AIBU to report this dog to someone?

[Leonas]

I have come to realise that a member of staff at a business local to me leaves her dog in her car all day, parked outside her work place. The window is open a fraction and the dog has a blanket on the rear seat. I first noticed the dog because it barked and growled at us when we walked past (doesn't do this every time). I know that she works full time hours (roughly 8-5) which makes me think that the dog is in the car all day long. She will, I would imagine, get a lunch break and I would hope she is walking it/ letting it out for a pee at least but is that enough?
I don't currently own a dog (but I have done in the last) because I wouldn't be home enough to care for it properly but I can't help but think that leaving it in a freezing cold car all day is quite unfair? I considered reporting the dog to someone, but to be honest I don't know who to!
So, AIBU to be concerned about this dog or I am just being nosy and should leave them to it?

That's the recommended diet for an adult dog.

Is it? Who by?

Ummmm..His vet?? Some owners prefer to feed half portion in the morning and the other half in the evening. Nothing wrong with that. No dog needs to have food in its bowl all day. Dogs are not grazers.

No I definitely am not the owner so wrong again :D

How do you know what hours this person works? Maybe she does a split shift and walks the dog in between? Maybe she walks him in the woods on the way to work and again on the way home.

Just had a thought OP, ill use some assumptions for you

Maybe the dog suffers from separation anxiety and chews up furniture and footwear when left at home all day but the owner has found that the dog seems happier and more relaxed when in the car because it will have more contact with its owner.

It seems that some 'dog owners' or non dog owners on MN that if ur not a SAHM to the dog then you need to give the pet to be rehomed or have the RSPCA all up in your business

Darles, not all dogs are recommend to be fed once a day - my sister has a (very precious, high maintenance) dog and his vet-recommended diet is to be fed twice a day. Aunt had a dog that is fed 3 times a day? Not all dogs have exactly the same needs.
I am not looking to get this woman into trouble, far from it. Nor am I looking to 'make a tit of myself'. I simply asked if the consensus was that this was not a good way to treat a dog. I appreciate that the owner is probably doing the best she can for it, I don't imagine for a moment she is deliberately mistreating it.
However, I just felt that, in seeing this situation, it wasn't quite right. I don't have a dog because there would be nobody in the house from 8-5/6 every day and I don't (personally, not judging anyone that does) want to pay a dog walker. Plus I have young children and a partner who works long hours/ 3 jobs so so the dog wouldn't get the attention it deserves and I wouldn't be able to take it out later on at night as DP works evenings/ nights. I know that circumstances change and families/ pet owners have to make adjustments to their routines so she probably didn't get the dog intending to leave it in a car all day, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be concerned about the dog?!

Are you 100% sure the dog is in there all day? Do you have a way to absolutely prove it's in the car from 8 until 5?

My colleague does the same with her dog but her back seats are down and there's a dog bed in her car with blankets. She takes her Labrador out in the morning, puts her in the car for a sleep and she's out walking for lunch.

She generally only puts the dog out when it's too cold or it's raining. Otherwise she's outside on a long lead with a wooden dog house.

I can't think of any reasonable explanation that would justify this tbh. Maybe if it was a one-off for a day when the dog-sitter was away or something, but not repeatedly and regularly. It's literally freezing at the moment - when I left work the other day my car had frost on the inside of the windscreen (in the midlands, not Scottish highlands or Arctic circle here!) and most domestic dogs cannot cope with that kind of cold, especially in a confined space where they can't even move around to warm up. Darles, you'll notice that dogs which live outside in freezing conditions (like sled dogs) are generally husky/malamute/spitz type crossbreeds with a double coat (soft layer beneath shaggy coarse layer) to provide insulation and waterproofing. I think St Bernards and Newfoundlands have this as well but I'm not 100% on that. Anyway, the vast majority of dogs (terriers, sighthounds, gundogs etc) don't have such thick double-layered fur and will suffer in extreme cold, even fairly long-haired ones like collies.

I'd report to RSPCA or non-emergency police and let them do the investigating to decide whether or not this is acceptable - they won't remove the dog from her if there's no evidence of neglect, so what's the harm?

Definitely not okay IF she is leaving the dog in the car all day. You need to check. And if this is a very very temporary thing, reporting is probably overkill. If this is what the dog can expect for weeks, it's neglect of the animal. It can't move round freely, use the toilet, will be cold/hot, can't have free access to water and food - many issues here.

On second thoughts free access to food probably not a good idea, but water, surely.

starchild. No. two dogs at the end of my street live outside in all weathers - even in these minus 0 temperatures. They are a jack Russell and a Labrador. They have been reported many times to RSPCA as they are tied up during the day. The only shelter they have at night is a makeshift "kennel" which only has 3 sides. Because they are "safe" and have access to a bucket of water and shelter RSPCA are not interested.

Being safe in a car with a blanket during the day - your windscreen is not frozen during the day - doesn't seem so bad now does it?

I would think dogs routine would go something like this. Breakfast (if it has breakfast), walk, in car, owner goes to work, dog sleeps off its walk, owner returns during break. Dog is given water ( he may have a water dish in the car OP hasn't said he doesn't and wouldn't see if he has anyway), he is let out to toilet, made a fuss of, probably play tuggy or ball. Put back in car. Lunchtime dog is taken for a walk and toilet and given a drink (again if he doesn't have water in the car). Home time dog is let out for toilet and then goes home to curl up on sofa, have his dinner and another walk before bedtime.

