To feel really sorry for next door's dog

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

I know IANBU. But wondering what to do.

Next door have a retriever which is just over one year old, so quite big now. They are a couple and it was his idea to get the dog, but then expected his dw to walk it as he works a lot.

He was your typical boisterous puppy which pulled on the lead and was a bit over exuberant, so basically, they've stopped walking him. Not sure how long exactly ago that was but a good few months.

So now he spends most of his day out in the tiny back yard, where he does about 5 shits a day, or the front garden which is tiny and not big enough for him to run around in.

I asked the ndn's dd in a sly way if the dog had been for a walk lately and she said 'no, we can't take him for a walk because he pulls his collar over his head.' Erm...buy a harness?

Feel so sorry for him never getting any exercise. He's lovely and it's no life for a young dog full of energy. Not sure if the rspca would see it as a problem as he has food, water and shelter. I reported another neighbour a few years ago for never walking her dog and they came round and said there's nothing they can do about it :(

I don't know how I'd broach them rehoming him. But it would definitely be best. I get on fairly well with them and our DDs play together but we're not like, mates, IYSWIM.

I've reported her. Though she's gone quiet, maybe she has gone off to troll someone else.

They are very clearly shit dog owners.

I would call the rspca too but be aware they may do nothing

I doubt the RSPCA would do anything. If she won't rehome, I like your buying a harness idea if you've got the spare cash. Maybe say you're friend has one, would she like it, first. Then, if she says "yes", you can buy one!
(Although it may be worth pointing out some harnesses won't work as they kind of encourage a dog to pull)

its their dog their responsibility to look after the dog not the op's and they are not doing so

I think best to report them, they may quite happily give up the dog rather than put the effort in to caring for the dog

ignore those ripping into you op same old same old

Your neighbours sound like idiots who are slow to catch on. Kids take lots of time, getting a dog at the same time as a new kid is madness. No to mention highly risky.

Dogs need walks. There's no two ways about that.

That's a good idea biggles. I don't really have much spare cash as a single parent student but if it meant he'd go for a walk I'd happily cough up for a harness (can't really afford my rspca sponsorship either but I'm a soft touch like that )

Likalixer you are so childish why don't you grow up. Fluffy clearly concerned (as would I be) it's really not an issue to get bitchy about, just a poor dog (hope it escapes one day and finds a new owner that treats it fairly. Captivity is torture!). It s very normal to notice your neighbours' general behaviour she is hardly spying!! FGS grow some.

Thanks for the back up, all.

I think maybe she's got the hint and gone off to share her pearls of trolly wisdom elsewhere.

Here's another thought re harness though: they tend to make a puller a more effective puller tbh.
Halti/Gentle Leader are better for pullers, but that is assuming an owner wants to put the time and effort in to have a happy, well-looked after dog and that seems more than dubious to me in this case.

Same problem as OP. Neighbours have a lab that looks to be still young. They have lived there 18 months and never, once, ever walked it (day or night). Never seen it played with. Only know its name because they scream at it. ("Tyson" because we all want to name our dogs after rapists).

In my one conversation with the woman she told me she wished she had a husky. (When getting my new pup at rescue one worker told me huskies/malamutes are the new chav dog of choice). The woman got it as her mum had its litter mate. When littermate stays with them it is a nice dog - you can see the difference in temperaments from neglect.

Last week I heard the man (who shouts loudly whenever in the garden) telling her that he did the right thing "treating the dog mean to keep it keen" when it was younger, and he ranted for at least 20 minutes about how "they" don't let people keep their dogs outdoors in kennels anymore but what do "they" know. You get the feeling they are deeply embarrassed to have a lab not a pit bull or husky or "Japanese akita" (they were wishing they had one the other day, also at the top of their voices). Yet spotting my nice other neighbour who is dog crazy, they gave her this lengthy speech about training dogs with treats. Their dog is thin but not quite emaciated. I saw a similar dog recently on one of those RSPCA shows and they gave the woman "advice" but let her keep the dog. Then they confiscated her other dog she'd kept hidden earlier on as it was like a skeleton. This dog was like the first, barely enough to make the RSPCA bother but to me, it looks thin (I used to work in kennels).

It barks if it sees us even step in our garden and they leave it alone for hours every day - it doesn't bark: it howls. It seems to have a nasty temperament but I can't say I blame it. As I say, the littermate stays with them occasionally and the contrast between the other black lab and this one is massive.

About three days ago the dog made a break for it to the field next door and the woman brought it back screaming abuse at it and, I saw, hit it (once). It's haunting me. These are the same people we have had to call the NSPCC on for screaming obscene abuse at two toddlers - so I am scared to call RSPCA in case I was done for harassment. (As they are very convincing in front of authority figures).

I know my postie doesn't hesitate to report people to the Dog Warden so am tempted to tell her all this, and see if she acts as I can't. I had a good cry about that dog after I saw the woman hit it, have to admit, and I am not a fan of labs.

So OP I am with you totally. It feels awful because you feel powerless.

My mother had a neighbour sued for cruelty to a dog, in the 1960s (they left it chained outside in all weathers) and in those days that made her a lot f enemies. For the rest of that dog's life it had to be walked to the police station a mile or two away, every day. She didn't regret it. So this makes me feel conflicted in more ways than one.

