And by the way...
Thank you all for your support. I really needed to hear that I was doing the right thing and not making a big deal out of nothing.

I can't believe Animal Control is doing nothing about this. I find most AC officers to be either animal lovers, or unfortunately, don't really care. I think you are dealing with the latter. This poor pup!!!!

Keep us updated, you are definitely doing the right thing. I hope the little guy makes it through!

One other thing you may want to look into. I think you mentioned this is a pit bull? Some animal shelters do not allow pitbulls to be adopted. I once called in an animal shelter to rescue some dogs that had been left for several days in the basement of a house where the residents had been evicted and the slum lord had not been by to check it. I asked the officer to let me know that the dogs were adopted and he said the pit bull would be put down. He wouldnt even let me take it. You may want to ask what their policy is before the little guy gets hauled away. I would definatly see if there is a pitbull rescue group or even an all breed rescue and make them aware of whats going on. The foster director of the rescue group I fostered for has actually gone and BOUGHT dogs from people like this and has also made them aware that the group would be monitoring the dogs situation if they wouldnt sell it. Let them do the talking for you, all they know right now is that you are a neighbor that goes out for walks.
I am saying prayers for this little one.
Lisa

I would not/ could not wait til that poor puppy is dead.
I would call animal control on more time and tell
him/her " if they do nothing to save/ remove that puppy"
i will call the media and grab myself a reporter from
the local newspaper.
I bet this will get somebodys attention, maybe other
people in the neighbourhood want to help also.

Christine

Quirky -- its time to call your local TV station and/or newspaper. Is there a private animal advocacy group in your area? Google "pit bull rescue" for your state and see what you find. This situation will not get any better for this dog no matter how many times you call, and how many times the animal control people come out. This dog deserves a better home, I would hate to think there are kids in that house as well. You can make an anonymous tip to the media by the way, though be sure to outline everything you've done so far to help the poor little critter. Keep up the good work!!!!

If your county is like many others, there's little the AC will/can do if the dog looks to be in good health, has shelter (which it does) and has food and water. In my home state the ordinance doesn't even require that shelter be provided!

It's possible the person is feeding him late at night or early morning but the water issue is not acceptable.

I think more would be done if you got the HOA behind you, but Lisa brings up a very good point. The majority of shelters euthanize pit bulls and pb/mixes, so one has to consider if the AC taking him is a better alternative to how he's living now. That may also be why the AC is not rushing in to remove the dog.

I'd leave a note in the mailbox and say something like.....you walk by the house often and wonder if the owner is aware that the dog has no water thruout the day.
Then offer suggestions......maybe a metal pail sunk halfway into the ground and then filled with water so he can't turn it over. Also, mention giving the dog some toys and opening up the dog house more since you notice he doesn't use the dog house.

Where do you live?

I believe someone posted that the people who own this dog deserve "respect". Sorry, but people who abuse animals and children "do not" deserve respect, only prosecution. The person making this comment obviously have no compassion for this dog nor do you have any experience with people like the ones who own this dog.

Brutus, I believe you misunderstood my statement...

I said dog owners deserve the same respect as parents do...that was in reference to the comparison between abused pets and abused children. To clarify, abused children are not kidnapped by strangers with no authority. It usually involves a trained professional, an investigation, interviews and depending upon the situation it can be immediate. Any child custody is followed up with a ruling by the courts.

Similarily abused pets should not be stolen by strangers with no authority. Abused pets should be confiscated by the proper legal authority and the pet owners are informed of the reasons why...and they may have legal recourse if the pet was seized without cause.

And if the authorities don't step in and rescue this animal, then what? Let it die a slow death? And yes it is rescuing any time you save an animal from animal abuse and there is no alternative. I'd risk jail to save an animal. At least I could sleep while serving my time!!

If the authorities have been there twice and done nothing - then I doubt the dog is truly in danger of dying.

If you take a dog and say nothing to the owner - then you are a nothing but a thief...

