what happens if?

Question

my dog had an accident a few weeks ago,i left him tied in my backyard waiting for someone to pick him up,but i realized too late that i forgot to call a person to pick him up! he ended up spending the night there he tangled himself in his leash(hes only 5-6 months old and being cage trained,not really used to a leash)
and my neighbor,instead of helping him,called animal control.
they just removed him,and left a notice on my door about what happened and where to pick him up for when i got back the next afternoon.
so long story short we found him,and brought him home,
very happy to have him back with the family...
i was 17 years old at the time,
i just turned 18,and we got some fines and summons to court about this today in the mail,
and they are all for my mother! who was nice nough that weekend to pick up my dog for me, because i still dont drive yet..it turns out, that because they asked her for her id,they put everything in her name!
he is scheduled for liscense/shots fri.

some of the violations on the ticket things say something about un sanitized food area,(he relieved himself during this time)
and not liscencing your puppy...
in my state a puppy has to be six months for this,he was five,turning six when this happened!
animal control will not believe us about his age,and he was givend to us a month after being born in may,by my uncle,wiht no papers or anything..he is a mutt!

what am i supposed to do?

we just got him.we were told he didnt need shots until later,
until like 6 months old...it tunrs out that its at 3 months,and six months is the age for liscencing

he was NOT injured,and he was left outside for someone to pick him up...
i thought my mom was going to call and she thought I was going to call!
i've had this dog for a few months now,and i have physical proof that he is fine, and healthy and well taken care of! except for this incident

i AM going to pay my mom back!
i know very well that i was a dumbass,and all,i just want to know what to do?

im also the one in the family who has been taking car of the dog and scheduling all visits to the vet,
this is my first pet,so i really dont know what to do!

the officer had taken forever to get back to us,then said he was coming over,and never showed up!
apparently the dog was "hanging" himself from his leash

and in bad condition,but we got him back the next day,and he was perfectly fine and healthy

i had to stay overnight in a hotel for a conference,and my uncle was meant to pick him up at six that day( a half hour after i left the house)

to the last person that answered,yes i am not fit to have a dog,i know..but the state will not let me give the dog away now because of this..belive me, i want to find this dog a good home,i love him to peices...and i was a dumbass to not double check with my mom to see who was going to call my uncle....
and if my mother get fined very "heavily"
it will put a big hole in our already tight budget!
believe me, i want to find this dog a good home,i never knew anything about taking care of dogs before,but i love dogs and i just want everything to be ok,my mom out of jail,because she still has 2 other kids to raise,so please ingorant ppl,if you're not going to help me, dont say anything!

yes, someone said they might consider to have my mom in jail...

thanks!
but yeah i wouldve preferred that the dog be safe in my neighbors house than all this happening,
i realize now i cant really take care of this dog,and now i will not be allowed to give him away for another 2 years,
this is gonna be hard,when i go to college,
i dont know what to do,i just want this dog to be okay,and everything back to normal...
i HAVE to pay my mom back,but i dont think as a college student,i can take care of this dog properly...

Answer 1

Pay the fines and take responsibility for your animals in the future. First, I'm assuming it was in your mothers lawn, and her care. If you were seventeen at the time your mom would then be responsible for the dog. You need to be eighteen to be considered the responsible person for the dog legally.

If you got a ticket for sanitation, its not because of one evenings mess. The area must have been very messy for you to recieve a ticket for that.

Sounds like you had to learn the hard way what is and isn't acceptable for the standards of care regarding dogs. I hope you learn and grow from this experience and take care of your pet in the future



Whats all this about not being able to give the dog away now? That makes no sense

Answer 2

Sounds like you own your mom some money to cover the fines. The least you could do. No dog should be tied or chained and just left there, let alone a puppy that isn't even used to a leash.

The fines need to be paid or they can take it to court. Your mom was nice enough to go get the dog you didn't give a second thought about (not until it was too late anyway).

5 or 6 months and he hasn't had shots yet? Rabies vaccination is given at 16 wk.

If the poor thing was "hanging" himself, you need to thank the neighbor for calling someone.

If you've had him since he was a month old and he's been to a vet, he would've received some shots by now. 6 -9 -12 & 16 wks (or protocol similar).

