Dog left to wander

toadfly

Hi all,

I don't know what to do but there is a dog in an estate near me that is left to wander all day. Several evenings he has followed me home, once nearly getting hit by a car.

The first time I dropped my dogs home and went back with him, rang the number on his tag, no answer so I left a message. Rang a few minutes later and phone was turned off! That was a week ago and never got a call back. Got talking to a neighbour and he said the dog is always left around the estate.

Don't want to find him killed on the road some morning.

What can I do?

Random

you could try reporting it to the rspca to see if there's anything they can do about it?

toadfly

ISPCA won't do anything unless the dog is literally dead as far as I know. So frustrating.

ppink

Pick him up and put him in your car and drive him to a rescue where hopefully they will find him a home where he is wanted.
I would never bother ringing owners if they left him wander constantly- once off yes but not constantly. I would be taking him to a rescue and i would not be bothering ringing ISPCA either. they have so much stuff going on now a wandering dog will be way down the priority list.

toadfly

That was my first idea ppink just dont know if I should. The rescues are all very busy but I think he will be easily rehomed, he is very very friendly.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Honestly, and I'm not being smart with you.

Unless the dog was threatening to people, or was otherwise being ill treated I'd say mine your own business.

Tranceypoo

I'd be inclined to pick him up and put him in the car, bring him into the nearest rescue, I know they are overflowing but if you think he will get a better home I would do it. I wouldn't mind my own business, if everyone did that then animals in this country would be even worse off. The owners clearly don't give a toss, if I had a euro for every time I'd wondered why some people bother their arses getting dogs :mad:

toadfly

Selah Hot Smart-ass wrote: »

Honestly, and I'm not being smart with you.

Unless the dog was threatening to people, or was otherwise being ill treated I'd say mine your own business.

I appreciate your opinion but I don't agree at all, the dog deserves a loving home.

Tranceypoo wrote: »

I'd be inclined to pick him up and put him in the car, bring him into the nearest rescue, I know they are overflowing but if you think he will get a better home I would do it. I wouldn't mind my own business, if everyone did that then animals in this country would be even worse off. The owners clearly don't give a toss, if I had a euro for every time I'd wondered why some people bother their arses getting dogs :mad:

I agree completely but am a bit unsure as to what to do. I will call some of the rescues this evening and see what can be done. Its just not fair on the poor thing.

arybvtcw0eolkf

TillyGirl wrote: »

I appreciate your opinion but I don't agree at all, the dog deserves a loving home.
.

And you know that he's not returning home to one?.

Is it a stray dog?.

I know dogs are not allowed wonder about these days, but in many area's dogs do roam fun.. In fact some of the friendliest and happiest dogs I've known where the guys who could wonder freely.

kylith

I'd be worried that if you brought him to a rescue you could be charged with theft as he has a collar and tag on. The best thing might be to pretend you've never gotten close to the dog and call the warden in the guise of 'concerned citizen'.

I have to agree with Makikomi; some of the friendliest dogs in my area are ones that are let out to wander, not that I agree with the practise at all.

DBCyc

I would agree with the other posters in that despite your opinion of what the dog deserves and with regards to dogs roaming, you do not really have the right to whisk him off to a rescue.

I do not agree with dogs being left to roam either, but that dog would still be part of somebody's family and you can't just intervene unless there is a clear case of cruelty/neglect.

EDIT: Could you call into the owner's house and explain that the dog nearly got run over by a car and maybe they might get a shock and be more responsible?

ppink

the way I see it is that he is not going home to a loving family if they leave him roam. anybody who leaves their dog roam constantly has to be prepared for him not coming home.
Tillygirl I have picked up dogs in the past and make no bones about it, granted none of them had collars and I did not know where they were from but when I see a puppy running in and out of traffic almost being mushed then i dont think twice about picking him up. I held them at home with me until a space became available in rescue.....not an easy thing with all my own dogs but it was amnageable for a few days.

EGAR

Letting dogs wander is against the law. If a dogwarden comes across a wandering dog and no one answers the number on the tag or gets back to the dogwarden the dog is being kept in the pound to do its 5 days stray time and is then either pts'd or rehomed.

I would:

a.) go to the Gardai and report it as the dog poses a danger to traffic and of course himself by being allowed to roam

b.) ask around some more to track down the owner - if you find out who owns him let me know and I will pay them a visit and then we will see how is pans out


I would not nick the dog, alot of people who let dogs roam don't know any better and think it's perfectly alright to do so and not aware that it is against the law. Find out who owns him and I will drop by and have a chat with them. Then we decide on the action to take.

merengueca

I found a young b1tch wandering the roads near us (way out in the country) last time I was home, took her in for the night left a message on local radio that she had been found. No response so took her to the local ISPCA centre the next day (couldn't keep her unfortunatly), they took her without hassle and she was rehomed in a matter of hours.