Here is one (of many) anecdotal reason why. My coworkers dog got an intestinal disorder where it could no longer absorb nutrients in its diet. He was feeding it introveneously, but even so it continued to lose alot of weight and was wasting away. He continued special diets, several different vets, lots of different tests and basically - he felt that eventually they would find the right combination of medecines or foods to help the dog put back on weight. In the meantime, the dog also had alot of diarreah due to the medicines, special diet and general intestinal distress.

Because of the diahrreah, he had to leave the dog in his fenced in back yard when he was not at home. Someone stole the dog and left a note that said "Its obvious that you are starving this dog and we are going to find a home that will take care of him properly."

Now had this vigilante taken a moment to talk to the owner of the dog, they would have understood that he was not starving his dog - there were extenuating circumstances. But to a casual observer - they would not know this.

I have several other similar stories where dogs were taken (We have an active deranged rescue group in this area) and it was totally unwarranted, but without COMMUNICATION, no one can judge a book by its cover.

NOW, in this particular instance is the dog REALLY in danger of dying? I doubt it... and Animal Control has checked twice and said what ? Issued a warning? We don't know. I think it is premature to steal the dog.

Unfortunately, the legal system in this country routinely fails both childen and animals (as well as everyone else). There are lots of stories of children who, in spite of several CPS investigations, were not removed from their homes, and subsequently died. I imagine the situation is even worse for animals. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between an animal with a medical condition, and an abused one, but if a dog is chained up in someone's backyard 24 x 7, and no one ever checks on the dog or replenishes his food or water, chances are the animal is emaciated because of neglect, not due to a health condition. In that case, if calling animal control several times does not result in much improved living conditions for the animal, I really don't see why it is criminal to rescue (steal) the animal.

I really don't see why it is criminal to rescue (steal) the animal.

Simply because you are not the judge and jury; an animal control law enforcement officer has looked at the situation - HE IS THE DECISION MAKER, not you.

We are a society that lives by laws as part of an organized and civil way of life. Stealing a dog, puts you in the same low class criminal status as the abuser, not only are you a thief, you're a trespasser as well. As I stated in an earlier post, in many cities there is nothing wrong with chaining a pet, nor are there any laws against it. We have LOTS of antiquidated animal laws, do something constructive and start to complain at city council meetings. Lots of people have already and that's one reason why chaining a pet is slowly becoming illegal.

Your city council suggestion is a good one, but changing laws takes time, and lots of animals will be long dead by the time new laws are implemented and enfored. And what about animals who are suffering in rural areas where there is no animal control law enforcement? Anyone who loves animals is not going to turn a blind eye to abuse and neglect and let the animal suffer, simply because there are no authorities or laws to intervene.

Still haven't been able to get in touch with the person to tell me the outcome. I drove by and didn't see the puppy and the trash bags are gone. Maybe they are reading this?

So we can't walk that way anymore, right? Well that means we have to walk even farther in the other direction. Farther than we have ever walked before. There was a house there right on the main drag with cars whizzing by and it was on the other side of the road. No fence. A couple of Dachshunds were running towards us in excitement, totally unrestrained, unsupervised and just a matter of time before they get hit by a car.

Earlier in the day, I was in the garage and someone's dog from a few houses down came in to pay a visit unbeknownst to the owner while he was washing his car. I chased the dog all over the block to leash him and took him back home.

I just can't seem to be able to go a single day without finding something objectionable about how people care for their pets so maybe I am just too anal or maybe I should not use leashes anymore. It would be much easier if I just let them outside and tell them to go on a walk and come back when they're done. Maybe I should take down the fence too. Evidently I don't need it either.

I could have sworn I saw pit bulls on the county shelter's adoption list/website but there aren't any at the moment. Sent an email to a PB rescue group but didn't hear back. Not sure that there's anything else I can really do with this.

Minibim, haven't you ever heard the saying "some laws are made to be broken?" Where I live the state statutes state "if you fail to provide aid to an animal or ignore the torture or suffering of an animal, you are guilty of animal abuse and can be prosecuted." Anyone who takes an animal from a situation that will result in that animal's death is not breaking any stupid laws. Stealing an inanimate object is one thing, taking a suffering animal out of harms way is a whole other story. So you go ahead with your "pure" and "righteous" way of doing things and the rest of us who have a backbone and compassion for other living creatures will do what we know is the right thing.

