Reporting neglect & abuse of a dog.

easyeason3

Just looking for some advice. A friend of mine was telling me that her neighbours dog, a terrier cross, is being badly neglected. The owner of the dog is not feeding her, the dog has no water, she's riddled with fleas & worms.
My friend said she rang ISPCA a few days ago but no one has come out yet.

What is the procedure when a complaint is made?
How long does it take to remove a dog from that situation?
I'm not sure if the person that took the complaint is fully understanding of how urgent this is so how do we make them realise?

From what I've been told the dog will be lucky if she survives another week. I personally want to go into the neighbours garden & take the dog out of there but if I do my friend will get in trouble, the garden is completely secure so there's no way the dog could have 'escaped'.

I fully understand that the ISPCA can't be everywhere at the drop of a hat so I'm not having a go at them but would it help to call them again?

Also can the Guards do anything?

mrfantastico

go over the house with some friends and confront the ****s also maybe ring the gardai and have them send an officer incase something happens

mrDerek

if i were u now this is me. id take possesion of the dog even if its ot the point of theft.. a dog has no way of communication to a human........
you have to be its voice

easyeason3

They have been approached already but nothing has changed.
The dog won't come near anyone, I suspect she has been beaten as well as starved. When you do try to approach her she gets very aggressive.

I'm all for removing the dog but it will fall back on my friend. She has already taken strips off them over it & to be honest I want these sad fcuks (sorry very angry) to be prosecuted & banned from ever owning another animal ever again.

anewme

mrDerek wrote: »

if i were u now this is me. id take possesion of the dog even if its ot the point of theft.. a dog has no way of communication to a human........
you have to be its voice

+1.....I would wait till they go out and take that dog outa there. Who cares if they think the dog has miracously escaped....just say, yeah I thought there were prowlers around the sheds as well......

do not wait till the dog is DEAD....you will go mad and have this on your concience as you are obviously an animal lover

easyeason3

Ok guys thanks for the advice.
My blood boils when I read stories like this in the papers, to see it first hand is horrific. I have a new found respect for anyone working with the ISPCA, rescue homes & foster homes for having to witness this an awful lot more than me.

sligopark

also report them for everything else you can think of - bring down a hailstorm of attention

caseyann

Hey Op thats awful
I would climb the back wall and take the dog,and bring straight to the dspca.

I am sure if you ring them again,and tell them the dog is going to die and the state its in.

henryporter

I'm suprised the ISPCA hasn't responded yet, probably snowed under with cases xt the moment. Guards won't do much i'm afraid - as gombeen as the fu¢ks that are perpetrating, they normally wait until they have a corpse or worse, same as Dept. of Agriculture in a neighbour killing foal incident experienced recently. My Mrs. has just adopted a badly neglected (breed unknown due to malnourishment) dog and wgen visiting him in pound before taking him saw loads of people dumping off dogs in pound which is full of tnem. Shower if animal hating retards in this country is unbelievable. Best advice i can give is take the dog. We offered to take a beautiful labrador off the neighbours who were neglecting him (nothing close to what you describe) about 2 years back, and he disappeared not long after. The fu¢kers won't even talk to us now even though we offered them a way out!

kraggy

Where is the dog located?

easyeason3

henryporter wrote: »

I'm suprised the ISPCA hasn't responded yet, probably snowed under with cases xt the moment. Guards won't do much i'm afraid - as gombeen as the fu¢ks that are perpetrating, they normally wait until they have a corpse or worse, same as Dept. of Agriculture in a neighbour killing foal incident experienced recently. My Mrs. has just adopted a badly neglected (breed unknown due to malnourishment) dog and wgen visiting him in pound before taking him saw loads of people dumping off dogs in pound which is full of tnem. Shower if animal hating retards in this country is unbelievable. Best advice i can give is take the dog. We offered to take a beautiful labrador off the neighbours who were neglecting him (nothing close to what you describe) about 2 years back, and he disappeared not long after. The fu¢kers won't even talk to us now even though we offered them a way out!

Well to be fair to the Guards they have enough to be doing & maybe their attitude is theres an organisation, ISPCA, there to deal with it.
I am surprised the ISPCA hasn't been out, very surprised. But as you said they are probably snowed under.
I really don't want to take the dog. I would prefer to have it done above board & have the owners prosecuted.

