To think this is more common than people realise

[OfficeProbx]

I live opposite an able bodied woman in her 30’s, with a teenage daughter. Shes self employed and home a lot. They had an old dog and got a new dog a few years ago - in lockdown. I can hear them barking from the house.

I have never, not once, ever seen them walk either of these dogs. I only know they exist as they are noisy and she has mentioned them in passing before. I’ve seen them once when they got out of the front door - dogs are not disabled and both a small breed that is very energetic.

a relative had a dog she rarely walked, just let out into the garden every few hours. Eventually she rehomed the dog as it became destructive.

I have a dog and I cannot imagine the misery I would inflict on it to never be walked. It makes me feel so sad for the dog.

I guess I might not always be home to see them walk the dog so might be wrong that it is walked at times, but I actually think this is something that is more common than people realise but people don’t admit to it. You have all the best intentions but then life gets busy and you assume the dog is fine just running around your tiny garden and before you know it, you haven’t walked your dog in months.

I assume it’s various factors as this neighbour took up all her grass and paved the garden so there is no mud or grass, perhaps it’s linked to not wanting mess in the house because even on a nice day, dogs get covered in mud, sticks and grass.

This thread is sad. I assumed it was more common but less talked about than people realise. I wouldn’t judge someone with an old dog that wasn’t very mobile or even occasional walking would be better than nothing but to never see someone just makes me feel sad for the dog. I do hope she is walking them at midnight (she isn’t 😂)

Sounds very familiar to yesterday's post with the doorbell cam.
Stop spying on people.
Go read a book or something leave people alone.
Get on with your own life.

YNBU it definitely does happen. I guess it's possible they are night owls and take the dogs out late. Here's hoping!

Some people don't take their kids out for walks or excessive so it's not surprising people don't bother walking dogs.

I grew up with 2 dogs who literally never got a walk. They had a doggy door into our smallish garden, where mum would be pissed off at them for having to clean up their poos.

DH and I have been dog owners for 15 years and I do a daily dog walk, keep the garden clean and provide enrichment activities for our adored little friend.

It's horrifying when I think back to how our dogs were treated growing up.

My Mum has a large dog that never gets walked. She did a bit when she was younger, but still never enough. Once the novelty wore off there was always an excuse. Legitimate excuse maybe (mobility), but one that was known about before getting a dog!

In laws have a smaller high energy dog, walked sporadically.

None of these dogs are good with other dogs, which is now a reason not to walk them. But of course they're not good with other dogs...they never bloody see any!

Meanwhile, we'd love a dog, but cant/won't get one currently because:

• family dogs won't tolerate other dogs
• I don't want to add dog walks to my already overwhelming life.

I have other family members in my position, who have gone ahead and got dogs. No idea if they're walked regularly, but I think more than our parents dogs.

The only thing that's ok for the dogs in all this is that both our families have large gardens and the dogs are outside a lot (so are our parents). They charge around the garden like nutters multiple times a day.

So no, you're not wrong. But people don't like to admit it. Or they excuse it.

Unfortunately there are people like that - several of our neighbours would leave dogs outside in the back garden in all weathers and never walk them. One used to chuck a dog out the front window into the unfenced front garden - it had several narrow escapes with traffic.

I never understand this, surely the point of having a dog is to take it out and about but so many people have dogs and don't care about their welfare, training, or even picking up after them. These people should be barred from owning any pets.

Sadly I think it is very common, my next door neighbour when I lived in the suburbs and I know of at least two families in our small village and none of them work full time or have mobility issues.

Terrible. I believe dog breeding should be more regulated and everyone should have a license to own a dog. Pet insurance should also be mandatory.

I agree it’s common. I used to walk every morning at the same time round my old estate. I’d see the same half a dozen walkers all year round at the same time, come spring and summer they’d triple, then dwindle again.

I have friends who don’t bother walking their dogs. I think it’s cruel.