Op this is not right. You would not be 'making a tit of yourself' either
I wouldn't recommend rspca though as they rarely do anything.
It is freezing now, just because the dog has fur does not mean it isn't cold stuck in the car all day.
What does she do in the summer?

I'm just reading this thread concerned that I only feed my dogs once a day?

And my Husky sleeps out in a kennel at night . Don't think he'll freeze though

DarlesChickens61: What sort of life is that for an animal? It's like a caged laboratory beagle - so sad.

Nothing wrong with an outdoor kennel for animals need to pull sleds in the Yukon (huskies) but the locking up of the dog in the car all day must be psychologically very bad for the dog. No company, no unrestricted movement, constantly waiting for a wee/poo/water. Urgh.

Good God 4kids! You only feed your dog once a day as recommended by his vet? You are the worlds worst dog owner - after me of course 😉

And you leave a dog with a fur coat on out in the cold? Be careful someone doesn't take a snapshot of your dogs life and report you.

I wouldn't be at all concerned about a husky sleeping outdoors. I am concerned about my neighbours dogs sleeping outside in these temperatures as they don't have warm, fluffy coats or adequate shelter. I wouldn't be concerned about them being out during the day if they weren't tied up.

But a dog in a car with a blanket where person concerned is going to report them when they haven't made enquiries of how much excercise, interaction, water, toilet breaks the dog is getting through the day?? 😳

I'd also be very worried about the dog being stolen. Dog thefts are not an insignificant risk any more.

Anyone that thinks this situation is acceptable has a screw loose. I hope you don't have pets! This is not acceptable and yes I would report it. Poor bloody dog.

I don't think I've seen mention of the breed, but may have missed it.

If it's a Great Dane in a mini that's shit for the dog. (But it could still be happier there than at home).

I know my JRT would be perfectly happy to stay in the car with her blanket and a couple of visits in the day.

jen i agree with you on this thread, completely.
There's a difference between a dog kept outside and a dog stuck in a freeze cold car.
I worry that people can't see the difference hope they don't have pets.

This is ridiculous. If she is leaving the dog in the car all day, OF COURSE that's not ok. It's not ok in winter and it's certainly not ok in summer.

If you have to leave a dog at home for longer than 6 hours at a time you can't own a dog, it's that simple. It's actually illegal in some Scandinavian countries to leave a dog unattended for 6 hours and they have that law for a bloody good reason.

You should never leave a dog crated for more than 2 hours a day unless overnight and it's the same with the car: more than 2 hours in a confined space for a dog isn't acceptable. Unless she's going out every 2 hours and walking this dog about for 10-15 mins, it's not ok. If she is doing that, I'm not sure her employer is best pleased!

Oh and FYI, official welfare guidelines for all dogs is to be fed at least twice a day around 12 hours apart. This is to prevent gastric torsion (bloat) which is fatal in 65% of cases.

I'm a vet.

I missed the bit it about feeding! Always twice a day! With little treats in between for our dogs. Jen is right, thank goodness for those posters with some common sense and LadyPenelope thank you for your post. Some people shouldn't bloody have pets! As for you Darles

If you have concerns about an animal then report it to the rspca or the police, you don't need to fully investigate and have 100% clear evidence to report a concern. If there's a reasonable explanation, or the situation isn't as you first thought then no harm done.

What do you know that everyone else doesn't Cake? Other than OP saw a dog in a car with a blanket we have no other details do we? Not even breed. We don't know that the dog is kept in the car all day without contact, food, water, stimulation do we? We do know that if it was left home all day it wouldn't have contact, stimulation or possibly have the door left open for toilet breaks. What is more likely to happen is the dog gets bored and owner comes home to a half chewed house.

Penelope thank God you are not my dogs vet! My dog refuses food until 6pm. OMG! Id better check him for bloat. I've obviously been doing it wrong for 6 years. Over 20 if you count previous dogs that have been fed once a day - On vets advice. My vet must be a right arsehole!! My dog, however, is correct weight for height, has 4 walks a day, knows lots of tricks (so is appropriately stimulated), does agility..... He prefers to be outside during the day - even though the back door is left open so he has a choice whether to be out or in.

When he comes indoors he prefers to be out in the conservatory rather than a centrally heated house. And is much more content if I leave him in the car for short periods than he is home alone.

Again I suggest OP finds out details of why the dog is left in the car, how long he is left in the car, how often he gets water and toilet breaks BEFORE she reports someone she doesn't know and has no idea what she is reporting.

If she were to behave like a concerned adult surely OP would ask the owner some basic questions and if not happy with the response let her know that if the dog is in the car tomorrow she will be reporting her. That's how adults usually work - rather than being a faceless trouble maker.

But I very much doubt OP will come back to this thread and admit she got it wrong and the owner makes sure the dog is adequately catered for during her breaktimes. In fact I wouldn't mind betting she will be back to say the dog wasn't there today because it froze to death yesterday ;)

We do know that if it was left home all day it wouldn't have contact, stimulation or possibly have the door left open for toilet breaks.

No we don't. Unless you are the dog owner in question? Which would explain your extreme defensiveness on this thread.

So Jen if the dog is left home alone all day how would it have contact or stimulation? Very few people would go out for the day and leave the back door open if the dog was some pampered pooch. A Great Dane or staffie on the other hand..... again we don't know the breed do we? It's definately not my dog.

I know people who leave their dogs in crates all day. Now that's fucking cruel! But some vets think it's fine as do RSPCA as long as the dog has water in its crate and a pad to crap on. Do you leave yours in a crate all day by any chance?