If the ISPCA does call tomorrow or on Saturday can they issue proceedings against the owners straight away or are they wasting their time?

caseyann

http://www.dspca.ie/Emergency

Here op it says here you can contact the Garda

Before you contact the DSPCA, try to gather as much information as possible, including:

a description of the animal or animals involved

the precise location of the animal or animals

the name and address of the person you believe may be
responsible for the cruelty or neglect

the name and addresses of any other witnesses that may
be able to help.

Yviexxx

In which county is the dog? Most counties have an Animal Cruelty Officer(s).

easyeason3

Yviexxx wrote: »

In which county is the dog? Most counties have an Animal Cruelty Officer(s).

I'd prefer not to say in case the dog goes missing if you know what I mean.

I was in contact with a rescue home a while ago & was told to take the dog & bring her to them. Sadly though I think she might have to be put to sleep.

caseyann

easyeason3 wrote: »

I'd prefer not to say in case the dog goes missing if you know what I mean.

I was in contact with a rescue home a while ago & was told to take the dog & bring her to them. Sadly though I think she might have to be put to sleep.

Hopefully they wont have to,and i am sure they wont till they give her full check and feed her a bit,even worst cases i have seen them save.

Oh good luck aswell easyeason.Let us know how it goes and when you get the poor dog out.

easyeason3

caseyann wrote: »

Hopefully they wont have to,and i am sure they wont till they give her full check and feed her a bit,even worst cases i have seen them save.

Well it would be very easy for me to bring her into a vet & claim she's a stray found wandering. One look at her & they would put her to sleep. If the owners don't feed her I seriously doubt they have her chipped or have a license.

But I believe she deserves a chance. A bit of food, little & often & in the right hands she could be a fantastic pet for someone. I'm more concerned about her fear of people than I am about her not having food. The food situation can be fixed easily but her confidence is gone & I'm afraid that could be the decider on whether or not she's given a chance.

pokertalk

have to say this makes me fvking sick .in any case they will investigate to see if there was a case of neglect which from what your saying there deffo was . i have bein in court and seen these kind of cases and the judge tru the book at em. hope the dog aint too far gone:mad:

caseyann

easyeason3 wrote: »

Well it would be very easy for me to bring her into a vet & claim she's a stray found wandering. One look at her & they would put her to sleep. If the owners don't feed her I seriously doubt they have her chipped or have a license.

But I believe she deserves a chance. A bit of food, little & often & in the right hands she could be a fantastic pet for someone. I'm more concerned about her fear of people than I am about her not having food. The food situation can be fixed easily but her confidence is gone & I'm afraid that could be the decider on whether or not she's given a chance.

yeah i wouldnt bring to a vet,Bring to local dog rescue center,only way they put them down is if her health is not reversible,and nourishment and care will bring her back.
I rescued loads of dogs when i was a kid.One such dog wouldn't let anyone next to near him,and actually snapped at a few people.But i simply sat and gave him small bit of food and followed me for more food.I didnt try to pet him till he offered it to me.Soon that dog was as placid as any household pet.He was in a bad way.
Maybe ring them again say the dog is afraid of people and ask them advice on how to approach? And they work with dogs to regain the trust and confidence.I seen them do it loads of times,with really bad dogs.

anniehoo

OP i "badly" tried to reply to you there in AH..IGNORE.Quote tags didnt work for me and i was a bit harsh.

I hope you get help soon for this dog, he sounds like hes in an awful situation. The DSPCA are swamped but genuinely do try their best to get out to every call. Keep trying...and trying. They will help you if you keep insisting its a cruelty case.

This forum is sooo quiet after 7pm so dont expect a quick response to something like this.

Good luck.

Dudess

I'd advocate just taking her - a few years ago, some moron neighbours of mine, when the novelty of their cat wore off, banished him from the house (it was January - no cat house for him outside), stopped feeding him, stopped grooming him (he was long-haired and his fur became so dreadfully matted it must have hurt) so I just took him and brought him home to my mother's house.

Happy ending anyway: Got his fur treated at the vet's, fattened him up, gave him a great life (cosy kennel when he wanted to go outside) and he turned out fine - and a beauty.

toadfly

Could you or your friend throw some food over the fence when they arent there until ISPCA get to him? Maybe dog nuts soaked in water to get some water into him as well as food. Also you dont know what condition his teeth are in.

