so worried about my friends dog

[twinkle2]

she bought him, would never let him go outside incase he got muddy (she was worried about her house getting dirty), this backfired as in the end he was going toilet on the floor in her house which i could tell distressed him the poor thing,(they would then shout at him for doing it) so because of this they have now decided he is no longer allowed in the house as he makes it dirty and malts!, he is confined to a small yard now, 24hrs a day 7 days a week, no contact at all with them (because he malts and the hair annoys them!) except when they lean out of the back door to put his food out. I went round and he was desperatley jumping up at the back door making whimpering sounds, i begged them to let him in or me out to fuss him but they said no because of the dirt! Ive tried talking to them but im getting no where. They dont care about him but flatly refuse to give him away to a better home. please give me some suggestions, he is such an amazing dog (chocolate lab puppy) and so lively, he is craving just a bit of love and attention and i feel sick when i think of it. Also she has left him for 2 days on his own before, I rang the rspca (sorry if you think i over reacted but she just upped and went abroad for 2 days leaving a 3 month old puppy in a yard) the rspca said they cant do anything as he has water/food and shelter!

[maggie01]

If the rspca won't take any action then I don't know what you can do but it's disgraceful. If they don't want it then they should find a new home for it. No animal deserves to live with no company. I shouldn't say it but it's a shame someone doesn't steal it from the back yard and find it a good home. I would hate to have to see a dog treated like that everyday. I hope someone can come up with an answer.

[maggie01]

I have just read that you say she is your friend. In that case I would just tell her that you don't treat a dog like that. I wouldn't care if I offended her as I wouldn't really want a friend like that.

[copippin]

Hi Twinkle,I certainly do not think you are overreacting,what an appaling way to treat an animal. How well do you know your friend? well enough to tell her a few home truths on behalf of the dog? I feel for you as you are in an incredibly difficult position,but for the animals' sake ,I think the RSPCA should be persuaded to take matters further and perhaps consider having the poor creature rehomed to a more appreciative owner. Some people are just not cut out to become pet owners and it sounds as though these people come under that heading.

I don't envy your position in all this but I do admire you for speaking out on behalf of thepoor dog.Let us know what happens and good luck with whatever move you decide is best.

[B00]

I'm sorry twnkle but I would take the dog from her whether she wants you to or not and sod the friendship!! I wouldnt be able to sleep at nights knowing thar poor dog is being treated that way, and I wouldn't be friends with anyone who would treat any animal this way.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've found the RSPCA to be useless on many occasions, so I personally wouldn't waste your time contacting them again.

I like the idea of maggie's of someone 'stealing' it from their backyard- perhaps when they are in bed????

Please do something about it, as soon as you can- end the poor dogs misery!

[funnywebsite]

It's such a shame and this story is so sad. People should not be allowed to keep animals who behave like this, the law is an ass. RSPCA are as useful as a chocolate tea pot. Is there any other animal rescue places near you that can advise?

[delilahcat]

I agree with everyone else twinkle - the priority has to be the dog's well-being so you should tell your friend that if she doesn't want to look after him properly she should give him away to someone who will.

Just to put a word in for the RSPCA - they do their best. Any shortcomings are not their fault, it's the fault of our antiquated laws which say that the RSPCA can't step in until an animal is practically dead! If you would like this law changing (and who wouldn't?) please write to your MP. The RSPCA and the police need to be given much greater powers to deal with animal neglect and cruelty.

The more I hear about humans the more I prefer animals!

[twinkle2]

Thank you all. It is literally keeping me awake at night and all i think about all day. Just in response to some of your questions/suggestions. The stealing option has been suggested by alot of people. I have a feeling he is microchipped though. Ive called her now and have arranged to go over "for a chat". Im going to have to tell her as it is, I know exactly how she is going to react cause we have been there before but im not going to give up on this, I promise. He is too important. Ill let you all know what happens.

[copippin]

Just read your response Twinkle,good luck Your " friend" is lucky to have someone like you ,and more importantly,so is the dog.

[maggie01]

Please let us know how it goes twinkle. Hope she sees sence and the dog finds a good home. Best of Luck.

[drgnrdr]

Take some expert advice with you when you go to talk, that way something can back you up, Print it out if you can

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/Inout-dog.pdf

I hope you can get this to open and print out, if not go to ddfl.org and look for pet advice and go to dogs and backyard/indoor dogs.

If this dog is still young there's a better chance it can become a great dog, and before allot of bad behaviors and aggressive or shy behavior sets in.

