Neighbours Dog - advice please

[NewbeeMummy]

Need some help on this as I'm not sure what to do about this...

We have some lovely neighbours who have 2 lovely dogs, we get on well with our neighbours so I don't want to upset that.

Here is the problem, both neighbours work, so the dogs are shut outside all day, they also have a LO, so the dogs are often shut out even when they are at home. I should say that the dogs have an undercover area so they can stay dry, and the run of a fair sized garden.

My first issue is that a couple of other neighbours have commented that they feel the dogs are not getting the love and attention they need, I know these dogs are very well loved and looked after. There is also the issue that if the dogs get out the front of the house, which happens quite frequently, they will chase the cats in the street - and I know for a fact that the one dog would happily kill a cat if he got hold of it (although the other neighbours are not aware of this fact) it's distressing to have your pets chased on your own property and are considering calling in the RSPCA.

My second problem is that as the dogs spend so much time outside they often get bored, and start barking. If my neighbours are out for the day, the dogs will be put outside when they leave, and if they happen to stay out late the dogs may not get fed until late at night - so more barking, on one such occasion I actually went over at about 10pm to let the dogs in and feed them - we have a key as we have in the past fed their dogs if they're not around (I obviously texted to inform them before doing so).

Anyway the dogs barking late at night often wakes up my DD, and this barking has upset some of the other neighbours too.

I have tried politely mentioning it to my neighbours, the wife seems genuinely embarassed, but does nothing, the husband almost laughs it off in a that's what dogs do fashion.

Any ideas on how to handle this before someone complains and I get stuck in the middle of it?

Do the dogs get any exersize? At least they have each other for company, but I don't see why people bother getting dogs if they don't spend any time with them?

Well, they don't seem loved and well looked after to me.

If you have tried to speak to the neighbours about the barking and they don't so anything, I think you're just going to have to be more pointed, but still polite. Maybe mention that one of the other neighbours had mentioned it too and you thought you'd mention it again in case someone complained to the council.

It sounds like they are not very well trained if they are constantly escaping out the front of the house. Of course a dog will chase a cat and probably kill it if it got hold of it. My own dogs are fantastic with my own cats, but I wouldn't put it past them to want to chase and maybe kill someone else's, that is what dogs are wired to do, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. However, the dogs are also in danger of causing a traffic accident which the owners would be liable for if they are not kept under control and obviously the dogs themselves could be killed. I think if you are unable to speak to the owners about this and get a decent response, you'd have to contact the dog warden, for the dog's sake if nothing else.

A dog that barks all day long is not a happy one.

So the dogs are kept outside even when the people are at home? And what does having a little one have to do with it? Pets are normally fine with kids. It sounds cruel.