Neighbours Dog - Need Advice

RaeLB

Didn't think I would ever make an advice thread but as I was contemplating what to do today I thought, man I wish I could get a mass amount of opinions...oh yeah, MFP!

My neighbours got a german shepherd puppy as soon as he was able to go from the breeders, he is about 6 months old now.
He has never been allowed in their house. At night he stays in a kennel in their green house, during the day he has a fenced in area (~6x10ft) at the top of their driveway.
They feed him, give him water and take him for a walk everyday but other than that he just sits in there by himself all day (with maybe a ball) and the kennel all night. I feel so bad for him.

They are a sweet elderly couple & a grown single son. I think they just do not understand how to care for pets. It may be a generational and maybe a cultural difference (a pet vs. animal thing) or maybe just an educational difference, I don't know.

I have thought about calling The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They might only respond to cases of abuse but my sister thought they may also educate people about owning pets.

If OSPCA do come I am worried about creating a rift between my neighbours and us (my grandma and I). They have lived beside my grandma for 30+ years and are wonderful neighbours to her. So I am not confident about what I should do... maybe people have other suggestions. Or maybe I just need enough people telling me what to do to feel confident about it.

Scott613

Put some pamplets on taking care of dawgs in their mailbox from SPCA and a little note that says "We're watching you"

RaeLB

Put some pamplets on taking care of dawgs in their mailbox from SPCA and a little note that says "We're watching you"

I have actually thought about writing an anonymous letter with lots of information, I even collected some business cards of dog walkers/babysitters. I was going to sign it from a couple that walks through the neighbourhood and has noticed their dog so they wouldn't guess that it was me. But I am wondering if the information needs to come from a powerful voice like the SPCA to make a difference, but maybe I should try this first.

RaeLB

bump, anyone else?

paulamarsden

Maybe offer to take it on walks?

i do this with my neighbours dog, i have fun with a dog, and without the responsibility (we have cats)

im not sure it can be seen as cruelty, if it was a working police dog it would NEVER enter the house of the handler.

mea9

I haven't seen it so I'm just guessing but just because he's not a lap dog doesn't mean he's being mistreated in any way. He’s an outside dog with proper food, water and shelter. The spca will do nothing because they have no grounds. His life isn’t what you would want be he may have a great dog’s life. He has a job (guarding the property), he has a pack (his people), and he gets a walk everyday (more than most dogs get). Those are the things that make a happy, healthy dog. It sounds like he actually has it really good.

In my opinion lap dogs have it worse. They are there for the pleasure of their owners and are made to perform in a way that does not benefit them and is not natural to them (surrogate baby).

foremant86

Put some pamplets on taking care of dawgs in their mailbox from SPCA and a little note that says "We're watching you"

I have actually thought about writing an anonymous letter with lots of information, I even collected some business cards of dog walkers/babysitters. I was going to sign it from a couple that walks through the neighbourhood and has noticed their dog so they wouldn't guess that it was me. But I am wondering if the information needs to come from a powerful voice like the SPCA to make a difference, but maybe I should try this first.

This is a good idea. I sent an anonymous letter to my neighbor because they have a large long haired dog they keep in their back yard and his hair was very matted and dirty so i wrote them a letter explaining how painful matted hair is and how feces and dirt get caught in the fur which can result in maggots living under the fur that we can't see. After they got my letter they took the dog to the groomer and got him a haircut.

Bothering the SPCA won't do you any good. By law they are taking care of the dog and the SPCA has actual neglect/abuse cases to tend to, there is nothing they can do for the dog.

1996gtstang

even though they should pay more attention to the dog, as long as he has water,food,shelter theres nothing they are doing wrong

RaeLB

Maybe offer to take it on walks?

i do this with my neighbours dog, i have fun with a dog, and without the responsibility (we have cats)

im not sure it can be seen as cruelty, if it was a working police dog it would NEVER enter the house of the handler.

I didn't say it was cruelty, I do not think they are cruel to him at all but outside of his basic needs he is definitely neglected.

They do walk him every day. I thought about taking him on additional walks to give him something to do because I feel bad for him but I hate to take on the responsibility because I didn't chose to get a dog myself. Plus they might just stop their walks and then it is just counterproductive

RaeLB

I haven't seen it so I'm just guessing but just because he's not a lap dog doesn't mean he's being mistreated in any way. He’s an outside dog with proper food, water and shelter. The spca will do nothing because they have no grounds. His life isn’t what you would want be he may have a great dog’s life. He has a job (guarding the property), he has a pack (his people), and he gets a walk everyday (more than most dogs get). Those are the things that make a happy, healthy dog. It sounds like he actually has it really good.

In my opinion lap dogs have it worse. They are there for the pleasure of their owners and are made to perform in a way that does not benefit them and is not natural to them (surrogate baby).

I do not think the spca will take him away, nor do I want them to but I am wondering if they come out to educate owners. My sister thinks they might.

I have watched him and he just lays at the fence and whines when someone walks nearby. I think he is bored and lonely. They only interact with him when they bring him food or take him for a walk. But they do not even pet him when they bring him food or take him for his walks... it is weird. They completely ignore him when they come home from work or walk by the fence. And I think he spends about 12 hrs in a kennel.