Good luck...(Check with a LAB rescue org, if there are any in your area, if you can't take the dog) and delilahcat is right, your RSPCA can only do what the law allows them to do. Now you've got all of us backing you up, and concerned...so don't leave us hanging...:)

[twinkle2]

hi all. i will keep you all updated asap. thank you so much for all you advise and concern. i promise i will get this sorted and make him a very happy dog. x

[stanleyman]

Unfortunatley this reminds me of many years ago when I visited a house in East London. In the back yard there was what should have been a beautiful Afgan Hound. Instead the poor thing had completely matted hair and looked in a terrible state. The yard was full of dog feaces and smelt quite bad. From the attitude of the occupants this dog was the cause of all their problems and it's condition was its own fault! I did report it but I never found out what happened.

[stanleyman]

It seems to me your friend has bitten off more than she chew. This cute cuddly puppy has turned into a threat to her nice clean home and she is not prepared to compromise even by allowing him into a part of it and do the extra work needed to give him the care, attention and grooming he needs and clean up after him.

I'm with everyone else on this but lets look at the practical rather than the emotional issues here. He has food, water and shelter, he is unhappy but for the short term he is probably better off where he is instead of risking being abuse inside.

I think your job is to encourage your friend to gradually re-introduce him back into the home, maybe just the kitchen and for initially limited periods. You can only do this if you remain friends and if you upset her you won't be around to see how he is getting on so don't condemn her, offer your support.

Buy her a dog care book and offer to groom and exercise him. When she realises he is just as lovable but also a little more work than she thought, then hopefully with a routine she will come round to this way out of her problem. I hope drgnrdr is with me on this!

[Coobeastie]

If thats the way your friend treats her dog then lets hope she never has children....

[lulu ronaldo]

This is animal cruelty and if the R.S.P.C.A can't see that then you may have to take this a step further, but before that maybe if talking to her doesnt work, maybe send her a letter of a text, if she can't see what she is doing to her dog, than she shouldn't be allowed a dog at all, if you try ringing the R.S.P.C.A again, but they still won't do anything contact your local dogs home to see if they will help, your friend must relise that she doesn't have a small dog and it has to have 3 walks a day and MUST NOT be left alone in family holidays, she is being horrible to the puppy.

[Robinia]

It's terrible isn't it when you feel so helpless. I know of a very similar situation where the dog.. erm.. ' went for walk' in the night. He had a very happy new home far away but if the dog is chipped it's difficult. Hope you get a positive result.

[orange-gnome]

I am so desperate to know what has happened whether she is up for giving him up... since reading the post I have been so worried for the poor thing...that he is condemned to live his life alone in her back garden if she won't give him up!!
Maybe you could do the work to try and find someone that would take him on. I would even look after him for a while until a more permanent home could be found!! Thats a serious offer!
I am absolutely disgusted that someone could treat a puppy like this and I knwo that it happens a lot and worse!
If it were me I would try and totally try and guilt her into giving him up, telling her how cruel she is being and making her think about what sort of a life she is giving this dog. Telling her about the problems the dog could develop as it gets older may help too!
Maybe you could print out the answers here and show her to make her see how many people abhor this kind of treatment? I realise that it would probably hurt your friendship though.

I can't believe she didn't even think about the hair issue before she got the dog! I have two dogs and as much as I try I know I will never have a house free of dog hair but I wouldn't have it any other way, rather a house with dog hair than a house without a dog!!!
Let us know what happens and good luck my dogs and I have our fingers and paws crossed for the poor pup!

[orange-gnome]

I am also interested to know why on earth they won't give him up when they so clearly don't care about him...what is their reasoning???

[shaneystar2]

What a dreadful person.She doesn't deserve your friendship-.If she has a dog she has a responsibilty
Poor little thing outside in all this cold weather with no company or attention.She shouldn't have got the dog in the first place if she is worried about her precious furnishings
What will she do when she has children..shove them out in the yard if they make a mess.?
This is blatant cruelty and neglect.
A dog like this is not cheap to buy and then have microchipped,injections and so on, then to be left and ignored like that. People like this make me sick and should not be allowed to have an animal.This is why I think dogs should be licenced..people would think twice then if they had to pay a hefty licence fee.

[drgnrdr]

Stanleyman yes I think you have a valid opinion. Work on trying to let them let you help them with this dog. If they don't at least you tried this approach. I have a feeling that they are not reasonable, or they are one of those person's with NO COMMON sense, because it sounds like twinkle2 has tried to talk to them already, they're not listening. Good Luck twinkle2..