Fixing Broken Pet Owners

December 21, 2005 1:57 PM

PitifulPetOwnerFilter: My neighbors across the street are completely irresponsible pet owners, and I don't know what to do...

From the top:
My wife and I live in a residential neighborhood in a large University town, USA. We bought our house a year and a half ago and have been raising oursleves a pair of Catahoula Leopard Hounds (big dogs, 75 and 85 lbs). Our across-the-street-neighbors have a smaller 30 pound mutt, cute as can be and a pleasant little fellow. He can't be more than 2 years old. The problem is his owners. They're #$!*^$&$@#$% and they can #*^#$& my #$*. I have never felt so much extended rage and hatred at anyone as I do at their utter disrespect for both my wife and I as well as for their own dog.
They let their dog run loose all the time. They never take him for a walk on a leash (which is the law: if your dog is off of your property, he must be leashed).
We have enough of a problem taking our large and strong young dogs on walks on their leashes around the neighborhood as it is, the truth of the matter is that they quite often take us for walks (which is something we're working on with training classes and clicker training). But when the neighbor dog has free run, of course he wants to follow along on our walk, which exacerbates our problems keeping our pups under control. I have on more than one occassion carried their dog back to their house and knocked on their door, literally handing them their dog and saying in a not-so-nice tone that we can't handle our dogs when yours is running loose. They shrug...[its my problem, not theirs]. Consequently our dogs don't get walked as much as they deserve.
On multiple occassions their dog has woken me after midnight by scratching on our front door, most likely because he knows our dogs live there, and because when this first started up 6 months ago we felt sorry for the poor little guy and would let him in our house to play with our pups; but now that this trend of him running loose is settling in as permanent we have stopped inviting him over, petting him, taking him home when we thought he was just escaped, etc. On one such occassion, I carried him back to their house in my bathrobe and rang their doorbell until they woke up and in an even-less-than-not-so-nice-tone-of-voice explained to the lady of the house that I have been as friendly as I can in this situation but she is showing me a grave amount of disrespect in letting her dog come onto my property and wake me at all hours of the night. She didn't so much as apologize or even care, but said that dog's prefer to run free so she lets him, besides he had to pee so she had just opened the front door so he could *half an hour ago*.
Most recently there have been old shoes, torn up pillows with stuffing everywhere, millions of bits of plastic, and who knows what else all over the street between our house and theirs, and though I have not on these occassions seen their pup doing this, I have seen their pup dragging things thru the street in the middle of the night on multiple occassions.
Both my wife and I have called the Animal Control office of our local government which has sent a dog-catcher out, but both times the dog has either been sleeping on his own driveway, or somewhere in the neighborhood and the officer couldn't find him. We obviously can't continue to call these officers out, 'cause we don't want to be thought of as crying wolf.
I have called the police office but the only thing they said was "call Animal Control."
Obviously I have entertained thoughts of just tossing him in the back of my truck and taking him to the pound as a lost dog, or giving him to a family that actually cares about him (the way he cringes away from you...he's obviously handled less-than-lovingly); but I don't want to punish the poor pup for the $#!%& owner's slothfulness.

Thanks for reading my novel...Any helpful suggestions are greatly appreciated.

posted by iurodivii to pets & animals (39 comments total)

If you have already talked to the owners, I am afraid animal control is your best bet. Remember that a) his owners are breaking the law b) the dog is being a nuissance in the neighborhood c) the dog is at serious risk of injury or death as he roams the neighborhood and d) by your own admission his people do not treat him well, putting him at risk for becoming a viscious loose dog.

Seriously, this stuff is what animal control is for. Maybe it will be the wake up call his people need. Maybe a decent human being will adopt him. Worst case scenario, the last two weeks of his life he will actually be taken care of.
posted by ilsa at 2:04 PM on December 21, 2005

Put an ad up on Craigslist outlining all his great qualities, find him a nice family, set up a time for them to come meet him, grab him an hour beforehand, hand him over to the nice new family.
posted by tristeza at 2:05 PM on December 21, 2005

I have to agree with Tristeza. I know a person who neglected her dog due to substance abuse and general inconsiderateness (what a stupid word, no other options currently accessible in my brain).

Luckily, somebody liberated the dog from the awful situation. It was no big secret, but not traceable either

It was the best thing that could have happened. If the dog follows you on walks, use that chance to get the dog catcher on the phone (or a carefully selected foster owner).
posted by Seamus at 2:13 PM on December 21, 2005

When you called Animal Control in the past, did you explain the entire situation to them? Or did you merely say that there was a dog running loose? In my experience in this small Alaskan town is that the people at Animal Control really care about the animals and would want them safe and off the streets as much as you want your home and family clean and safe.
posted by rhapsodie at 2:13 PM on December 21, 2005

Have you talked to animal control about the "crying wolf" concern? I imagine it's fairly common in their line of work to have to come out several times before they can catch a problem animal in the act. I doubt they'd view that as a problem, especially if you discuss it with them beforehand.