Brutus,
Where I live the state statutes state "if you fail to provide aid to an animal or ignore the torture or suffering of an animal, you are guilty of animal abuse and can be prosecuted."

You know darn well that this refers to the animal's OWNER, not the would be animal snatcher.

People with your attitude are the reason why so many pet rescue groups/people get labelled as "whackos". If you do not like a law, get it changed, don't play vigilante.

In this particular situation, the a.c. officer has found nothing wrong. The dog apparently has food, water, shelter and it's ok to chain a dog in this community. You have absolutely NO RIGHT to think that you know what is better.

We need to get the laws regarding animals changed. I would also resort to just taking the dog, but like one poster said, what are you going to do, go back every time these idiots get a new dog??

We have the same type of neighbor, house in disrepair, trash everywhere, old boats on cinderblocks - and they've only been here two years. They have a 12 yr old beautiful, gentle Siberian Husky whom I have never once seen off his chain. He has NO doghouse, we are in the northeast where it gets very cold in the winter and unbelieveably hot in the summer. Dog is frequently without food and water. I am always sneaking over at night to feed and water him, but it isn't enough..On three occasions when they were not home he got himself so hopelessly tangled in underbrush while looking for shelter from rain and wind and ice, that he would have choked himself to death if I or other neighbors had not intervened. And here is the best part: the owners children, who also treat the dog badly, said that as soon as he dies they will be getting a puppy. I have gotten into altercations with the idiots who live there, they told me to call the cops. The cops said they have no authority over animal situations.

If everyone who is enraged over this kind of treatment was willing to get together and do what it takes to get their local laws changed regarding the treatment or (mistreatment in this case)of animals, we should be able to do something. I, for one, HAVE HAD IT, and am going to look into what needs to be done from the bottom level.

Ines, what a terrible situation, it sounds worse than Quirky's because that poor dog has been neglected for so long. I thought shelter and sufficient food and water were basic requirements that everyone is expected to provide, by law. If the police refuse to help, is there a local Humane Society who might intervene? That poor dog has probably had very few happy days in his life, and at 12, it would be so nice if someone gave him a proper, loving home for whatever time he has left.

If anything good happens with my situation and having called the authorites twice, it's that hopefully this puppy will not turn out like the Siberian in Ines's neighborhood and that there will be some awareness brought to the attention of these people to change their ways.

The laws are pretty lax. If it were up to me potential dog owners should be required to take an exam and have a permit issued to be able to have a puppy. In my county you don't need any kind of registration at all except for rabies tag.

I was talking with my father about this whole thing. He always had dogs growing up and he was telling me about all the old training methods people used back them which are frowned upon today. He said everyone left their dog out back then with no fence.

Yes, I am a "whacko" dognapper. Tell me where is the line drawn?

Here's what happened to me. I lived next door to some people who one day suddenly had a puppy. Of course it was tied to a tree in their back yard with a 2 foot fish stringer! This dog had no food, no water, and no one ever paid any attention to it except to walk it up to the liquor store on the corner every few days to show off. Then back on the fish stringer it went. The whole time it was back there, I fed it , watered it and brought it into my yard for a while each day. No one ever said a word about it. Then, one night, I went out and the dog was just lying there panting. Believe me, I didn't think twice about picking him up and bringing him into my house. The next day I took him to the vet. It turned out he had 3 broken ribs. The vet said he had been kicked or thrown down stairs or both. At the time I lived in a rental situation and couldn't keep him. The vet adopted him himself. He was a little yellow lab. He called me a few months later and said the dog was doing great and thanked me for my "crime".

I'm wondering if the people on this forum who are so hung up about "stealing" a dog in this situation and would go through the "proper channels" really understand what rescue means? What do I have to wait until the dog is nearer to death? Do I have to call animal control so they can come and take the dog and have it euthanized? Do I really need to have a conversation w/idiots and let them know that I think they maybe might be possibly abusing their dog and could they please not do it anymore? give me a break.

I'd do it again a thousand times in the same situation.

As one ANIMAL LOVER to ANOTHER, AMEN, Birdwing, I agree with what you said and thank GOD for people like YOU!!!

