Okay, so I am having kind of a moral dilemma here--but, of course, as with all moral dilemmas posted on TWW, it's not so much a dilemma as it is my wanting verification of the decision I've already made.

The people who live behind me (not on the same street, but our back yards abut one another) recently got a puppy. It's super cute, very sweet, friendly, and can't be more than a few months old. It is currently chained to a tree, the chain being about 2 feet in length. It has no shelter whatsoever (I have verified that this is against the law in Raleigh) and, as far as I can tell, has not been unchained in the two weeks they've had him.

He got off his chain the other day and got caught in my fence trying to come play with my dogs. I got him out and let him run around in my back yard for a while and play with my dogs and whatever. I have never seen a dog more starved for attention. After about an hour, I drove him back home, hoping to talk with the homeowner about the situation.

Apparently I live next to a freaking MANSION. Super landscaped, nice cars, looked it up on Wake County's property listings the other day and it's >4500 sq. ft. Anyways, that doesn't really matter.

I go there and the parents are out. I talk to the kids, who are in their early teens, and tell them that they can't leave a dog out there with no shelter like that. They said they'd do something about it.

Here it is two days later, and I could hardly sleep last night because the poor thing was crying and whining all night. I don't even care about the noise, I'm just worried about the dog.

My question is, should I try to talk to the adults at the house again, or should I just fucking call animal control because they shouldn't have the dog under their care? I would be more than okay with fostering the dog if necessary, rather than have it go to the animal shelter, but I am fucking infuriated about the way these people treat their dog.

Thoughts?

5/8/2008 12:56:47 PM

i'd say go talk to the adults before you call animal control

ie, if your neighbor is playing loud music, ask him to turn it down before you resort to calling the cops

if they live in a mansion, i'm guessing they might have the means to give it a better living setup out back

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 12:58 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2008 12:58:09 PM

call animal control annoymously and report it. They will likely come and investigate and talk to the owners about creating better living conditions for the dog. This will probably have a better chance of change happening than their neighbor telling them what to do.

oh, I misread, I thought you had already talked to the adults. That would definitely be the thing to do.

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:02 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2008 1:00:40 PM

And everyone on TWW hates HOA's....but that's another story.

Talk to the parents, give them a few days, if nothing happens call Animal Control and they will get a notice. You can remain anonymous, it's not like you are the only neighbor, right?

5/8/2008 1:03:15 PM

this is a tough (and sad) problem

why do these kinds of people exist?

what is wrong with someone that they allow themselves to abuse animals?

or at the very least, why do these kinds of people actually get pets, just to do that kind of shit?

sick







[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:07 PM. Reason : ]

5/8/2008 1:06:47 PM

That's the thing I don't get.

Why would you get a dog if all you're going to do is tie it up and never even look at it?

But for the record, I do plan to go by there tonight and talk to the homeowners about it. If it doesn't get taken care of after that, I'll call animal control.

5/8/2008 1:10:36 PM

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_14/GS_14-360.html

also i guess i'm not as nice as most of the people on here, but this is something i would NOT stand for. i guess you can try to talk to the adults. but fuck it, they're adults they should know better. so i don't see the problem with going straight to the authorities. if you get an animal you know when you are mistreating it. it isn't that hard to comprehend that keeping an animal outside, on a small chain 24/7 with no shelter is WRONG. and if you can't understand that, then you don't deserve to have it. call animal control.

oh and tell me if you need someone to foster/keep the puppy.

5/8/2008 1:14:44 PM

This requires desperate measures.

Find the adults and chain them to a tree for the same time and same conditions the dog is in. See how they like it.


Bastards.

5/8/2008 1:17:02 PM

I'd call animal control. They have been warned, they refuse to care for their dog.

5/8/2008 1:25:34 PM

^^
shit like this sometimes makes me almost wish things worked like that

5/8/2008 1:38:43 PM

it probably is better just to go ahead and call animal control. That way you can stay anonymous so you don't have to worry about some sort of retaliation from your neighbors. Like khcadwal said, they're adults and they know what they're doing is wrong. If you talk to them and then call animal control they're obviously going to know it was you. I don't know if that would bother you or not, but if it was me, I would like to avoid conflict with my neighbors as much as possible.

5/8/2008 1:46:40 PM

geeeez.

this is terrible.

please keep us updated on what the adults say.
im really curious.

5/8/2008 2:00:27 PM

Yes I want to know what happens. Report them!

5/8/2008 2:08:31 PM

option 1: animal control, dog ends up in the pound, dog gets put down if its not adopted after a certain amount of time

option 2: animal control, dog goes to a 'foster home' for its breed through a rescue group (unless its a mut)

option 3: talk to the adults, your neighbors hate you, the dog doesn't get any improvement and becomes a out of control dog that will eventually be sent to the pound...

5/8/2008 2:39:55 PM

animal control will give them a warning before taking the dog away. Also, a dead dog is better than a dog attached to a tree by a two foot chain with no shelter for it's entire life.