I hope your mom doesn't have any plans to get a purebred dog from a reputable breeder. I know several that check the potential family's local shelters and A/C offices to see if the potential family has any priors, before selling them a puppy.

Answer 3

I don'[t know where you live but where I live the animal can't be licensed or owned by someone under 18.
Where I live if a dog is left outside it is to have shelter ( i do realize that the dog wasn't to be out for long) but it's the law where I live. O wouldn't have taken a neighbors dog in myself I know of one case that the good neighbor got sued because the dog was retrieved the following day and ended up in the vets with a worm infestation and they tried to blame the neigbor (like dogs can get worms like that in less than 24 hours)
the other thing i constantly hear in my area as far as the law is that stupidity is no excuse.
Animal control doesn't know anything as far as telling age or breed so often but unless you have papers or can pay a vet to testify for you ( they usually want a full days pay for this) To say your dog has been seen before this and that the dog is actually younger.
You can often make timepayments to the court. In most cases if it's a first time thing a person won't be put in jail but make sure if a judgement is made to pay you pay and pay on time.
Sorry but I know people who have gone through this and that's what will probably happen. i would talk to a lawyer about the idea of finding a better home.
Well Good luck

Answer 4

It seems to me that animal control is really on top of things and are just looking out for the welfare of the dog in question. If I where you I would explain the situation, but if they refuse to listen then you really have no choice but to pay the fines.

They are under the impression that you where mistreating this dog (I think some of the posters here seem to agree) and just want what is best for the dog, or to punish you to instill how important proper care for this dog is.

I am not going to judge you on this, it happened, but try not make it a habit, that dog, and all animals, deserve to be cared for and not forgotten.

Good luck getting it all straightened out, but I really think that perhaps the best option is to just pay the fines and prevent anything like this from happening in the future. Consider the fines as a learning tool to help you remember your pets in the future.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 5

You're right about your neighbor, if that were me I'd be madder than hell at you and go over and tend to your pup, might even take him home. But, as you're finding out, there are consequences for doing inexcusably thoughtless things and trying to wiggle out of them with excuses doesn't fly. You'll have to pay your mother back and deal with her wrath. If I were the Judge hearing this case I'd have your Mother pay the fine and let her deal with your irresponsible behavior. Maybe since you're getting the shots and licensing you'll get a break on the fines and only have to pay court costs.

Answer 6

Go to court, explain your case, do whatever they say to make it right. Hopefully your puppy had been to a vet or you have some proof of age from where you got him. That will help in your defense. Make sure he is licensed when you do go to court to show you are being responsible.

What makes me curious is that they seized him for one non life threatening call. Either your animal control is extremely strict or you are not telling us something. Had that been here, they would have just left a notice that they would check back the next day.

And yes, they would all be for your mother because it is her name on where you live, not yours, and I guess in their minds that makes her responsible for the treatment of the dog.

Answer 7

Did you not take him to the vet when you got him? Had you taken him to the vet at all before the incident? If so then you have vet records that should be able to prove his age.

Just pay the fines. It was your neglect to provide for the dog that led to the mess. A puppy should never be left tied outside for any reason.

Answer 8

your not responsible enough yet to be a pet owner. find the dog a safe loving home where he will be properly cared for. im 25 and i would NEVER just forget that my dog was chained outside, especially for an entire night! sounds to me like your neighbor did the right thing.

Answer 9

U DONT DESERVE THE DOG. HOW CRUEL AND DISGUSTING ARE YOU TO LEAVE A DOG TIED TO A TREE ALL NIGHT BECAUSE YOU "FORGOT" TO CALL SOMEONE TO PICK HIM UP? WHY WAS HE TIED TO A TREE IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE IS SO MUCH WRONG WITH THIS STORY ITS UNBELIEVEABLE! I HOPE FOR THE SAKE OF THE POOR DOG, THAT HE IS TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU AND THAT YOU ARE FINED VERY HEAVILY! LEARN FROM THIS MISTAKE AND UNDERSTAND U ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT FIT TO CARE FOR ANIMALS

Answer 10

This is one of the reason I got mad when people here ask, "Can someone help me to convince my mom to buy me a dog. I am a responsible people ....". Why were you out whole night left your dog alone outside and tied?