Wedding Etiquette Forum

WWYD, pet related

I have a neighbor two doors down from us who has a dog. I've met them once, the owners are a little kooky, but otherwise relatively normal. The dog is a mixed breed, maybe a year old or so, so still kind of a puppy.

They leave their dog outside for hours on end, and he barks. Constantly. Not a playful bark either, or an assertive one, but an urgent high pitched stressful sounding bark.

When I met them they even mentioned something about his constant barking, blew it off, and said something about him being in the back yard all day.

It wakes us up in the morning, I've woken up from it late at night too. Today I heard him barking at about 8am. It's 20 degrees outside, snowing, and there's a wind advisory. The poor dog was probably scared to death, it sounded like a tornado was coming this morning. I heard the owner open her door, scream at him to shut up, and close the door again with him outside.

That pretty much did it for me, I've decided that the woman is a giant azzwipe and I need to do something.

So, here's a poll:

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Re: WWYD, pet related

  • Call whatever animal cruelty/humane society organization you can.  Animals should not be out in temps like that without proper shelter, heated water dishes and care.
  • ac_in_dcac_in_dc member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2009
    I think the best thing to do may be to talk to her, but if you're not comfortable with this, calling the city isn't a bad option. Ugh, it would kill me to have to listen to an upset dog all the time.

    DH's family leaves their labrador outside at night in Colorado. Not my style, but his parents are old school. They keep him in the house when they're home (and his mom is older and ill so she's home all the time). His dad also hikes down to the end of the driveway to get the mail (~3 miles round trip?) with him every day. And there's a dog house with a heated floor in the yard. So I guess it's OK in this case?
  • Psh.  Skip calling the city.  Steal the poor thing!  Does the dog even have shelter? It can't even get anything to drink because the water will freeze.  Um, no.  Steal.  Doooo eeeeet.
  • My dog freaks out in storms, too.  Drives me up the wall.  He barks insanely for hours on end if he's free to roam during storms.  And by free, I mean in the house.  I'd never leave him outside for that.  I've spent many nights holding him, me not sleeping, because it was the only way to quiet him.

    The vet had given me Ace (tranquilizer pills) for storms for years, but they take so long to take effect, it's almost not worth it.  Finally, he prescribed an every day med to calm Parker, and life is much better for all of us.

    If these people have done nothing but shout at the dog so far, they're not likely to change just because you talk to them.  I'd call and report them, personally.  If you're the owner of a dog like that, it's your respomsibility to your pet to help take care of them. 
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  • I put steal the dog, jokingly (sort of).  What I would really do is talk to the neighbor one more time and explain to her that this really needs to be resolved.  If she still doesn't do anything, call the city.  I hope you get some peace and quiet soon, and also that the dog ends up okay in all this.  Poor thing.

  • 20 degrees with wind and snow is definitely too cold for a dog to be outside with no shelter.  I don't get people that have dogs and leave them outside all the time.  What's the point in having a dog if you're not spending any time with it?
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  • I voted to talk to her.  However, if things to change pretty much immediately I'd start calling the city.  I have NO tolerance for tools like this but I would at least tell her you're concered for the dog's safety, as well as the fact that it's disturbing the peace for all of her neighbors.  Call the city tomorrow if the bitch doesn't do anything about it!
  • Definite animal creulty. Poor puppy. :( I'd call the humane society ASAP.
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  • I would call about the barking.  Most cities have noise ordinance laws.

    The dog being outside.  It really depends on the dog.   I use to have an Alaskan Malamute.  She HATED being indoors .  She happily lived  outside.

    In the winter time my Irish setter growing up would only last  outside as long as it took to go to the bathroom.






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  • I can't quite see her entire yard from ours so I'm not 100% sure if there's shelter or not, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's really unlikely.

