Idiotic Dog Owner

[Ker]

I was driving home from Woolies, on a 4 lane highway and saw an ancient English Pointer stumbling down the road. I immediately stopped and ran back - about 8 houses back. The dog was standing in the front yard of a house with a sign about fruit trees for sale. The back gate was open.

I walked up to it and it was hugely friendly. Skin and bone, swaying on it's feet, cloudy eyes and really grey around the muzzle. I knocked on the door of the house and an older Italian woman answered. I asked if it was her dog and she said "yeah". I asked if she knew he was walking down the road. She said "yeah I know, I let him out for walk every day". I said "do you have any idea how close he was to that VERY busy road? He's also very old and not steady on his feet" She says "Oh he good dog, he not go on road". I tried again and said "it's an offence to let dogs wander". Her reply? "Oh he never hurt anyone, he just go for walk". I cracked it, saying "one day, your dog is going to get hit by a car, and it's not going to be you that suffers, it will be your poor bloody DOG! Or someone that hates wandering dogs will poison him!" She again says "he fine!" Stupid cow.

As I was leaving (after one last pat for the dog), she calls out "hey you wanna buy my fruit trees??" I was seriously pissed and said "NO I do not want to buy any of your f***ing fruit trees!"

I'm calling the council on Monday.

[yarracully]

I was driving home from Woolies, on a 4 lane highway and saw an ancient English Pointer stumbling down the road. I immediately stopped and ran back - about 8 houses back. The dog was standing in the front yard of a house with a sign about fruit trees for sale. The back gate was open.

I walked up to it and it was hugely friendly. Skin and bone, swaying on it's feet, cloudy eyes and really grey around the muzzle. I knocked on the door of the house and an older Italian woman answered. I asked if it was her dog and she said "yeah". I asked if she knew he was walking down the road. She said "yeah I know, I let him out for walk every day". I said "do you have any idea how close he was to that VERY busy road? He's also very old and not steady on his feet" She says "Oh he good dog, he not go on road". I tried again and said "it's an offence to let dogs wander". Her reply? "Oh he never hurt anyone, he just go for walk". I cracked it, saying "one day, your dog is going to get hit by a car, and it's not going to be you that suffers, it will be your poor bloody DOG! Or someone that hates wandering dogs will poison him!" She again says "he fine!" Stupid cow.

As I was leaving (after one last pat for the dog), she calls out "hey you wanna buy my fruit trees??" I was seriously pissed and said "NO I do not want to buy any of your f***ing fruit trees!"

I'm calling the council on Monday.

Ker there are some people that you just can't get through too. Alas this dog is owned by at least one such person. For the dogs sake at least do call the council on Monday. They might be able to get through to the thickhead.

[aussielover]

Well we had an dog impounded today, the owner came to collect and said "oh we live next to a park, he just wanders in and out,must've just been an over-zealous ranger that picked him up"

I live next to a park but I don't let my dog wander randomly. What if the dog had wandered onto the road or chased kids or annoyed people trying to picnic.

Some people...

[noisymina]

My neighbour told me this morning (as I was taking her dog back to her place for her, from my place) that she is surrendeing her to the RSPCA today.

I can't tkae her - would not be able to do what a bored, 6 month old, badly trained working dog cross breed needs. I suspect the poor thing will be PTS.

The neighbour is elderly (older than I am, that is), the dog she "tried really hard" with - yeh I saw how she was hitting it - is "too strong for her". Well, yeh.

She threw me the lead and it took me (no dog expert, mind you) 15 mins to walk it back to her door. Mainly becasue it was lunging on the lead and I don't do lunges. She had changed from lunging to lying down instead by the time I got her back. Stubborn, dominant type of dog, I suspect.

While the neighbour says "Gee,I don't have that sort of patience."

I would love to take her on and work with all the stuff I've been learning here - but don't have what it takes right now. Our fences are pretty good, but I'm worried she would be too much for them - I'd have to give her a lot more work and stimualtion than I think I can.

Oh - and she knows the "Mum" but they have no idea what the father is. Her son bred the dog and gave it to her. So, I assume son still has undesexed bitch roaming around making puppies. Wasn't game to go there - neighbourly relations and all.

Idiot dog owners.

[Brennan's Mum]

Guess it's time to roll out the ole' ''You can't fix stupid''.

