This is a disaster waiting to happen.

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I need to be more confrontational. Cause what happened today was ridiculous.

So I'm walking Cowboy, on a street that runs parallel to the highway, but is seperated by a fence and sort of like a forest, thick shrubs etc. Anyway, from this miny forest pops out this big...shepherd/lab young mix. He surpised the crap out of me, and Cowboy, who for the past year or two has become more and more anti social. The dog came straight for us, hackles up and tail straight up, I didn't know how he got loose or if he was going to attack Cowboy. I just looked at him and screamed "NO! go home!" he became submissive right away, but was still interested in Cowboy, who was being somewhat patient as I tried to look for a tag, but with the dog only a foot away he snapped at him. The big pup jumped into the street, with cars coming. I got Cowboy to sit and they slowly drove around us. I knew I needed to get the dog off the street, so I started walking and encouraged him to follow. Cowboy wasn't pleased. lunging and barking at snapping every time the dog got too close, but the dog still wanted to play and continued to follow us.

I'd say the dog is maybe a year old, and he wasn't neutered, and didn't have any tags. He looked really playful and like, he just wanted some attention. I put Cowboy in the backyard and then used his leash on the loose dog. I didn't wana call the city right away in case the owners were nearby looking for him. So I walked him around the block, asking if anyone recognized him. I walked over to this old guy's house, who I know knows EVERY dog in the neighbordhood. And he said the dog has gotten loose before, and lives at the end of my street, which is odd cause I"VE never seen this dog. Neither did two other people on my street that I asked, including the owner's neighbors. Walked BACK to where I found him, and rang the bell, teenage boy answers the door and I ask if it's his dog and he says "omg ya!" and said he was sorry. Then he took the dog to the backyard, where I assume he was when he escaped... I wanted to tell him to neuter his dog, I wanted to say he shouldn't leave him in the yard unless they fix the fence, I wanted to say that dog needs to be walked and clearly wants to play with other dogs, but I just said "no problem". Gawd, that dog came so close to getting hit by a car and he was such a sweety.
scream  

[- Vet Tech - 2011]

Oh believe me I feel your frustrations.

About three weeks ago I had finished up at the clinic and I was going through Tim Horton's drive and driving out to take my dog along the walking trails as I normally do. There was this medium sized dog running around the Tim's parking lot. Everyone was giving it odd looks, and people were trying to catch it and because it was unsure it would run from them. This particular Tim's is located on a highway and these people were making the dog move TOWARD the highway not away from it. I park the car and grab my extra leash.

I approached the dog but kept my distance, and asked the people to just keep a distance. I wanted the dog to come to me, I didn't want to move it further toward the highway. It didn't take her long, just had to show a little patients. She was quite submissive, and shy. Of course there were no tags on. No idea what neighborhood she would have come from. No idea of her vaccination history, or what she would be like with another dog. Popped her into the back seat and drove her to the clinic. I love the fact my dog is well behaved enough to stay in the front seat as told, he looked at her and she growled. I took her to the back to scan for a microchip (I had a small bit of hope) and nothing. It was after 5pm so the humane society was closed. I couldn't take her home because I had no crate or a room I could keep her in. The vet let her camp out overnight at the clinic with a warm bed and food/water.

I had an interview the fallowing morning, but I guess an ad had been placed online that the lady running daycare in our clinic saw and called the owners. The dog had gotten out of the yard, it was in heat. No tags. No chip. Not spayed. I doubt it will be either. The family wanted to thank me in person but I wasn't there that morning, I hope someone in the clinic made some recommendations to spay her.

It's very frustrating. I keep an extra leash in my purse just because I seem to come across these situations often. I have a dog trainer on the street who's one dog gets out often ... neighbors are afraid of her, not sure why, lovely dog and I am always the one to round her up and take her home. I think she scales the fence but it still frustrates me to no end.  

[SmoothSavage]

When I find dogs like this, to be perfectly honest I take them to the Humane Society. Often its a great way to knock some sense into people, since they have to pay to retrieve their dog.  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

you could send an anon letter,we got one a while back saying we didnt feed our animals and crap,but,we do.  

