Hi,

Happy New Year folks first of all :D

Today when I was taking Gonzo out for a walk, a local dog was in our garden. Gonzo wasnt very happy about this and chased him out, lol :) Anyway, this dog is never taken for walks or anything, he is let out like a cat to roam the streets, then go home. He wears a collar, and is a friendly dog but I dont think that its right to do this personally. We live on a side street which has a main road behind it, and busy road at either end, and our road is used as a cut through, so gets a lot of traffic. This dog crosses roads, and causes distractions to people by running up and jumping on them.

I know where he lives as he sits out side the drive for most of the day, so I knocked and asked if the dog was theirs, and could they not let him off the lead as he comes into my garden and poo's everywhere. They said "NO. We havent got time to take 'it' for walks, so he's let out all day to do what he likes, and they let him in when they get hom from work". So I asked why they have a dog at all, they should of got a cat, and maybe they should look for a home with people who would look after him properly. To that I got the door shut in my face. Not surprisingly really, I shouldnt of said it, but I snapped.

What do people think of this situation? Is it right or wrong?

I would have said the same thing as you Gonzo,especially the cat part,well said!

It is wrong to let a dog wander the streets all day long,isnt it illegal,cant the dog warden pick the dog up?
If he poops on your yard i would pick them up,maybe saving up for a few days and then dump them on the owners front step :D

On the other hand i would feel just as sorry for this dog if it were cooped up in a backyard all day long.
Which is worse for the dog,complete and utter boredom and never being taken out, or let out to do his own thing?,they are both bad!! These peole need to give their dog to a responsible loving family.

Hi Rose,

I think that it is illegal to let dogs roam around the streets, and if caught by the dog warden, there is a fine involved. I like the idea about the poop thing, hmmmm, I wish I had saved it all up now ;)

I do also feel sorry for the dog, he is obviously friendly, and just wants some attention as hejumps up at people. I completley agree that these people need to find a good home for the dog. I do however doubt that they will. If they did give him away, they wouldnt be the type of people to care about where he goes. Hell, I would take him in if I could, but mine is going through the terrible two stage and I dont think I could cope at the moment with two :rolleyes: :).

Im tempted to pick him up though and find a good home for him myself, but then I would be in the wrong for doing so, technically Dog knapping So I dont know what to do for the best really :(

Well it's not exactly dog knapping if you found the dog wandering the streets????
It isnt your responsibility to take the dog home either.

Would they go to the trouble of claiming him back and paying the fine if he was "captured"?!!

I think a chat with the dog warden should be the first step, but if he comes into your garden .... .... .... ???!!!!

well, maybe take his collar off and take him to a shelter? i doubt hes microchipped?
If it were me, id do that, its too risky to rehome him urself cos u could get in trouble if they decide to press charges (if they found out).
Id be reluctant to put the poop on their doorstep :|  even tho its a good idea, i reakon they could possibly have a go at the dog :(

its not safe for him to be wanderin the streets, he could get hit by a car, or stolen....

It always amazes me that people who let their dogs roam the streets dont care what could potentially happen to them ( and/or others) :(

Jenny >>>well, maybe take his collar off and take him to a shelter?<<<
He may the risk of being pts if he wasnt claimed- although its not safe to have him roaming the streets I wouldnt want this to happen to him either :(

<What do people think of this situation? Is it right or wrong?>

I would get photographic evidence of the dog defecating on your property and then hand it over to the dog warden with details of the dog's address.

It is illegal to allow your dog to foul in a public place and not remove the poop and there is a fine of up to £1,000, which should be a big deterrent.

Obviously the owners are not reasonable people and the only way to correct the situation is to hit them in the pocket. This may even persuade them to rehome the dog.

Snomaes

The main concern I would have when handing him over to the dog warden is that if not claimed or re-homed he may be pts :(

Is the dog being mistreated? Is he healthy? It is an old fashioned view that dogs should be 'let out' and they come home when ready, in this modern age it is now illegal because of possible complications involving traffic or aggressive behavior if the dog were to be provoked. Hence why all dogs must have owners details on their tags.

Its a tough call, if you believe the dog is being mistreated I would be tempted to contact the rspca who may have a word with the owners - if you think the dog is healthy you have to decide as someone else said if he would be better off being allowed to roam then being put in kennels for months possibly years until he is re-homed.

Good luck with him.

Rox

Hi,

Thanks for all your advice. I think I got the gist of what some of you are suggestiong, and I have thought of that myself ;)

I know where im going to go from here now.

Thankyou all so much.

Ben :)

Well as i said in my post on the dog picked up by the dog warden, It is too easy for the owners to get him back! We have 2 wandering dogs in our area, one a collie cross thing and the lab. Both are a nuicance, both are going to cause a car accident one of these days and in both cases where the warden has been called the dogs have been released back into the poor quality of care there were recieving before.

Now if the dog were to be picked up just over the border to the next county things may be different, for one it couldnt be traced. The only problem is any dog that isnt re-homed or had some kind of behavioural or temperament problem caused by this poor standard of care recieved in the last home will be destroyed.

So to leave things as they are could be the lesser of two evils, maby not....

It is sad that people dont care enough to meet their dogs needs, dog is for life and all that.
Tighter laws surrounding canine care and ownership need to be introduced me thinks.
GM