    I'm at work now, so I'm not sure if he's still out there. Part of me wants to go back home for lunch just to see... but just the driving would take about an hour round trip. I mainly wanted to see if I was overreacting, and I'm not hearing that from anyone. I think I'm going to give the city a call this afternoon about it. This isn't the first time he's been left outside in crappy weather. Those people shouldn't be allowed to have pets, I can't imagine leaving our dog outside in something like this.
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  • Lapistol, if it's outside when you get home tonight, I say you need to go ninja style and steal it.  Give him some yummy treats, pick him up and vault over the fence.  I like this plan.  Maybe it's because I figure they'll only do so much about this right now.  I'd rather just cut to the chase and get the puppy out of there. My dad did that once.  Saw a dog getting abused in the front yard of the house he was visiting at, picked her up, put her in the truck and brought her home.  Told the guy if he called anyone about it, he'd be back to finish HIM off. Heh.
  • Oh, and I'm not sure exactly what kind of mix he is, but he doesn't look equipped at all to handle really cold temperatures. Even if he was, the constant barking is really concerning because it sounds like he's in distress.

    My only concern about talking to her is creating animosity, if she doesn't do anything and then I end up calling the city, she'll know who did it. I'm probably being a wuss about that.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wwyd-pet-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8e2e2dcb-5afc-4235-a0cf-48fef9be9321Post:ab98d982-edb8-408c-9389-9b279f34a829">Re: WWYD, pet related</a>:
    [QUOTE] My only concern about talking to her is creating animosity, if she doesn't do anything and then I end up calling the city, she'll know who did it. I'm probably being a wuss about that.
    Posted by lpstl[/QUOTE]

    The more I think about it, the more I agree with you on this point...I'd probably just call the city.
  • A puppy that age could easily die outside in that type of weather left all day. I would call immediately, that just breaks my heart. Assholes like that shouldnt own pets. dogs belong inside in weather like that.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wwyd-pet-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8e2e2dcb-5afc-4235-a0cf-48fef9be9321Post:ab98d982-edb8-408c-9389-9b279f34a829">Re: WWYD, pet related</a>:
    [QUOTE]My only concern about talking to her is creating animosity, if she doesn't do anything and then I end up calling the city, she'll know who did it. I'm probably being a wuss about that.
    Posted by lpstl[/QUOTE]

    That is why I said call the city.






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  • Amoro, your dad is badass. That's awesome. I like the ninja idea, but vaulting might be tricky 7 months pregnant. How about I just get some wire cutters and go through the fence? Or I could dig ... actually, I'm not digging. I could have Pete do it though while I sipped on some hot chocolate.


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  • Stealing it is a good idea, except that sine they're neighbors, the people would probably see their dog.  Or the dog might run back to home, miserable as it is. 
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  • pinkpinotpinkpinot member
    2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary
    edited December 2009
    Awww that is sad.  I didn't read anyone's response but you should steal the dog.  Dogs like to be part of a pack and keeping them outside is cruel.

    My GS was kept outside her ENTIRE life - blizzards, rain, thunderstorms - whatever.  I adopted her when she was 6 and she is the best dog ever.  People that live sort of near me keep their 2 dogs outside and they bark constantly.  I honestly think it's boredom.  They just sit in a cage all day. 
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wwyd-pet-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8e2e2dcb-5afc-4235-a0cf-48fef9be9321Post:ab98d982-edb8-408c-9389-9b279f34a829">Re: WWYD, pet related</a>:
    [QUOTE]My only concern about talking to her is creating animosity, if she doesn't do anything and then I end up calling the city, she'll know who did it. I'm probably being a wuss about that.
    Posted by lpstl[/QUOTE]

    Yeah, this is a good point.  Screw giving her a last chance, just call the city.  I would start leaving her notes too, with pictures of a person stealing the dog.  Don't draw the person 7 months pregnant though, or she'll know it's you.
  • Ok, I'm convinced. I'm submitting something to the city right now online (I freaking love the little township I moved to, they have an online form for concerns/complaints), I'll call them this afternoon or tomorrow to follow up.

