Witnessed animal neglect today, please give advice?

alexa5x5

I visited the house of a close family member today and I saw some that has disgusted me so much I’m at a loss at what to do. They have a dog about 10-12 years now, at first they loved the dog then over the years it’s just been kept out the back garden. I honestly didn’t know that much about their dog as I rarely visit their house (we meet outside their home), but today I saw the poor thing. I went out to have a look at her but she is so dispirited from being lonely she didn’t even look up at me. She obviously hasn’t been washed or groomed in a very long time. And worse of all, she has a very obvious eye infection. To make matters worse, another relative that saw the dog over Christmas said the dog has had that infection since then.

I’m so angry and disgusted by them I actually hate them right now. I made it clear today that they must, MUST bring her to the vet, but it was obvious they didn’t give a ****. I think I embarrassed them enough that they will. I really wanted to call them fu*king evil kunts and take the dog with me but there was a few kids around and I didn’t want to fight in front of them.

As I said these people are close family members, I don’t want to cause a rift in our family. But as an animal lover I can’t stand by and see any animal mistreated. If for any reason they don’t bring her to the vet ASAP what would happen if I call the DSPCA? Would they visit there house?

faw1tytowers

alexa5x5 wrote: »

I visited the house of a close family member today and I saw some that has disgusted me so much I’m at a loss at what to do. They have a dog about 10-12 years now, at first they loved the dog then over the years it’s just been kept out the back garden. I honestly didn’t know that much about their dog as I rarely visit their house (we meet outside their home), but today I saw the poor thing. I went out to have a look at her but she is so dispirited from being lonely she didn’t even look up at me. She obviously hasn’t been washed or groomed in a very long time. And worse of all, she has a very obvious eye infection. To make matters worse, another relative that saw the dog over Christmas said the dog has had that infection since then.

I’m so angry and disgusted by them I actually hate them right now. I made it clear today that they must, MUST bring her to the vet, but it was obvious they didn’t give a ****. I think I embarrassed them enough that they will. I really wanted to call them fu*king evil kunts and take the dog with me but there was a few kids around and I didn’t want to fight in front of them.

As I said these people are close family members, I don’t want to cause a rift in our family. But as an animal lover I can’t stand by and see any animal mistreated. If for any reason they don’t bring her to the vet ASAP what would happen if I call the DSPCA? Would they visit there house?

If you report it they should go to there house yes. that poor ole dog deserves to have a nice home for her last few years. What breed is it? Maybe there are some rescues in the area that will help you if you do take the dog?

carwash_2006

They may come out and talk to the owners, but they can't do anything more. Legally as long as the animal is being provided with food shelter and water there's not much any animal welfare group can do other than appeal to the owners better side.

Nos if the animal is obviously very sick they could be prosecuted for withholding veterinary care, but I'm not sure an eye infection would be reason enough.

Did you try pointing out to them that at this stage a quick vets visit with minimal expenditure and a little time administering ointment will probably sort the problem? If they leave it much longer it may mean an operation to remove a dead eye before it causes more problems, sometimes putting fear of real expenditure can help in these cases. If you could provide - and would be willing to - a better home for the animal, maybe wait until it wouldn't cause a scene and offer to take an animal they don't care very much for off their hands. But if you do this, try and make sure that they won't take this opportunity to go out and get themselves a nice shiny new puppy :rolleyes:

TooManyDogs

Would you be in a position to take the dog on yourself? As another poster said there's little the DSPCA can do beyond try to embarrass them into better caring for the dog but what if you were to ask if you could have her? Especially if the DSPCA do call they might reckon she's not worth the hassle and give her to you willingly.

alexa5x5

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Would you be in a position to take the dog on yourself? As another poster said there's little the DSPCA can do beyond try to embarrass them into better caring for the dog but what if you were to ask if you could have her? Especially if the DSPCA do call they might reckon she's not worth the hassle and give her to you willingly.

I really wish I could take her, but I don’t have a garden and I’m usually out of the house for up to 12 hours a day. I’ve spoken to the rest of my family since and they are all going to speak to them today about it too.

I think the most shocking part of this is that they are not short for money, in fact in a time when most people are struggling they are relatively well off. They are also what I’d consider respectable people, so I guess this is what makes this so much worse. They have the means to easily take care of her, and they know what they are doing is wrong....they just don’t give a fu*k.

alexa5x5

Does anyone know of a shelter that I could take her too where she won’t be destroyed? I’d pay for the care of her medical or food/shelter, anything, just so she could live out her last few years in comfort.

Chris_Heilong

Well, I would say the backyard dog is the situation in about 75% of Irish homes, left out back all day and rarely if ever walked. We can view it as being cruel because we know better but many people will just see it as a dogs life and not realize it needs stimulation and exercise to be happy and not just food and shelter. As others have said talk to the owners and mention the Shelters if they dont have time to look after.

faw1tytowers

alexa5x5 wrote: »

Does anyone know of a shelter that I could take her too where she won’t be destroyed? I’d pay for the care of her medical or food/shelter, anything, just so she could live out her last few years in comfort.

