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?

I have dogs and would definitely want to know if they weren’t being properly looked after. I would definitely talk to your neighbor when they get home from holiday. They need to know.

I know you say that you can contact your neighbour via Facebook but don’t like to as she will be distraught but it’s their responsibility to have their dogs cared for properly. If the RSPCA do get involved there is a chance the dogs maybe taken and how would the neighbour feel then ?

They really should have made proper arrangements and you should not feel bad for having your peace disturbed by noisy dogs

All the dog kennels I've seen are appalling Cell Block H type places. I know one in bracknell where the dogs are never released from their very small concrete runs.
It is a very profitable business. Wages are low and fees generally £15 per dog a day. One owner told me he made 200k net. It's staggering.
The kennel owners I know are in it for the money and couldn't care less about the dogs.

Those poor dogs.
I’m guessing the owner thought this was a better alternative to kennels and assumed the woman would be there.

Years ago I had someone house and dog sit, he left the dog overnight and only popped in in the morning.
He’d been happy enough to help himself to my car though and take that out and did 8 hours driving in it.
I got back and just ‘knew’, he admitted it all.
I thought it would be better for the dog.

Hopefully your word means she will buck up her ideas

is it possible the friend has had an accident, and is in the house needing help?

Poor dogs and poor you!

You were right to contact your NDN, the dog sitter clearly isn’t up to the job and NDN needs to know!

Not sure that this will be resolved this time but hopefully your NDN will think of better options if she goes away again!

No, @Neverbeensocross - the OP has spoken to the dog sitter who lied through her teeth and said that she had been in the house, whilst the dogs were barking, but out in the garden when the OP was knocking - but miraculously back in the house when the OP was comforting and feeding the dogs over the fence.

I hope your neighbour responds soon. She might have been tricked by the dog-sitter, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that she is neglectful of her dogs.

I use a kennel for my dog when I am away. It is nothing like a prison. I spent time visiting kennels before I chose the one I use. He gets to run around freely and is taken on long walks. He doesn't like it as much as being at home with me, but he is fine there. My last dog was very social and loved hanging out with the other dogs at the kennel. He used to look a bit dissatisfied when I brought him home again as it was so dull in comparison!

Not all dog kennels are like prisons, sweeping generalisation.
One of my dogs was fine in kennels, another one would have never been ok in such a setup. It depends on the quality of the kennels and the dog itself. There was only 1 kennel I truly liked and trusted and the location was convenient so used it for years.
Over the last nearly 10 years I have noticed an increase of dog carers who accept dogs on heir premises. That’s what I use nowadays because it suits my current dog. I have used two such places for different dogs and they were great. There is a limited number of dogs being accepted, of similar size and temperament t, they get proper walks and are very well looked after and it is very much a personalised service. As an alternative, not far from us there is some sort of dog care service which does day care, holiday care, dog walking and some sort of spa like service set in a large private park (never looked into it as I imagined it’s too Pretentious for us and have no idea what they charge).

I agree let owners know via facebook if they have it I would be devastated if they were my dogs or put a note on facebook if you know their names

Dippypippy I completely disagree with you. I have left my dog with friends when away because I couldn’t bear the idea of kennels where dogs are locked up from late afternoon and don’t see anyone for hours on end. It was thinking of my dog not the money. I would have been so upset if my friends did this and definitely would want to know so that I could make other arrangements.

This reminds me of a lovely neighbour I used to live next door to in a terraced house.

She was in her 80s I reckon & her great grand daughter used to pop round every day with her friend (approx 13 yrs old)

They would put 2 small dogs on leads then stand outside my lounge window for 30 mins chatting

My neighbour couldnt see them. I knocked one day & said "I presume your great grand daughter should be walking the dogs?

She said yes, and she pays her to do it.

I told her how they hang outside my window and the dogs dont get walked.

I did walk them for a while, she rehomed one to a farm, as it was a spaniel and needed loads of exercise.

I think she kept the smaller elderly dog.

