neighbour neglecting dog

shoegirl

We've a bit of a dilemma at home. Myself and my partner live in one of these "mews" style developments which are basically 3 storey apartment style building with own entrances. Its in an open space with parking at either end, and two rows of aboout 14 houses/apartments - the top floor being 3/4 bedroomed terraced houses, and the ground floor is 2 bed apartments (this is significant if you read on). There is no garden as such, however we face out onto a river and there is a nice kind of landscaping around the pathways, so some of the ground floor folks do sit out the back as they have patios.

Anyway we live on the top floor and our downstairs neighbour, who only moved in a couple of months ago has a rather nice dog downstairs. However we are concerned at her neglect and occasional abuse of the dog. I am a dog owner myself, but out of respect for my neighbours and the dog, he lives with my parents in Dublin, where he has a large garden, a massively oversized kennel, and very dog-friendly surroundings. Basically, if I had a garden, I'd -maybe- bring him to live with me, but there are no gardens or enclosed spaces and we live beside a moderately busy road so he'd almost certainly be run over.

Now we didn't really notice much of the dog downstairs much for a while, except that we noticed he was let loose most of the time and was chasing cars around the car park - and sometimes the road. On at least one occasion I noticed that the dog was almost run over by fast moving traffic (motorists generally ignore the 50km speed limit locally). However, lately, we noticed that the owner of the dog is going out drinking and leaving the dog abandoned outside. Being a young pup, he is clearly lonely and bored and retreats into tearing up anything he can find. He isn't exactly doing any harm, but my partner has come home from work at 3am to find the poor dog still wandering around outside - sometimes the owner is going out on all-night binges and leaving the animal wandering around outside her home - presumably to prevent him from wrecking the apartment.

Lately we've noticed that she's started sometimes tying him up on a rope when leaving him outside all night. He is clearly distressed my this. My partner and I are not dog mad, but its getting more distressing. My partner also witnessed the owner abusing the dog last week - apparently she flung him violently accross the car park. Needless to say, this person isn't exactly a nice young lady, she is fairly antisocial to say the least - making a lot of noise and parking in places that block in other cars, not to mention occupying communal space with chairs, bbqs, detrius - often just plain rubbish. But weather sorts that out - what we are concerned about is the welfare of the dog, who is clearly living in unsuitable accomodation and is clearly neglected.

What can we do about this? We live in East Cork. Is there somewhere we can complain to about this neglect?

aare

Usually people would suggest that your first move should be to talk to the owner, but realistically, in this case, that doesn't seem a very good idea does it?

Legally, what you SHOULD do is report this to your local dog warden, who has the power to fine the owner and/or impound the dog.

Sometimes, if you have a good Dog Warden and the problem is really just thoughtlessness, this can solve the problem, but that doesn't seem likely in this case.

It seems that this young woman has some very serious problems beyond the scope or ken of even the best of Dog Wardens, and it could easily backfire with the poor pup being humanely destroyed in the dog pound.

You obviously cannot take the pup yourself.

The pups best chance would be if one of the animal welfare people paused at the words "neglecting dog" on their way to pointing out how caring they are on the ISPCA/DSPCA thread and posted to this thread offering advice on a local level, which would, hopefully also include an offer of helping to ensure this pup gets a new home should he be impounded.

It is nasty to find yourself watching abuse and neglect, and whether the victim is a dog or a child, there is never a simple, cut and dried answer as to what you should do for the best. Particularly when it involves a neighbour.

You have my fullest sympathies.

peasant

I agree with aare ...difficult situation.

The dog warden would be the normal address for complaints, but there is a real danger of the pup being destroyed in the pound.

Taking it into care yourself until a new owner is found isn't an option either ...not when the owner is an antisocial neighbour.

Not familiar with organisations in East Cork, but irishanimals.ie lists three in the Cork area ...hopefully they can help.

FranknFurter

Not that I'm recomending this you understand.........