5/8/2008 2:42:49 PM

i'd rather my neighbor ask me to do something at least one time before calling the authorities on me

in case you all misread the first post, spookyjon hasnt yet talked to the adults, just the kids, who may or may not have told their parents

5/8/2008 2:51:04 PM

Quote :

"shit like this sometimes makes me almost wish things worked like that"

dont you mean:


shit like this

sometimes makes me

almost wish

things worked

like that

?

5/8/2008 2:51:31 PM

Quote :

"option 1: animal control, dog ends up in the pound, dog gets put down if its not adopted after a certain amount of time option 2: animal control, dog goes to a 'foster home' for its breed through a rescue group (unless its a mut) option 3: talk to the adults, your neighbors hate you, the dog doesn't get any improvement and becomes a out of control dog that will eventually be sent to the pound..."

these are not the only options.

call animal control. tell them what's going on and that you'd be willing to foster/adopt the dog if they take possession of it. from working with the wake SPCA and animal control in rocky mount, these people would rather see the dog/cat/whatever go to a good home. nobody likes to put down puppies. if they let you have the dog, take it to the spca, one of the millions of adoption groups in raleigh (not just the breed specific ones), post ads, etc.

you can call it in anonymously, but i don't think it's necessary. usually the police aren't going to go over and say "hey your neighbor at 123 blah street said you're a shitty pet owner". in our situation, although not exactly the same, the police and animal control went to the guy's house and said there are reports of you doing thisthatandtheother and we want to check your yard.

Quote :

"in case you all misread the first post, spookyjon hasnt yet talked to the adults, just the kids, who may or may not have told their parents"

i'm willing to bet that talking to the parents will change nothing. if they cared enough to take care of the dog properly or at least obey raleigh codes regarding animals they would have done something already or most likely not have been in the situation at all.

5/8/2008 3:37:25 PM

^maybe so, but i'm just of the opinion that in most cases of ANYTHING, i'd rather a neighbor ask me to do something before calling the cops on me...if you ask the parents and nothing still happens, by all means, call animal control...i personally would ask the parents before i called animal control

5/8/2008 3:40:46 PM

haha, gg synapse

5/8/2008 3:44:52 PM

what was so haha about it? i reread it twice and couldnt find it

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 3:48 PM. Reason : other than the sentence seems wierd]

5/8/2008 3:48:13 PM

and in case you're curious about raleigh code + animals

Quote :

"Sec. 12-3009. ADEQUATE FEED, WATER AND SHELTER. (a) All dogs and cats shall be given adequate feed, adequate water and adequate shelter. Adequate shelter is defined as an enclosure of at least three (3) sides, a roof and a floor. The enclosure shall be ventilated and must have sufficient room for the animal(s) to move around freely and to lie down comfortably."

5/8/2008 3:48:45 PM

also nc imposes civil and criminal penalties for "animal cruelty"

maybe if you talk to the adults you should tell them that.

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 4:22 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2008 4:21:55 PM

You know, I thought I had come to a final decision of talking to the owners before calling, but I just called Animal Control and I feel like I did the right thing. They took my name and number so I'll hear something back if anything happens.

I hate to get THE MAN involved, but for fuck's sake, what grown person doesn't know that's not the way you treat a dog? I've just been thinking about this shit all day (/week) and I'm sick and tired of seeing it treated this way.

I def. see where Twista is coming from, and that was my opinion earlier on, but this is different than loud music. If it was the dog's barking that was bothing me, I'd talk to them. Cruelty's another story.

5/8/2008 4:24:01 PM

good job!!! all i'm saying is it is an adult mistreating a dog, they should know better. obviously a well off adult if they live in a mansion. so i just don't see why they even need the neighborly courtesy of a warning from you. plus, like someone else said if you talk to them and the call, they'll def know it was you. i think you did the right thing. who the fuck cares anyway, these people are assholes and they deserve to have animal control called.

5/8/2008 4:32:28 PM

^^no doubt

5/8/2008 4:33:04 PM

I would have definately just called before talking to them. If you would have just went and talked to them, they could have said they would take better care of it (I doubt it) or bring it inside and lock it in a closet and be cruel to it there.

5/8/2008 4:41:19 PM

the power of the pack just saved a puppy!

5/8/2008 4:45:03 PM

You should ABSOLUTELY call animal control. So what if you didnt talk to the parents, adults should know that it is wrong, regardless of if the kids told them or not. My bet is that the parents are the ones who want the dog out of the house anyway, not the kids.

The first time animal control comes over they just survey the situation and give a warning. This way you can stay anonymous. If you go over and talk to the parents and they dont change and then you call animal control they will know that it was you (and neighbor wars begin)

Call animal control now, its easier and better this way. (and then there is bunch of official documentation of the abuse)

My parents recently had to go through this when a neighbor was not just leaving the dog out side without shelter (they had him in a pen with no roof and never cleaned out the pen), but my brothers also saw the dad hit the dog with an axe handle.


[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 4:47 PM. Reason : oh didnt read your update but yay! glad you called them]

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 4:48 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2008 4:45:10 PM

Good for you - keep us posted!!

People like this just make me angry. If you clearly have the resources to give a dog a GOOD life - then please do so. Don't get one just for some reason (because the kids who seemed to really care wanted one?) and then leave it like this.

