When to call AC on a neighbor's dog
 

*begin rant*

I just ran outside in the middle of a torrential downpour with constant lightning, in a tornado warning after seeing my neighbor's dog running back and forth across the street scared to death. I went with a slip leash to catch her and bring her to my porch at the very least, since I have three dogs in the house. When I approached, she ran back behind the fence they have chained up...but didn't have any shelter.

I knock on my neighbor's door and he insists she is fine, that she has a shelter in the very back of the yard...which is flooded and she can't get to.

We're arguing, and I'm standing in the POURING rain...and he won't even let me in the backyard to see if I can get her in her shelter, let alone take her to my porch.

I eventually leave. There's nothing I can do. I'm sitting here sobbing for this poor dog, who is behind the fence now, but trying to hide under a bush. She looks absolutely terrified. Meanwhile he's sitting in his house, drinking.

I'm friends with his brother, who actually took care of the dog before he left two months ago, so I'm going to call him first, but I know he's not in a situation to take the dog now. The neighbor is an extreme alcoholic who has been kicked out of every bar in the neighborhood, including the one I work at. This is not the first time I have had to help this dog...including putting water out, and locking the fence after my neighbor forgets to lock it in his drunkenness.

When should I call AC? I hate to see this dog treated like this, left in the yard day and night with no stimulation, no shelter that I've ever seen, left without water often times, and left out, able to escape the yard, in a terrible storm. But is that reason enough?

I would call them now.

Yep me too, not only is she in bad conditions with the weather but she is running lose.

x2

I agree, call them.

It's done. I called.

I've been wanting to for a while, but this put the icing on the cake.

Glad you called. My friend lives in NOLA and literally was just telling me about the storm.

I would call again tomorrow and the next day as well... if this is the first complaint all they will do is mail the jackass a letter...they wont actually go out and do anything until the third complaint. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/frown.png I had to call about my "neighbors" last spring. the house next door was being renovated and the guy doing the work couldnt keep his dog at home so he left her loose in the back yard of this house that no one was living in. she learned how to get out and I had to coax her down the alley and let her back into her yard like 5 times then block the hole she kept digging under the new terribly laid fence. plus they left her out in EARLY april in a freezing rain with no shelter, I had been feeding her and giving her water too, but they sold the house and took her off the property before anything ever came of it. I still wonder where she ended up...

I wouldn't at all,its their dog. Better to leave it alone than to get a busted up face.

I guess its a good thing there are people out there who don't have your point of view.

Glad you called.

Does AC tell the people who called on them?

nope

So easy to see a rat on here.
You argued with the guy,do you not think he will put two and two together? The next thing you know you will be on here crying about how he called the AC on you.

6pack's right about this one. Once you confront the guy it wouldn't matter who called AC. He'll be coming after you.

true and the guy is an alcoholic, I be on guard with your dogs, watch out if he gets any bad ideas

Honestly...I'm not afraid of him. In addition to him being a drunk incapable of anything more than simple reasoning, I also have a neighborhood full of people behind me, as well as his brother. I know that this is not the first time AC has been called, so I am not the only one.

I've known him for a while, and put up with a lot of his shit, so this was coming. I also have the benefit of being in somewhat of a position of authority over him, given that I am a bartender at the bar he has been kicked out of and desperately wants to be able to cone back in....or at least be able to stand outside of without getting bitched at....so I'm okay if he figures out it was me. I called his brother and he agreed, after hearing what has happened since he left.

I've been nice long enough and accommodating long enough. Reality has to come.

And for what it's worth....I do have the ability to protect myself.....

I wouldn't be worried about him coming after YOU so much as him going after your dog(s).

I wouldn't leave them outside unsupervised, and if you don't already, you may want to check the yard thoroughly before letting them out incase he tried flinging poison or other dangerous things.

All in all...you did the *right* thing. Unfortunately, in real life...the right thing is not always the easiest nor the safest....but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.

imo its just not worth the hassle. if its gonna put mine at risk for getting involved, then f*ck his dogs.

I'd call if that's all you can do. I'm not scared of my neighbors and my dogs are not unsupervised unless they're crated in my house.

If he won't listen or accept help - seeing as my first step in a situation like this is to offer help, like a dog house - yeah, I would let someone know.

But keep in mind, the dog would likely end up being handed over to AC, if he is so unconcerned about the dog's welfare, he'd probably just sign it over to be rid of the responsibility - the dog probably won't be adopted. It will be killed.. So the question I always ask here is is the dog suffering to the point death would be better? Most cases they're not.. Which is why I always offer to assist the owner, very nicely. I've called on loose dogs, aggressive dogs (like a Shar-Pei mix who has a 3' fence, it stands up on the fence and bites as you walk by, or hops right over and chases kids and attacks them), and once on an elderly, sick Golden.. He was kept in a pen with no shelter and his water bucket (all summer) was on it's side. His neighbor watered and fed the dog. The dog could barely walk around his crap-filled cage and the man didn't care a bit - yes, I felt that dog was better off dead.