Poor dog, these stories just boil my blood. Why these people get dogs in the first place is just beyond me.

micheleabc

Terrier are notorius escapists; there is very little that can be done to keep a terrier in a back yard once it decide it's time to go, and nobody can be blamed for it.
Some time ago in the area where I live there was an identical situation; there was a little meeting with neighbours, we too called DSPSA, ISPSA, Dog Warden: a waste of time, laws and enforcements are beautiful things until you need them to work.
Bottom line, a day the little terrier "jumped the fence", by a "case" we "found it" on the street in front of the owner house (who wasn't there of course) and because "nobody knew the dog" we decided to take him to the nearest rescue centre (NO POUNDS please!!).
Now the little dog lives apply in a foster family waiting for adoption.
Do the right think, follow your hart. Sometime good things to happen need a little "push".
After the dissaperance of the dog the owner never got bothered not even to go around the estate to look for the dog; those kind of people just don't care.

seamus

The various SPCA's are not statutory bodies, they have no powers under the law, so there's nothing stopping you from taking the same approach that they do:

Put a very nice note into the person's house, offering to assist them in looking after their dog, offering to take it if necessary. Include your phone number for them to contact you and ask them to contact you by a certain date/time (give them 24-48 hours depending the condition of the dog).

If they haven't contacted you in this time and the SPCA still haven't gotten out to you, contact the Gardai who can assist you and enter the property to seize the dog if necessary.

ppink

If i were in your shoes the first thing I would be doing is firing food over the fence, even if I had to do it in the middle of the night. Maybe also put some flea/worm treatments in it?
there are no kill rescues out there who will take cross/scared dogs I htink and not pts.

Phenix

hi op
i would also go the route of throwing some food into the dog until the ISPCA can get to her and also some ice cubes for water. not sure if this would help ur case in any way but could you take some pics of the dog and go to your local SPCA? This will show them the dog is in need of imediate attention? i am not sure if it works tat way and im sure they are up to their eyes but if like you say, the poor dog is nearing death she deserves a chance

CrazyRabbit

Animal cruelty is a criminal offence. So call the Gardai. They can legally have the dog removed, and handed over the the DSPCA.

Discodog

easyeason3 wrote: »

I'd prefer not to say in case the dog goes missing if you know what I mean.

I was in contact with a rescue home a while ago & was told to take the dog & bring her to them. Sadly though I think she might have to be put to sleep.

The area you are in is really important to any answer that we give. The ISPCA do not cover much of the Country. Please just give a town/county & we will be able to better advise you.

People must understand that cruelty is an issue for the Guards. It is illegal to deny an animal food, water & shelter. I would visit your Garda station & make a formal complaint. Insist on a reference/incident number & tell them that you will be following this up. Stress that the animal is in immediate danger.

The Guards will probably call the nearest SPCA. They will act much quicker from a Garda referral & may ask the Guards to accompany them.

Shazanne

OP, can you please give us an ipdate on this situation? It's been bothering me badly since I read it. I need to know that the dog is ok or if you need any help in sorting out this situation?

easyeason3

UPDATE:

I rang ISPCA numerous times since I posted. I have emailed numerous times to the rescue shelter responsible for investigating animal abuse. So far I have not had one phone call or email back. My friend has done the same & has gotten the exact same response as me.

To say I feel let down & disgusted is an understatement. I regularly donate money to ISPCA in order to help them provide essential care & service to animals in need. I feel robbed because despite my friend & myself ringing constantly we have yet to get a phonecall, email or a visit to investigate the claim.

I will be removing the dog from her squalid & depressing excuse for a home tonight. Her new life will either begin or she will be put out of her misery.

amiable

Just be careful. What you are going to do is illegal and while i'm not telling you not to do it i'm just warning you. I'm on your side.
I do know that if you take the dog to a vet and say its a stray they are highly unlikely to put it down unless its in absolutely terrible pain without the owners consent. Now we know the owners is a piece of sh1t.

easyeason3

amiable wrote: »

Just be careful. What you are going to do is illegal and while i'm not telling you not to do it i'm just warning you. I'm on your side.
I do know that if you take the dog to a vet and say its a stray they are highly unlikely to put it down unless its in absolutely terrible pain without the owners consent. Now we know the owners is a piece of sh1t.

