dididog Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) There's the cutest Cocker Spaniel who lives on my normal route. He's an older fellow, very grey and sleeps a lot (and I think a bit deaf) and he's kept in the front yard of his house which is a terrace house so it's only a small space. The only shelter is there is a very narrow (maybe half a metre) awning that extends from the house but the yard is really open to the elements, only really providing a little bit of shade and a bit of protection from rain but only if it's raining straight down otherwise rain easily gets blown in. He first caught my eye because he was being kept in the front yard which most people don't do around here and the fence is just a low, slightly sagging picket fence that I could easily lift my leg over and a gate which has gaps big enough for him to stick his head out of and the rest of the yard is just concrete and dirt. The only other thing I've seen in the yard is a little plastic tub of water and sometimes a dirty pillow thing for a bed. I've walked past on a day when it was raining and the rain had been blowing in and had drenched his pillow and he was curled up on the cement also wet. The last two days I've walked past and there hasn't even been water left out and he's kept there all day while the owners work (I assume as I've walked past on evenings and weekends and he was not out the front and over Easter I didn't see him.) Obviously there's nothing wrong with keeping a dog outside while you're not home, I do that most of the time too but I just worry about him as he's a lil skinny and his coat isn't that great so I don't think he can really protect himself from the elements and today was quite hot in the sun which hits the front of that house all afternoon and he had no water all day. It was also only 8 degrees this morning so if he was out when his owner's first left for work he would have been really cold. Anyway I was thinking of leaving an anonymous note in the letterbox to remind them to always leave water out and maybe get a kennel if they plan to leave him outside during winter as I'm under the impression those are the very basics you are legally supposed to provide a dog. Any ideas how I should word it so I come across concerned rather than judgy? He seems to be in pretty good condition and his yard is clean so I don't want to assume the worst but I have a soft spot for him and do worry about him. There's also the issue of the fence.. it's fine in the sense it can keep him in but I worry about him being able to poke his head out as the gate is smack bang on the other side of a corner and I worry about him poking his head out and surprising another dog as it comes round the other side of the corner. He's a friendly little thing and always enthusiastically says hi to me and Didi so even though it's not my business it really weighs on my conscience especially as I have to go past him everyday. Any suggestions about the best thing to do would be appreciated :) Edited May 9, 2014 by Terri S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 personally I would just call the council on a day when he doesn't have water. The fact that the dog sometimes has water says to me that the owners can't be that ignorant and are probably just lazy. If the council give them a visit hopefully they'll talk to the owners about the dog needing a shelter as well Being able to see the dog from the street also means the owners won't be able to bullshit their way around the issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 After today I was seriously considering calling the council, I feel bad I didn't now. My only worry is they might leave him out the back instead where it's impossible to see inside. Today's the first day I've seen him with no water tub. Yesterday the tub was there but there wasn't anything in it but it was the end of the day so he could have just drunk it all. I can't confirm actually if he is left outside all day as sometimes I've walked passed on a weekday and he wasn't outside, I generally only go passed midday onwards but I'll try going passed in the morning and seeing if he's out there and then come back in the afternoon and see if he's still there. I live about 5 streets down but I'm going to walk passed everyday and take a picture in case I need to prove anything. I know I have forgotten to fill Didi's water bowl once when I was in a huge rush so if this isn't an isolated incident I'll definitely call the council. The other times I wasn't sure if the council would actually care as he always had water and technically had some sort of shelter (not what I would consider sufficient but some people have pretty low standards with dog care.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 RSPCA can take action where there's no water for a dog or proper shelter. I used to walk past a GSD that was living on a building site. The owners were living in a caravan in the front yard - sort of and he was tied to the front fence which was about knee high on him. I couldn't see any water for him and he jumped the fence to say hello to me and my dog - fortunately my dog chose to grovel so there was no fight but it was a bit scary. he didn't look well either coat all menky matted and patchy. So I rang council and RSPCA. And the next time I saw him there was a decent sized bucket of water and he was tied to the verandah so he couldn't jump the fence any more. His neighbours were grateful. He was friendly enough but a bit neglected and the fence jumping was just scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Take photos of everything and send that to the council and request them to attend (they may not, because it probably doesn't fall under any legislation relevant to them. But you may have a good AMO who decides it's worth a visit). If you wanted you could leave a note along the lines of "was walking past today and was worried about your dog as he seemed very cold as the rain had gotten on him don't know if you've considered getting him a kennel to keep him out of the weather". I wouldn't be offended by that sort of note (but then again, I wouldn't have my dog in a front yard nor without a kennel!