Not read all posts. Those going on about bad owner, not setting up care, should have used kennels etc SHE DID set up care and a walker! She wasnt to know that the carer would be shit and not care. As for the lecture from one poster about what you take on with animals I'm sure she is well aware as she did her best to sort care. I have several four legs and go away about 70 days a year. I have someone petsit because my animals all have their own quirks and I know some would not cope in kennels. It would be cheaper to kennel them but at least 2 of them would stress so much I would probably come back to very sick animals, kennels are not suitable for all cats/dogs. Thank you for being a good neighbour op.

I agree re: council dog warden but I disagree on telling your neighbour but only because she's away on her trip of a lifetime so it's unlikely she can come back at the drop of a hat, it would just upset her unnecessarily.

I cannot believe she didn't put them in kennels? 2 weeks is a long time to leave them with an unreliable babysitter and an ad hoc dog walker?!

Would you be prepared to have them at yours? Big ask I know but is that an alternative if they are friendly? As a dog owner myself I would just go over and rescue them and bring them to mine but I understand not everyone would want the burden.

I would ring the dog warden and tell them the truth: your neighbour is away and uncontactable, she left them in the care of someone who is clearly not looking after them, they are causing a noise nuisance and the owner would be heartbroken if she knew the circumstances and will undoubtedly collect them when she gets home.

If you can contact the owner, do that intead of the RSPCA, who could confiscate the dogs! If they were my dogs, I'd much rather know even on holiday, as then I could contact the "carer" and get her to get her act together, or even ask you if you'd mind letting them out several times a day and feeding/watering them, having got the key from the (fired!) carer. I'd be devastated if the RSPCA took my dogs.

Don't contact RSPCA unless it's your last option, as you know this woman looks after her dogs, I would contact her through Facebook/messenger and let her know what's happening, and offer to sort it out for her, by looking after the dogs myself.

If you think the dogs have no food and your neighbour's back door has been left open, you could go in and find some tinned/dried dog food for them, but it sounds like they bark whenever they are left outside on their own and now it's longer than usual as the owner is away. I bet she doesn't know her door is left open though with no one there.

You should tell you neighbour - you’ll tell her when she returns anyway. Perhaps she will give you the ok to arrange kennels for them.

Please contact her. I've got dogs and I'd want to know so I could get alternative arrangements sorted for themnif this happened to them. I'd be horrified to find our someone was treating mine like this. I'd be furious about my back door being left open all day, too, but mostly very upset for the dogs, who are obviously stressed and lonely, and mortified that they'd been bothering the neighbours. Honestly, please, please contact your neighbour for the dogs' sake. This is so, so unfair on them and the house sitter should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

It’s not clear to me from your posts how often you’d seen them in the garden barking at length since last Friday before you saw the sitter today. And what’s happened to the dog walker? Have both of them bailed? All very weird.

Wow, poor dogs, if I was dog sitting, they would get all walks promised, plus love, attention, grooming. Why are people like this?

Dog warden and tell your neighbour when she gets back about her useless dog sitter. There's nothing she can do from where she is so don't worry her.

We are lucky to have family that love our dog, otherwise I would never go away.

I have two dogs who o love to bits and if I were away and there was s chance that the dogs weren’t being looked after properly I’d want to know even if I was on holiday.
If the dogs are barking relentlessly then if guess that the friend looking after them isht there much to hear it!
First I’d record the barking. Leave the voice recorder running and then you have proof that what you’re saying is true about how long it’s going on for.
I once had s friend who I was paying to look after mine shd it turned out she was taking my money and just dashing in to feed them. Unbeknown to her if installed a video door bell which clearly showed her coming in and decking off after 6 minutes when I was paying for 4 hours!!
It might well be similar situation to mine. X

Whosorry - I am fairly certain kid was paid to stay in the house the whole three weeks, food and internet etc thrown in... (kid = 18).. judging by the rows that ensued when everyone got back (my neighbours appear to have all discussions and arguments in their back yard which is feet from where I sit at my desk all day!).

Of course, wouldn't have been paid anywhere near what a professional would charge... but i suspect they felt their money was better spent on their holidays.. Ugh.

They no longer have a dog, which has to be a good thing for dog-kind!