There are plenty of rescues out there that would take her on as long as they have the space. And you would have to be authorised to take the dog. What area are you in?

TooManyDogs

faw1tytowers wrote: »

There are plenty of rescues out there that would take her on as long as they have the space. And you would have to be authorised to take the dog. What area are you in?

There actually aren't a huge number of shelters that would be in a position to take in a 12 year old dog. The majority of shelters opperate at full capacity all the time, and have constant emails and phone calls about taking in dogs. Its easy to get a small breed pup adopted out, harder to get large breed pups adopted. Dogs under a year get adopted fairly quickly, under 2 years can take a bit of time, over 2 years takes longer and it's takes forever to get a dog over 5 years old adopted. People just prefer younger dogs or pups and because there's so many dogs needing homes in Ireland adopters have their choice pretty much. So you're looking for a shelter who has space and financial capacity to take on a dog knowing it may never get adopted out but could live another 5 or 6 years, and they're not very plentiful. It'd be easier to campaign family and see if anyone could have space or room to take the dog.

To be honest OP you don't need a garden to successfully have a dog and even if you're out of the house for 12 hours a day you'd still be a far better home for the dog than the one she's currently in. At 12 years old she'll spend quite a large amount of time sleeping anyway so you being out of the house that long won't be as much of an issue as it would be for a young dog.

alexa5x5

faw1tytowers wrote: »

There are plenty of rescues out there that would take her on as long as they have the space. And you would have to be authorised to take the dog. What area are you?

The dog owners are in Dublin 11. Ive been on all the shelter websites I can find but they dont list a procedure for bringing in a dog.

TooManyDogs

alexa5x5 wrote: »

faw1tytowers wrote: »

There are plenty of rescues out there that would take her on as long as they have the space. And you would have to be authorised to take the dog. What area are you?

The dog owners are in Dublin 11. Ive been on all the shelter websites I can find but they dont list a procedure for bringing in a dog.

There isn't a simple proceedure for bringing in a dog. Firstly you'll have to ring each shelter and find out if they are willing or able to take in the dog. Then you'll have to have the permission of the owner to surrender the dog, some shelters will take this in writing, some will require the owner to be the one to surrender the dog themselves. Some have a waiting list, some don't take surrenders and some don't take dogs over a certain age so really your best bet is to phone each one.

Discodog

Firstly well done Alexa. It takes guts to speak out especially when it is a family.

The owners have committed a criminal offence under Section 1 of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in that they have caused unnecessary suffering by way of neglect. You can report the crime to the Gardai & advise them that you will make a formal complaint if they do not pursue the matter. Even if you don't do this you can inform the owner that it is a criminal offence.

Write a simple receipt, something along the lines of I their name give full custody & ownership of name of dog a breed kept at their address to your name & address. Date it & get both you & then to sign it.

Phone the Dogs Trust 1890 252 928 or 01 879 1000. Make it clear that this is an urgent cruelty case - I wouldn't mention the age, after all how are you supposed to know the age of the dog . Or call the DSPCA & advise them that you now have custody if they can take the dog.

faw1tytowers

Its true an older dog has less chance of being placed, but it has better chances than where it is now of being loved and cared for. It doesn't necessarily have to be a local rescue either. What breed is it?

alexa5x5

Discodog wrote: »

Firstly well done Alexa. It takes guts to speak out especially when it is a family.

The owners have committed a criminal offence under Section 1 of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in that they have caused unnecessary suffering by way of neglect. You can report the crime to the Gardai & advise them that you will make a formal complaint if they do not pursue the matter. Even if you don't do this you can inform the owner that it is a criminal offence.

Write a simple receipt, something along the lines of I their name give full custody & ownership of name of dog a breed kept at their address to your name & address. Date it & get both you & then to sign it.

Phone the Dogs Trust 1890 252 928 or 01 879 1000. Make it clear that this is an urgent cruelty case - I wouldn't mention the age, after all how are you supposed to know the age of the dog . Or call the DSPCA & advise them that you now have custody if they can take the dog.

Thank you for the advice, it is difficult because they are family members...to be honest if I have to go so far as to report them (which I’ve no problem doing) it’s going to cause a huge argument and rift in our family. But animal cruelty is one thing I could never stand by and ignore.

A couple of my relatives have spoken to them today so I will ring them tomorrow to check if they have brought her. I’m also going to ring Dogs Trust to see if they would be willing to take her.

alexa5x5

faw1tytowers wrote: »

Its true an older dog has less chance of being placed, but it has better chances than where it is now of being loved and cared for. It doesn't necessarily have to be a local rescue either. What breed is it?