Poor pup.

5/8/2008 11:50:47 PM

good story

5/8/2008 11:56:35 PM

A similar situation happened to a friend of mine some years ago. His neighbors left the dog chained up to a tree for weeks and never took care of it. They even left it out in the snow. So him and his girlfriend eventually got fed up with it and they stole the dog and raised it as their own. He eventually got rid of the girlfriend, but he's still got the dog!

gg on helping the poor puppy.



[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 4:57 AM. Reason : ']

5/9/2008 4:40:35 AM

^ Considered that route, then was told that stealing a dog is a felony in NC

5/9/2008 9:23:38 AM

^ And since they live behind you, they would most likely notice their dog in your backyard...

5/9/2008 10:01:12 AM

is it really thievery if you're just playing with it?

YOU CAN'T MAKE ME NOT PLAY WITH YOUR DOG

5/9/2008 10:11:19 AM

anyone know of a link between those who might post "virtual animal abuse" on the web

and actual animal (including human) abuse irl?

'cause, I'd like for you all to do a little better at condemning people like Kurtis636

who just posted a [cartoon] picture of a man kicking a dog

I'm not saying that that is an egregious crime, or even close to a violation of tww policies

but would any of you (who obviously care greatly about animals,) post something like that?

it's like he enjoys getting a rise out of people who care about animals

(OMG YOU LIKE DOGS? WELL HERE'S A PICTURE OF SOMEONE KICKING A DOG! HA HA HA!)

anyone know who Kurtis636 is irl?

if so, please pm me details (address, full name, etc)

thanks


I'll take care of him myself

5/9/2008 10:22:13 AM

i havent seen the picture, but it is a FUCKING CARTOON

"virtual animal abuse" ...

seriously? seriously?

5/9/2008 10:26:20 AM

^
yeah, you know, like virtual child porn

(first amendment protected, but still pretty damn fucked up)

Quote :

"would...you...post something like that?"

(maybe he'll post it in here to show us all what kind of person he is)

5/9/2008 10:33:17 AM

no, its not like that at all.

because having pictures of real dog abuse on your computer isn't illegal.

5/9/2008 10:34:46 AM

I just had a mental image of a man kicking a dog... oh man, 392, you are an evil person for putting that mental image in my head. STOP hypothetically-virtually-mentally-physically animal abusing me. Why do you hate dogs so much as to want that image in my head?? Some people on this board are horrible. Please PM me your name, social, maiden name, shoe size, and information relevant to your relationship to Michael Vick. I will make things right.

[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 10:41 AM. Reason : error]

5/9/2008 10:39:31 AM

392 is great at blowing shit out of proportion

5/9/2008 10:57:55 AM

Anyone want to get in on a class action suit against those animal abusers at disney? Think of all the times they drew poor goofy getting hurt. And those fuckers at warner bros, I mean how many times as children were we all subjected to the horror of daffy getting shot in the head?

5/9/2008 12:36:10 PM

and Donald Duck with NO PANTS???!!! THE SHAME!!!!

5/9/2008 12:53:15 PM

synapse, you so crazy

5/9/2008 1:11:05 PM

Any updates?

5/10/2008 3:51:39 PM

The dog was still out there when I checked today. I'm calling Animal Control back on Monday to see if they went out yet or what.

5/10/2008 7:25:40 PM

I'm glad you called Animal Control.
I'd give it 2 days and then call back if no change is made.
When you call explain to the officer how bad the situation is. Offering to foster it is a good idea. it's puppy season right now so it's chances wouldn't be good if it ended up in the pound.
I've had to report on a neglected dog before and I had a long conversation with the officer before he went over there so he had a lot of information. The officer called me right after he talked to the owner.

Similar situation - my neighbors were chaining a dog up to a 3 ft rope w/o shelter, water or feed and left it out there 24/7, even in bad weather. It was chained right next to the sidewalk and would lunge aggressively at people walking by. The poor dog barked nonstop and this dog was LOUD. My husband tried talking to them a few times but they walked away from him. The dog isn't there anymore.

5/10/2008 7:43:12 PM

why are you spying on your neigbors?

you a peepin tom?


or do you just hate them because you enjoy class warfare?

5/10/2008 7:52:52 PM

Quote :

"stealing a dog is a felony in NC"

When the "owners" mistreat the dog, they forfeit their "ownership" rights. The dog deserves better than that.

5/10/2008 8:41:12 PM

Quote :

"anyone know of a link between those who might post "virtual animal abuse" on the web and actual animal (including human) abuse irl?"

Are you fucking stupid or something? I know it's SERIOUSFUCKINGBUSINESS, but get over yourself. What I do in photoshop and what you do curled up in the corner by yourself IRL are different: you weep while you masturbate using real tears and Jergens, and leaving a genuine sticky mess, while I make pretend blood squirt from some fake cat's eyes with no pain or cleanup for anyone involved.

Hint: Internet = NOT ALWAYS TRANSLATABLE INTO REAL LIFE

[Edited on May 10, 2008 at 9:11 PM. Reason : .]

5/10/2008 9:10:11 PM