Quote :

"I thought you were going to fight it more than this? You sounded pretty gung ho about it. "

well I cant legally keep the dog. It's thier property. All I can legally do is file a complaint with the animal control officer and they will go check up on him every now and then, which is what I plan to do. What else do you suggest?

[Edited on November 28, 2006 at 9:28 AM. Reason : []]

11/28/2006 9:27:38 AM

give them an imposter dog

11/28/2006 9:28:52 AM

that wouldnt be fair to the imposter unless it was a zombie....i could handle that.

11/28/2006 9:32:35 AM

on a similar note to:

Quote :

"did anyone every think to look on the other side of the coin and say: -dog got out and had a blasting good time for a couple of days in the thick woods. -angel finds dog and thinks he's in terrible shape -owners try to get him back and angel delays them, letting them know what terrible people they are in the process -people get angry and try to scare her into giving back ..... ----------- ^thats what I had hoped happened, that he'd been out for a few days... According to the owners he had only been missing for as long as I've had them...apparently they live right behind this gas station. "

people who live in cities are generally way too uptight about dogs who run free or who aren't tethered directly to their owner when they're not in the house.

Now i'm not saying you were in the wrong in trying to help the dog, if he looked like he was in need of help. But just because you see a dirty, unattended dog at a rural gas station doesn't mean that he's lost or neglected (even though in this case, there might be an argument that he was neglected).

For the most part, people are way too eager to grab ahold of a dog when they can't see the owner directly. Dogs generally know where they are and usually don't "need saving" if they're out on their own. Especially for "country dogs" who live outdoors with no fences or leashes, which is a perfectly legitimate way to live if your location allows for it. Growing up outside of a city myself on 10 acres of woods and fields, our dogs slept outdoors and never saw a fence or a leash. They would roam free, go see the neighbors, run down to the lake a couple miles away, but always would return when they were hungry or just wanted to come home. If every person who saw our dogs away from our house picked them up and took them to the pound because they were dirty or unattended, we would have been going to pick them up multiple times a week (which, according to my dad, is becoming more and more common in recent years - people calling him because they "found his dog", when in fact, the dogs know perfectly well where they are and when and how to get home).

11/28/2006 10:41:30 AM

I understand what you are saying, and while not a big city, Plymouth is the county seat and this gas station was on Hwy 64, not some back road. The dog is an outside dog, but it is kept in a pen and got out by the woman who was watching it while the family was on vacation.

[Edited on November 28, 2006 at 11:30 AM. Reason : []

11/28/2006 11:30:06 AM

The other thing is cocker spaniels need A LOT of care. They aren't like a short haired retriever or coon hound that you can let stay dirty and ungroomed. Spaniel's ears need constant attention to keep them clean or else they go deaf early in life. Their coat also needs to be brushed regularly or it gets matted, as in this case. I understand about country dogs, but not all breeds are cut out for that kind of low-maintenece dog care.

11/28/2006 1:54:23 PM

Quote :

"brushed regularly or it gets matted"

my neighbor needs to learn that shit...i spent like 4 hours combing his dog one day and it hardly even changed anything, and i couldnt really even comb it cause he would yelp or try to bite me

11/28/2006 1:56:14 PM

The lady said the dog got out before, so they have no right to be angry. you did the right thing, next time take pictures of the dog the day you found it. Then the people can get charged for neglect. Unfortunately, they will get the dog back and nothing will be done now.

And as far as the SPCA goes, they do euthanize at the lost and found center. The pet adoption center doesn't euthanize unless the dog is aggressive. The lost and found center (which is part of the spca and where they all go first) will euthanize for health reasons, not 100% adoptable (whether it be health, look of the animal, deformity, blind/deaf,etc), aggression, and if they don't have room. I work with them often and they have told me that and I have known animals to be euthanized.

11/28/2006 6:01:26 PM

I thought that was what they did, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info!

11/28/2006 6:04:30 PM

^^THANK YOU. And pffft to that other moron.