She's a cross between a Jack Russel and a Yorkshire terrier. A crazy fluffy little thing.

faw1tytowers

alexa5x5 wrote: »

She's a cross between a Jack Russel and a Yorkshire terrier. A crazy fluffy little thing.

aw bless, well sounds promising. Give a few ring arounds, there is a group on face book that would be good for you to post on, will certainly direct you in the right way. Irish animal shelters.

I will post some of your details and see what happens...

alexa5x5

faw1tytowers wrote: »

aw bless, well sounds promising. Give a few ring arounds, there is a group on face book that would be good for you to post on, will certainly direct you in the right way. Irish animal shelters.

I will post some of your details and see what happens...

Thank you so much, your very good.

Ailishcrehan

Hi there, my name is Ailish and I am a volunteer with the Last Hope Animal Charity. I recently rehomed our last foster dog and would be in a position to help with Fluffy if you need someone to take her in. I already have two dogs, both rescues and they are very used to dogs coming and going to new homes so are perfectly sociable. We also have cats that are very used to dogs and ignore them.
We work with a veterinary clinic in Duleek and can get a full work up/check up done on Fluffy, we also have voluntary dog groomers that can tend to her coat if needs be.
So often people forget about the older dogs, but we have lovely connections with people who take in only older dogs as permanent fosters.
It is lovely that you are intervening in what can only be described as a sensitive area considering these are family members who have committed this act of neglect. If you want to meet me or come to the house, you are more than welcome and I can guarantee that Fluffy would be very well looked after and given the dignity and respect he deserves.
The only thing in terms of taking him from his family, is they would need to surrender him to my care by signing a form.
You can call me if you want to have a chat on 086 840 6090

Ailishcrehan

meant to add, we also have a no kill policy x

alexa5x5

Ailishcrehan wrote: »

meant to add, we also have a no kill policy x

Just sent you a PM there Ailish, thanks again

faw1tytowers

Thanks Ailish for stepping in I knew Animal shelters would know what to do. All the best Alexa, I know this is going to be a rough road but hopefully things will improve now.

Dinky22

That is wonderful news about Fluffy. The rescue dogs that I have taken have always been older dogs ranging from 9-12 years. They deserve to spend the rest of their days in a loving environment. I really feel that when Ailish can put Fluffy's picture and details up on her website that there are many animal lovers who would love to give Fluffy a Forever Home.

alexa5x5

Dinky22 wrote: »

That is wonderful news about Fluffy. The rescue dogs that I have taken have always been older dogs ranging from 9-12 years. They deserve to spend the rest of their days in a loving environment. I really feel that when Ailish can put Fluffy's picture and details up on her website that there are many animal lovers who would love to give Fluffy a Forever Home.

Sorry forgot to update the thread.....

Unfortunately I couldn’t convince my family member to bring their dog to the shelter recommended by Ailish and Discodog.

Basically I confronted the person in question on Monday about their dog. I wasn’t confrontational...I really tried to approach them in a non-accusatory way (because I didn’t want to cause a rift within my family), however they became defensive and it blew up into a huge row. I tried suggesting putting her in Ailish’s shelter, but I was told to mind my own business...that it’s their dog and they will see to its needs. I was told by another family member that they did bring their dog to the vet later that day.

I haven’t spoken to her since, and I don’t plan to. If she apologise for the things she said (not just about the dog....she brought up lots of stuff) I will accept for the sake of keeping things civil. But really I don’t care; I don’t want to know someone that could be so neglectful and cruel.

I wish it had ended better, like she had let me bring her dog to a shelter but at least she was shamed into bringing her dog to the vet.

Thank to everyone for there concern.

Cole

alexa5x5 wrote: »

Basically I confronted the person in question on Monday about their dog. I wasn’t confrontational...I really tried to approach them in a non-accusatory way.....I was told by another family member that they did bring their dog to the vet later that day.....I wish it had ended better

I think you took the right approach. From your description, this was never going to be resolved by trying to go the legal route. At least the dog is now free from any pain or discomfort and the vet may have sussed a level of neglect, and given appropriate advice.

It's never easy to resolve every case of neglect to the ideal outcome and while the dog probably won't ever have the tlc that you would want, you have improved things for her. Well done, unfortunately a lot of people don't have the bottle to interfere when it involves family.

alexa5x5

Cole wrote: »

I think you took the right approach. From your description, this was never going to be resolved by trying to go the legal route. At least the dog is now free from any pain or discomfort and the vet may have sussed a level of neglect, and given appropriate advice.

It's never easy to resolve every case of neglect to the ideal outcome and while the dog probably won't ever have the tlc that you would want, you have improved things for her. Well done, unfortunately a lot of people don't have the bottle to interfere when it involves family.

Thank you Cole.

Dinky22

Alexa I am so sorry that things did not work out but I must say that I admire what you have tried to do. Perhaps, things may improve now for for Fluffy when you have brought her neglect to their attention. A visit to the vet was a step in the right direction and that was thanks to you.