Dog people: need help/advice
I'm having a serious problem with one of my neighbors that I don't know how to address. They have three dogs: one female mutt, and two female German Pinscher puppies about 4 months old. They're all wonderful, friendly dogs, I never have problems with them being terribly destructive or violent or anything, but they leave the dogs outside, unfenced, to run around the neighborhood all the time. ...And it's getting to be in the 30s and 20s at night now. These are short-haired, not-very-big dogs. The cold is hurting them. They run around all night and bark and howl and cry because they're literally freezing. The neighbors never let them inside. I've tried to go over there to talk to them when they're home, but the seem to be deliberately not answering their door when I knock and ring.
The dogs have no shelter, no food and no water outside. They are clearly fed and watered at some point, because they aren't malnourished, but that doesn't excuse the fact they have no blankets or anything to cuddle in or anyplace warm to go at night.
The dogs were so cold the last two nights (it was slush-snowing-raining), I opened the fence to my back yard and let them take shelter in the (empty) outside storage closet. I gave them a bowl of warm water, which they drank all of, and put down freshly tumble-dried blankets for them to cuddle in. I used one of the towels to dry them all off--they were soaked to the bone and shivering--and I set the door so it was mostly closed to the wind but open enough to let them out. I left the fence open so they wouldn't be trapped, as I don't want the owners accusing me of dognapping or anything. I normally would never, ever do this, because I am not a dog owner and don't feel I have the money or the experience to take care of such high-energy dogs, but I was afraid that if I left them out like that, they might actually get sick or frostbitten. I've done it the last two nights and I decided that if I have to do that every night this winter, I will. I don't want the dogs to get the idea that I'm their owner--I'm not feeding them at all--but they just can't be out there in the cold. They aren't cold-tolerant breeds. I also don't want them running out in the street where they could get hit.
I don't want to call animal control or the police because if the owners refuse to take responsibility for their dogs, the only ones who will be punished will be the dogs. There are a limited number of no-kill shelters around here and even if the dogs were taken from their owners, they probably wouldn't end up in a good place.
I'm thinking of trying to approach some of my other neighbors about the problem, but am not sure how to address it. I'm sure other people have been kept up at night by the dogs' sad wailing and I don't know if they'll all be as sympathetic to the dogs as I am. I don't want one of them deciding to just call the police on the dogs. I do want to try and work out a solution.
Does anyone have some ideas? I really have never been in this situation before.
UPDATE: So I talked to a couple of my neighbors about the dogs. I caught them eating birdfood out of the birdfeeders today, so I went out and checked on them. Upon closer inspection, I could tell they were all rather skinny (I could just see their ribs and spine without stretching their skin at all, and their sides were slightly sunken). So I worked up the courage to go around ringing doorbells until I got someone who was home.
Apparently I am indeed not the only person who has been feeling sorry for them. Apparently the owners have not been feeding them regularly (if at all) and NEVER let them inside, ever. The only reason they weren't in worse shape was because a few people took pity on them and fed them from time to time. While talking to this neighbor, two others came up to us and we were all thinking the same thing: what the hell is up with these people and why aren't they feeding or housing or fencing their dogs? I pointed out (to everyone else's horror) that the puppies are getting to be old enough to have their own puppies and did not appear to have been spayed, as there was absolutely no hint of a recent scar on their undersides (I know modern methods don't leave as much of one, but they still leave something, and you could clearly see the puppies' bellies and there was nothing, so I think it's a safe assumption). The last thing we all need is more underfed puppies running around the neighborhood. None of us had the immediate space or resources to take care of them, though, and we had all tried to talk to the owners, but either were unable to get them to answer their door or got a very evasive, shrug-so-what attitude from them when they did.
No one wanted to call animal control or the SPCA, either, because although the puppies are super cute, appear to be full-blooded (or close to it), and might stand a chance of being adopted, the older dog was clearly a mutt and has a bit of a hip issue. She's also slightly food aggressive towards other dogs (although not to people, who can take food away from her without so much as a growl), and we're afraid that would get her automatically put down in a shelter.
So this is what we worked out: since the owners don't seem to give two shits, and I'm the only one with a fenced-in yard, I will be providing shelter for the dogs in my shed. I don't have money for food, toys, and collars/leashes, so my neighbors will provide those things weekly, and since I cannot be outside most of the time, one of the other neighbors will come let them out to play for a few hours daily and then bring them back to my yard. One family in the house across the street will be moving into a big house with a large fenced yard soon, and when they do, if the owners still haven't said anything, they will take the dogs and foster them until an actual responsible home can be found. So hopefully there will be a happy ending to all this.
It's one more thing for me to deal with, but I feel like it's necessary. You just can't leave your dogs unfed, unsheltered, and unfixed 24/7 in extreme temperatures.
I cleaned out the shed of anything dangerous or vulnerable to chewing and put down aspen, tarp, and a bunch of old blankets. I made a makeshift dog bed out of an inflatable sled. I'm going to buy an adjustable infrared lamp for heat on cold days/nights, and a poop scoop for the yard. The dogs are in the shed now, have been fed, given water, and they are super asleep. Just. Dead fucking tired, all of them. I can't even imagine. I don't think they've had a safe place to sleep in a really long time. Poor things...I'm so angry at their owners for neglecting them, I can't even. I used to just think they were shut-ins and maybe a little ignorant. Now I think they're jerks. Thankfully, most of my other neighbors are not.