    Thank you everyone!
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  • I'm more worried by the barking than by the cold.  If the dog has shelter and spends more time outside than in, it could realistically be adapted to the temp.  (Those are two important ifs, though.)

    Growing up we always had outdoor-only farm dogs.  We made sure they had plenty of shelter, including a heat lamp when it was super cold, and it was pretty rare that they would actually go IN the dog house.  I think it would be cruel to send an indoor dog outside in super hot OR super cold weather, since they're used to A/C and the furnace, but a dog that has lived it's entire life outside in a climate that is comparable to the climate the breed is natively from should be well adapted. 
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  • I say steal the dog then dye it pink. The neighbors will have no clue its their dog!

    Seriously though, there is a foundation for anti-chaining 24/7/365, obviously dogs need exercise and fresh air. Its called  Dogs Deserve Better. I get emails from them, it can be sad though. The founder was arrested for stealing a dog which was dying in someones yard. She didn't want to give the dog back to them, even offered to pay them for the dog, but they refused to give the dog up. The dog's condition was so bad that it died a few months later, but in a nice warm, loving home, because the matter was still in the courts. The founder-lady was found guilty and had to do community service, and the dog owners were never even in trouble for animal cruelty.
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  • For reals, I want to steal my neighbor's himalayan cat, Leon, for similar reasons. Though it doesn't get that cold here.

    It also sounds like your neighbor was my neighbor when I was a kid. Except our neighbor wouldn't keep the dog tied up, and he would chase the school bus. And then the neighbor's mother, who used to live in the same house, told us one time that when she lived there, they had FIVE dogs get hit in the road. WTF? Simple solution!

    Why do people have pets if they don't want to do anything with them?
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  • Oh, I should mention he isn't chained up, everyone has a fenced in back yard in my neighborhood. I guess that's not as bad, it's just the tone of his barking that really concerns me, he doesn't sound happy at all, he sounds scared and desperate for help :(.
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  • edited December 2009
    Oh, and I would like to say that we once had an "outdoor dog" - he was too big and dumb to be inside all the time, due to a traumatic puppyhood, before we got him. BUT we built a kennel for him - totally fenced in, with a big dog house for shelter. He did not bark a lot, at all. And when it was cold at night we would bring him inside and my dad would sleep with him in the family room.

    Chaining a dog outside so you don't have to deal with him /=/ responsible pet ownership.

    Edit - just saw your last common about the fence. Still, if he sounds scared, that's really sad. :-(
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  • Steal him make him an inside dog and your stupid neighbor would never know what happened.  Outside shelter or no 20 degrees and possibly colder with wind chill is not a place for a dog unless he is St Bernard, Bernese Mt dog or Husky.  Even if it were a cold weather breed with shelter, she's obviously neglecting the poor thing by denying it affection and human company which dogs crave and need.  This is abuse!  Steal the dog.  We'll provide you with an alibi and say you were here with us the whole day!
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wwyd-pet-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:8e2e2dcb-5afc-4235-a0cf-48fef9be9321Post:37be907f-9e0f-4c50-8954-f933cc033d95">Re: WWYD, pet related</a>:
    [QUOTE]Oh, I should mention he isn't chained up, everyone has a fenced in back yard in my neighborhood. I guess that's not as bad, it's just the tone of his barking that really concerns me, he doesn't sound happy at all, he sounds scared and desperate for help :(.
    Posted by lpstl[/QUOTE]

    Either way, a dog should not be outside all the time. Dogs who dont have regular human interaction (usually those on chains or fenced in) are more likely to bite people. Its not fair for the dog, I also don't understand why youd have a dog just to put it in the back yard and forget about it.
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  • Ok, I love my township. I just got back an email and they are going to contact public works and possible the police department to investigate and handle the issue.
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  • It was a very close call between "call the city" and "steal the dog".
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