If you have a video camera, you might also ask them if filming the animal running loose would enable them to act.
posted by bac at 2:19 PM on December 21, 2005

Also, it sucks that this dog is annoying you and yours, but if you're having trouble controlling your own dogs then that's no one's fault but your own.

Train your dogs or get smaller, easier to handle pets.
posted by bshort at 2:22 PM on December 21, 2005

The City of Gainesville municipal code (linked here) says you only gotta nail them twice in a year before the city takes action. That's not a high standard.

Keep calling Animal Control and talk to the officer who shows up. These guys/gals get into that line because they hate neglect as much as you do and will work with you to deal with the issue. Ditto what others said about calling when he tags along on your walk - do that twice in a week and then lobby city hall (the officer will refer you to the right office) to get action against the offenders.

Good luck!
posted by BigLankyBastard at 2:22 PM on December 21, 2005

I have to second (third) tristeza's suggestion. You're doing that dog no favors by letting it live with neglecting "owners". Those people are assholes and don't deserve to have any pets. If you can find someone who seems friendly and decent on Craigs List, the dog (and you, your wife, and your dogs) will be better off.
posted by booknerd at 2:26 PM on December 21, 2005

Also, it sucks that this dog is annoying you and yours, but if you're having trouble controlling your own dogs then that's no one's fault but your own.

Train your dogs or get smaller, easier to handle pets.
posted by bshort at 2:22 PM PST on December 21 [!]

He said he was training them. Dogs don't come trained all by themselves, so I imagine he mentioned that they were working on training as a way to head off comments like this.

That dog is lucky it doesn't live across the street from me and my dog. My dog is totally dog-aggressive and the neighbors would get a lot more grief from me about an unleashed dog than what you've given them.
posted by booknerd at 2:29 PM on December 21, 2005

This is common in my parents' neighborhood. We have a huge German Shepherd who's very well trained, but doesn't deal well with other dogs. This is fine most of the time, since we keep her on a tight leash when we walk her, but it's problematic when twenty-pounders come up wanting to play -- they're about mouthful-sized to her.

Keep calling Animal Control. Explain what's going on, but you have to keep calling. If there are enough complaints, an Animal Control officer will go and have some words with the dog owner. If the officer catches the dog loose once, he can either return it (if he's feeling nice) or impound it and make it a hassle for them to come pick it up (if he's not). If he nabs the dog enough ("enough" varies by area; BigLankyBastard looks like he's got it), eventually they'll have to go through a rigamarole.

This is probably at least half of what Animal Control is made for, and that percentage goes up the less rural you are. They may not love being called out to find a dog in its driveway, but they're used to it, and they know it has to be done.

Giving the dog away is a bad bad bad idea. Ever park your car outside? Have any windows in your home? You do that and you're going to wind up on Judge Judy with feuding neighbors.
posted by booksandlibretti at 2:36 PM on December 21, 2005

To me, this is a cut & dry situation. Take the dog and give it a better home. I agree with the craigslist suggestion. If the owners are as bad as you say they are, this is not immoral or a bad thing for the dog -- it deserves a better home. The issue is not what to do about the owners, but what home the dog should go to.

Taking legal/civic action will do more harm to the dog and will make the neighbors more unpleasant. The system isn't really set up to deal with this constructively.
posted by rolypolyman at 2:37 PM on December 21, 2005

I would also suggest shuttling the dog to an 'intermediate' home (a family member) until it gets adopted... that way if the owner starts trouble and noses around, the dog will be long gone and you won't be in danger of instigating any feud with the neighbor. I say all this with the assumption that the dog has irresponsible & careless owners.
posted by rolypolyman at 2:40 PM on December 21, 2005

Do not "take" the dog. Have someone professional (whatever council/government agency) come and "take" it and rehouse it properly. Keep it above board so they have absolutely nothing to use against you. By the sounds of it, you can probably expect as much annoyance from them after the dog goes as you get now with the dog. So make sure you are in a position to deal with them too. Give them nothing, and keep the dogs wellbeing the priority for now.
posted by fire&wings at 2:45 PM on December 21, 2005

tristeza writes "Put an ad up on Craigslist outlining all his great qualities, find him a nice family, set up a time for them to come meet him, grab him an hour beforehand, hand him over to the nice new family."