Birdwing..I agree w/ everything you said and did. When an animal's life is in danger, you need to act at that time. I was having this discussion w/ a well known member of my community , member of the country club and a HS board member who said she absolutely has "stolen" abused dogs who have lives such as were described here. I could not live w/ myself living on the same block as a poor animal who lives such a shabby life. I watched Animal Planet tonight where someone reported a little yellow lab w/ a broken leg and the owners did nothing about it. Finally the animal officers called the police and the "owners"(?) signed the dog over and it indeed had had a broken leg for days. Unfortunately they needed to amputate and the good news is the dog was adopted and is doing well. There was a case in our paper of a mailman turning in an owner who left his dog starve to death in the yard. Mailman called police and the dog barely alive was taken away where he later died. Guy said he had no money. He faces 2 years in jail. If a neighbor would have stolen this poor dog weeks before, this would not have happned. You can not call yourself a true animal lover if you sit back and go thru red tape till something is done.If you would have seen this poor dog's picture in our paper , you'd have done something to save him. His name was Merrit.

Sorry, but I have yet to meet an a.c. officer who would NOT hesitate to take an animal, if a law is being violated. In the cases cited above, there seems to be adequate evidence that had you called authorities the animal would have been removed, and the owner fined and maybe hauled off to jail. Instead, the owner thinks his dog "got loose" and probably has another already and is treating it the same way. Let the owner sit in jail for a few days, pay a hefty fine and see if his attitude changes faster than just thinking his dog got loose. Let an owner repeatedly get reported for animal abuse and soon he is banned from ever owning an animal; violate that ban and he does some good jail time. Your vigilante attitudes do nothing to solve the problem.

On the other hand, there are communities where animal laws are very lax. In Quirky's situation, the guy isn't violating the law and it isn't up to anyone else to think they are above the law. However, squeaky wheels do get greased and when dealing with government and usually a government controlled animal care facility you will get respected and listened to a whole lot better if you are not known as the "whack job who steals pets".

Don't tell me it CAN'T be done, cause it positively CAN. Nothing gets done though if you just want to sit back and complain about red tape and steal dogs. Just this year starting Oct. 1, we got funding from the COUNTY for a low cost neuter program. Until this year, low cost programs having always come from private groups, we have actually convinced the county to get involved. We are funded for 1000 animals for the first year. The majority of the work will be handled by volunteers who report to the animal control people in charge of the project.

Can't disagree more with this statement, cause I know damn well you CAN cut the red tape:
You can not call yourself a true animal lover if you sit back and go thru red tape till something is done.

I do appreciate the passion and frustration of those who would steal an animal to get it out of harms way, but there are repercusions to other animals, and for other animal rescuers in taking that path. I can't say for sure that I would NEVER steal an animal. I like to think that I would take the more difficult and frustrating route of working through proper authorities to solve the problem, and escalating to the media if necessary to get the right level of attention.

This is a tough topic, because I know that everyone means well.

It's like many other aspects of life. It's much more work initially to handle something correctly/legally. But less work and better results in the long run to have worked within the laws.

In this case the owners of this dog don't appear to be aware that they aren't caring for the puppy properly. I don't get the impression that they are knowingly neglecting the dog. They aren't diligent about refilling water or food and I'm sure to them, it's like a goldfish... you keep it in a bowl and feed it once a day and that's all there is to it. Yeah. Anyway they just don't know. They haven't done any reading up on the subject. So I don't think they know that what they are doing is wrong. That is what I think about this situation. Neglect is neglect any way you slice it but I think if this puppy dies it will because of owner stupidity but I don't believe they are intentionally out to harm puppies.

Almost a week after the first complaint the puppy is still tied up outside (looks like he is tied to something other than the tree) but from what I can see from the road has a more prominently placed water and food bowl and looks like they gave the pup a pillow or something to destroy. Which he has and hopefully doesn't ingest the stuffing. He looks very much alive today.

Did I tell you the trash bags are gone? Hooray!

I called the police dept to find out what happened and they said the animal control officer didn't see anything wrong/illegal. But I'm going to keep monitoring and won't hesitate to call them again if I think things are getting worse.

