HELP....Is this Negligence and if so Should I call the Cops .I only have 3 hrs to decide?

Question

I overheard my neighbor crying and screaming about her lost dog.And I went outside to help, But when i got outside she was gone.
I live in a Condo so It took me a couple of minutes to reach where she was.
10 HOURS LATER.
25 min ago My two dogs went to the balcony's sliding glass door indicating something was wrong.I went on to the balcony and saw neighbors lost dog standing in the middle of the garden and shaking.
So Now he is safe and warming up in front of the fire place
My Question is this poor dog has been out in Snowy -12 degree Celsius,10.4 degree Fahrenheit,for 10+ hrs any longer would = death.
This woman has hardly made a effort to find him and to add to that she is actually sleeping .......How could you sleep knowing your innocent and helpless dog was missing.I WOULD NEVER SLEEP TILL I MADE A COUPLE OF ALL NITER'S LOOKING FOR MY DOG.Just like a parent of a lost/missing child would.

When I return the dog I am going to Ask her How the Hell Can you be so Selfish & Cold to sleep knowing your helpless pooch is freezing to death....I want to tell her right off
But my girlfriend is against me saying anything ,she thinks I will make her feel really bad if I confront the
Wench on her Neglegence.
Help....What should I do/say when I Return him? What would you do

Answer 1

I understand your passion and your anger. I've spent hours looking for my girl when I thought she was lost in a national park!! How could she be asleep warm in her bed while her pooch is outside in freezing weather?

But things happen, dogs DO run off.

Yes she should have been out looking for her dog but people handle stress differently and she may have believed the dog would come back on its own. Who knows?

BUT I think you need use your head on this one. The police will be unable to take action unless the dog attacked or threatened you or another animal. The ASPCA will not be able to do anything unless the animal is still loose.

Talk to your neighbor CALMLY. Let her know you found the dog and what condition you found the dog in. Ask her if she is having trouble keeping the dog that you are willing to take it off her hands, or if she needs help next time to let you know.

You're being an adult and expressing your concern while making an ally. If something happens to the dog she'll call you for help and you know the dog will end up safe, and if she is unable to care for the dog, she'll end up turning to you.

You don't have to like her but as they say "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"

Good Luck

Answer 2

I think you should just return the dog to the owner. It was somewhat negligent for her not to search for her dog. But it did not mean that she was totally negligent (like for example not feeding the dog). The fact that she was crying and screaming could mean that she love the dog but just hoping that it will soon come back.
About dogs being left in the cold, I tell you that it is no problem except for very small breeds like chihuahua. Long haired dogs or bigger dogs like pug or pekingese, they can stay outside the house without any problem. They are born to withstand lower temperature. As you know the origin of dogs, they are the wolves which stays in the mountains in the wild and they can survive even with snow. Those dogs inside the house are just pampered. If you want evidence if they can survive in the cold or not, maybe you can inquire or search or look at your neighbors.
Animals survive better in the cold than in hot weather, be it dog or cat or birds.
Return it to your neighbor. It is hers. Just talk to the owner kindly and explain your point. It is no good making enemies just for this reason. Aside from this, you will not have an additional burden of taking care another dog. Give it to her. This way you'll have peace of mind.

Answer 3

You really know nothing at all about this situation. You heard the neighbor crying over losing her dog. That would say that she cares about it. I don't know what kind of dog you are talking about but a dog is not going to freeze to death in 10 degree weather in 10 hours. Thats just ridiculous. Maybe she should have been out looking for it but I don't think you know enough about this to know how much wrong was done here. I do not think you need to call the cops. Lots of dogs get away for a variety of reasons. Way too many people in this worlds first thoughts are call the cops. I think you need to mind your own business.

Answer 4

Well in my opinion you should take the dog back, it is her dog, and explain to her how you had found the dog and if it happens again to let you know and you will help her find him and if you have found the dog before she has then take the dog and love it. Let her know if she does come to you looking for your help or sees you have her dog then explain to her that it is best that you care for her dog cause you know it will be safe with you. Dogs do get loose from their owners and if she was crying it was not done on purpose. You need to calm down and be nice to the lady and give her the benefit of the doubt. You have no idea what the circumstances are that led up to this. Please just be calm with her and try to be nice. I have lost my dog before but it wasn't that long due to my neighbor knowing this doesn't happen and returned my dog. My neighbors have 2 Labs and they kept getting loose and he even put up a single line of electric fence to keep them in and they still get loose by jumping the fence so you can do all you can as a pet owner but sometimes they just run due to being a dog. But they are also part of our families.

Answer 5

i would not have given the poor thing back to her, you are best just to keep an eye on the dog and see if anything else happens, maybe she was just very stressed, and people deal the their problems differently, did the dog look hungrey , or maybe hurt, just wait, you could also try make friends, and maybe she might open up that she has no time for the dog, and then you could help her to rehome it, i know it might be hard with the way you feel, but making friends with her, might be the only way to get to the problem, you have to have prof of abuse,or nothing will be done, x

Answer 6

Hiya, PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS. I work at a rescue centre and would do anything to get an animal out of a nasty situation. Your best bet would be to phone a nearby shelter that has a non-destruction policy, i.e., they will not put the dog down because they might not home it after a week, and ask them for advice. Phone them now, I don't know what area you are from so I cannot recommend anywhere, but tell them the whole story and see what they say. Base your actions on what they tell you.

Answer 7

Ok your in a possition to really check the dog out. Is it skinny? does it look like it hasn't been taken care of? Check it's ears, are they dirty or infected? If you suspect neglect then turn her in. If you don't then you bet I'd say something to her. Ask her if she really wants the dog????
You have to realize that not all dog owner feel as you do about their pet. Some think of their dog as a possision and not a liveing, breathing, feeling animal. It's sad but true.

Or call animal control and let them handle it. Tell them you suspect abuse!
Your a good guy and thanks for the rescue! I bet the dog really appreciated you.

Answer 8

I'm with several other people in thinking that if you would like to keep the dog yourself, go ahead. If she comes looking, you can play dumb and tell her what condition you found the dog in. I would be hesitant to call animal control b/c that just might end up with the dog dead if no one adopts him. As for calling the police, they aren't as compasionate when it comes to animals it seems. I doubt they would do anything. That's just my opinion. And I agree, if I had lost an animal, then I wouldn't be sleeping or anything else until it was found. That's just heartless. When you take in an animal, it pretty much depends completely on you, which is a big responsibility. I wish mroe peope thought about that before taking pets home that they would eventually neglect.

Answer 9

Excuse me, but if she was crying and screaming, I'm sure she was quite upset. Maybe she Had to get sleep to go to work to afford the condo? I mean, ok, it wasn't something you'd do... but you don't know the circumstances. Besides, how do you Know she's sleeping? Seriously.. unless your peeping in window shades... there's no way to know she's sleeping.

Let her know you found the dog shivering in the garden and you took it in. But, if this is the first time she's lost her dog, and the dog isn't malnourished or abused, and she was upset that the dog got out... maybe you need to give people a break. Not everyone is perfect.

Answer 10

I think you should be more compassionate. The dog is safe now. You've done the right thing. Don't jump in and call the cops over this, it's going to be humiliating for the poor lady. How do you know she's not sick herself.
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12 HOURS LATER: I am quite interested in what you did with this situation. Are you able to let us know how you handled the dilemma?