No it's not illegal, I have her consent after telling her that not only would I be calling ISPCA but also the Guards. It took me a few days to track her down but it gave me time to think so I also have a note that I wrote & got her to sign & date. Basically the note says that she is unable to look after her dog anymore & is allowing me to take her to a rescue centre. Just in case she decides I 'stole' her dog.
Her biggest worry when I approached her was that she was going to be late meeting a friend :rolleyes:

Discodog

Well done for having the sheer guts to do this. This may sound mad but get a dog license as soon as you can. It is not unknown for people like this to let you put their dog right & then expect it back. The Gardai regard the owner as the person who holds a license for the dog.

Do you have a Vet who is briefed & ready to help ?. Most Vets will reduce their charges for a case like this. Be careful with food & water if the dog has been starved. Under no account give it a big meal as it's digestive system won't cope.

Take photographs to prove it's condition in case they are needed later & ask the Vet to make notes.

I would never condone law breaking :rolleyes: but anyone in a similar situation should bear in mind that the law allows you to take any stray that is roaming in the street. I have known of cases where well meaning individuals have assisted a dog to escape & then rescued it.

amiable

easyeason3 wrote: »

No it's not illegal, I have her consent after telling her that not only would I be calling ISPCA but also the Guards. It took me a few days to track her down but it gave me time to think so I also have a note that I wrote & got her to sign & date. Basically the note says that she is unable to look after her dog anymore & is allowing me to take her to a rescue centre. Just in case she decides I 'stole' her dog.
Her biggest worry when I approached her was that she was going to be late meeting a friend :rolleyes:

Well you didn't say that earlier now did you?

Shazanne

easyeason3 - thank you! I am so delighted to hear this. I would have been fully prepared to go to wherever you are to help if that was necessary. Thank God that dog has you looking out for it - it's one of the lucky ones in a weird sort of way I suppose.
Let us know how you get on from here. And again, thank you - this time on behalf of the dog.

Feargal as Luimneach

Shazanne wrote: »

easyeason3 - thank you! I am so delighted to hear this. I would have been fully prepared to go to wherever you are to help if that was necessary. Thank God that dog has you looking out for it - it's one of the lucky ones in a weird sort of way I suppose.
Let us know how you get on from here. And again, thank you - this time on behalf of the dog.

x2
Respect to easyeason3:)
That poor dog is lucky

easyeason3

amiable wrote: »

Well you didn't say that earlier now did you?

It was a quick update as requested by a previous poster. I don't see how this affects the end result for the dog apart from me not breaking the law which has been encouraged by most, if not all posters.

Anyway, went to get the dog this evening but she wouldn't come near me or my friend. The 'owner' was gone, most likely out of shame, so we climbed over the fence to get in as she suggested because 'life is hectic & who knows when i'll be around to let you in'. Pathetic.

After much coaxing & allowing the dog time to see if she would come over herself, it was a failed attempt. I had chicken with me so I would gently & slowly walk over to her & leave some chicken on the ground & walk back to the fence. Only when we climbed over the fence would she go to eat the chicken. We did that a few times but she's very nervous.

I rang my vet & he said that he could give me a relaxant to put in the chicken to calm her down so we could catch her. I'd prefer not to go down that road because she's very thin so I'd be afraid it would do more harm than good.

I'm going to try her again tomorrow though. With enough time she will come around.

micheleabc

It will take lots of patience, the dog will be scared in the end all the dog know is that somebody who is not suposed to be there is in it's yard.
After you'll jump the fence try to sit still (the standing position can be very intimidating as is the fighting position), try to put some food around you and just let the dog to go to you, don't try to cacth it if it doesn't want to get closer; give it time.

seamus

micheleabc wrote: »

It will take lots of patience, the dog will be scared in the end all the dog know is that somebody who is not suposed to be there is in it's yard.
After you'll jump the fence try to sit still (the standing position can be very intimidating as is the fighting position), try to put some food around you and just let the dog to go to you, don't try to cacth it if it doesn't want to get closer; give it time.

+1 If you can, don't sit facing the dog directly, just let her come over and grab the food while you're there. She might run off with it, but that's OK, that's a step in itself. She's likely quite timid and afraid that you will attack her if she takes the food (as another dog would do). Once she knows that she can take the food from you and you won't react, you can work up to having her take it from your hand.