This is an interesting discussion, and I can see both sides to the situation. If the authorities are involved, at least criminal charges, albeit probably weak ones, can be brought against the abuser. If the animal is in immediate and acute danger, I don't see anything wrong with saving it's life. It does take time for the authorities to actually arrive at the location, and if time is of the essense, it may be best to act first. It probably wouldn't hurt, if time permitted, to take some photos. Documentation would be important.

I, too, watch those animal cop shows from time to time. As Joe pointed out, things aren't always what they seem. The first thing the vets do is to check to make sure there aren't health issues involved. Of course, in those shows, they show us the abuse cases more frequently than the sick animal cases, because they want to educate people, and because it makes for more dramatic tv. One thing that I've also noticed in some of those episodes, is that because the authorities have been brought in, much needed help has been provided for the people involved. In many cases, the neglected animals are owned by people that can't even take care of themselves, whether they are mentally ill, suffer from demetia, or have fallen ill in some way. As a result of someone calling the authorities about the animals, the people have been helped, too.

It's a very complicated issue, and as someone else said, I think everyone here wants what's best for the animals. Quirky, I wish you the best in what you are trying to do.

Sally

First of all, it should be a law that animals not meant for breeding should be fixed by a certain age. There are not enough homes for the accidental litters. And as far as the puppy business goes, so many breeders are out of control. Because of the billions of unwanted pets in shelters, there should be limits on how many animals you can bring into this world, especially when your goal is to make money selling them. This should apply to breeders of purebred's as well - shelters are full of purebred dogs! Any moron can whip out a credit card an make an impulsive purchase. Getting an animal requires a serious commitment, it should not be done on impulse. It is too easy, and for this reason the animals are suffering, god knows how many dying from neglect or put to sleep every day.

We have already discussed that laws regarding the treatment of animals are lax.

And as for all of you that think these animal owners don't understand the seriousness of their actions, give me a break! Anyone who spends even a few moments with a puppy knows that they crave love and affection, not to mention the basic needs of food, water, and shelter. These people Do not care and they shouldn't be allowed to keep animals. The authorities don't do anything in some cases because the laws are either lax or different from place to place, and the shelters are full to overflowing!!! There is nowhere left to take these poor creatures.

My neighboors with the abused husky are young and relatively well off. They have a dog that they never bothered to train properly, and so he - through no fault of his own- has been sentenced to a sad, lonely and neglected existance. His owners sit in their air conditioned house in 100 degree heat and don't even bother to make sure their dog has water. They don't need to be educated, they don't need to be "helped"-- their DOG needs help and they need to be fined out the *** and barred for the rest of their lives from keeping even a goldfish.

I have been torn for over a year for what to do about this husky, it breaks my heart to see him out there, day after day. His normal look is depressed, head down, tail between his legs..it is pitiful. Last winter on more than one occasion I crawled under a tree with a blanket and laid down next to him for a few hours... he looked at me like I was nuts, but curled up right next to me anyway. I left the blanket for him, and he used it for as long as it was there. Then one night I went over, the blanket was gone, the owner had thrown it away. So I got another blanket, and that one got thrown away. I HAVE looked for a home for him, but can't find anyone who wants an older dog. If I was moving, or had someone who would take him, I would steal him in a heartbeat.

So would I.
Not because it's the "right" thing to do but because my heart told me the benefits outweigh the potential consequences.

Ines, are you in a county where there is no animal control? If so, I wonder if a husky rescue group would be willing to help? Here's a link with tons of rescue org info:

Here is a link that might be useful: Husky Rescue

Animal control and the SPCA are two differnt entities. Animal control is usually run by the town. The SPCA deals specifically with abuse. I know this because my local animal control has to notify the SPCA in cases of abuse.

ACOs do vary, and some don't like to deal with complicated situations. I know someone who saw an elderly cat - very skinny and weak - in a "nice" neighborhood. And the cat had a gash on its face. It was weak and stumbling. My friend found out the cat was a neighbor's, who was away at the time. The cat was left outside, no way in. My friend got the owner's address and called the local ACO.

