help or advice appreciated regarding Gracie, the dog I brought home
Full story this time:
A woman and two teenage kids rented next door to my mother in the spring. Then the woman's electricity was cut off, a bad thing made infinitely worse by temps in Tennessee in what was then August. She managed to steal electricity from someone else (sounds crazy, but she siphoned off someone behind her into the abandoned house on her right, came in there and took showers and such - I think hoping that she wouldn't be caught because it wasn't to her house). She was caught and was taken to jail. Apparently she has a record, or so the neighbors tell it. Her three dogs and a cat were left there at the house. One of the teens came every day to feed the animals, and let them out in the yard. He and his sister are living with their dad (ex-husband), but there's no pets allowed there, I'm assuming. Once a day is not enough to keep the animals from relieving themselves in the house. This goes on for days. The kids leash Gracie out in the back yard on a clothesline, where she howls through a couple of nights. She's an escape artist, and jumps fences and slips collars. She has been in some trouble for jumping the fence and going after people, though I don't know if she has bitten anyone yet. I go over to pick up Mom for an outing, and Gracie is free and running the neighborhood. She is jumpy, wet and nervous. Also hungry. I fed her. Her collar is screwed up - you can't tighten it, it only slips loose. She hopped in the van with me when I patted the seat. I took her home, washed her, gave her flea medicine (she was scratching miserably), and as the days passed, began to work on getting her acclimated with my cats.
The owner of the house files an eviction notice in court.
The boy who lives across the street from me happens to date the sister of the teen who came every day to feed the dogs. He told her we had Gracie. I also left word with the neighbors and the owner of the house (when I called him to tell him of the dogs still left in his house). The kids come to my house to get the dog TO TAKE HER BACK TO THAT HOUSE. There are flies in there, you can see them all over the picture window, and smears of feces. It was up in the 90s on the day he and his sister came to the house. I feel bad for the kids - what kind of situation are they having to deal with? Horrible. I tell the kids, we'll miss her, and she's fitting in, and I'll take care of her. I think I basically implied I would give her back if they got a place for her, though I didn't say it. I was taken by surprise, and I don't want to take an animal from anyone, particularly children. I hadn't planned on having a dog, for sure. My girls are really falling for this dog. However, the main problem is that the animal was going back to that horrible house. They agreed to let her stay, and asked me if I needed money for food. I told them no. The boy said he'd be back soon for her, maybe the next day.
Two weeks pass. The dogs are still inside the house. I call the SPCA, the neighbors call the police, animal control. Animal control points some kind of temperature gauge in the window and says it is 88 deg. in there and there is water for them, so they wouldn't take the animals out yet, but they'd keep an eye on things. SPCA refers me to the director, then to someone else, who promises they will do their best to get help. As far as I know they did nothing. Understand these dogs are living on their own in this hot, airless home, allowed to go out once a day. I simply do not understand what constitutes animal cruelty. Dogs need contact, love, care. Not flies and fleas and heat.
It's been three weeks. Temperatures have leveled off here somewhat (meaning: in the 80s, not the 90s). As of Sunday, I saw one of the dogs in the picture window. The owner of the house calls Mom today. He says he called the ex-husband and told them they have until 4:30 pm to get the animals out of the house. He asks Mom if she'll go next door and knock, because if the dogs are still there they will bark, and he now has a court order to get them out. (This is per my Mom. She does get a little confused sometimes). Mom goes over, but there is no barking at her knock. The owner goes to check in the house after work and was surprised to find the dogs still inside. He brings them out into the fenced yard. The tenant flies out after him. She'd been released and was apparently hiding inside. She tells him he's not going to take the dogs. She has 10 days left on her eviction notice, and begs him not to evict her. He says she has to leave. He leaves, and the dogs are still there with her in the house. Still no electricity. She tells the neighbors she's going to get Gracie back, and that she has her chipped. I don't believe this. I'm fairly certain none of those animals are given any flea control medicine, let alone real care. She reads like a woman with many problems besides a shortage of money.
I'll take Gracie to the vet tomorrow and check her out, and if she's chipped, too (I was going to take her this week anyway), but considering the woman's situation, I don't want to surrender her if I don't have to. This could get messy. I repeat, I never wanted this. Now my oldest is crazy for the dog, takes her on walks and plays with her and loves her. She is very tender-hearted, and I hate this for her, and for the dog.
Any advice/ideas/knowledge as to what I should do next? No one seems to give a right royal shit, and I am horrified and kind of heart-broken about it all.
