I was delivering flyers last week in Port Republic and had two little black dogs freaking out barking to get my attention. It didn't look like anybody was home so I walked over to them. It looked like they were starving. I could see their ribs and spines. My buddy and I had some sandwiches in the truck so we gave that to them. One had a food bowl full of leaves so it probably hadn't eaten in days. The other one was walking around in the mud and chained to a pole. I left feeling terrible and wishing I didn't live in an apartment and can't have dogs. They didn't have on tags or anything so who knows if they even have shots, licenses or whatever. Why the heck did those people even get dogs??? I hope they're okay. I told my boss about it and he said he was going to call animal control but that they probably wouldn't do anything cause dogs live outside all the time. They were chained up in a neighborhood called Halls Hacenda. I don't live in Calvert but it's been bugging me for days that those two dogs are probably out there 24/7 in this freezing cold weather.
Worried about hungry dogs living outside...
- Thread starter sjolie90
- Start date
Yep a Phone call won't hurt. If they choose to investigate and find that the dogs are ok. No harm done. If they deem the animals are being neglected then they will be sure to catch up with the owners.
You're telling me that you went to a stranger's house and fed their dogs table food without the owner's knowledge or permission? Then considered stealing them?
Seriously?
Seriously?
How can you make that judgment? OP knows nothing about the dogs or their situation, and you know even less.
Had someone come on here and posted, "My dogs were out in the yard and some woman came along and started giving them sandwiches, then she stood around looking at them for a long time like she was going to steal them," the responses would have been very different.
I think people should leave others' pets, children, homes, cars, and anything else that doesn't belong to them personally alone and mind their own business. Have a baby; get your own pets; find something to do with yourself besides be a busybody. If you think kids or animals are being abused, call Social Services or Animal Control. Don't feed them and don't steal them because you don't know the situation.
frequentflier
happy to be living
Animal control gets many "check welfare" calls for animals. The dogs can live outside but must have water and some kind of shelter to get out of the elements.
Why some people have animals that they neglect a.k.a. yard ornaments is beyond me. I prefer concrete statues in my yard and my pets in my home.
Why some people have animals that they neglect a.k.a. yard ornaments is beyond me. I prefer concrete statues in my yard and my pets in my home.
I aint getting locked up for stealing dogs. I might drop a dime on your azz but Caution aint going to jail because you can't take care of your pets.
So, if you see a situation where clearly the animals look like they are starving and neglected, you should just turn a blind eye?
We don't know that these dogs were neglected. Sometimes I put Apollo on the lead while I'm doing yard work. And sometimes I go out back to do whatever while he's out front. While I'm back there, some person might come dropping off their flyer, and Apollo would bark at them (as he barks at most everything). They might walk up and believe that he has no water (because they might not have snooped around on the porch where the water dish is) and they might think he looks underfed (which he assures me he is).
If they fed him anything at all, I'd bust their ass for them. And if they even made a move toward stealing him, they'd be really sorry they did that. It's entirely possible that I would call the cops and file charges against them.
This person's headline totally fabricated two "observations" that they cannot possibly know are true: that the dogs are hungry, and that they live outside. She goes on in the post to say they "probably hadn't eaten in days," something else she cannot possibly know since she was just there dropping off a flyer and wasn't their neighbor nor did she have any ongoing familiarity with the dogs.
So she basically totally made up this story out of thin air, and people are jumping on validating her for #1, trespassing; #2, tampering with someone's dogs; #3, contemplating stealing the dogs. I refuse to condone that.
The right thing to do would have been to call Animal Control if she suspected the dogs were neglected so that they can check it out.
No, you call Animal Control like I said.
It's what they are there for. No need to feed them or steal them and risk some pizzed dog owner busting a cap in your azz.