I know somone who was in a *very* similiar situation a few years back, and afaik what he did was find the dog a *good* home and one day while it was out straying this person came and "found" the dog.

Not that Im recomending this course of action you understand............ Just relating a story......

Baffled

If possible, I would recommend what FranknFurter said.

shoegirl

Hmm . . . a friend was interested in "finding" the dog, but I am not so sure how a dog might react to be being whipped like that. In fairness my own dog was one that was lost, but he was so upset when he went back to the original owners he wouldn't eat and cried all day so eventually they gave us him. (They weren't bad owners, he just preferred us!) A dog could get very upset and I wouldn't like to make it worse for the dog.

I will check out the available options in Cork. I feel that talking to the owner would be like speaking to a brick wall. Will post an update as soon as I know what I am doing.

Baffled

Id say the dog will adapt very quickly if he is treated good. If your "friend" is really interested in this dog and is willing to give it a loving home, then in my opinion I see it as the best option. The real owner clearly has no interest in the dog and im sure the dog would prefer to be with someone who loves him and is gonna care for him.

Its too dangerous for a young dog to be left roaming around. The dog could end up being hurt or killed but on a more serious note he could cause an accident if he's chasing cars.

Speak to your friend again.

Actually it was only when I read this thread agin I remebered neighbours of mine found a stray dog and took him in, but the kids were nuts and the dog was treated very badly. So one day I noticed that the dog wasnt around and a few weeks later another neighbour told me that his brother was looking for a dog so he came one night and just took the dog off the road. The neighbour said the dog was much happier and healthier. Some people just shouldnt be allowed to keep animals!

Irish-Lass

http://www.corkanimalfriends.com/

Here is a website that of a group that are based in cork it is run by a girl called Jacque......maybe try getting in touch with her to see if there is something she could maybe suggest to you.

But have to admit I would called the Dog Warden as a last resort, not sure exactly how they operate in Cork but in Dublin a dog that is picked up straying has 5 days after which time it is put down....if the Dog Warden calls to the house and the owner decides really she doesnt' want the dog and surrenders it over to the Dog Warden the dog can be put down straight away. If you could find the dog a good home I would go with that option....from the sounds of it your neighbour isn't going to miss the dog and the dog would be safer out of that situation.....

nesf

shoegirl wrote:

Hmm . . . a friend was interested in "finding" the dog, but I am not so sure how a dog might react to be being whipped like that. In fairness my own dog was one that was lost, but he was so upset when he went back to the original owners he wouldn't eat and cried all day so eventually they gave us him. (They weren't bad owners, he just preferred us!) A dog could get very upset and I wouldn't like to make it worse for the dog.

I will check out the available options in Cork. I feel that talking to the owner would be like speaking to a brick wall. Will post an update as soon as I know what I am doing.

From my experience, and it is limited to north west Cork county so it might be different wardens, they tend to go the impound route. Personally, I'd have a talk with the owner. Generally, a long one focussing on animal rights etc and how to care for a dog. I'd then tell them about the wonderful world of pet stones etc.

If I was you though, I'd have a word with other people in your apartments. If there are other dog people there (likely) then they will have noticed the poor thing and might help you talk to the person. The problem is, if you speak to them and they do nothing and then the dog disappears.... It's an easy way to make an enemy.


I'd go the talking route. Preferably being backed up by other people living there. It adds weight to the discussion. If the owner doesn't listen to you, then bring in some animal welfare group. But only as a last resort. That's the kind of thing that people take personally. With luck, the owner will confess that they don't want to keep the dog and you can offer to rehouse it for them or help them do it themselves. Problem solved and they will appreciate it. But the world doesn't always work this way unfortunately.

boneless

The "friend" route mentioned is the best way, I think. I don't think the present owner would be too put out if the poor wee thing vanished. I can't stand people who treat dogs badly.

shoegirl

Well I might as well update you guys since the story has advanced somewhat . . .