[CrissAngelLover12345]

I completely understand your feelings. Back when we first moved here, almost no one kept their dogs on their own property or on leashes... Trying to walk my parents' dog, Country, I had almost everyone's dog following along, and there wasn't much I could do about it. Eventually, everyone started to keep their dogs on their own property by either building a fence or putting in an invisible fence. After that, it became the boxers, which I have ranted about with the family being back yard breeders, and treating them almost no better than what a puppy mill does, litter after litter, females not fed enough, father bred to the daughter, and them being allowed to run loose, the male picking fights with other dogs... Now, the people with the boxers have moved, and I hope the boxers are ok (I had filed a complaint about how skinny their female had gotten not long before they moved, and as their female got skinnier, their male got fatter, it became obvious who was eating all the food...)... By the time they moved, everyone else had gotten their dogs kept on their properties (with the exception of one, but his dog is well trained, old, and doesn't wander far from home usually, usually only staying on his property on her own anyways). Now we have 2 neighbors who don't keep their dogs on their own property. One neighbor has two german shepherds (one is a mix), and as far as I know, they aren't neutered, and have a bad tendency of running off (I'm constantly hearing him out looking for his dogs, you'd think he'd figure it out that he wouldn't have this issue if he'd tie them up, and take them out on leashes), the other has a great dane and a golden retriever. The golden retriever usually stays on their property unless he is accompanied by the great dane, who never stays on their property. The people with the great dane and golden retriever also have goats, chickens, and two other dogs that stay inside of cages. They let the chickens free roam with out supervision quite often. I have seen the goats out occasionally (though they stay close to the house from what I've seen, the chickens wander quite far from the house, staying on the property, but getting rather close to the road) and the only dogs I have ever seen them using leashes for are the ones they keep in the cage. My mom is the secretary of the association, and has mentioned that she wants to send out a letter to everyone who lives here to please keep their animals (dogs, cats, and others) on their own property, and that there are leash laws in this state, and please follow those leash laws, but she hasn't yet... I hope she does soon... I'm getting sick of having to lead the other dogs to their homes so I can walk Bandit without any issues. I'm also getting sick of Bandit trying to chase the neighbors' cats as well...  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Savage Destiny

When I find dogs like this, to be perfectly honest I take them to the Humane Society. Often its a great way to knock some sense into people, since they have to pay to retrieve their dog.

I was really afraid, given his age, that he'd basically been dumped, and that no one would claim him. He was too sweet to send to the SPCA where he would end up with kennel cough guaranteed. I thought about calling the city, I know they have a facility to keep dogs, and then the owners MAYBE have a small small fine for not having a license for their dog. It's mostly the being intact that scares me. Course there are no other intact dogs around here. So then I'd say the lack of exercise, but I think a large fenced yard is better than SPCA.  

[SmoothSavage]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Savage Destiny

When I find dogs like this, to be perfectly honest I take them to the Humane Society. Often its a great way to knock some sense into people, since they have to pay to retrieve their dog.

I was really afraid, given his age, that he'd basically been dumped, and that no one would claim him. He was too sweet to send to the SPCA where he would end up with kennel cough guaranteed. I thought about calling the city, I know they have a facility to keep dogs, and then the owners MAYBE have a small small fine for not having a license for their dog. It's mostly the being intact that scares me. Course there are no other intact dogs around here. So then I'd say the lack of exercise, but I think a large fenced yard is better than SPCA.

Its only "better" if said fenced yard contains him. Even if he got euthed at a shelter because they didn't claim him, and no one adopted him, that would be a much kinder end than being hit by a car because he's loose.  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

Savage Destiny

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Savage Destiny

When I find dogs like this, to be perfectly honest I take them to the Humane Society. Often its a great way to knock some sense into people, since they have to pay to retrieve their dog.

I was really afraid, given his age, that he'd basically been dumped, and that no one would claim him. He was too sweet to send to the SPCA where he would end up with kennel cough guaranteed. I thought about calling the city, I know they have a facility to keep dogs, and then the owners MAYBE have a small small fine for not having a license for their dog. It's mostly the being intact that scares me. Course there are no other intact dogs around here. So then I'd say the lack of exercise, but I think a large fenced yard is better than SPCA.

this is very true,especially since he could not die,and wonder off into the wilderness to die slowly,OR he could live through it,and then go home,and have them just leave him

Its only "better" if said fenced yard contains him. Even if he got euthed at a shelter because they didn't claim him, and no one adopted him, that would be a much kinder end than being hit by a car because he's loose.

 

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

All good points. Though at the time I was walking around with him, I didn't know he'd gotten free before. Once I knew where he lived, it seemed like a backstabbing thing to do. I think confronting them would have been best, but I don't have the balls to do that. I also had a dog that got away a lot when I was a kid. Looking back, no, he didn't get enough exercise, but I LOVED that dog and took pretty good care of him for a stupid kid.