To be wondering about phoning the RSPCA

[dilemma456]

Message withdrawn

That does seem very wrong - i would ring them. They need lots of space and shouldn't be sitting in their own wee and poo.. I have 2 king charles and they need a lot of space.

My gut feeling is not to phone, it's not perfect for the dogs, but it's not clearly neglect either.

If you're worried then phone them.

If it turns out that the neighbour has got the wrong end of the stick and the dogs are well looked after then the RSPCA will see that. And if the neglect isn't severe they won't remove the dogs straight away, I think they would offer advice and then make a follow-up visit to see if things had improved.

I think you should phone. The RSPCA do community education also. They prefer to educate a pet owner if they can rather then take the animals away. The inspector will come out and look at the animals and thier living space and tell the owner what they should do and also inform them that they can surrender their animals if they cant cope.
Best of luck with it all though.
p.s its confidential also

It is neglect if they are cooped up in the porch with no fresh water and not enough space to move around, and sitting in their own wee and poo. But we dont know if the neighbour is exagerating the fact that they are like that every day while the person is at work. I'm sure its very uncomfortable for the dogs to sit in their own wee and poo, would you like it?

I agree with nellynaemates and AussieLou. The RSPCA won't take action unless it's necessary.

You must call them. I'm sure I've read about animals being similarly restricted in small spaces who end up with ulcerated paws due to the acid in the urine they are forced to stand in.

If you call the RSPCA they can do a proper inspection and check the dogs for any other signs of neglect. Even if the owner lies when they call, it should be apparent from the state (and/or smell) in the porch that it's regulary used to confine them for long periods.

If that's the case, the knobhead owner is no doubt "protecting" the rest of the house from any damage or mess they might cause while he's at work. Makes me absolutely spitting mad that people take on large animals (or any animal) like that without thinking through the reality of caring for them responsibly.

I'd love to know what your definition of "neglect" is Alardi. Any animal needs free access to water at all times, never mind food, and, as I said previously, their physical health can be affected by standing in urine & faeces. That's not even taking into account the mental strain on intelligent animals being confined in a space which is clearly too small for them, and without any mental stimulation either. Two St Bernard size dogs in an average sized porch would be equivalent to you or I spending most of the day in a toilet cubicle.

IME the RSPCA are really good at education, they helped the most cantankerous (sp?) old man in our village with his neglected and unloved dog. Some time later they were called agin for his kitten (who was getting treatment but the neighbours wanted to be sre after the way the dog was treated). This time he was really pleased to see them because they had been really helpful, non-judgemental and helped the community realise he was doing his best for his animals.

I would call them, if there is mess in there and no shade / water then it is not up to scratch.

could you leave an anonymous letter at the house to say that you are worried about the living conditons of the dogs?

I am not sure that the RSPCA will help.

I have phoned the dog warden for similar and it was handled in a really nice way but that might be just our dog warden!

I'd call the RSPCA and tell them what you saw. They can then take action or not, depending on their view of the urgency of the situation, and yes they will try to educate the owner rather than remove the dogs immediately.

But I agree with Catsmother, it isn't right at all to leave large dogs (or any dogs) cooped up all day with maybe no heating/shade/water etc and no access outside. Appalling behaviour

Phone them.
better to be over-cautious and reassured than worrying about something that could be prevented

YANBU. Call them. They cannot make the judgement unless you let them know.

I work within the animal industry, you must call if you are concerned!
They will chk it out and educate the owner if something is not right.
It is so important that people voice their concerns, many animals could avoid suffering if people just voiced their concerns.

I have seen too many sad cases within my work which could have been avoided, please call them.

Please call them. As the others said if they are ok the RSPCA will leave well enough alone BUT if they are not you will have made all the difference.

I disagree Alardi
I think it is neglect

It will be very stressful for someone to get a surprise inspection from RSPCA, though. Please don't inflict that if not necessary. So if OP is going to phone, would you please go back and double check the circumstances? See that the dogs are still being kept as you saw, and try to ask another neighbour to verify that they are kept like that seemingly all the time.

I am surprised if the dogs are kept in unhappy conditions and not chewing the wooden door frames up and barking all day.

They may be that scared to make a noise and bark all day. If someone thought that my dogs were neglected (which their not) i would welcome a visit from anyone so that they can see that they was well looked after.

I think this is neglect. A dog is part of the family. I would never leave my dog (sadly deceased) in a porch all day with no food/water and wee and poo all over the place.

Phone the RSPCA. They are the experts. They will tell if it is neglect or not.

Alardi - "it will be very stressful for someone to get a surprise inspection from RSPCA" ?? Not as stressful as I imagine it is for large dogs to be cooped up in cramped conditions all day! Definitely call the RSPCA and let them assess the situation.

My dogs accidentally locked themselves in the porch a coupl e of times so we fitted a gate.

Can you trust that the neighbour has their facts straight?

call them.. they will check it out.. better to be this way round than to ignore it and the dogs are suffering.

Alardi - if the owners have done nothing wrong and the RSPCA agree then it's not really stressful is it?

I wouldn't like to be your pet with that attitude!!!

I tell you, I would be pleased and proud to show my cats off to ANYONE at ANY time of the day or night including any RSPCA inspector who came knocking. My cats are kept in perfect health with not so much as a chipped claw going unnoticed by me. There is always fresh water down, they are always fed, de-flea'd, up to date with boosters, wormed, clean litter tray, the works (they aren't pampered pedigrees either and don't live on salmon and best chicken either they are mogs but I do my absolute BEST for them.

If there's nothing to report then the RSPCA simply go away. Best that the dogs are comfortable for their lifetime than worrying about the owner enduring a moment of "stress".

and from what the OP has said there is certainly room for improvement/education there.

you do need to call either dog warden or rspca - animals cant talk and we need to look after them

n oone, either animal or human should be shut in a small space with no water or food and left in their wee and poo

"if the owners have done nothing wrong and the RSPCA agree then it's not really stressful is it?"

In that case, this entire thread is pointless. There is never any reason to ask "Should I report it?" because it would never cause the slightest bother to anybody if you did report them for something. Anybody with the slightest suspicians about anything, should just go ahead and report it. Better safe than sorry, eh?