The next day he called the ACO to find out the outcome. They said the cat belonged to someone and was indeed very old. My friend asked about the open wound on the animals's face. (That, in a cat, is usually warrant to check for rabies updates, at the least.) The person on the phone (who fielded calls for the ACO) had no clue about the wound. Evidently the ACO went to the owner and was assured by the owner that the cat was fine.

A neglected wound is usually cause for concern for the animal and for rabies, but this ACO never even looked at the cat.

My point is, perhaps you should call the SPCA and bypass the town civil servant ACO.

I've read most of this thread. It does bring up some interesting points. I think in most states, as long as an animal has food, water and shelter, even at the most minimal level, the law is being complied with. Some would argue that tougher laws should work, but the same people who are making the laws necessary are the same people who will find ways not to follow them. And as others have argued, who's to say what's best? Those kind of arguments get very heated and judgemental very quickly. I've spent time in both the northeast and the south. Each has very different ways of keeping dogs. It's so different that it still boggles my mind that both areas are part of the same country.

If this were me, I would be interested in knowing more about the animal control officer's opinion. Have you considered visiting the animal shelter where the animal control officer works? Bring down a few boxes of biscuits for their pound doggies, spark up a conversation with some of the front desk folks and then mention your situation and your concerns that the puppies lack of available food and water seems to have been overlooked. I haven't met a shelter yet that didn't put the animals first. I'm sure, if you asked in a civil non-accusing way, they would be able to give you a more in depth answer of why that dog is still there.

Ellen when you go to the SPCA website it directs you to your local humane society, which *in my case* directs me (when I called) to my county animal control.

Rudys... did you mean for me to go to the AC facility or for Ines to do that? I did talk to the ACO briefly. Curious to know how the north and south differ on style of pet management. I see people from all walks of life with a similar style of care as do these people in question. Which I will from now on call "goldfish style".

If your area works like mine, the officer who visited your neighbor is from the local shelter. In CT, every town has their own shelter and officers to respond to complaints. They always seem to take concerns from real people more seriously than from phone calls. It's just a thought.

As to the different types of pet management, (and these are just my observations and generalizations)

I rarely see a purely outside dog in CT. I see a lot of people walking their dogs and playing with them at parks and beaches. They include their dogs as a part of their family. Most pick up after their pets and don't let them engage in excessive barking. I've only had one poop on my lawn in the 3 years I've been at my current house. I rarely see an unneutered male. There's plenty of info and promotions available to the public regarding spaying/neutering incentives and public shot clinics. Most of the shelters are no kill.

The south, GA in my case, most were outside dogs. My neighborhood had about 40 houses in it. Every house had a dog tied in the backyard. All the males still had their breeding equipment, and several of the dogs roamed the neighborhood regularly. I only saw one other guys walk his dog regularly, and that was only because he didn't like to pick up poop. His solution was to let his dog crap on my lawn and leave it. Walking my dog was never peaceful. Every house that I walked past triggered another barking dog. Other than the poop guy, I never saw anyone playing with their dog, and I don't recall any parks where I could bring my own with me. All of the shelters around Atlanta had very high inventories and would euthanize all animals on Mondays. I got the idea that dogs down there were for protection and chasing away critters.

I most recently learned that the lab rescues in the northeast are filled with dogs from the deep south. I was told that the labs are mass bred as field stock for hunting. The ones that aren't suitable for hunting are either shot or turned loose to fend for themselves. The ones that do hunt for a season or two suffer the same fate once they start to slow down and are replaced with younger dogs. It makes me sick, and it doesn't sound like it's going to change any time soon.

I'm sure there's good, responsible pet owners in the south just as sure as I know there are idiots in the northeast. That's all I have to say about that. (not really, I'm just tired of typing)

Minibim, sorry I haven't been on this board. Let me tell you something, I know that no animal will suffer as long as I have the means to help it. You can sit back and watch an animal suffer because of some "law" then you do just that. I will never allow anything or anyone to suffer needlessly. I'll pray for you to first get some intelligence, then some backbone and then some compassion. Yep, I'm one of those whackos and I have a bunch of animals sitting here looking at me saying "thank God she is." When I go to sleep at night I know there isn't an animal in my midst that is suffering from hunger, pain of any kind, thirst or any type of abuse. Because if there were I couldn't sleep.

