Can this be reported as animal cruelty?

spongebob89

My neighboors, have a fully grown Labrador and literally never ever gets out the house.. The dog is gone bizerk barking all day non stop and is wild..

To me this is pure cruelty, they are irresponsible people

I want to know would the rspca actually be able to do anything in this case?

kylith

I don't think so. As long as the dog has food, water, and shelter the SPCAs can't do much.

You can make a complaint to the Gardaí about the noise, but that's about it.

spongebob89

kylith wrote: »

I don't think so. As long as the dog has food, water, and shelter the SPCAs can't do much.

You can make a complaint to the Gardaí about the noise, but that's about it.

Ah sure the gards have no authority even if it was music blasting id ve laughed at if I complain about a miss treated barking dog

cocker5

kylith wrote: »

I don't think so. As long as the dog has food, water, and shelter the SPCAs can't do much.

You can make a complaint to the Gardaí about the noise, but that's about it.

While i do believe Kylith is correct personally i would still report them for cruelity, maybe if the ISPCA called out it would scare them and give them a wake up call.

spongebob89

cocker5 wrote: »

While i do believe Kylith is correct personally i would still report them for cruelity, maybe if the ISPCA called out it would scare them and give them a wake up call.

I will do

Pumpkinseeds

Please try to report them. When I was a teenager the next door neighbours had a gorgeous king charles that literally never got brought out. My parents always worried about the dog but didn't know what to do. All they could do 20 years ago was drop not so subtle hints to the owners, who did nothing. I'll never forget listening to that poor dog crying and scratching at the gate to get out. Eventually, years later, he ended up walking himself after he had scratched a gap in the gate.:(

shaymus27

Of course not bringing a dog out for walks is cruelty.

They should get at least 2 walks a day.

Dogs aren't meant to stay within the confines of a house, even if they are out the back, unless the back is the grounds of a country estate.

You should definitely report it. Make sure you get the name of the person you report it to and check in with them later to make sure they followed up on it.

You are doing a very thoughtful thing in trying to help an animal which is suffering if it is not being brought out for walks. It needs help or it will go insane stuck in a house/back without going for walks.

Make sure to follow up as organisations can be busy and forget the odd caller.

piperh

I'm going to play devil's advocate a bit here. Yes taking the dog out for daily walks is preferable but not taking a dog out is not necessarily cruelty. What is cruel is not stimulating a dog and letting it get to a point of destructive boredom.

There may be many reasons a dog is not walked. There have been times my dogs hip dysplasia has meant that for a while 1 walk a week was all she could manage. 5 mins down the lane meant a week of lameness and I wasn't subjecting her to that. Recovery after an op may be another for example.

Talk to the owner and politely suggest ways to stimulate, a kong can relieve hours of boredom as can a bone. Basic training tires them out, games of all descriptions. Maybe the owner just needs pointing in the right direction and you sound caring enough to help.

maggiepip

spongebob89 wrote: »

My neighboors, have a fully grown Labrador and literally never ever gets out the house.. The dog is gone bizerk barking all day non stop and is wild..

To me this is pure cruelty, they are irresponsible people

I want to know would the rspca actually be able to do anything in this case?

From the way I read this it appears the dog is in the house? If so then I would imagine the dog has a lot of interaction with humans as opposed to being locked outside alone ? If this is correct,while of course a dog should be walked and it not right to not provide that, its certainly not the worst situation if he spends his days with his human family. Theres no way any SPCA will call for a dog not being walked. I would suggest you try talk to the owner.

shaymus27

It's the job of the SPCA to decide whether something is cruel or not.

If you as a concerned citizen ring them and tell them your concerns they will decide whether to investigate. If they investigate and find there is no cruelty then they will still appreciate your concern and it will just be one of many calls they will have received from concerned citizens trying to help an animal. I'm sure they would rather someone rang and told them their concerns rather than didn't ring.

You might talk to your neighbour as someone else suggested to see if there is a reason for the dog not being walked. This sounds like a good idea. The chances are you already have an idea of what is going on since you live near, hear the dog and know your neighbours. There may be a reason for the dog not being brought out. The problem is that if you talk to them and still believe there is no excuse for not walking the dog then they might know it was you who rang the SPCA. They might know even if you don't ask them and ring the SPCA but they would be more unsure as it could have been anyone. You might consider the effect on your relationship with your neighbours if you take action. You might also consider the effect of your conscience if you don't.

If you ever had to sit in a house with no tv, radio , phone, laptop etc you will get an idea of what it's like for a dog. Try never leaving your house as well and see if you don't think that it's cruel for a dog to never go for walks assuming it is able.

Any expert. vet, book, person I have ever encountered suggests to me a dog needs walks. Unless health is an issue for the dog it needs walks. If health is an issue for the human the human should get other humans to walk their dog.

A dog with lots of energy needs to release that energy. Going for a walk is an obvious way. Dogs are curious and like to smell scents and leave scents. Their instincts are to migrate and smell various scents. How can they do that stuck in the one spot?

Not releasing that energy may lead to destructive behaviour by the dog if it is frustrated.

I have never met a dog owner who didn't think it essential to walk their dog. I and many others have driven on ice and snow to be able to walk our dogs. I have got soaking wet walking my dog. I have got up early before going to work and 1st thing after coming home from work have walked my dog. If I or others didn't think it essential why would we take risks driving in dangerous conditions or put ourselves out so much to ensure our dogs got their walks? I couldn't live with myself if I had a healthy dog and didn't bring it for walks.