Always nice to give them a donation if you can;)

Edit : meant to add that she had a cut paw and was not one of the neighbours dogs so obviously not out for a wander. I'd try to locate the owner and if no luck then let the warden know. If nothing has improved in a week then I'd consider the ISPCA - if the owner is allowing this poor dog out everyday then they are not a responsible owner and therefore do not have the right to be hacked off with you.

thisguy

i agree with the people here telling you to mind your own business, you dont have any right to pick that dog up and take it anywhere, it's not yours. As has been stated it probably does go back to its home to get fed, etc. It may be against the law to let dogs roam, in which case reporting it to a warden or guarda is fait enough, but if you steal someone's dog you'll also be breaking the law.TBH if someone "rescued" my dog which is allowed to roam from time to time, angry would be an understatement for how pissed off i'd be.

Zapperzy

merengueca wrote: »

I found a young b1tch wandering the roads near us (way out in the country) last time I was home, took her in for the night left a message on local radio that she had been found. No response so took her to the local ISPCA centre the next day (couldn't keep her unfortunatly), they took her without hassle and she was rehomed in a matter of hours.

Always nice to give them a donation if you can;)

Edit : meant to add that she had a cut paw and was not one of the neighbours dogs so obviously not out for a wander. I'd try to locate the owner and if no luck then let the warden know. If nothing has improved in a week then I'd consider the ISPCA - if the owner is allowing this poor dog out everyday then they are not a responsible owner and therefore do not have the right to be hacked off with you.

I seriously doubt she was re-homed within a few hours, stray dogs have to be given a chance to be reclaimed by their owner, they can spend 5 days in the pound or as far as I am aware they can spend their 5 days with the finder so long as you notify the dog warden. I could be wrong but otherwise the owners haven't been given a chance to reclaim him if he were rehomed straight away.

ppink

thisguy wrote: »

TBH if someone "rescued" my dog which is allowed to roam from time to time, angry would be an understatement for how pissed off i'd be.

well i suppose that is a point and from the opposite side of the fence Angry was an understatement of how I feel to see someone else's dog follow me home, seeing someone elses dogs wreck my newly laid lawn, seeing someone elses dog run over and finally almost running over someone elses dog myself.
Imo it is incredibly ignorant to allow a dog to roam constantly..once or twice by mistake is one thing but constantly is sticking 2 fingers up at everybody.....cyclists,motorists,pedestrians...everyone, but that is just my opinion.

toadfly

Selah Hot Smart-ass wrote: »

And you know that he's not returning home to one?.

Is it a stray dog?

No I dont think its a loving home when the dog is outside everytime I have gone over to the estate including when it was lashing rain and at 11pm.

I dont know if it would be considered a stray when it is fed and left with free run of an estate.

DBCyc wrote: »

Could you call into the owner's house and explain that the dog nearly got run over by a car and maybe they might get a shock and be more responsible?

I'm not sure which house it is, know which part of the estate but not the actually house. When I left the voicemail the first night I said the dog was at my house across the road and had nearly gotten hit by a car a few minutes before that.

EGAR wrote: »

I would:

a.) go to the Gardai and report it as the dog poses a danger to traffic and of course himself by being allowed to roam

b.) ask around some more to track down the owner - if you find out who owns him let me know and I will pay them a visit and then we will see how is pans out

Find out who owns him and I will drop by and have a chat with them. Then we decide on the action to take.

Thanks for the offer Sarah I will see if I can figure out exactly what house it is. I wouldnt like to go with option a as I dont want the dog ending up in the pound.

thisguy wrote: »

TBH if someone "rescued" my dog which is allowed to roam from time to time, angry would be an understatement for how pissed off i'd be.

Why do you let your dog wander? That is so irresponsible of you. Poor dog.

Wisco

Ring your local dog warden and they will come and collect the dog, relieving you of any legal responsibility and they will make the effort to contact the dogs owners in the case that it's lost, etc. Or you can ring your local vet and they may contact the warden for you. The SPCA can't really do anything unless the dog is injured, although obviously shelters will probably take it in for you.
Good luck. Have to say that dogs roaming is one of my biggest hates- totally irresponsible, even if the dog is the friendliest pup on the planet.

i-digress

Even the thought of my dog roaming around for one day makes me feel panicky, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her.

Fair play for trying to find a way to help the dog Tilly.

arybvtcw0eolkf

TillyGirl wrote: »

Why do you let your dog wander? That is so irresponsible of you. Poor dog.

"poor dog"...

'Cindy' our family dog wandered free for all of her 17yrs. I doubt she was the poorer for it tbh.

tmcw

If any of ye who say it's fine for a dog to roam, has ever seen and experienced the devastation that this can cause, you wouldn't let your dog roam.

toadfly

i-digress wrote: »

Even the thought of my dog roaming around for one day makes me feel panicky, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her.