Thanks Rudy. You're right GA has a lot of dogs tied up outside. It sucks. The Atlanta/Fulton County shelter used to be run by the Atlanta Humane society and my understanding was they were doing a poor job of managing the facility and did do a lot of euthanizing. Now that facility is run by Southern Hope and from my observations (I adopted through them) they run a very tight ship. The Atlanta Humane Society has their own facility now about a mile or two away from the Fulton county animal services building.

I always wanted to move to CT but have to work here. I wonder what life would be like with no rednecks.

I must admit, I hated GA so much that I think I blocked most of it completely out of my memory. I was there for 4 years and never think back about it. I've always been a New Englander at heart. There's some things you just can't leave behind.

I have a golden retriever who was 4 when I moved down there. Prior to moving, we had gone to the beach about 3 times a week all year round since she had been born. This dog was born wet! The entire time we were in GA, she had no access to water. The only place that looked safe to swim was Lake Allatoona, and I couldn't find anywhere that would allow dogs. The day I moved back to CT, before I'd even unpacked, I took her over to our favorite beach. It's one of those beaches where you have to walk a little through sand dunes before you see the water. I let her walk ahead of me. She got to the top of the dune, saw the water and looked back at me with the greatest expression on her face. She looked at me as if to say, "Is that really what I think it is?" Then she darted off into the water like the happiest dog in the world. Afterwards, she fell asleep in the car before we had even left the parking lot. She was so tired, I just brought her into the house without hosing her off. She slept the rest of my day, dripping onto the only rug I had unpacked and stunk up my new house like only a salty wet dog can. It was one of the happiest memories I have of her. She's still with me at age 13, and we still putter down for a little swim whenever she's up for it.

Good luck with your situation. Some of the folks on this forum are a tad judgemental. I'm sure you're doing the best that you can to handle this.

This is a horrible incident so don't read it without knowing that.

There is a recent incident in our town that calls into question going through the" right channels". There was a guy in the neighborhood who was attempting to "breed" pitbulls in his apartment. eventually there was a litter of pups. The guy would leave the mother and pups in a metal kennel in a garage. Several calls were made to animal control as well as police because he was also allegedly abusing his girlfriend and her children. One day in the middle of the day he took all the puppies out and one by one broke their necks and threw them in the dumpster. He did this in full view of many people., several of whom were screaming at him to stop. By the time police arrived he was gone. As far as i know they still haven't found him. His girlfriend says he did this to retaliate against her and neighbors who were calling authorities.

I undersatnd that this is a horrible, horrible story and a complicated one. The neighbors all wished they had either taken the dogs or forced authorities to do something. Whatever he was doing up until this point had not risen to an unacceptable level according to animal cruelty officers. I'm glad people are working for spay/nueter laws and leash laws and animal cruelty laws but some situations including the one involving this (genuine!) whack job/evil person can't be handled while wading through red tape.

We have 2 dogs and 5 cats. All rescues. My St Bernard mix still flinches when you approach her too quickly though we've had her for 5 years. She was abandoned because she was "too big". (Duh, she's a st bernard!?) Our other dog(some sort of springer/sheperd/something mix) was found by friends in a grocery store parking lot in a box taped shut with duct tape. She is 7 now but is very needy and often must sleep in our bed with us under our down duvet to reassure herself. (I admit that this does nothing to help in defense of me being a whack job animal lover)

Anyway, I don't consider myself any sort of hero for trying to rescue an animal when I see something out of line. In fact everytime I do it all I can think of is all the others that aren't being helped because we've just scratched the surface.

Birdwing, that is a horrible story indeed, but apparently animal abuse co-existing with domestic abuse is very common. There was an article in our local paper last week, addressing this very issue. The article stated that many times, abusive men will retaliate against their spouses and children by hurting or killing family pets. They featured one woman in the the story whose boyfriend threatened to kill her dog if she left him. She did leave and took the dog, but is not allowed to bring him to the women's shelter. The story mentioned the need for pet accomodations along with shelter accomodations for battered women, because many women won't leave the abuser if they can't take their pets with them. I wish authorities would focus more attention on animal abuse, it's not normal and it usually leads to human abuse down the road.

