Neighbor's dog?

Question

What should I do about my neighbors puppy who is fed and watered but otherwise neglected?

He lives in an 8x10 pen attached to a hugh doghouse with a covered porch.
He has shade and toys. His pen area stays full of feces and it seems that they only feed him but never play with
him or let him out. They bought him for their 11 yr old boy who is rarely at home( usually away at his dad's house-divorce situation). I know the boy loves the dog and have seen him interact with him in the past. The poor puppy lies on his porch and cooks in this 100 degree heat we're having. I've been over and petted him and one day even wetted him down with my garden hose. I live in a small rural GA town. I don't think the local animal rescue could do anything, since he's being feed and watered. I have a friend who wants him and I've been temped to liberate him myself. He's a wonderful dog and never barks. Please,serious answers only.

Answer 1

I think you should call the humane society - even if he's being fed, he needs social interaction and he shouldn't be laying in an area covered with feces. I don't think you should liberate him yourself. If you get caught, you could possibly be charged with a crime (trespassing or theft).
Leave it to the professionals - they know how to do their jobs. If nothing else, they can tell the owners how to care for the dog - I don't think you should tell them they're not taking care of the dog right - you'll probably start a fight. Just call and tell them you would like to be kept anonymous. Really - I have heard of dogs going crazy from not having social interaction and if this is a puppy - maybe it's not too late to save him.

Answer 2

You can maybe talk to the boy and his mother, maybe you can work out an agreement,something like, you get to have the dog, he can live in your house, you can excerise him, feed him, etc. and the boy can come visit the dog when ever he likes, but the dog gets to be free of the captivity he was put under. And the mother should be willing to let you have the dog, obviously by making the dog live in an eight by ten pen, she is not to fond of dogs, and or likes the dog too much.
You can call the humane society too, or your local animal abuse place, they should be able to do something about this (neglecting an animal is abuse too). But if you are worried about causing rifts in you and your neighbors relationship, than this might not be a good decision.
Talk to the boys father. The father might understand that you are worried for the animal, and part of teh problem is the boy spends so much time at his dads house and is never at his moms place enough to care for the dog, and the father might be willing to take, the dog was maybe a gift from the dad before the divorce.
Maybe talk to the kids mom, she might get the dog out of the pen more often, or it could lead to a big argument.: (
*Choose wisely, for your choice can affect you and your neighbors, relationship, hurt feelings, or cause rifts in the neighborhood*

Answer 3

Seriously, call the humane society or aspca. I personally do not believe in letting a dog LIVE outside. A lot of states say food, water, shelter, and medical care is enough. I don't believe that. Or talk to the neighbor, maybe she'll let you have the dog. Explain your concerns. No dog should have to live like that. I'm surprised it doesn't bark constantly. I wonder if the dog has flea/tick preventative or heartworm preventatives. If the dog has flea or tick infestation and the owner is ignoring it, the human society will definitely look into that type of neglect.

Answer 4

Are your neighbors friendly to you? If they are, then I would highly suggest that if you have some extra time to spend, ask them if you can have the dog over to play. Or spend some time petting the dog over the fence and give him some treats. The thing about it is this: if the dog is not being neglected in any other way than that, there's not much you can do. I used to live by a guy who had a blood hound and he'd just leave him out in the back yard all by himself for a long time. I had a dog at the time too, so I'd ask him if I could bring the puppy over to play with my dog. That is a suggestion. By asking them if you can spend time with the dog, they will might realize that they don't spend enough time with him.

Answer 5

My neighbor has neglected his chahuahua by leaving it out in the extreme weather with no proper shelter and no human or animal contact. He also got the dog for the kids, who seem to ignore the dog. They went on a holiday trip and left the dog alone. During electrical storm last night I ran over and rescued the dog. But, now I do not feel like a good samaritan but rather like a criminal, even though the dog is very happy to get our attention and love. We are going to turn it into the local dog shelter and hope that it finds a better home. Sign...Guilty Samaritan

Answer 6

Part of abuse is letting an animal lie in it's own feces. Call your sheriff's office. we live in a rural area too. The sheriff takes care of those thing. Or just ask the people if you can buy or have the dog to give it a better home. Or when the sheriff comes out, ask him/her if you can take him.

Answer 7

Is he left outside all day? Is his area (ie kennel) covered for shade or does he have a dog house? Does he have plenty of water? Does he bark all night? If he has the things he needs while his people are gone and is not keeping the neighborhood awake all night, there is not much you can do.

Answer 8

Contact the humane society in your area...if you don't have one, call the police and they will put you in contact. Don't put this off....you will feel horrible if you do. Or...if you can talk to them, then I would talk to them about how they are neglecting their puppy and warn them that if it continues then you will be calling the humane society. That may snap them out of it....or put some literature in their mailbox about neglecting a pet and what can happen.

Answer 9

neglect is a problem, you can report it to the humane officer and they will investigate if you suspect that the neglect is also abuse you have a responsibility to report it to the humane officer. It is thier job to investigate and prosecute animal abuse. but just remember that you can not watch your neighbor 24-7 and may be missing something that the humane officer does not. so you r concerns may not be prosecuted.

you can report What you have observed to the authority, humane officer, but you may not be able to change the situation.

Answer 10

Call animal control...this poor dog is being neglected which is a form of abuse.