I just don't understand why someone would get a dog and not keep them as part of the family. Its not fair on the dog.

Selah Hot Smart-ass wrote: »

"poor dog"...

'Cindy' our family dog wandered free for all of her 17yrs. I doubt she was the poorer for it tbh.

Different opinions Selah Hot Smart-ass I guess.

hamsterboy

ppink wrote: »

Pick him up and put him in your car and drive him to a rescue where hopefully they will find him a home where he is wanted.
I would never bother ringing owners if they left him wander constantly- once off yes but not constantly. I would be taking him to a rescue and i would not be bothering ringing ISPCA either. they have so much stuff going on now a wandering dog will be way down the priority list.

This is what I wish I had done a while back.
Unfortunately I had the usual "Irish" feelings of guilt and that I was stickin my nose in someone else's business.
As a result a beautiful little dog, who was so full of life and loved to play with my little dude, is dead, and I have to live with the knowledge that I could have done something.

Don't end up like me, it's hell and it will tear you up inside

HB

toadfly

Thats exactly what I dont want to happen HB, the guilt of that would kill me. Poor doggy

thisguy

ppink wrote: »

Imo it is incredibly ignorant to allow a dog to roam constantly..once or twice by mistake is one thing but constantly is sticking 2 fingers up at everybody.....cyclists,motorists,pedestrians...everyone, but that is just my opinion.

I take that point, its not fair leaving your dog out and having it cause havoc for your neighbours, that's why we try and keep our dog on our land but he has ways of getting out. We live in a country village and as such traffic/pedestrians isn't really a major problem.
But the OP's post about my "poor dog" is a load of bollix to be honest, it's an animal not a person, it doesn't need to be indoors constantly. Same thing about her saying she once seen the dog out at 11pm in the rain. It's an animal, not a person, and is equipped to survive outdoors!...i have a much bigger rant in me here if i get going!:pac:

i-digress

But a dog is classified as a domesticated form of the gray wolf. As it is domesticated, I think it should stay with the family at all times, and when the family is not around it should be kept somewhere secure and safe.

EGAR

Allowing a dog to roam is irresponsible on so many levels, apart from causing a danger in traffic to others and the dog itself.

Unwanted litters, panicking people who are actually afraid of dogs, the risk to have the dog injured or killed by thugs, to have the dog stolen and/or used as bait dog, to have it shot by if the dog is in a field with livestock etc pp. The list is endless and I don't care whether or not you live in a town, city or village.

I applaud the OP for actually caring enough to bring it to the public attention and trying to do something about it.

toadfly

EGAR wrote: »

Allowing a dog to roam is irresponsible on so many levels, apart from causing a danger in traffic to others and the dog itself.

Unwanted litters, panicking people who are actually afraid of dogs, the risk to have the dog injured or killed by thugs, to have the dog stolen and/or used as bait dog, to have it shot by if the dog is in a field with livestock etc pp. The list is endless and I don't care whether or not you live in a town, city or village.

You put things so much better than I do EGAR!

onlyrocknroll

I don't mean to offend anybody here, but I do think that some of the posters above are being a very silly and over protective about dogs wandering.

I don't agree with allowing dogs to wander, it's a nuisance to your neighbours, some people are afraid of dogs, and there is a possibility of something happening to the dog.

But many owners who live near me leave their dogs wander, the dogs are happy and friendly and clearly loved by their owners. The dogs are walked, shown affection, fed and cared for etc, in the same manner that I do those things for my dog. I don't agree with their decision but it's hardly neglect.

i-digress, just because a dog is domesticated doesn't mean that it's incapable of being outside. Dogs are not completely helpless. Looking out my window now there are three happy, well adjusted dogs playing with each other. I know these dogs' owners and I know they're properly cared for.

OP, unless the dog is chasing traffic, scaring people, fighting with other dogs or showing real signs of neglect, I think that any action that goes beyond contacting the dogs owners would be a horrible thing to do.

Tranceypoo

TillyGirl wrote: »

You put things so much better than I do EGAR!

EGAR said what I wanted to say, but more succinct and eloquently.
thisguy - seriously? Nothing wrong with leaving your dog out at night in the pouring rain? Dogs feel cold, hunger, isolation and many other things, think he would just be sitting in the rain happy as larry as opposed to being inside, preferably with the family who 'own' him and are therefore obliged to care for him.

A girl at work was telling me a similar story about her neighbours dog who just runs round up and down the road, they never walk him, he's never in the house, they go off and just leave him to run around, yesterday a farmer had to bring him back because he was chasing the tractor up and down the field and he was scared he was going to run him over. WHY do people get dogs, then let them roam 'ah sure dogs should be let off to roam, that's what they do' - ignorance