Please, craigslist is an invaluable tool. Let's not pollute it with stolen property.

if I was trying to adopt a dog, the last thing I'd want is to get attached to it only to find it was stolen property. It may or may not be good for the dog for you to steal it and offer it for adoption, but this will just create a world of trouble for any adopter.
posted by orthogonality at 2:46 PM on December 21, 2005

i would kidnap him too and find a home for him...i really, really, really, get pissed at people who don't take care of their animals.... l live in the rural georgia mountains...your situation is status quo here....good luck
posted by jamie939 at 2:46 PM on December 21, 2005

If I were.
posted by orthogonality at 2:47 PM on December 21, 2005

Animal Control. As many times as it takes. Do not steal your neighbor's dog. Even if this were a good idea (which it's not), you've posted about it in a public forum. Do your neighbors read MetaFilter? Or craigslist? Are you sure? How about any of their friends?
posted by zanni at 2:57 PM on December 21, 2005

I second what Orthogonality says. Animal Control, patience, and maybe some video taping should do it.
posted by furtive at 3:11 PM on December 21, 2005

I have taken a couple of dogs I've found running loose to our municipal (no-kill) animal shelter and they have assured me that is the proper thing to do (in fact, I called them about a dog running loose and they asked me to bring the dog in if I could). We have pretty serious animal activists in my town and they also advised me that this is really the dog's best chance to be adopted by a family that can take care of them, and to be taken care of properly until that happens. If the owners do show up at the shelter to claim the dog they will be fined and if the dog keeps getting turned in they will be identified as neglectful owners and the dog will legally be taken from them. Do try to find a no-kill shelter, though, if you can, but even if the animal is put down it's probably better than having it die some more gruesome death while running loose. If the dog is causing a nuisance and you can't catch it, call animal control as many times as it takes. I'm pretty sure they will understand and not accuse you of crying wolf. It probably (sadly) happens all the time
posted by redheadeb at 3:13 PM on December 21, 2005

Please, craigslist is an invaluable tool. Let's not pollute it with stolen property.

Oh, for christ's sake, it's a neglected animal, not a TV that "fell off a truck". I frankly think that in this case, "stealing" the animal is the ethical thing to do. (I actually like the idea of "stealing" the dog and taking it to a no-kill shelter too...either way, I'm all for "theft" in this case)
posted by tristeza at 3:37 PM on December 21, 2005

I cannot believe people are advising breaking the law. That is flat out irresponsible. Don't go there.

As said before, call Animal Control as many times as it takes. Call them when you observe the dog out and lose, and then go follow the dog, keeping a cell phone handy. Ask them to call your cell when they get to the scene, and you can direct them to where the dog currently is.

If you can see the dog dragging crap all across the street or out loose, take pictures and videos as evidence. Persue it to the full extent of the law.

But vigilanteism is just bound to end up with you in jail, or your car windows busted, or your dogs "revenged upon". Idiots will continue to be idiots, so don't go beyond the law trying to deal with them.

On preview: redheadedeb may be onto something. Call your local shelter and ask them if it's cool if you bring the dog in yourself. Perhaps you only need to call Animal Control if you can't handle the animal in question yourself? It sounds like you could reasonably do this, so if it's legal, go nuts.

And restorting to vigilanteism while legal avenues still exist is hardly ethical.
posted by Imperfect at 3:43 PM on December 21, 2005

If I were.
posted by orthogonality at 2:47 PM PST on December 21 [!]

[Subjunctive tense in "if" sentences is actually optional in English these days.]
posted by footnote at 3:57 PM on December 21, 2005

If you live in a large University town, I'd guess there are numerous independent animal rescue groups and private shelters in your area. I'd give them a call and ask them what to do. They may even be willing to take the dog themselves or help you do it.

Above all, thank you for doing something for this dog, who clearly deserves a better home.
posted by alma at 3:58 PM on December 21, 2005

Taking a dog that's found running loose to animal control is most likely not breaking the law in anyway, let alone stealing. I just checked out my local animal shelter website and it stated this:

In addition, every citizen has the right to pick up a stray pet and have it impounded by the Animal Control Officers. An eye witness may sign a complaint and the Animal Control Officer will issue a citation to the pet owner. A citation requires a court appearance with the punishment and fine being determined by the judge upon conviction.

If you're not sure this is the case you are, just call them and ask them. (But it bet it is.)
posted by redheadeb at 4:05 PM on December 21, 2005

First off I appreciate all your sincere comments.

Booknerd you are right, we have been training our pups for a year and a half, but a fun-loving neighbor-dog is just too much when we first get them outside after work...

