PUPPY IN GARAGE

[JasperBoo]

My nephew and his wife are keeping their new puppy in the garage, because they don't believe that dogs should be allowed in living areas.

The garage is at the end of the garden, not attached to the house, and currently contains all the usual rubbish you fill your garage with.

The plan is to empty it, add heating etc, and make it into an office space with the dog in, rather than a dumping ground, but they've been saying that for years.

They say that he will always live outside, and that they will get someone in to train him as a guard dog.

I am really upset at the thought of this puppy being left alone and scared, in a cold, dark, garage, when he could be living inside with the family.

The family will be with him outside when they have time, but they have 2 young kids, 2 cats, and a busy online "influencer" business.

(They have time to use him for their Instagram posts mind you!)

I have sent them info about the RSPCA campaign to change the law so dogs can't be kept outside. I have flagged the risk of getting someone in to train the dog to be a guard dog, rather than taking time themselves to train him to just be a loving family dog. (He's a doberman type).

But right now, I'm mostly just in bits that there is a little puppy being left outside on his own in the garage when he could be having a loving life inside with the family.

They bought him to be a guard dog, and an Instagram tool.

It breaks my heart.

My sister and mum have completely turned on me, because I put a message on their Instagram post of the puppy, asking for a photo of the garage he was living in, and asking why he couldn't live in the house. My sister went as far as to say I'm no longer part of her family if I'm "going for" her son like that.

I did ask them on a private what's app message when i first heard they had a puppy, and they outright lied to me saying he wouldn't be left outside, when this is what they had planned all along apparently. (I live 3 hours from them, it was my sister, his mum, that told me initially, then I saw messages on the Instagram post confirming he wasn't allowed in the house)

Am I being unreasonable to be so worried about this puppy? I honestly am not sure what to do next.

I'd be tempted to post this on their local Facebook page. Hopefully peer pressure from their neighbours will set them right. Fuckers.

Puppies need to be socialised (lots of human and other dog contact) else they can become "nasty".

This poor puppy is being abused and will end up not being able to be rehomed. Please report it to the RSPCA, Police and every animal charity you can find asap.

The fact that it’s alone is worse than that it’s outside. Dogs are pack animals. I’d call the RSPCA and see what they advise.

Can you report to the place they got it from too? Hopefully they have a conscience. Prob a backyard breeder though.

It'll likely be crying and whimpering. The fact its in a garage at the end of the garden will mask the sound. It's awful.

I give it 9 months until it bites someone! A disaster waiting to happen. Cruelty has consequences - a lifetime of isolation destroys the mind entirely. Absolute bastards.

Take the dog

cruel bastards

If they want an ill adjusted animal that could well end up being a bite risk, they should crack on.

Dogs are social animals, and should either be in the family home, especially during puppyhood, or given to someone who will look after it properly.

That's awful. A dog will instinctively guard it's family once there is an established bond there, no specialist training is needed. I've had both cats and dogs as pets and the dogs definitely seek out human companionship the most. Failing to socialise a large breed dog is effectively signing it's death warrant futher down the line. I've just taken on a 40kg young GSD from the RSPCA a few months ago. She was kept isolated in a field and is very afraid of noise due to having never being exposed to traffic/people noise. She'll bark and growls if the environment is too loud and now needs to be taught to regulate her behaviour, otherwise she will end up biting someone. She's otherwise a very loving and loyal dog, but it's a shame her original owners didn't have the decency to socialise her from being a young puppy.

What’s their Instagram name?

I'm half expecting OP to come back and tell us it is an illegally obtained XL bully. Her nephew and his wife sound like the feckless kind of people who would do something like that. No matter what breed it is, the poor thing deserves a lot better than what those two plan on giving it.

The breed is in the OP.

Poor thing, that’s no life! It’s also a tragic incident waiting to happen.
YANBU. Are they big on the social media front? I’d out them anonymously if you can. As a concerned neighbour or something.

Yeah but not the type of dogs you'd want around 2 cats and young kids?

This! A thousand times over.

@Dotto

That's not really much better. I know that the minority of dobermans are not aggressive. If the dog was in the right hands I wouldn't be in the least bit worried as I like dobermans. But being left with this pair of fuckwits is a recipe for disaster. A doberman who is going to be left isolated either in a garage or outside, with no human contact apart from when his owners want to take pic of him for their social media pages and no training apart from a few visits from a stranger, this could go wrong in so many different ways.

Report the condition of the garage, that's neglect. Out them on SM and their insta.

Op, I think that whatever you day, they will do as they do. So I would stop telling them and report the dog. If that doesn't work I would seriously try and line up a new owner or contact the breeder if they were reputable and get someone to steal the dog back. Any reputable breeder would have one of their puppies back.

How old is the puppy? Imagining a puppy out in a cold isolated garage is really upsetting.

Do they live in a particularly rough area that would need a guard dog?
Is there anyone in the family that your nephew would listen morr too?

Quite a lot of working dogs live in kennels so it’s not really that different is it?

fyi, our own working cocker sleeps on our bed with us contorting around him.

I would be on every single SM post until they blocked me. It's repugnant behaviour, they sound like shallow, cruel, cunts.

Easiest and best thing to do here is let their 'followers' know.

Loads of dogs do it so it’s fine! Mine doesn’t tho 🤣

I’m not saying I agree 🙄 clearly I don’t or I would do the same. I don’t think it’s necessarily RSPCA worthy though.

I think many working dogs live outside, but then they will have done a good day's work to stimulate and wear them out, and will probably have other animal company.

It doesn't sound like they will last long with the puppy to be honest.