I pity those poor dogs it's sad that these dogs have all had people who are not their owner's show more care for them.

[darlingdog]

I was driving home from Woolies, on a 4 lane highway and saw an ancient English Pointer stumbling down the road. I immediately stopped and ran back - about 8 houses back. The dog was standing in the front yard of a house with a sign about fruit trees for sale. The back gate was open.

I walked up to it and it was hugely friendly. Skin and bone, swaying on it's feet, cloudy eyes and really grey around the muzzle. I knocked on the door of the house and an older Italian woman answered. I asked if it was her dog and she said "yeah". I asked if she knew he was walking down the road. She said "yeah I know, I let him out for walk every day". I said "do you have any idea how close he was to that VERY busy road? He's also very old and not steady on his feet" She says "Oh he good dog, he not go on road". I tried again and said "it's an offence to let dogs wander". Her reply? "Oh he never hurt anyone, he just go for walk". I cracked it, saying "one day, your dog is going to get hit by a car, and it's not going to be you that suffers, it will be your poor bloody DOG! Or someone that hates wandering dogs will poison him!" She again says "he fine!" Stupid cow.

As I was leaving (after one last pat for the dog), she calls out "hey you wanna buy my fruit trees??" I was seriously pissed and said "NO I do not want to buy any of your f***ing fruit trees!"

I'm calling the council on Monday.

Oh that breaks my heart to hear that. I have 3 pointers and I hate to hear that an old dog is not being cared for properly . Thank you for stopping to see if you could help . I hope the pound don't take him and put him down. He or she deserves better than that. I wonder if the old woman just needs a helping hand in looking after the dog ? Do they realise how thin it is ? Sometimes old people need some help to look after their animals.

[noisymina]

Oh that breaks my heart to hear that. I have 3 pointers and I hate to hear that an old dog is not being cared for properly . Thank you for stopping to see if you could help . I hope the pound don't take him and put him down. He or she deserves better than that. I wonder if the old woman just needs a helping hand in looking after the dog ? Do they realise how thin it is ? Sometimes old people need some help to look after their animals.

My Mother-in-law came from a similar cultural background. She never "got it".

When her old dog was in pain and was ready to go to the bridge, the vet even came to the house to try to convince her to let him do it! THAT is how bad it was!

In exasperation I asked her "WHY?" "Why won't you let the vet do the kind thing for your dog" "He's even left his busy practice to help you out here and not many will do that. Why?"

Her answer? "I love him too much."

Yes- everyone in the family was saying how the loving thing was to put him put of his misery - they had said it before I even got to that point. But she still insisted it was because she "loved him".

Kindest thing seems to be the council option.

[wuffles]

She threw me the lead and it took me (no dog expert, mind you) 15 mins to walk it back to her door. Mainly becasue it was lunging on the lead and I don't do lunges. She had changed from lunging to lying down instead by the time I got her back. Stubborn, dominant type of dog, I suspect.

Just thought I'd say that a lot of working breeds seem to lunge when on leash if they haven't been taught otherwise. Even now, my little one does the same if she's overstimulated.. but she is not stubborn nor dominant, just excited and needs somewhere else to focus her energy

[oakway]

Oh that breaks my heart to hear that. I have 3 pointers and I hate to hear that an old dog is not being cared for properly . Thank you for stopping to see if you could help . I hope the pound don't take him and put him down. He or she deserves better than that. I wonder if the old woman just needs a helping hand in looking after the dog ? Do they realise how thin it is ? Sometimes old people need some help to look after their animals.

My Mother-in-law came from a similar cultural background. She never "got it".

When her old dog was in pain and was ready to go to the bridge, the vet even came to the house to try to convince her to let him do it! THAT is how bad it was!

In exasperation I asked her "WHY?" "Why won't you let the vet do the kind thing for your dog" "He's even left his busy practice to help you out here and not many will do that. Why?"

Her answer? "I love him too much."

Yes- everyone in the family was saying how the loving thing was to put him put of his misery - they had said it before I even got to that point. But she still insisted it was because she "loved him".

Kindest thing seems to be the council option.

I am just the opposite.

I love them too much to let them suffer.