I'm open to any other suggestions, though keep in mind my funds are extremely limited. I have to make do mostly with what's on hand, and will have to budget for anything extra.
The dogs have no shelter, no food and no water outside. They are clearly fed and watered at some point, because they aren't malnourished, but that doesn't excuse the fact they have no blankets or anything to cuddle in or anyplace warm to go at night.
The dogs were so cold the last two nights (it was slush-snowing-raining), I opened the fence to my back yard and let them take shelter in the (empty) outside storage closet. I gave them a bowl of warm water, which they drank all of, and put down freshly tumble-dried blankets for them to cuddle in. I used one of the towels to dry them all off--they were soaked to the bone and shivering--and I set the door so it was mostly closed to the wind but open enough to let them out. I left the fence open so they wouldn't be trapped, as I don't want the owners accusing me of dognapping or anything. I normally would never, ever do this, because I am not a dog owner and don't feel I have the money or the experience to take care of such high-energy dogs, but I was afraid that if I left them out like that, they might actually get sick or frostbitten. I've done it the last two nights and I decided that if I have to do that every night this winter, I will. I don't want the dogs to get the idea that I'm their owner--I'm not feeding them at all--but they just can't be out there in the cold. They aren't cold-tolerant breeds. I also don't want them running out in the street where they could get hit.
I don't want to call animal control or the police because if the owners refuse to take responsibility for their dogs, the only ones who will be punished will be the dogs. There are a limited number of no-kill shelters around here and even if the dogs were taken from their owners, they probably wouldn't end up in a good place.
I'm thinking of trying to approach some of my other neighbors about the problem, but am not sure how to address it. I'm sure other people have been kept up at night by the dogs' sad wailing and I don't know if they'll all be as sympathetic to the dogs as I am. I don't want one of them deciding to just call the police on the dogs. I do want to try and work out a solution.
Does anyone have some ideas? I really have never been in this situation before.
UPDATE: So I talked to a couple of my neighbors about the dogs. I caught them eating birdfood out of the birdfeeders today, so I went out and checked on them. Upon closer inspection, I could tell they were all rather skinny (I could just see their ribs and spine without stretching their skin at all, and their sides were slightly sunken). So I worked up the courage to go around ringing doorbells until I got someone who was home.
Apparently I am indeed not the only person who has been feeling sorry for them. Apparently the owners have not been feeding them regularly (if at all) and NEVER let them inside, ever. The only reason they weren't in worse shape was because a few people took pity on them and fed them from time to time. While talking to this neighbor, two others came up to us and we were all thinking the same thing: what the hell is up with these people and why aren't they feeding or housing or fencing their dogs? I pointed out (to everyone else's horror) that the puppies are getting to be old enough to have their own puppies and did not appear to have been spayed, as there was absolutely no hint of a recent scar on their undersides (I know modern methods don't leave as much of one, but they still leave something, and you could clearly see the puppies' bellies and there was nothing, so I think it's a safe assumption). The last thing we all need is more underfed puppies running around the neighborhood. None of us had the immediate space or resources to take care of them, though, and we had all tried to talk to the owners, but either were unable to get them to answer their door or got a very evasive, shrug-so-what attitude from them when they did.
No one wanted to call animal control or the SPCA, either, because although the puppies are super cute, appear to be full-blooded (or close to it), and might stand a chance of being adopted, the older dog was clearly a mutt and has a bit of a hip issue. She's also slightly food aggressive towards other dogs (although not to people, who can take food away from her without so much as a growl), and we're afraid that would get her automatically put down in a shelter.
So this is what we worked out: since the owners don't seem to give two shits, and I'm the only one with a fenced-in yard, I will be providing shelter for the dogs in my shed. I don't have money for food, toys, and collars/leashes, so my neighbors will provide those things weekly, and since I cannot be outside most of the time, one of the other neighbors will come let them out to play for a few hours daily and then bring them back to my yard. One family in the house across the street will be moving into a big house with a large fenced yard soon, and when they do, if the owners still haven't said anything, they will take the dogs and foster them until an actual responsible home can be found. So hopefully there will be a happy ending to all this.
It's one more thing for me to deal with, but I feel like it's necessary. You just can't leave your dogs unfed, unsheltered, and unfixed 24/7 in extreme temperatures.
I cleaned out the shed of anything dangerous or vulnerable to chewing and put down aspen, tarp, and a bunch of old blankets. I made a makeshift dog bed out of an inflatable sled. I'm going to buy an adjustable infrared lamp for heat on cold days/nights, and a poop scoop for the yard. The dogs are in the shed now, have been fed, given water, and they are super asleep. Just. Dead fucking tired, all of them. I can't even imagine. I don't think they've had a safe place to sleep in a really long time. Poor things...I'm so angry at their owners for neglecting them, I can't even. I used to just think they were shut-ins and maybe a little ignorant. Now I think they're jerks. Thankfully, most of my other neighbors are not.
I'm open to any other suggestions, though keep in mind my funds are extremely limited. I have to make do mostly with what's on hand, and will have to budget for anything extra.