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?

OP, you really are doing good for these dogs. Poor things.

I have 6 dogs, most large dogs, and always put them in kennels when I'm away. House/dog sitters are too unreliable, some because they just can't be arsed and some for reasons beyond their control. I had a lovely woman who used to dog sit for me but she had a family emergency when I was 3 days in to a 2 week holiday and she was unable to look after them anymore. Finding an alternative at such short notice when I wasn't even in the same country was an absolute pain in the arse. Of course it wasnt her fault but it made me realise anything can happen. It's been kennels ever since, although 2 are not huge fans, its safer and so much more reliable.

It does sound as if your neighbours sitter is massively taking the piss and I feel sorry for your neighbour if she's none the wiser. Has she read your message? If your neighbour doesn't respond to you by the end of today I think I would have to relent and get in touch with RSPCA. Yeah there's little they can do, but hopefully a talking to from them or even a note on the door might be enough to make the sitter realise she's being neglectful and putting the dogs at risk. You sound like a great neighbour OP.

that is annoying op.
can you text the neighbour if no response from facebook?

OP I'm a dog walker, and I occasionally do some sitting for short periods. I'm appalled at what appears to be an irresponsible sitter.

It's possible that the dogs are distressed by change or routine and being alone more than absence of food or water. They absolutely should not be being left for long periods of time, and they should be being walked.

I am sometimes asked to walk dogs when people are on holiday, or to do a number of pop in visits. I only offer my services under these circumstances if someone else is staying with the dogs and if they will not be alone for long periods.

It's also likely that your neighbour put a plan in place to keep the dogs happy to include an agreement on routine, length of time to be left alone, walks etc. but that this is not being adhered to.

The best way to fix this would be to contact your neighbour but I realise this is proving tricky. Could you ask the sitter for her number, I realise she may refuse to give it but you would at least have asked. Or do you have any mutual friends that you could ask?

I don't think your neighbour will thank you for getting the RSPCA involved. Sounds like the dog sitter is working shifts while looking after them.

If any of my pets were in distress due to a sitter leaving them for extended periods I'd be delighted that a neighbour got RSPCA or any one else involved. I don't actually think RSPCA will help unless dogs have no food or water but it's all worth a try.

My money is on the sitter leaving them for much longer than was agreed with the neighbour. Maybe she won't do that now she's been caught out.

I would contact your neighbour. If they were my dogs I would want to know x

Sorry for the x

OP can you let her know rather than rspca. We went on holiday and my inlaws were feeding and regularly checking my dogs .Unbeknown to them one got out dog flap one night and howled most night , why they didn't go back in i truly don't know .One my neighbour's contacted me via fb and said think it your's howling wanted give you the heads up before someone reports it .I am so glad they did .My .My inlaws stayed our house the rest of our hols and it didn't happen again .I would have been horrified if no one had given me chance to sort it and just rang rspca .

OP I know your primary concern is for the dogs however if the house is being left empty and insecure for days at a time and over night then that is something the police would deal with. In my force the police would aim to attend that as a priority (within one hour) and insecure properties are boarded up to prevent burglary or criminal damage.

The Police wouldn't be overly interested in the dogs as that is for the RSPCA (even though getting them to go out to anything is nearly impossible) however if they boarded an insecure property then they would have to do something with the dogs such as contact family members if they have details on the system or possibly contact the dog warden or RSPCA to take them temporarily. Obviously this is a rather drastic solution, however if she continues to leave the dogs for days at a time and the property insecure with no way of contacting the dog sitter then it is something that you could consider.

Giving your neighbour the benefit of the doubt I would imagine she would be really upset to find out they were being left in a distressed state and uneasy about her house being left insecure for such a long time. Coming home to find you had been burgled would be much worse than coming home to find your house boarded and the dogs being looked after elsewhere.

Obviously all other solutions need to be exhausted before considering the above.

I meant to add too i did actually get a letter of the person regarding noise at the council .Someone did report it and in all fairness i do see why .I ran them back and they were fantastic, i explained what had happened they fully understood it was a unforeseen one off and closed the complaint there and then and i did go around and apologise to all our close neighbours who were actually fine they knew we were on holiday and our dog care arrangements so it must have been someone who i don't know .

In my experience, the RSPCA won't do anything if the dogs have water, they don't even attend around here anymore.

I wonder if you live near me, our Facebook group has been alight with people moaning about someone who has gone on holiday and left her dogs in the garden (allegedly!) so they're barking all the time. People have generally been furious but the RSPCA wouldn't attend, even when it was baking hot last week.

Hopefully sitter will make herself more visible and useful now that she knows you are onto her; I'd guess she agreed to come more/stay over more but has been slacking so that she gets paid more for less, it's not uncommon sadly.

Do you have any mutual friends with neighbour on Facebook that might have her contact number?

Teach me read through fully OP 🙈 .I am glad you have messaged your neighbour and hopefully now she will be able to contact the sitter or family even to get it sorted .

Those posters saying owners are irresponsible if they don't use kennels .Well they are reasons. My case it is not cost but one my dogs would not cope in kennels i know that for a fact. They are much happier in their own environment with care coming into them .Stop be so high mighty and judgemental 🙄.

Keeping pets in their house is definitely the best option IF you have a reliable sitter, cats in particular as they are much better in their own environment. Dogs need someone pretty much all the time so if you know you don't have someone who can do that then don't get a dog or pay for kennels.

My kids would love a dog but my parents have made it clear they would not 'dog sit'. We have cats and they adore them and even though I pay a cat sitter they still go in twice a day when we are on holiday to see them.

The owner needs to know. She may be able to make alternative arrangements. Her holiday will be tainted anyway when she gets back and hears her ddogs have been effectively neglected.

Kennels would be a last resort for me. It's not cheaper (round here) to have someone come in, but my cat definitely prefers it. The dog comes with me!

You’ve done the right thing I’d hate to have my pets mistreated or left and then have to pay for the privilege my cats now go to cattery. I hope they’re ok !

OP, I know you’re busy, but is there any chance you could go and sit with them at least a couple of times a day?

That is if the police/RSPCA can’t or won’t intervene and you can’t contact your neighbour.

minute they went, kid left the poor dog, and for the rest of the three weeks just popped back for 10 minutes twice a day to let him out/feed him
Of course the kid left the dog, who is going to devote several hours a day for 3 weeks to looking after someone else's dog as a favour for a friend!
if you're going to have a dog you need to remember it's a sentient being, it doesn't become an inanimate object if you go away on holiday for 3 weeks.

Can you get some food and water to them?

They may be barking because no-one is looking after them and they are calling for help.

Call the RSPCA now.

OP has given them a bowl of water and some chicken left over from yesterday .

OP you are a kind person indeed.

I think leaving dogs in kennels is very cruel, people always describe their dogs as family members and yet when they go on holiday for a treat the dog is punished for 2 weeks, how is that the right way to treat a family member?
don't have a dog unless you can can give it a decent life, it's cruel and heartless to subject it to two weeks of punishment just because you want a holiday

Update - she has just come back and taken them out for a walk, hurrah.

Promise I'm not so nosy usually!

Hopefully our bizarre chat this morning made her realise someone had noticed. I'll certainly still be keeping an eye on them and see how it goes today and tonight.