[noisymina]

She threw me the lead and it took me (no dog expert, mind you) 15 mins to walk it back to her door. Mainly becasue it was lunging on the lead and I don't do lunges. She had changed from lunging to lying down instead by the time I got her back. Stubborn, dominant type of dog, I suspect.

Just thought I'd say that a lot of working breeds seem to lunge when on leash if they haven't been taught otherwise. Even now, my little one does the same if she's overstimulated.. but she is not stubborn nor dominant, just excited and needs somewhere else to focus her energy

Ah..ok. She just hasn't been taught too well. I think she was pretty tired towards the end, which might also explain the lying down thing?

My Dobe was a steam engine when we got her (as a 4 year old) .

I'm sure that, with time and maybe a few treats, I could get a fair way with reducing the problem. I was so wishing I had grabbed a few treats before going out to nab the wanderer.

I love that I have learned so much here! A few years ago there would have been no way I could have confidently caught and leashed another person's dog and calmly taken her back.

[MsKatie]

Good on you for picking him up Ker - good luck with the council - I returned the little yappy thing from around the corner to his home this morning after we saw him pooing on the corner

Their side gate had blown open and he had taken himself for a wander - nice little boy - I suspect he is a bored little outside doggy though

[darlingdog]

Oh that breaks my heart to hear that. I have 3 pointers and I hate to hear that an old dog is not being cared for properly . Thank you for stopping to see if you could help . I hope the pound don't take him and put him down. He or she deserves better than that. I wonder if the old woman just needs a helping hand in looking after the dog ? Do they realise how thin it is ? Sometimes old people need some help to look after their animals.

My Mother-in-law came from a similar cultural background. She never "got it".

When her old dog was in pain and was ready to go to the bridge, the vet even came to the house to try to convince her to let him do it! THAT is how bad it was!

In exasperation I asked her "WHY?" "Why won't you let the vet do the kind thing for your dog" "He's even left his busy practice to help you out here and not many will do that. Why?"

Her answer? "I love him too much."

Yes- everyone in the family was saying how the loving thing was to put him put of his misery - they had said it before I even got to that point. But she still insisted it was because she "loved him".

Kindest thing seems to be the council option.

Let me clarify as I realise that I wasn't clear in my last post, I have no problem with an old dog being put down if that is the kindest and best thing to do for the dog. I am sure that all on this forum would do the right thing by our dogs when the time came but taking an old dog out of his home environment to a scary pound just to be put down is not the best outcome for that dog. In an ideal world that would happen in the environment most familiar for the dog but as we all know this is not an ideal world.

[Red Fox]

I agree, call the council on Monday.

If anything they might give the owner a talking to about letting the dog wander.

And yes some people never get it.

[Ker]

I have to admit, I'm worried the council will take him and put him down. They don't work with rescue over here, and besides, I think he is very old. They'd likely put him down if they had him come there.

[noisymina]

I have to admit, I'm worried the council will take him and put him down. They don't work with rescue over here, and besides, I think he is very old. They'd likely put him down if they had him come there.

Probably.

Might be kinder to do that, tho, than leave him with the owner who let's him roam on the street, does not SEEM to be looking after him physically and may very well not get him PTS humanely when his time has come. What was that she said? "He's fine." The lady is in denial about her old dog and his need for care.

I don't think she will "get it" ....so lesser of two evils, as is often the case, unfortunately.

Yes, I agree with darlingdog:

I am sure that all on this forum would do the right thing by our dogs when the time came but taking an old dog out of his home environment to a scary pound just to be put down is not the best outcome for that dog. In an ideal world that would happen in the environment most familiar for the dog but as we all know this is not an ideal world.

[Red Fox]

I have to admit, I'm worried the council will take him and put him down. They don't work with rescue over here, and besides, I think he is very old. They'd likely put him down if they had him come there.

I doubt they would simply seize the dog and pts

Unless he was found wandering, impounded and not collected or there was overwhelming evidence of neglect or abuse, the council has no reason or right to do this. The owner will probably get a talking to - if that.

[Ker]

I doubt they would simply seize the dog and pts

Unless he was found wandering, impounded and not collected or there was overwhelming evidence of neglect or abuse, the council has no reason or right to do this. The owner will probably get a talking to - if that.

No, they wouldn't just euth. But if they went and he was wandering and they impounded, I doubt she'd pay the money to get him out.