Although I wouldn't be rushing to grab the dog and put it in distress, I would personally be very eager to get the dog onto my own property where I'm free to work on her there, even if she does freak out for 30 minutes.

Fair play to you easyeason.

Feargal as Luimneach

If you get a muzzle to put on the dog. It will be safer for you when trying to get him out of the place.

Discodog

I am with Seamus on this one. Personally I would want to get the dog out & know that it is safe especially if the property is unoccupied - you never know who else might be around.

I would go the sedative route. Have you tried asking the local SPCA if they will give you a hand ?. I would use the sedative at a time when, as soon as you get the dog you can go immediately to the vet encase their are any complications.

As a last resort I would use a grabber & physically remove it. It may seem traumatic but the quicker the dog is out of there & is safe, the better.

The dog has experienced great fear in it's present surroundings. If you get it out soon you may find that it recovers quicker than you think.

There are people here who would help you but they need to know the area. Please don't be afraid to ask for help.

Shazanne

Hi. While I am in total agreement with getting the dog out of there immediately, I would not be suggesting a muzzle under the circumstances as it would be almost impossible to get that close to the poor dog.
However, being as though a vet has suggested a sedative I certainly think that this is the way to go. Obviously a vet would not suggest such a move if he did not feel it was safe.
I cannot wait to read the message that says that this dog has been rescued!

easyeason3

Well I have a few scratches but I feel so good.

Bobbi, as I have christened her, is now in a safe, warm house being looked after by a dote of a woman.
It wasn't easy catching her, it took time & when I went to pick her up she nipped & scratched a good bit. I kept petting her & giving her some chicken to calm her down & it worked but she was still very nervous. So I put her in a box with a few old sheets for bedding & drove her to her new home. Her coat is all matted, she's riddled with fleas, ticks & worms & she is very thin. She was brought to the vet this morning to get checked out & I just got a txt to say she's going to be ok once looked after. So I think they're getting her groomed now, poor little pet had dreadlocks so they must be pulling on her skin & hurting her.

Her new owner is a lady called Moira. She's a friend of a friend of a friend.
She very kindly offered to take Bobbi in & give her a new home. And what a home Bobbi has now! Moira has a little Yorkshire Terrier already so has a proper set up & lets the dogs sleep inside. She's retired so will be home most of the time & has great patience with Bobbi. She's very kind & gentle with her. This home is perfect, I can't praise her enough.

I'm going to call over tomorrow to see how they are but it would bring a tear to your eye looking at her. When I left last night she was after having something small to eat, she had a little friend curled up beside her licking her face, she was in a warm house & had everything she could need but the best thing ever was a little shine had come back into her eyes. I bawled the whole way home like a big soft fool!

micheleabc

Very well done:))

toadfly

Oh my god that's amazing, well done ye done a great job. Ah so happy:D

easyeason3

TillyGirl wrote: »

Oh my god that's amazing, well done ye done a great job. Ah so happy:D

We didn't do anything to be honest. Moira is the one who will be doing the hardest part so I think it's well done to her.

Funnily enough still no phonecall or email from ISPCA.

pokertalk

:Ddont ya love a happy ending :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:Dhey dont forget to put some picks like before and after ones would be cool:)

anewme

Credit is to the kind lady who has taken her in.....but most of the credit is due to YOU! It takes a strong brave person to confront and take control of a situation when others would just ignore it, or want to get involved but not be brave enough to deal with the confrontation and possible fall out.

This whole story has lifted my spirits a little bit and shown there are still many good good people in the world who will put themselves out there and do what is right.

Good luck will follow you for what you have done for that little dog!

Discodog

Very well done - I bet you feel good. He will be a great little dog. The abused ones have a way of repaying love. My new chap never stops wagging his tail. The first week he could not believe the amount of food (just normal amounts) & the treats that my other two get.

There are plenty of people who would of done nothing especially as it involved a degree of confrontation & negotiation. You are clearly very good at this. One day, when we have a proper ISPCA, you would make a brilliant inspector.

rooney111

any chance of a photo of this dog then???would be great:D

easyeason3

I have to find the cable to connect my camera with the computer but will put up a photo as soon as I can.

Feargal as Luimneach

easyeason3 wrote: »

We didn't do anything to be honest. Moira is the one who will be doing the hardest part so I think it's well done to her.

Funnily enough still no phonecall or email from ISPCA.

Modest as well. You did a super job, no question about that:):)