animal abuse?

[Paix et Amour]

ok so my neighbor across the street has 2 dogs. a black lab and a chihuahua. the chihuahua is allowed inside and gets attention. the lab is never allowed in and the only attention its gets is when we walk across the street, and it jumps up trying to roll over on the brick wall and get pets and licks us. its quite obviously desperate for attention by the way it acts when we walk up. he gets really excited and hes obviously not getting enough attention from them. anyways, my mom talked to her about it, asking why she never brings him inside. she says because hes a GUARD DOG AND CANT GET TO LIKE PEOPLE OR HE WONT BE A GOOD GUARD DOG. since when are labs guard dogs? and since when des them actually knowing the family they are apparently "defending" a bad thing? and to make that neglect worse, its getting cold outside. as in, around 20/30 degrees (f) at night. she says its ok, he has food, water, and a doghouse. yeah, a plastic doghouse is gonna keep this dog from freezing huh?

my mom doesnt want her to hate her (they are kinda friends) but once it gets to be reallllly cold out there, i dont know what i should do. i realllllly want to call animal control, but i dont want her and my mom being pissed at me. i just dont want this poor dog to be neglected like this and possibly die from the cold. i really really really love animals, i cant stand to see them mis-treated at all.

what should i do?

[XxMallyPrydexX]

I really think you should call your local animal shelter anonymously. If the police and the animal shelter don't work (I know most people hate PETA) but the PETA Cruelty Investigations Department can be contacted at 757-622-7382, and you will remain anonymous and they will be their before you know it :-)

EDIT: And that is no doubt animal abuse! NO animal should be forced to stay outside under any circumstances. As a pet owner she is responsible for BOTH of her dogs. I don't care whether it's a guard dog or not, there are plenty of alternatives if she is really worried about protecting her house.

[Paix et Amour]

Originally Posted by XxMallyPrydexX

I really think you should call your local animal shelter anonymously. If the police and the animal shelter don't work (I know most people hate PETA) but the PETA Cruelty Investigations Department can be contacted at 757-622-7382, and you will remain anonymous and they will be their before you know it :-)

EDIT: And that is no doubt animal abuse! NO animal should be forced to stay outside under any circumstances. As a pet owner she is responsible for BOTH of her dogs. I don't care whether it's a guard dog or not, there are plenty of alternatives if she is really worried about protecting her house.

thank you! actually i love PETA even though they are a bit extreme, so i would have no problem with that. i just dont want to get her in a ton of trouble because she would hate my mom and my mom would be mad at me for calling, but i care more about the dog than i do about that. as soon as it starts getting VERY cold outside, i will start checking to see if she brings him in or not. if hes still out there every night though im gonna call.

yeah i was pretty sure it was, but i dont want to call and waste their time if its not considered animal abuse, so i was just checking and its funny though, labs are so definitely NOT guard dogs, they are sweet, playful, hyper dogs that love people usually. and this dog is definitely like that

[TheBabyEater]

If you do it anonymously you won't get in any trouble, no one really has to know. I'm sure other neighbors have seen what's going on.

I adopted a dog in a similar situation once... The family had three dogs, but their child was suspiciously allergic to only one, the boxer. So the boxer stayed outside all the time in the garage, and was sometimes lucky to get any attention at all. Even water.. She turned out to be one of the sweetest dogs we ever got.

Not saying you should adopt her, just sharing a personal story But yeah, I'd call someone anonymously. And honestly, NO breed is naturally a mean spirited guard dog. Humans make them so. Not even pitbulls and rottweilers. I've worked at a boarding and grooming place, and have never met a mean pit or rottie. I have however met really mean chihuahuas...

[Paix et Amour]

Originally Posted by Mr. Gir

honestly, NO breed is naturally a mean spirited guard dog. Humans make them so. Not even pitbulls and rottweilers. I've worked at a boarding and grooming place, and have never met a mean pit or rottie. I have however met really mean chihuahuas...

well, i know, but some breeds are just too nice to be guard dogs. like most labs will still be nice even if they are abused from what ive seen

[Skeleton]

As said, you should give the local animal shelter a call. It isn't fair on the dog to be shut outside constantly without any attention because it's a 'guard dog'. No dog should be made to be a guard dog so I'd say it was animal abuse. I hope it manages to get sorted!

