. That's why I got a cat as I'm out a fair bit during the day.

After complaining several times about the dogs barking, my housemate rang the ISPCA and they said they couldn't do anything unless there were visible signs of neglect such as malnourishment, injury etc. It's worth ringing them anyway but you run a serious risk of a run-in with your neighbour if she finds out you did this. It makes me feel so sad to hear stories like this.......

LouOB

Have same situation going at the mo with neighbour - same dog too!!!

Any how. Offer to take dog on walk's during the day when your neighbour at work. Would neigbour respond well to this?

Chiron

Having a similar problem here. The guy next door has a lovely staffie who is left alone all day. In fairness he does walk him but that is the only interaction he gets. He has him about 3-4 weeks now and at the start he cried and whined almost all day (and night) now he only cries occasionally which in a weird way is even more upsetting as he seems to be "accepting" his new way of life.

I did some research and as mentioned above as long as he has food, water and shelter it is not neglect. This poor dog is in effect in solitary confinment i.e. locked down 23.5 hours a day with 30 mins excercise. It is disgusting!

A couple of nights ago I was walking home and it was freezing out. This guy was sitting in his warm front room watching telly while his poor dog was alone in the cold. I was livid and to be honest it was all I could do to stop myself giving him a few slaps.

This kind of thing is so, so wrong!

binhead

Yea offer to walk the dog, say you can't get your own cos of the cats but you really miss walking the dog you had when you were a kid and make up a sob story and whatnot and then walk the dog.

failing that there's probably not much you can do but sitting out by the fence is pretty cool and I'm sure it gives the poor dog something to look forward to.

Good luck!

corkimp

I've the same problem near me too. there is an adult male boxer behind us and he does whine occassionally. His owner is 18 or so and they totally ignore the dog. I moved in in June and watched the dog for a while one night from upstairs, back enough no1 could see me. the dog rubs itself so much against the wall, there is a black mark along the side of the house. I see a dog box but the door is closed all the time so the dog can't get in. I'm not sure if there is another bigger one behind the shed or not. As for the dog, only interaction he gets is owner carrying out the bag of food and feeding him. He shouts at the dog. The dog stands on his back legs against the back sliding door for 20-30 mins at a time without going back down onto all fours. But as of late, he is losing condition - seeing a little more of his ribcage now then june. might take a picture later if i can and show u him.
I know my dog aint the most exercised dog in the housing estate but we dog bring her in and give her attention and company when we get home and try walk her as often as possible. Hate seeing any animal suffering Do you think the WSPCA will help?