The cruelty and neglect of the dog downstairs continued - reaching such a point that the dog was being tied up and left outside for up to 18 hours out of 24 - day and night, in some pretty harsh weather, with no shelter, and often inadequate food or water. As a result he became increasingly anxious. He was only let off the lead while the owner was at home - and sometimes simply tied up outside when she couldn't be bothered with him. He had taken to howling for several hours a day - he seemed to get particularly upset if he heard a car - probably thinking it was his owner come home for him. Aside from the noise, it was getting pretty upsetting.

Well last weekend he bit a child - the daughter of a friend of my partner's. A dog owner herself, she had some words with the owner, and the owner apologised. My partner tackled them the next day and they said that the dog was "going back to the home on Wednsday next". So they dumped the poor old dog back in the pound or whatever animal home they got him from.

But the saga doesn't end there - they took another poor dog from the pound (just like changing a pair of ill-fitting in trousers in Dunnes to them, no doubt) and within minutes of being taken home he was already tied up on a rope outside the back of their apartment.

I am outraged for a start to thing that somebody bringing a dog to pound can simply take another one home - surely there is always the question of neglect if a dog is returned to the pound, even if the dog was known to be difficult? Is it not outrageous that somebody who is very likely to be a poor owner can simply pick out another pet, just like changing an item in a shop, and take it home to neglect it also?

Anyway the couple seem to have been away for the last few days, so I don't know how they are treating the new pet. I'm not confident, however, that they have made the link between their former pets deteriorating behaviour, and their neglect. I'll let you know what happens.

aare

Seems lots of things have advanced...wasn't your obnoxious neighbor still a singleton last we heard? And now she has become a couple?

Know the type, bet it doesn't last! :rolleyes:

Firstly, yes there are some circumstances under which a pound or dogs home will take back a dog and give another one, and IMHO they are usually right to do so.

For instance, a dog can be taken home "on trial" from a rescue (or even, sometimes a pound) to see how he fits the environment, but that "trial" should only be considered to be for a week or two...absolutely NOT "months" as this would have been...so I cannot imagine she brought the dog back to a rescue, that's very unlikely.

Either a pound or a rescue might well be inclined to take back and replace a dog that is in a rural area and inclined to worry stock, because that is not something you can be sure of training out of a dog and most stock worrying dogs are great town dogs. So it's just common sense to take the dog back and rehome in town without prejudice while being open to giving the person a more suitable dog.

Same goes where there is more than one dog and a serious personality clash.

Pound staff are human, they have to put the unwanted dogs down, and none of the decent ones would be too keen to deny a dog any chance of a home in preference to death.

Perfectly good owners often surrender a terminal, suffering dog to be PTS in the pound. Personally I am ok with this, I would rather they spent the €200 or so it can cost to PTS and dispose of remains on a new pup with a long life ahead, or even their own kids.

(BUT, if I live a thousand years I will NEVER be able to understand why the pounds cannot just give you a time to bring a suffering dog in to be PTS while you stay with him, rather than insisting you bring him in to be left in a strange kennel to be PTS hours, or even days, later.)

Such people might well be encouraged to come back for a new dog when they are ready (though "same day" might seem a bit sick to me?).

Or, if you bring back a dog that has bitten someone, particularly a child.

If she she brought this poor pup to the pound and told them that, with a load of ould waffle that convinced them the dog just had a questionable nature (as dogs sometimes do) she wrote his death warrant, because the pound could not take the risk of letting him out again knowing he had already bitten once, and they would most likely have let her have another dog.

If she is convincing (as people who drink a great deal and are totally self-centered often are) why wouldn't they? Because they had no way of knowing otherwise.

This is why, now there is a second dog involved, you MUST find the number of your local dog warden and have a little talk, to make sure they know otherwise.

It looks as though the dog actually has a better chance of survival and a good home if he is taken into the pound as an innocent victim of neglect.

Sorry it came to this...

lolo2

http://www.ispca.ie/content/reportcruelty.html

This is an awkward and distressing situation to be in.