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?

You have done the right thing. Poor dogs.

Mumsnet is bonkers.
Lots of people don’t use kennels because dogs need to get jabs ..guess why...because they pick up disease much more readily. It can stress them badly. Sending your kids to a children’s home whilst you are away?

I’m guessing the sitter has no idea the dogs bark.Shes not paid to be with them every hour and assumes they are trained. Tell the sitter, help if you can. They aren’t an alien species.

Poor dogs

Not everyone who doesn't send their dog to kennels is cheap. My sister doesn't because her dog gets terribly depressed and anxious away from his own home.

When she last did it he was so unhappy they called her.

I think if you get he right sitter it can work. But it has clearly failed in this case - you need to pay enough to make sure the pet is visited regularly and isn’t left to bark alone for hours and hours.

Clearly the person trusted in this case hasn’t done the job properly. From op’s Comments I suspect there are issues, and this last approach wasn’t a surprise.

So I stand by my comments that, in my opinion, good quality kennels with a solid reputation are a better option, unless you have someone you really trust who will care for the pet like you do.

On and nothing comes for free, I’m not biting😊😊😊😊😊

And I do suspect this less than ideal set up was much cheaper than putting the dogs into a good quality kennel.

A woman I know does house sitting, she moves in to your house, or will take your dog to her home. Is this a rare thing?

I pay my cat sitter the same rate as I pay the cattery. She comes twice s day to feed them and check they’re ok. The difference is the cattery makes one so anxious she bites out her fur. At least in there home they know their surroundings.

Can you access the neighbours garden? Maybe put your head into the house to see if theres any sign the dogs are being fed? There should be dog food in there you could give them.
Definitely contact your neighbout to let her know what is happening

What did your neighbour reply to your message, OP?

I'm glad you've managed to give the dogs some water and chicken and a bit of affection, they must be confused and lonely

Hopefully your neighbour replies soon and manages to sort out other arrangements for them

Agree you have done the right thing - hope the dogs are ok

I have done an occasional bit of housesitting for pets. I’ve never encountered an owner that views me as a cheaper option than a kennel, quite the opposite. They want someone to live in their home and maintain the dogs routine whilst they’re away.

In addition I would not send any of my dogs to kennels, because it is too stressful for them, i much prefer to leave with family if I can, or with a reputable pet sitter.

On this occasion it sounds more like the so called friend has agreed to stay to keep the dogs company but she’s flaked out on the arrangement, pet sitter may just be doing what she’s been paid to do i.e. visit x 2 a day for walks.

Either way op should contact owner to make her aware of situation.

trip of a lifetime for her
2 weeks of torture for her animals
I'd be keeping a careful log of all this, films & photos

Hope the owner gets back soon. I probably wouldn't check my phone much on holiday. It could take a few days for me to notice a message.

Pop some clear tape over the lock tonight. If she is coming then she'll have to break it to get the key in. If it's still in tact tomorrow afternoon say, you know 100% that the dogs need care ASAP.

I agree with the others that telling the dog owner what is happening takes priority ahead of calling RSPCA.
It is very kind of you to water, feed and comfort the dogs. You are a very nice neighbour but you shouldn’t have had to do any of this.
There is nothing wrong with dogs going to good kennels. There are plenty of dog sitters who take dogs into their home according to size/temperament so there is no excuse not to use a kennel set up. Or get someone competent to actually live-in your own home with the dogs. Yes, none of these options are cheap but having a dog (let alone two) is already expensive and as a dog owner you simply have to budget for this extra expense full stop. There is absolutely no excuse.
Unfortunately it looks like in this instance the dog owner did not get proper help from her friend or the friends wasn’t aware that they need to be present for long stretches of time. Not to mention it is foolish to leave dogs on their own for such a long amount of time. And they would certainly need at least two proper walks each day. What if they get ill or there is a fire etc. Were they on their own during the really hot days we had last week?

katewhinesalot that is precisely why I always check my phone when away to see if there are any updates about my dog. And I would want to know if there are any problems, for example, what if, God forbid, I need to pay a vet bill for emergency treatment etc. Hopefully this dog owner can check her messages.

OP, just be careful you don’t end up being asked to look after the dogs for future trips

it's appalling for her to abandon those dogs like that 🤬
and if you get asked to look at in the future you should definitely say no😤
if people are going to have dogs they need to realise that this is a serious responsibility and they must arrange proper care for them🧐

People seem to forget ....if you get two dogs you have now increased the size of your family by 2 extra individuals, granted they are not human family members but they still are going to increase the cost of everyday living so if you want to go on holiday it's going to be all the more expensive because there are two extra individuals to be taken into account 🧐

After all a dog is man's best friend... in this case apparently only up until something better like a holiday comes along🤨

Is there any way to contact your neighbour to see what's going on before going to the RSPCA?

Your owner should make sure that adequate care is going to be provided before going on holiday. Dogs really need to have someone living in the house full time, or go to someone else’s home / kennels.

Your owner?! Your neighbour!