RaeLB

Put some pamplets on taking care of dawgs in their mailbox from SPCA and a little note that says "We're watching you"

I have actually thought about writing an anonymous letter with lots of information, I even collected some business cards of dog walkers/babysitters. I was going to sign it from a couple that walks through the neighbourhood and has noticed their dog so they wouldn't guess that it was me. But I am wondering if the information needs to come from a powerful voice like the SPCA to make a difference, but maybe I should try this first.

This is a good idea. I sent an anonymous letter to my neighbor because they have a large long haired dog they keep in their back yard and his hair was very matted and dirty so i wrote them a letter explaining how painful matted hair is and how feces and dirt get caught in the fur which can result in maggots living under the fur that we can't see. After they got my letter they took the dog to the groomer and got him a haircut.

Bothering the SPCA won't do you any good. By law they are taking care of the dog and the SPCA has actual neglect/abuse cases to tend to, there is nothing they can do for the dog.

Yeah, I think I might try that first.
I don't want to rock the boat but I keep telling myself that the dog comes first.

RaeLB

thanks for the responses

mea9

I haven't seen it so I'm just guessing but just because he's not a lap dog doesn't mean he's being mistreated in any way. He’s an outside dog with proper food, water and shelter. The spca will do nothing because they have no grounds. His life isn’t what you would want be he may have a great dog’s life. He has a job (guarding the property), he has a pack (his people), and he gets a walk everyday (more than most dogs get). Those are the things that make a happy, healthy dog. It sounds like he actually has it really good.

In my opinion lap dogs have it worse. They are there for the pleasure of their owners and are made to perform in a way that does not benefit them and is not natural to them (surrogate baby).

I do not think the spca will take him away, nor do I want them to but I am wondering if they come out to educate owners. My sister thinks they might.

I have watched him and he just lays at the fence and whines when someone walks nearby. I think he is bored and lonely. They only interact with him when they bring him food or take him for a walk. But they do not even pet him when they bring him food or take him for his walks... it is weird. They completely ignore him when they come home from work or walk by the fence. And I think he spends about 12 hrs in a kennel.

That does sound weird. The people to talk to then would be a german shepard rescue group in your area. They might be able to help with what that particular dog needs (classes etc.) and they may even know the breeder. Another thing you can do is ask them where they got the dog, usually people love to talk about where their dogs come from, and contact that breeder for more information about what you can do to help this family. The dog may be fine, he may not, but if he is pure bred they will have signed a contract with the breeder.

Edit to add: Ask them why they got the dog and what they plan to do with it (show? agility? ...). You might get more information and it might remind them why they got it in the first place. If he's just a guard dog with no training you should be concerned. Dogs can usually deal with those fences at some point and you don't want an angry dog roaming the neighborhood. Guard dogs have a lot of training to do what they do.

foremant86

you could reprint this and send it to them

http://dogsdeservebetter.com/outsidedogs.html

hbrittingham

im not sure it can be seen as cruelty, if it was a working police dog it would NEVER enter the house of the handler.

I don't think that what is happening to the dog can be categorized as abuse, but it is certainly neglect. Which isn't against the law, unfortunately.

Around here K-9s live in their handlers' homes and are not kept outside.

To the OP, could you ask them if you could just spend some time with him? Just petting him and playing with him in his kennel? It's really sad to see a working breed cooped up with no outlet mentally or physically.

frosty73

Legally, there isn't much you can do.
But as a neighbor, you can certainly step up to the plate and go have a chat with the owners. Bring over a cake or something yummy so they won't hate you. :^) You could tell them you have a friend who is interested in getting a German Shepherd, ans ask them for more information about their dog, like who the breeder is, how old the dog is, etc. You could ask if he requires a lot of attention, and if they are happy they got a dog. If you are willing to take the dog out and exercise it, you might want to say you'd love to spend some time with their dog.

I do NOT recommend the anonymous letter. We got an anonymous letter once about our dog and it totally made me paranoid about the neighborhood.
~Jess

RobynC79

I think it's worth considering the different attitudes people have towards working dogs vs pets. I grew up in central Australia, where farmers use herding dogs. Those dogs are not petted or given personal affection, they get fed, they get chained up to outside kennels when not actively working, and they are expected to perform their job as a working animal - and they do just fine. Sure their lives are not as human-centric as pets and they lack a lot of the comforts of companion animals, but this is what they have been bred and raised for.

In the context of a city or town this probably seems incongruous, but not illegal nor necessarily neglectful. These people have a working dog breed doing a job for them (guarding their house, presumably). While it's not the normal way a dog is used in an urban setting, to my mind (having come from a way of looking at dogs as working animals rather than as pets), there's nothing inherently wrong here.

If you want to walk their dog or otherwise give it more attention, ask them about it first. A person who uses a dog as a working animal can be reluctant to have it 'softened' by too much human attention. You might not agree with that view, but at least respect their right to use a working dog breed as a working dog. if there's obvious neglect, such as inadequate shelter or access to food or water then by all means call the ASPCA, but if not I'd be cautious about implying the owners are doing something wrong.