I think it's pretty common. Our old NDN never took their dogs out. It was very sad

And I agree - it's about the stimulation as much as anything. our dog is small and quite old and has some health issues so sometimes we skip a walk. But we don't like doing it because she loves her walks - they keep her entertained and happy. Even when she was suffering with quite severe illnesses and leg/joint problems, we still took her out. At one point, she was getting a maximum of 7 minutes at a time, twice a day. It was all her leg could manage but the enthusiasm we saw for those few minutes was proof that we needed to keep doing it! And when she was finally back up to about 20 minutes at a time, I drove from home to our favourite park (normally we walk it but the walk there and back is the least fun part of the walk so with limited walking time, we abandoned that) and she was SOO happy to be back you could see it in every little wag of her tail and hop and skip as she dashed around. In fact, she ws so enthusiastic the 20 minutes landed up being a bit too much for her leg and I was really worried I'd put her recovery back!

Two good friends of mine walk their dogs at 5.30 and 6am. If you're not up at that hour you might think they don't get walked. They are also walked at night.

Each dog must be registered to a breeder/owner. Tbh not sure who the issuing authority would be. They must take out pet insurance and not too many dogs like 6+ can be registered to one person.

Yeah I accept I can’t possibly know their every moments I am aware. Also I’m not spying I just live very close proximity. There is only one entrance in and out of our street so yes you get to see the usuals jogging, walking etc. I was up at 6am today and walked the dog and came back and noticed NDN dog was barking in the garden and then about an hour later she went out in her car because we left at the same time. Then later in the evening I am washing up or cooking when she usually gets home and she doesn’t go out again either as the front lights would click on and I can see it through my window.

The point of my post was not to prove she isn’t, even is she is walking the dog(s) sporadically it’s so sporadically that none of my whole household have never crossed paths with their dog outside of her house so the likelihood they walk it is low, and that’s it’s more common than people realise. It just creeps up on people and they put it off and the dog still loves you so you think they are fine and before you know it, they go weeks/months without going out of their house or garden and you start to forget it’s even important.

I just think it’s common but taboo and people don’t admit to it

I'm sure it happens sometimes, but I also think nosey neighbours who haven't got enough going on in their life spend a disproportionate amount of time focusing on what their neighbours are/aren't doing instead of getting on with their own life. In my experience curtain twitchers tend to have an inflated view of their knowledge of their neighbors, which often isn't the true picture.

I couldn't imagine having enough time or inclination to keep track of when I did or didn't see my neighbours walking their dogs.

I agree
I've lived next to my neighbours for nearly 5 years now and I've never seen them walk their dogs. I know what time they get up and go to bed (because the walls are thin and they are loud) so it's unlikely in their case they are doing it at 6am everyday as a pp suggested. Also when the fence between our gardens came down and we had to access theirs to fix it their garden was absolutely covered in dog shit which suggests the dogs weren't going out and had nowhere else to do it.
Grim.

Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. I have never seen my neighbour take her dog out but my MIL regularly bumps into them when she is out in popular dog walking spots. I guess it depends how much time you spend staring out of your window.

This reminds me of a recent thread about never seeing your neighbours bringing in grocery shopping 😂

We had a cavalier king Charles which had a short trachea.
If he got too energetic he would collapse. He was 5 months old when it first happened. Vet advised us to put to sleep.
We decided to never take him for a walk as we had a reasonable sized garden.
He lived until he was 10 years old.
Maybe there is a health problem.

Well that's a daft comment isn't it! Of course the dog owners paying you care, it's all the others that are the concern

Yup, I have a neighbour who has two dogs - I have never seen them go on a walk. They are in the garden barking all day because they are bored shitless. There really are some shite dog owners out there.

It’s such a pity when dog owners who are able to take their dogs out for walks choose not to. As well as transforming the dog’s physical and mental health chances are it will do the same for the owner.

It’s a great way to get kids out walking and a wonderful family bonding experience. We have lots of fancy family holidays but our favourites are still when we take the dogs and do a long walk everyday and my children are now adults.

MIL had 4 dogs that she never ever walked. Not once. They are old now and don’t seem to even bother running around the garden, they just lie about looking bored to death.

When they die I have no doubt she will get another ‘for company’ and not walk that one either.