A woman and two teenage kids rented next door to my mother in the spring. Then the woman's electricity was cut off, a bad thing made infinitely worse by temps in Tennessee in what was then August. She managed to steal electricity from someone else (sounds crazy, but she siphoned off someone behind her into the abandoned house on her right, came in there and took showers and such - I think hoping that she wouldn't be caught because it wasn't to her house). She was caught and was taken to jail. Apparently she has a record, or so the neighbors tell it. Her three dogs and a cat were left there at the house. One of the teens came every day to feed the animals, and let them out in the yard. He and his sister are living with their dad (ex-husband), but there's no pets allowed there, I'm assuming. Once a day is not enough to keep the animals from relieving themselves in the house. This goes on for days. The kids leash Gracie out in the back yard on a clothesline, where she howls through a couple of nights. She's an escape artist, and jumps fences and slips collars. She has been in some trouble for jumping the fence and going after people, though I don't know if she has bitten anyone yet. I go over to pick up Mom for an outing, and Gracie is free and running the neighborhood. She is jumpy, wet and nervous. Also hungry. I fed her. Her collar is screwed up - you can't tighten it, it only slips loose. She hopped in the van with me when I patted the seat. I took her home, washed her, gave her flea medicine (she was scratching miserably), and as the days passed, began to work on getting her acclimated with my cats.
The owner of the house files an eviction notice in court.
The boy who lives across the street from me happens to date the sister of the teen who came every day to feed the dogs. He told her we had Gracie. I also left word with the neighbors and the owner of the house (when I called him to tell him of the dogs still left in his house). The kids come to my house to get the dog TO TAKE HER BACK TO THAT HOUSE. There are flies in there, you can see them all over the picture window, and smears of feces. It was up in the 90s on the day he and his sister came to the house. I feel bad for the kids - what kind of situation are they having to deal with? Horrible. I tell the kids, we'll miss her, and she's fitting in, and I'll take care of her. I think I basically implied I would give her back if they got a place for her, though I didn't say it. I was taken by surprise, and I don't want to take an animal from anyone, particularly children. I hadn't planned on having a dog, for sure. My girls are really falling for this dog. However, the main problem is that the animal was going back to that horrible house. They agreed to let her stay, and asked me if I needed money for food. I told them no. The boy said he'd be back soon for her, maybe the next day.
Two weeks pass. The dogs are still inside the house. I call the SPCA, the neighbors call the police, animal control. Animal control points some kind of temperature gauge in the window and says it is 88 deg. in there and there is water for them, so they wouldn't take the animals out yet, but they'd keep an eye on things. SPCA refers me to the director, then to someone else, who promises they will do their best to get help. As far as I know they did nothing. Understand these dogs are living on their own in this hot, airless home, allowed to go out once a day. I simply do not understand what constitutes animal cruelty. Dogs need contact, love, care. Not flies and fleas and heat.
It's been three weeks. Temperatures have leveled off here somewhat (meaning: in the 80s, not the 90s). As of Sunday, I saw one of the dogs in the picture window. The owner of the house calls Mom today. He says he called the ex-husband and told them they have until 4:30 pm to get the animals out of the house. He asks Mom if she'll go next door and knock, because if the dogs are still there they will bark, and he now has a court order to get them out. (This is per my Mom. She does get a little confused sometimes). Mom goes over, but there is no barking at her knock. The owner goes to check in the house after work and was surprised to find the dogs still inside. He brings them out into the fenced yard. The tenant flies out after him. She'd been released and was apparently hiding inside. She tells him he's not going to take the dogs. She has 10 days left on her eviction notice, and begs him not to evict her. He says she has to leave. He leaves, and the dogs are still there with her in the house. Still no electricity. She tells the neighbors she's going to get Gracie back, and that she has her chipped. I don't believe this. I'm fairly certain none of those animals are given any flea control medicine, let alone real care. She reads like a woman with many problems besides a shortage of money.
I'll take Gracie to the vet tomorrow and check her out, and if she's chipped, too (I was going to take her this week anyway), but considering the woman's situation, I don't want to surrender her if I don't have to. This could get messy. I repeat, I never wanted this. Now my oldest is crazy for the dog, takes her on walks and plays with her and loves her. She is very tender-hearted, and I hate this for her, and for the dog.
Any advice/ideas/knowledge as to what I should do next? No one seems to give a right royal shit, and I am horrified and kind of heart-broken about it all.