Vrai, you keep saying "she"....I'm a guy. I called my boss and he said he called animal control that same day and someone said they'd check it out. I just didn't know what happened so it was bugging me. Hope they're okay. You wrote that I should "Have a baby, get my own pet and mind my own business" Really?? I saw animals that I thought were hungry and I fed them. I did not think at all those dogs were barking aggressively or I wouldn't have gotten any closer. My "story" was not "fabricated" or as you also stated "made up out of thin air" and you weren't there so you don't know. Honestly, I hope I misread the whole situation and that they're inside tonight.
But I suspect, just based on what I DID SEE with my own eyes, that as you are going off right now in your home with your own dog safe and sound there, somewhere in Port Republic those two dogs are chained up lying in the mud or snow.
This is a "forum" right? I was telling MY opinion about something and you told yours. No need to get so ugly about it.
But I suspect, just based on what I DID SEE with my own eyes, that as you are going off right now in your home with your own dog safe and sound there, somewhere in Port Republic those two dogs are chained up lying in the mud or snow.
This is a "forum" right? I was telling MY opinion about something and you told yours. No need to get so ugly about it.
Cool I don't live there. Shoot me some numbers
Good on ya for reporting the dog thing to your boss though. He made the call and nothing more you can do. Anything else would be going above and beyond and you could possibly have put yourself in jeopardy.
I apologize, sir.
I don't see where I was "ugly" at all. Feeding someone else's dogs is a no-no, especially when you don't even know the dogs. What if one of them had a food allergy or something? Did the sandwich have avocado or onions on it, which are toxic to dogs? Dogs are lactose intolerant - did the sandwich have cheese?
If you see an animal that you think is being mistreated, call Animal Control. Do not feed or steal them.
I apologize, sir.
I don't see where I was "ugly" at all. Feeding someone else's dogs is a no-no, especially when you don't even know the dogs. What if one of them had a food allergy or something? Did the sandwich have avocado or onions on it, which are toxic to dogs? Dogs are lactose intolerant - did the sandwich have cheese?
If you see an animal that you think is being mistreated, call Animal Control. Do not feed or steal them.
I think this just goes to show that dog owners/lovers can get pretty protective over their dogs. And the same can be said for most any dog.
Pretty easy to fool around someone's place worrying about their dogs and have some, not so nice, dog owner go postal on ya.
I know stealing them would have been wrong. They were alone, wet, hungry and cold. That much I could see. But you are right that stealing them would have been wrong. I only posted it because it was bothering me and I hope they are okay because it is freezing. I'll follow up and maybe they won't tell me anything. But I don't regret giving them a little food.
As far as minding your own business though, what if someone caring for the animals died or something? So nobody is coming home? That's pretty farfetched but you never know. How skinny are dogs supposed to get before you'd call somebody? How many days without food? When cats are left outside they walk around and find food, right? We see stray cats everywhere. But a dog, chained outside, has NO WAY to get food until a person brings it to them. None of us know what goes on in other people's homes, but we DO see what is going on in someone else's yard. You never know.
As far as minding your own business though, what if someone caring for the animals died or something? So nobody is coming home? That's pretty farfetched but you never know. How skinny are dogs supposed to get before you'd call somebody? How many days without food? When cats are left outside they walk around and find food, right? We see stray cats everywhere. But a dog, chained outside, has NO WAY to get food until a person brings it to them. None of us know what goes on in other people's homes, but we DO see what is going on in someone else's yard. You never know.
I don't think that's farfetched at all - older people or people who live alone many times have pets and if something happened to them no one might miss them for a couple days. Hell, I could be dead on the floor and Apollo have me half eaten by the time someone would notice me missing. But he's a glutton and might have me down to chewie bones within 24 hours.
You make the call when you have a legitimate concern.
But you don't feed or steal.
And you don't know that the dogs actually live outside. They may have just been chained up for a little bit and the owners were taking a shower or out in back or something.
If it will make you feel better take a run by the house and check on them, see if they're still outside and still look neglected. If that is the case, call AC again. Or you could post pics of the dogs and the address, then animal nutties on here will go steal the pups and burn the house down with the owners inside just to show them what happens to people who mistreat animals.