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Today's the first day I've seen him with no water tub. Yesterday the tub was there but there wasn't anything in it but it was the end of the day so he could have just drunk it all. I can't confirm actually if he is left outside all day as sometimes I've walked passed on a weekday and he wasn't outside, I generally only go passed midday onwards but I'll try going passed in the morning and seeing if he's out there and then come back in the afternoon and see if he's still there. Sounds pretty flimsy to me. Someone walking by my backyard might think my dogs don't have a water bowl sometimes when I'm washing it or its inside out of the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 Sounds pretty flimsy to me. Someone walking by my backyard might think my dogs don't have a water bowl sometimes when I'm washing it or its inside out of the sun. Yeah I know what you mean, there's nothing really concrete about the situation other than today where there was definitely no water or container for water anywhere. The yard is very open and bare so it wasn't hiding anywhere. I often let Didi chill on the front porch in the sun whilst I'm home but never leave her out there otherwise so there's no water and if you walked past at the time you'd think she was kept outside all day with no water too, which is why I hesitated a bit on calling council but just the overall look of the yard and the way he's kept all day is not nice. Take photos of everything and send that to the council and request them to attend (they may not, because it probably doesn't fall under any legislation relevant to them. But you may have a good AMO who decides it's worth a visit). If you wanted you could leave a note along the lines of "was walking past today and was worried about your dog as he seemed very cold as the rain had gotten on him don't know if you've considered getting him a kennel to keep him out of the weather". I wouldn't be offended by that sort of note (but then again, I wouldn't have my dog in a front yard nor without a kennel!). I think I might give them the benefit of the doubt and leave a note tomorrow and hope they change some things, after all not much council can do unless they leave him outside with no water again and I see it happening. It was lateish afternoon when I saw it today so I wasn't sure if they'd bother sending anyone out or could in time and I would have gone home and brought him some water but I thought it was coming close to the time his owners would come home and by the time I'd gone home and come back they might've walked in on me giving him water and I didn't want things to get weird or confrontational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 Here's the little fella. You can see here he can easily stick his head out which is another thing that worries me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben and Jerry Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Is it wise to have your dog so close to another dog who can "stick his head out of the gate"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 Is it wise to have your dog so close to another dog who can "stick his head out of the gate"? He's an old placid and friendly dog and mine is also friendly and gentle and they are both know each other... He always comes to the gate wagging his tail and I scratch his chin and the dogs have a sniff and then we continue on our walk... I don't just let my dog say hey to any old dog through a fence and I don't let Didi stick her head into his side either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 You are right to be concerned - especially if he is getting wet and has virtually no shelter. I would make sure to take a few pictures of the conditions and report to the RSPCA. If they are that clueless a note in the letterbox is unlikely to change their habits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Oh poor old fella I notice you are from Melbourne Terri. Gosh I would certainly be concerned. This ol' cocker should be inside in a warm bed. It gets freezing in winter in Vic. as well s no water etc. I would be taking pic's as others have suggested & phoning the RSPCA. The owners need a shake up... The cold cement floor is no place for a dog to be sleeping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdie Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Ring the RSPCA or you can report on line.. http://rspcavic.org/.../report-cruelty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 You can send photos through if you do an online report to the RSPCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) I know BC Crazy it makes me so sad I just want to take him home and let him spend his final years curled up on my couch. I will go over there today and see what it's like, it's quite a mild day but I think it might rain this afternoon so if it does I'll go then to show how his shelter is not sufficient. The tricky thing is they aren't consistent with leaving him outside but he is definitely outside often enough for me to know it's something they do regularly. Edited May 9, 2014 by Terri S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 he looks to be in OK condition - no gunky eyes ... overlong coat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Yeah he is in good condition for an older dog so it's not a bad case of neglect or anything and I think he's relatively well looked after it's just they aren't providing him with basic necessities while he's outside which I don't think is good enough. I can't really do much till I get pictures of him out in the morning and afternoon with no water and being exposed to the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 He won't be healthy for long being an old dog and left out in the weather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Exactly rosetta... left out in the elements with no where to escape them. On the freezing cement. No water & he is no spring chicken as it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Went past today and he wasn't there. It's frustrating because they don't leave him outside all the time, if he was kept outside all the time like that I would have done something by now but because it's kind of hit and miss (maybe 70% of the time i go past he is there) it makes it much harder to know what's actually happening/what his living arrangements are. I just hope when he isn't out the front that means he is inside, not just out the back instead with equally poor conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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