Thanks Pacific, I'll look into those if they take the bait. I am so tempted to offer to walk it myself (even if I can't do it every day) but that would be worse wouldn't it, to give him a taste of freedom and then take it away again when I move?

And Joffrey, it's heartbreaking isn't it? So far removed from what a dog's life should be like.

I have two dogs and one is a NIGHTMARE on a lead/harness. Just pulls and pulls and pulls. I hate walking him on a lead. So I don't I drive to places where I don't need one and they can both run freely. Beach, etc. In fact, the nightmare dog rolled in fox poo about three months ago and I had to throw his collar away - he hasn't worn one since. He's the most incredibly clever, loyal, obedient little boy.

OP I agree with you - it's so hard to watch people not being fair to their dogs. There's one on our road that I can hear now that just barks and barks and barks. Constantly. They tie it to the drainpipe outside their house. I never see them walking it (doesn't mean that they don't) and the poor thing seems so terribly bored.

Conversely, the neighbour opposite us works long hours and every day I see a dog walker collect their dog and then drop it off into the garden later, which is lovely and responsible :)

I'd report this in a flash. If everyone was to sit on their hands being apologists for the inhumane treatment of animals - no names mentioned here of course likalixer - then where would we be? Doesn't bear thinking about. This dog needs rehoming to people who actually give a shit about the standard of it's existence.

That's awful bowerby. I hope these people come back in their next life as a mistreated animal.

Who to though farfrom? The rspca can't do anything.

And I'm with you on not having them on the lead, bowerby. My dog is always free range, it took a few years but he finally got the hang of walking to heel on pavements and he's never on the lead in fields unless there's a good reason. He prefers badger shit though

Report them. You can only try. Good for you for being concerned. Ignore people who say you are being nosy.

I can really really really recommend a gentle leader. It's not a harness. It costs about £10. We have a lab x and she pulls. I had got her not pulling but when other family members started walking her, they let her slip into bad habits. She then was no longer a puppy and she is too heavy to control when she pulls. The gentle leader stops her pulling completely. After walking for a little while, we are then able to get back into training her out of pulling.
This involves getting her into the heel position and walking. As soon as she pulls, the walker stops dead until she is relaxed and the lead is slack (sometimes she sits, other times she glances over her shoulder, sighs and reverses when she remembers what she's supposed to do!). Once the lead is slack, resume heel position and walk again. As you step off, say "good girl, heel". This works if you stop EVERY SINGLE TIME the dog pulls. (My family let her pull hence the not having cracked it yet) and as labs get older, they do calm down anyway.
I would honestly just drop into conversation about the gentle leader. Just say you have read about it and say surely, being a lab she must be driving you crackers if you can't walk her?

Agree with Pacific that a halti is better than a harness for a persistent puller - in fact harness encouraged my dog to pull even more.

She did learn to pull with the halti too - it took a while though. They have to hold their head and neck a certain way to do so - quite tricky, but she was determined!

But anything that might shame them into trying is worth ago. OP, would like to reiterate, I think you're being very kind in trying to help this poor dog.

youre not obliged to walk your dogs according to the rspca. You have to give it food and water and a shelter and not hit it too much etc, but apart from that there's nothing they could or would do.
We found a dog in a terrible state a year or so ago Nails long and overgrown,covered in mange, no training at all, not toilet trained. Stunk to heavens
I didn't want to give it back. I think I posted about it here. Anyway the rspca took it back to them. Apparently major signs of serious neglect arent a problem

Thanks lovelydiscusfish. He's such a sweetheart and has a lot of years left in prison if they don't change.

Maybe once I get my assignments out of the way I could buy one of the contraptions you speak of and offer to walk him, maybe make up some bollocks about how I used to have a dog that pulled badly but I trained him not to, and then see if I can get him to stop pulling, using gibble's method. Perhaps if walking him becomes less hard work they might be more inclined to do it themselves.

My auntie has a wee dog she claims doesn't need/like going for walks and is fine in her small back garden. Any time she comes to visit I take him for a walk to the local park and he loves it. Poor soul some people shouldn't have pets.

It's bad isn't it branleuse? I guess because of limited space and resources they can only take on cases of severe neglect or cruelty. They are overrun at the moment, according to the bumph they send me as a sponsor.

I don't understand how people can not walk a dog. Right now I feel like a shit dog owner the bitch is in season so not being walked and she's a hound mix then the male spaniel can't be walked right now either due to medical reasons and also is kept seperate from the bitch as he's not neutered so is missing his friend.

So I've got two very bored dogs, in one more week we can resume walks for both! I feel so bad watching her pace the garden all day and him moping about the kitchen and side yard. .

Do you know what little this thread has made me think, like I said, there's 3 in my close that don't ever go out. Two seen resigned to it, and don'tgenerally bark

But the lady opposite, who's dd plays with my ds every day, and I certainly know her to talk to (she's told me herself she wants her ex to take the dog, as she can't walk out as it pulls) he goes crazy when you walk past, he's a big German shepherd cross.

I'm going to start walking him. She'd let me I'm sure, if I get up early,I can walk mine while dh gets ready for work. Then walk him later with dd. Yes, is going to be a hassle, and I may not be able to do it every single day, but certainly enough to stop the poor thing going out of his mind day after day. She told me she hasn't walked him in over a year :(

(Sorry for the rambling post)