I mentioned entertaining the thought of taking the dog exactly because thats what I don't want to do. First off, because its just not right, but more importantly because I do have windows and I certainly don't want my pups to be a target of reprisal.

I completely agree that the dog deserves a better home. I would love for Animal Control to do their job, but the darn problem is that they are open basically during office hours and a few hours on Saturdays. The weekdays are shot, but my best bet seems to be to take a Saturday and walk my dogs with the cell phone for as long as it takes for Animal Control to track me down.

Thanks all for being my sounding board.
posted by iurodivii at 4:12 PM on December 21, 2005

Good lord don't give the dog away. Think of the Animal Control folks as social services for the dog. You wouldn't just steal a kid you thought was being neglected would you? No. You'd call social services, over and over again, until they fixed it.

Now, if you found a neglected child walking down the street in the middle of the night what would you do with him/her? You might take him/her to the police station. So if the dog comes to your door in the middle of the night again, let it in and call Animal Control, or take it to the pound. Tell them whose you think it is. Maybe if you do that enough, the people will get sick of having to pick the dog up.

But giving the dog to someone else? That's just inviting trouble.
posted by dpx.mfx at 4:13 PM on December 21, 2005

I know these people are hellish to deal with, but have you stressed to them that letting their dog run free is against the law rather than just being a nuisance to you? Suggest that they get a fence or even invisible fence (there are self-install kits for <$200) so that their dog can "run free" on their property only.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:42 PM on December 21, 2005

As a animal lover, I immediately wanted to say 'Kidnap The Dog', but as soon as I replaced the word 'Dog' with 'Child' for added perspective, I advise calling Child Protecti....I mean Dog Protection Services. What would you do if your neighbors crazy, foaming at the mouth kid followed you to the playground everytime you took the kids for a walk?
posted by jasondigitized at 4:57 PM on December 21, 2005

On review, Jinx, buy me a coke dpx.mfx
posted by jasondigitized at 4:59 PM on December 21, 2005

but as soon as I replaced the word 'Dog' with 'Child' for added perspective

I really need to get into the habit of doing that.
posted by booknerd at 5:15 PM on December 21, 2005

Craigslist? Gainesville? Ha. Though heck knows we could definitely use one. Go to Animal Services.
posted by casarkos at 5:16 PM on December 21, 2005

Can you visit animal control and explain what's going on? That way you won't seem like crying wolf when you call up every week.

On the other hand, rather than stealing the dog, why not just "borrow" him for an hour or two and dye him purple?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:58 PM on December 21, 2005

I can't tell you what to do... but our neighbors down the street would not take care of their dog a few years back. She began sleeping on our porch. I wouldn't take her to animal control (they will put any dog down after about 3 days). I was afraid she might have heartworms and the spca said they would put her down if they could not treat her. I found her a home.
The same neighbors don't care for their cats either and one end up with another neighbor who went to have her spayed and the cat ended up having 3 more kittens. I found homes for all the kittens and my wonderful neighbor kept the cat.
The crappy neighbors have not looked for either pet.
posted by nimsey lou at 6:43 PM on December 21, 2005

It isn't kidnapping. If you find an animal running loose, take it to a shelter - you would do it if you didn't know the owner, so there is no sense in getting worked up about it if you do. The whole point of animal shelters is to shelter animals that are not being cared for. Obviously, look for a no-kill shelter!

If he has tags, they should track down the owners, and they will pay a fine to get him out. The second time it happens, the fine goes up. The third time, the fine doubles. And after that, some shelters won't return the dog. Usually though, people either surrender their animal, or smarten up.

You aren't stealing him if you take him to a good shelter, in the same way that you aren't stealing a homeless person if you drive them to a shelter for the night.

In my own experience, Animal Control won't do much if the animal isn't dangerous. We call them all the time about the neighbours who let their boxer run free, and that dog is never picked up. And frankly, taking that dog to a shelter might be the kindest thing - let him go to a family that takes care of him.

I got my dogs that way - they were stolen (really stolen, as in, broke in the house and taken) and driven to a shelter 50 km away, because they were badly abused and animal control didn't have the authority to take them. Animal Control has very little power to intervene. Because a kind stranger intervened, they went from being sexually abused and starved dogs, mangy and disgusting, to two happy 'retired ladies' who spent the next ten years being regularly groomed and vetted, and for whom the days biggest stress was deciding whether to nap on the couch first and eat dinner later, or eat first and nap later. I thank God some kind soul had a hunch about what was happening to them and found a way to save them, and I hope they know what a mitzvah that was.

