Neighbour on holiday - dog problem!

[loveacupoftea18]

Need advice as DH and I can't decide if we are too caught up in the problem to be objective!! Sorry if it's long, trying not to drip feed!

Live in a quiet cul-de-sac and get along with all neighbours. Our directly next-door neighbour has two enormous dogs who she loves dearly and is very good to. They do bark in the day when left alone in the garden but she is back regularly to let them out and take them for walks.

She is on the trip of a lifetime for two weeks and has a sort of friend staying in her house looking after them, with a dog walker dropping in to do the occasional dog walk.

She's been gone for 3 days. We haven't seen the friend that's staying there since Friday (however we have not been at home every minute) and the dogs are in the garden with the back door to the house wide open, all the time. They are doing absolutely nothing but barking constantly, I cannot describe just how much or how loud. It goes on for hours and hours at a time.

I don't know how regularly they are being checked on (or fed or walked!) and it first irked us when it was impossible to put our DD to bed because of the noise of the dogs barking. Banged on the front door repeatedly however no one in and ended up going around the back of the field to lean over the fence and comfort the dogs. This did cease the barking for an hour but then they're back to it. It's damn annoying but we end up feeling desperately sorry for the poor dogs and don't know what on earth to do.

They've barked every hour that we've been home today. There's still no sign of anyone in the house with them. I've just been to lean over the back fence for 15 minutes to give them a stroke and to quieten them down so DD can fall asleep.

AIBU? Surely this is not ok? What the hell can I do about it?

Rspca

Report it to either the council (noise nuisancre) or RSPCA . The RSPCA will cone and put a card in the door requesting the carer phone them. If they don't call within 24 hrs then they may assume they aren't being cared for (this is what I was told when someone reported me for going on holiday leaving my dog home alone. I hadn't, I'd gone to work for 5 hours)

What a nightmare. Do you have the owner's number?

Oh interesting re calling card. That's a great idea.

I'd really like to try and talk to the blinking girl that's supposed to be looking after them but she's just nowhere to be found.

I do have neighbour on Facebook but I feel so awful to tell her when she's on this lifetime holiday. She'll be distraught!

Disgusting from the person supposed to be looking after them but clearly CBA. I’d report to both the council & RSPCA.

Can you text your neighbour?

I’d ask around and see if any neighbours have a key and then either lock them in for a bit or either you or your husband sit with them . If nobody shows up later at least you know they are home alone and can report to the RSPCA.

If there is an immediate welfare concern the RSPCA will attend and put sellotape over the lock. If it's not broken 24 hours later they can force entry and take them away.

You should ring them and tell them they have been abandoned. Don't give them too much detail. Just say the occupants have not been seen for 2 days and the dogs are distressed. Tell them you are worried that they haven't got any food or water.

Message her on Facebook - I’d be distraught if my beloved dogs were left with someone treating them like this.

If you think no one has been to the house for days you should report to the RSPCA. They will try to make contact with whoever is minding the dogs and will confiscate them if they've been abandoned. If you don't want to be that hasty then leave a note through the door asking the person attending to the dogs to contact you urgently. You can mention that you will be reporting to RSPCA if you don't hear from them. Either way, please ensure the dogs have some water at the very least in the meantime. If the 'friend' does contact you, tell them it's unacceptable to leave the dogs for long periods as they're causing a nuisance.

Never mind the barking. You think your next door neighbours friend has buggered off for days leaving her back door wide open?!?
I’d be calling and/or using social media to confirm bract the neighbour ASAP!

I'm sure she would love to know what's going on, it seems they had arrangements but something's gone wrong.

Poor dogs.

Please contact your neighbour immediately. She/he will absolutely want to know, and will probably be able to organise alternative care over the phone (possibly with your help, but you sound like a lovely neighbour who cares about the wellbeing of the dogs too).

I’m going to be in the minority here but If it was me I’d bring the dogs around to mine, unless you think they are dangerous.

I would contact your neihbour and tell her. Btw i you would be better contacting the council dog warden not the Rspca .

Thank you. This is so helpful.

I'm going to put a note through the door, and a note on the door tonight asking her to come and see me.

And I'll go and put a bowl of water over the fence. Is there anything I could give them for food that I might have in my house?

I'll give the girl until tomorrow, and then I'll message my neighbour if I can't get hold of her. DH seems to think she came home about 3am this morning and left again about 7am.

Can you see if they have some water?

I'm afraid that they have been left with the door open so they can take themselves out for a wee and a poo.

Call RSPCA for the sake of the dogs they are obviously upset and disturbed.

I would contact your neighbour, I would be horrified if this happened with my dogs and would be very grateful to whoever told me!

I would tell the neighbour to be honest. She might be more upset if you haven’t let her know your concerns. Then she can ring the friend to check where they’ve been. If that doesn’t resolve things quickly then I’d contact RSPCA.

Can you offer to have the dogs at yours?

My previous dogs did this. As soon as the house sitter went out, they kicked off barking. Only reason I found out was a letter from the council about the complainant doing a 3 week noise diary.
There was no noise once we were back.
I had bunches of flowers delivered to my 4 neighbours with a grovelling apology.

Little sods went into kennels after that.

Facebook - now.

I have dogs and I would want to know straightaway if there was an issue, or if their welfare was at risk.

You could feed them tinned tuna mashed up with bread or cooked pasta or corn beef with pasta or bread.

I do have neighbour on Facebook but I feel so awful to tell her when she's on this lifetime holiday. She'll be distraught!

She’ll be far more distraught if the dogs are taken away as neglected and her open house is broken into. You haven’t caused this situation and it’s untenable for you. I would message her and if she reads and doesn’t reply or doesn’t reply with intention to resolving the matter immediately, contact the dog warden.

If you have a car and don’t mind the dogs being in it, you could always offer to take them to a nearby kennels whilst she is away but make sure she contacts them and pays them so you aren’t stuck with that.

They are lovely dogs but enormous (and not particularly well trained). I have a 3 year old and a baby, as much as i would like to have them at mine, it just wouldn't work.

I've been and given them a big bowl of water.

I agree with a previous poster - i think the back door has definitely been left open so they can go outside to do their business. My neighbour does sometimes leave her back door open and pop out for a few hours - I imagine she told the friend this was ok, not thinking she would do it all day and potentially all night!!

I have sent my neighbour a message on Facebook. You're all totally right - she would want to know. I just hope she isn't too upset and we can get it sorted.