11/28/2006 6:18:02 PM

you seem much more reasonable on this page angel. i was mostly posting for everyone that just assumes these people were cold heartless, texas chain saw massacre-like psychos who enjoy leaving their dog for the bugs to eat. the ear mites are the only thing that might make me be concerned. everything else seems perfectly possible with the dog being cared for.

11/28/2006 6:34:02 PM

I wouldn't give this lady back shit. Call the SPCA or Humane Society and refuse to give up the dog.

Hair mats are horrible, if they get thick enough they can actually start tearing up the skin underneath the mat, and not only that, they're painful.

This woman shoudln't be allowed to own a hamster, much less a dog and a couple of kids.

11/29/2006 11:53:39 AM

does she know your name, or where you live?

if not ignore the bitch and keep the dog or atleast adopt it out to a nice family

11/29/2006 12:00:57 PM

^if you read the whole thread you'd have your answer to that.

11/29/2006 12:03:29 PM

poor dog

you did more than most people would.
I've rescued a few dogs from bad homes before. luckily, they gave them to me when i offered to take them in after seeing their condition. they just seemed happy to get rid of them.
Some people are just ignorant or think of dogs as property and don't realize the care they need. We had a cocker growing up and my Mom would brush the dog every week or she'd get horrible mats. The poor thing was prone to ear problems. I would never own one because of the upkeep. (plus too many are snippy and will piddle just by looking at them)

I rescued a border collie from Franklin Animal Control that had probably 500 ticks on him. He was literally covered in them. i filled bottles of peroxide with ticks. took hours to pull them all off.
it was beyond disgusting. I wanted to seal the bottles and mail them back to his previous owner with a note that said "thanks for nothing". That dog had so many psychological and behavior issues.. no aggression thank god but he had no clue and you could tell the dog was just yelled at and probably beaten. Border Collies NEED training and guidance.
I've got too many stories... i've cleaned up after so many idiotic peoples mistakes.. i wish more people knew what they were getting into or thought twice about attempting to care for an animal.

11/29/2006 12:23:46 PM

^ i wish that they would have surrendered the animal...oh well.

Quote :

"I wouldn't give this lady back shit. Call the SPCA or Humane Society and refuse to give up the dog."

I can't do that. The only thing that I am legally allowed to do is let animal control handle the situation. If I knew then what I know now I would have never tried to make contact with the owners but now the police are involved and I'm not going to risk legal consequences over this. I've been assured that the animal control officer takes this kind of thing very seriously, and so I'm willing to put it in his hands.

Quote :

"does she know your name, or where you live? if not ignore the bitch and keep the dog or atleast adopt it out to a nice family"

She doesn't know where I live, but the cops do and I'm more concerned with that.

11/29/2006 1:25:28 PM

Quote :

"did anyone every think to look on the other side of the coin and say: -dog got out and had a blasting good time for a couple of days in the thick woods. -angel finds dog and thinks he's in terrible shape"

matts take WAY longer than a couple of days to develop

try a couple of weeks...and especially the matts that shes talking about


i keep carter's hair short but i never brush it
itll get about 3-4 inches long and will have minor (very minor now) mats on the back of her legs after 2-3 MONTHS...and this is including playing in water, giving her baths, and pretty much letting her do whatever she wants while she's outside...i'm sorry, but this dog is definately mistreated


too bad you cant request pics of the dog from the owners prooving she was in good health


what did the vet say about her owners?

[Edited on November 29, 2006 at 10:08 PM. Reason : grfs]

11/29/2006 10:05:13 PM

dont send the bitch back to that bitch

for real

he needs attention and care, dont let her take him back, call someone about it.

11/30/2006 2:48:57 AM

honestly what i think you should do is teach the dog to bowl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcKOQrz19Yg

11/30/2006 3:01:32 AM

To be honest- the condition that the dog was in could be very bad for his health. Those matts can cause serious skin problems like hott spots. As well the fleas, ticks, and ear mites can also cause diseases that could result in death. I mean really- would she be pissed if her neighbor gave her child a band-aid? By cutting out the matts you were looking out for her dogs health. If it were me- i'd want to find the dog a new home all together, One that will provide the proper care.

12/1/2006 1:08:43 PM