It isn't punishment to take him to a shelter. It might be the best thing for him - it certainly was for my dogs, because they ended up with an owner that loved them, leashed them, and really works to make their lives a calm and happy one.

And it beats getting hit by a car. The fact that it runs loose at night is the worst! Good luck - unleashed dogs are the worst when you are trying to control your own dog on a leash. These people need a punch to the neck.
posted by sperare at 8:50 PM on December 21, 2005

I was really surprised to hear that an Animal Control person in Fairfax County, Virginia told my mother that anyone who feeds an animal for at least two weeks becomes the de facto owner. This was in regard to a stray-seeming cat that comes around in the evenings looking hungry that my mother got in the habit of feeding. This Animal Control person was very serious-- he said he had to cite her for the stray-seeming cat not being up-to-date on his rabies shot! But he wound up saying he had run out of the paperwork and would let her off with a warning. He also said that if a previous owner showed up and laid claim to this cat, and she didn't want to relinquish him, it would have to be settled in a Civil Court. So find out what the law is in your town, and it may present some interesting solutions to your dilemma.
posted by overanxious ducksqueezer at 12:35 AM on December 22, 2005

BigLanky: Very helpful link, I appreciate that.

orthogonality: Right about craigslist, don't wanna pollute it; even if Criag won't list Gainesville (casarkos)

of course i'd love to dye him purple robocop is bleeding but that unfortunately won't help him much. the owners are NOT going to start caring, ever. I believe that once Animal Services picks him up they won't ever know the difference.

redheadeb, alma, dpx.mfx, and sperare (really nailed it) have pretty musch summed up the solution as I see it. I'll give up treating these folks in a neghborly fashion and take the dog to a shelter the next time I see a stray dog on my street. Really the only reason I haven't before is because I didn't care to be reprisaled against (what with me having dogs and all) but its time to do something.


But for originality and true ontology, i must say that orthogonality expoused things just perfectly
posted by iurodivii at 7:46 AM on December 22, 2005

How about trying to open up a friendly dialogue with the rogue owners?

I realise that in your frustrating situation, this may not seem to be the most obvious action to take, but in my experience, irresponsible pet owners are more likely to see your point of view and take some appropriate action if a friendly & supportive approach is made, rather than a punitive or emotionally driven one.

There is also the option of approaching your local humane society for some support and advice. Official Animal Control officers do not always have the time or freedom to act in the most effective way in dealing with an awkward case like this. Illegally rehoming the dog would, as you realise, leave you in a vulnerable position.

Whatever course you choose to take, good luck :)
posted by Arqa at 9:12 AM on December 22, 2005

Thank you for wanting to do the right thing. I live between a responsible dog owner and an irresponsible pet owner (I have no pets) and there was a war for years over the irresponsibles letting their animals (both cats and dogs) run free. (Every single cat and dog eventually was hit by a car.) Unfortunately, because the responsible family finally threatened to call animal control or, as a last resort, shoot the animals, the fairly young children of the irresponsible family think the responsible family is just mean. No matter what anyone else thinks, you're doing a good thing.

Happily, after 10+ years, the irresponsible family seems to have rehabbed - they now have a cat that is kept only in the house.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:47 PM on December 22, 2005

Animal Control is often overworked and understaffed. What you may be able to do is find a local rescue group. If the animal is a purebred that will be easier as almost all breed clubs have a rescue group. These people need to be fined and if reported multiple times may be found guilty of animal cruelty and banned from having any more animals. If you do take the dog be sure to take it to another county. I found an Afghan hound that looked as if she had been wandering loose for several weeks. She had recently had pups and her nipples were bleeding and crusty, she was full of mites and fleas and ate as if there was no tomorrow. I contacted a Min Pin rescue agent that lived in the neighborhood and she agreed that the dog had obviously been wandering for several weeks. You could actually nestle your finger between her ribs she was that thin. The rescue lady took the dog to a vet. The vet
knew the owner and gave the dog back. He was a backyard breeder with three large hounds in a space that was too small for one to comfortably move. He had bred this dog twice and she was only 18 months old. I was told the vet was a friend of his. I was also told that if I had brought the dog to a vet in another county I may have had a chance to claim her and adopt her. If I had known this she would be living the high life with me right now. I have no idea where this sweet and beautiful creature ended up because the owner decided he couldn't make enough money and got rid of the dogs. Be proactive. This little dog just may be the blessing in disguise for someone and it is cruel to allow the neglect to go on. Someone with rescue experience can decide who the dog is suitable for by fostering. Be an angel and help this little one before it is too late. You will get points in heaven.
posted by CatyDidn't at 1:18 PM on February 20, 2006