[Paix et Amour]

ok, as soon as it starts getting super cold out im gonna call unless my mom does

[Boobies]

Dogs didn't have a house to live in before they were domesticated.
I hate to break this to you, but as long as the dog is provided enough food and water and it's not too cold for the dog then you don't really have a case.
And it's only recently that dogs have live inside.

[Paix et Amour]

Originally Posted by Boobies

Dogs didn't have a house to live in before they were domesticated.
I hate to break this to you, but as long as the dog is provided enough food and water and it's not too cold for the dog then you don't really have a case.
And it's only recently that dogs have live inside.

are you serious... i just said once it starts getting freezing cold if she doesnt bring him in i will call.

[Boobies]

Originally Posted by Paix et Amour

are you serious... i just said once it starts getting freezing cold if she doesnt bring him in i will call.

Dogs originate from wolves, and wolves live in actual freezing conditions, I'm sure it hasn't evolved THAT much that the cold will kill it.

[TheBabyEater]

Originally Posted by Boobies

Dogs originate from wolves, and wolves live in actual freezing conditions, I'm sure it hasn't evolved THAT much that the cold will kill it.

Wolves had the ability and instincts to seek shelter. Denying a dog, without the same instinct and abilities due to domestication, that kind of shelter and the ability to find shelter (locking it in a cold garage or keeping it inside a fence) is abuse. Ask anyone involved with animal rights. Or know actually knows something about animals.

Humans used to live without houses too. Is keeping a child in a yard all winter not abuse?

[Boobies]

Originally Posted by Mr. Gir

Wolves had the ability and instincts to seek shelter. Denying a dog, without the same instinct and abilities due to domestication, that kind of shelter and the ability to find shelter (locking it in a cold garage or keeping it inside a fence) is abuse. Ask anyone involved with animal rights. Or know actually knows something about animals.

Humans used to live without houses too. Is keeping a child in a yard all winter not abuse?

The dog has been provided shelter from what I've read, and modern dogs still have that instinct.

And some humans still do live without a house. And you can't really use human rights as an excuse for animal rights, because we have completely different rights so that argument is automatically moot.

[Paix et Amour]

Originally Posted by Boobies

The dog has been provided shelter from what I've read, and modern dogs still have that instinct.

And some humans still do live without a house. And you can't really use human rights as an excuse for animal rights, because we have completely different rights so that argument is automatically moot.

....yes because a plastic dog house is really gonna keep a dog from being freezing and it possibly dying if it gets cold enough. it doesnt usually get too cold here but if its anything like last year he will freeze. it was generally -15 f every night. and it IS considered animal abuse. i dont care if you think it their instinct to find shelter or blah blah blah. this dog is stuck in a small backyard 24/7 with no attention and no ACTUAL shelter in the cold aside from a dog house that i highly doubt changes the temperature by more then a few degrees

[TheBabyEater]

Originally Posted by Boobies

The dog has been provided shelter from what I've read, and modern dogs still have that instinct.

And some humans still do live without a house. And you can't really use human rights as an excuse for animal rights, because we have completely different rights so that argument is automatically moot.

Some dogs live without houses too, but no one tracks down the owners if there is a lost dog and arrests them. Fact of the matter is, keeping anything outside with no shelter (plastic really doesn't do anything) is abuse. Dog, child, you name it. Only pet I can think of where this is okay is if someone had a pet penguin. Or polar bear. And depending where you live this is abuse and illegal too, or is it not?


And yes, I can relate human rights to animal rights to each other when in this instance they are so similar. -living things need shelter-. It is as simple as that. Denying one without any, denying one without the ability to find said shelter is abuse. You think homeless people are out there because some guy decided to throw his kid into the yard every winter? I doubt that accounts for our entire homeless population.


