There is a dog tide to a tree in our neighborhood. What should I do?

Question

There is a black lab tide to a tree in a backyard in our neighborhood. I hate seeing people tie their animals up and do other abuse. I always like to look at things from the dogs point of veiw, then mine. What should I say to the owners. I try and visit the dog without being seen. What should I do?

Answer 1

unfortunatly unless the dog does NOT have food, water and shelter a dog tied to the tree is not illegal. But I am with you on this one, i hate seeing it. if the dog is without any of these then call your Local animal control or shelter or even Police and report the person for animal crulety and abuse. that is all you can do. do NOT steal the dog because that is a crime.

I know your feeling exactly have 4 dogs next door that are tied out and given attention maybe once a week, but there is nothing any of us can do except maybe give them a little attention if they are not without food, water or shelter.

Answer 2

You are absolutely right for being concerned. People that buy dogs and tie them to trees should NEVER have a dog. That poor lab- they need to run and are so active this is torture for that poor thing. I don't think you will get too far with the owners- You need to tell someone that can assess the situation- animal control is prob. too busy, and the dog will end up in the pound, not a great solution for the poor thing... I would look up lab/dog rescue groups in your area-they have them everywhere, explain to them what you are seeing and if the dog is being abused in any other way they will know the proper channels to go thru to get the dog out of there. This is the entire reason these groups exist. Please don't stop paying attention-you are right to be concerned. I hope you do something about it!! Good luck.
*****btw- just did a search on yahoo for labrador rescue groups and there are tons, you just need to narrow down your area/state....

Answer 3

Could be a little tricky. Do some home work first. It could be a male that roams at night to other dogs on heat?, the owner could be put on notice for a nuisance dog? Does it have food water and shelter? If it does have those things, the Animal Welfare will not see it as mistreated. Does it bark a lot? If not, maybe it is content to be on the lead. The owner could be doing the responsible thing under the present circumstances? It may look like abuse , but, maybe he is doing the dog a favour.Perhaps check it out over next few days and see if it gets any excercise ( a walk out of it's yard). Your good intentions could be resented and turn sour for you. I commend you for your concern, but, be cautious with it. Labradors are generally good natured dogs, so if you have a dog, perhaps offer the owner some interaction with their dog and yours? Pet owners generally like it when other people have something in common with them , like another pet.!

Answer 4

Unfortunately it is not against the law to tie a dog up. This is a very sad situation for the dog. Pounds and animal shelters are not any better than being tied up.
If nothing else works, buy a cheap 'run' for the dog and while the owners are gone, set it up and surprise them. They may be thankful and reinburse you. Some people like having a pet but do not stop to think that they cannot care for it properly. I have 5 dogs due to people like this, but the dogs are very happy!

Answer 5

My first advice is do not try to get close to the dog to visit it. Dogs that are tied up like that are generally VERY territorial. I know of one black Lab that is kept tied to a tree and he, routinely, chews himself free and terrorizes the neighborhood, killing small animals (the owner knew about a goat he killed, and suspected he had killed a calf!) and such. He has even attacked a rottweiler and a pitbull. Some people actually do this to make their dogs meaner! The less space a dog has, the harder he protects it.

Please, if it looks neglected or abused, report it to animal control. They are much better equipped to rescue such an animal than you are.

Answer 6

If you think the Black Lab is being abused then you must call animal control, or if you have the courage then go talk to the neighbors and tell them how you feel uncomfortable when he gets tied up and how they should buy and invisible fence. Be careful because they could be easily offended, especially if they have the nerve to buy a dog and then just tie him to a tree. good luck

Answer 7

Free the dog or go to the Police and say that people are leaving their dogs unattended which is not safe and what if a child walks up to the dog and the child will get hurt. The Police should do something and make leave the dogs unattended and tied to a tree or a pole against the law.

Answer 8

I would call both places IF your city has both. Animal Control for your specific city - and you can ask if it is legal for people to do this in your city, state your concerns and make a record of how long the dog is there/with or without food and water or shade/protection from elements?. With these records also contact the Humane Society in your area. Only if you are on good terms should you broach the subject with your neighbors as this is frequently a very touchy subject with people :(

Answer 9

Well, if the dog is being neglected by it's owner, and has been outside without food or water, call Animal Control right away. They'll handle everything.

If your uncomfortable about calling them, talk to the owners of the dog, see what you can tell them to change their minds, and let the dog go free.

Answer 10

I detest the idea of dogs being tied to trees, etc. as well. But if the dog is in fair health, has food, water, and a doghouse, there's not much you can do, unless it's illegal in your community to restrain an animal in this way.

BTW, if you get caught on your property "visiting" their dog, you could be arrested for tresspassing.