So quirkey how about an update on this poor baby. Were you able to find a rescue group to intervine?
Lisa

I emailed a rescue group and got a reply. They can't really do anything unless animal control says laws are being broken. She did give me a lot of other ideas for actions to take next though.
We scurried by yesterday and didn't see the puppy in the back yard. Only glancing quickly out of the corner of my eyes so as not to look like the whacko neighbor who complained. He might have been in the dog house.

I'm sure you all heard of the North Shore Animal League. Well a dog was adopted from them, they live in back of me. They brought it home tied it to a tree, just like you said and left it there. Once a day water was offered but was spilled after they left. Same with her food. She did eat once a day. There are two boys and a little girl wholive there. 2, 9, 11. Perfect ages to play with a dog. Winter came and dog still outside. It was cold. No bed, no house. A few weeks later a dog house appeared. only thing is the dog could not reach it with the chain. It was a plastic house and the wind would blow it over or away. It was never but back in position. Now I wonder is the dogs water frozen? I called north shore animal league and complained. They said they went there and checked it out. I sat and watched all day to see if anyone came. No one was there to check the dog. They lied. I found out the dogs owner's father is the judge of our town. When I called and emailed a second time they said the dog was fine. I would gibe the dog water during the day. My heart broke. MY den looks out over their backyard. Why the neightbors on either side could watch this they had a view of the yard also. Well the NAAL must of told them I complained, (wich is against the rules) now all the neigbors will not speak to me. They are afraid because her father is the judge. I know why I love animals more then people. BTW summer came, they cut the tree down that gave it a little shelter. Poor thing. Finally one day I noticed he dog was gone. Was it because I threatned the NORTHSHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE to call the newspaper? I have unfriendly neighbors but maybe I made a little dog happy.

quirky, what ideas for "actions to take next" did the rescue group offer?

I was given some other agencies to contact that will in theory work to put pressure on AC to do something about it. Would you like to know what those agencies are?

Oh, yes!

Minibim ~

I am late to the posts and haven't read beyond this but I want to comment on something you said:

"Don't tell me it CAN'T be done, cause it positively CAN. Nothing gets done though if you just want to sit back and complain about red tape and steal dogs. Just this year starting Oct. 1, we got funding from the COUNTY for a low cost neuter program. Until this year, low cost programs having always come from private groups, we have actually convinced the county to get involved. We are funded for 1000 animals for the first year. The majority of the work will be handled by volunteers who report to the animal control people in charge of the project."

I want to congratulate you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work in making this happen. I'm sure it took a lot of time and energy but it will be a real blessing to the dogs and families. Just think of all the good you have done by helping to ensure that unwanted litters aren't born.

I appreciate you.

Robyn

Just an update.
The puppy is no longer in the yard and neither is the dog house.

I don't understand. Do none of your counties require dog licenses?? We HAVE to have them or the dog will be hawled away.
I had renewed one late this year (lost the letter) and I received a late letter saying that it was going to be overdue and if it was I would be fined 200 dollars! ouch! I think that would motivate people to keep their dog up to date. They need to have proof of shots to get the license. The license only costs like 5 bucks a year however you need to actually bring your dog to a vet to get proof of shots and stuff. I would think that people who keep their dog tied outside don't have this and they would have to give the dog away.

This year somewhere in my town someone HUNG a dog. It was a terrier. The owner had two dogs. I think the other was a lab . The only thing I can think of is that the neighbors got mad that this dog. Maybe it barks alot, terriers do that. They didn't do anything to the lab and hung the terrier off the owner's tree. I assume they left the dogs outside while they were at work. I have been fruserated at barkign dogs before however that is just disgusting! I suppose someone could have hated those people also and just did that to make them scared?

Anyways, people like that are messed up. If they find out who they are they will be in jail!!! We have a pretty good humane society here and they often catch criminals. I am happy ( and lucky) that most people seem to really care about their animals here.

Yes, please update and let us know what you find out.

Is there a tethering law in your municipality?