Here's this for a experiment. Wait until it gets to be 20 degrees, put on a jacket, and go spend a night in the cold. Maybe you can have that plastic dog house. Because a jacket is about how much warmth Labradors get from their thin fur, if they're lucky, a small coat.


www.animallaw.info

The failure to provide food, water, necessary shelter, or in some states, reasonable veterinary care, may be considered animal neglect. Depending on the state law, neglecting to provide shelter to an animal in a cold climate may be considered neglect (for example, Minnesota has a specific provision in its cruelty laws for dog houses when dogs are kept outdoors

By stating that the whether gets to be in the 20s at night now, in the winter it will be colder. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that perhaps our OP lives somewhere like Minnesota where it's balls cold at night and in the winter.
You do realize you're fighting the law, right?


OP, you say the dog lives in a plastic dog house. I've worked with animals, usually I come across this

Or something like this

We've already stated that plastic is hardly a suitable doghouse, and there are a few reasons why. For one, it could be easily knocked over in high winds, as I doubt it's nailed down very well. It's easily breakable. It does not have an adequate windbreak at the enterance, all of the above required by law. Some, but not many dog houses are two inches off the ground, also required by law. Does the family give the dog bedding, if so what? For someone that thinks a lab can be a guard dog, I doubt it, but it's worth a shot asking.

Depending on the state, laws change. In Hurricane country, it's illegal to purposefully keep your dog outside during a hurricane. You don't have to provide it the best shelter in the world, but some. In all states, it is illegal to provide a dog with the necessary food and water (which has a tendency to freeze at 20, mind you) and the shelter stated by local laws. Furthermore, laws change depending on the county and city as well. Some places are especially known for bear attacks, some known for animal abuse, so it changes. The violation of said laws change as well depending on the county. In Minnesota for example, violation of shelter is a petty misdemeanor. But is the dog taken away and provided adequate shelter if the family refuses to? Hell yes.



OP says the live on earth, as do I :P I'm just assuming America since that's where I know the laws the best and where I live. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Max_99]

Hey there, dear. I can see what kind of situation this is, not fun! I myself have been involved long in helping to get our animal friends of all types out of harms way, and so hearing this brought a big fat frown to my face.


Many people keep their animals outside, however, if you can find proof that this lady wants the dog as a guard-dog and is not providing adequate care and shelter, that's about the best case you can make.

My suggestions-

-Talk to the owner about taking the dog for walks, playing with it, etc
-Ask permission to bring the dog blankets for it's dog house
-Ask permission to house the dog during the night in your own home with parental permission if you're under 18 or under your parent's roof


However, if there is actual "abuse" going on, starvation, beating, lack of adequate food, water, shelter, please do not hesitate to contact animal control, ASPCA, PETA's Investigations Team (I for one LOVE PETA, they've got the right idea and go about it the wrong way).


Sorry I can't be of more help, dear.

[Paix et Amour]

Originally Posted by Max_99

Hey there, dear. I can see what kind of situation this is, not fun! I myself have been involved long in helping to get our animal friends of all types out of harms way, and so hearing this brought a big fat frown to my face.


Many people keep their animals outside, however, if you can find proof that this lady wants the dog as a guard-dog and is not providing adequate care and shelter, that's about the best case you can make.

My suggestions-

-Talk to the owner about taking the dog for walks, playing with it, etc
-Ask permission to bring the dog blankets for it's dog house
-Ask permission to house the dog during the night in your own home with parental permission if you're under 18 or under your parent's roof


However, if there is actual "abuse" going on, starvation, beating, lack of adequate food, water, shelter, please do not hesitate to contact animal control, ASPCA, PETA's Investigations Team (I for one LOVE PETA, they've got the right idea and go about it the wrong way).


Sorry I can't be of more help, dear.

we asked if we could walk him, she said no because getting to know any person will make it a bad guard dog apparently. he doesnt have good shelter, just a little dog house that when it gets cold will not be nearly enough