[LilasMom]

For the past two years I would see an old golden retriever walking around our neighborhood about every 1 or 2 weeks. He is very calm, shows no interest in walkers or other dogs. Just goes about his business. I have no idea where he lives but he always seems like he knows where he is going. The last time I saw him I got out of my car, stayed where I was, and tried to talk to him. He looked at me, and kept walking. I talked to him again and this time took two steps forward. He seems nervous and kept on walking a teeny bit faster so I don' think this dog is going to let me near him enough to look at his tags.

Should I call animal control before he gets hurt or killed by a car? I would feel guilty, but I know I would feel guiltier if he got hit.

 

[RCloud]

I would. There's a high chance he belongs to someone, and probably does know his way around, but people shouldn't allow their dogs to roam. If he has tags, he can probably be reunited with his owners, and perhaps that will drive the message home.

 

[Damon'sMom]

I would. There's a high chance he belongs to someone, and probably does know his way around, but people shouldn't allow their dogs to roam. If he has tags, he can probably be reunited with his owners, and perhaps that will drive the message home.

Agreed. This is what I would do.

 

[LilasMom]

I will find the number and put it into my phone so I can call them immediately the next time I see him. He looks very old and it is a shame someone would be careless enough to let him escape over 30 times, especially in his condition. He does not look agile enough to try to get out of the way of an oncoming vehicle or a dog napper eager to trap him.

 

[LilasMom]

Update:

So about 2 weeks ago I see this dog. I try to get a look at his tags again, but he starts to walk away fast. He walks into a duplex area where I am assuming he lives. A neighbor sees me trying to help the dog and tells me, "Oh he is okay, he is out here all the time" (obviously not okay). While talking to him about how the dog could get hurt, his owner comes out. I tell him that this is not the first time I have seen his dog out and that he needs to contain him or he is going to get hit by a car or dog napped (has happened before). I could tell that everything I was saying was going in one ear and out the other. I guess he didn't think he had anything to gain from listening to some blonde teenager ( I am 20, but I look a few years younger).

Anyways, I see this dog again on the way to pick my boyfriend up this morning. I had the animal control number programmed into my phone so I was able to call right away. I gave them all the info I could on him, including the duplex area in which he lives, as well as my info so they could contact me if necessary. They said they would probably respond anywhere from 2 to 24 hours from then, so they probably won't see the dog by then. I hope they do so they can teach that guy a lesson. I am going to call AC every time I see this dog. I don't care if I am being annoying, I am tired of people letting their dogs roam free because they are "so sweet" or "fine". Well guess what buddy? The rest of the world is NOT fine. There are people who speed in their cars down neighborhoods, people who steal dogs, people who take dogs as bait for fighting, loose aggressive dogs, etc. It is like defensive driving, you don't know the drivers around you so you have to always be conscious and "defensive" when you drive because you could DIE if you even for one second trust that those around you know what they are doing.

It is time for pet owners (and just people in general) to practice defensive LIVING.

 

[hanksimon]

If animal control picks up the dog, how will the owners know that the dog has not been hit by a car or dog-napped?

 

[HollowHeaven]

What will animal control do with him? Lock him in a kennel until he's PTS or dies? He's an older dog, so his chances of adoption are already down.
Will they enforce some rules against the owner or just flat out take the dog away, or will they just give him back? What if the owner doesn't come back for him?
I don't mean this to sound rude, but it's often the reality of pounds. It's just about as bad wandering down the road every couple of weeks.

~~~
Or maybe I'm just thinking of my pound, lol.

 

[sassafras]

If the dog has identification (or in this case the caller provided owner information with the call), animal control will contact the owner to come get him. The sky isn't falling.

 

[cshellenberger]

If animal control picks up the dog, how will the owners know that the dog has not been hit by a car or dog-napped?

What will animal control do with him? Lock him in a kennel until he's PTS or dies? He's an older dog, so his chances of adoption are already down.
Will they enforce some rules against the owner or just flat out take the dog away, or will they just give him back? What if the owner doesn't come back for him?
I don't mean this to sound rude, but it's often the reality of pounds. It's just about as bad wandering down the road every couple of weeks.

~~~
Or maybe I'm just thinking of my pound, lol.

Really? the dog being picked up by ANY AC is better than the dog wandering loose to get hit by a car, abused or tortured. Stray animals are at high risk for ALL these things.

 

[JulieK1967]

The family next door lets their little dog run the streets as a matter of course. Neighbors have threatened to call AC on them and they haven't changed their behavior. I've knocked on their door countless times to tell them that their dog is "running wild in the streets" which was last responded to with "Running wild? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?" To which I responded, "Dude, you don't want me to say what I really think." I've tried to catch the dog several times & I've seen others do the same but the poor thing is under-socialized & scared of people so he just barks and runs away. I've thought about calling AC but the city shelter is high-kill and I feel like I'd be signing the dog's death sentence. On the other hand, I feel wrong when I see him running in the street. It's a very difficult situation in which it's hard to know what to do. These aren't inherently bad people but they're woefully ignorant about what dogs need.

 

[sassafras]

Why would you be signing the dog's death sentence?

 

[JulieK1967]

Why would you be signing the dog's death sentence?

If my call results in him being taken to a high-kill shelter where he's euthanized.

 

[HollowHeaven]

the dog being picked up by ANY AC is better than the dog wandering loose to get hit by a car, abused or tortured.

Where I am, an animal has a better chance of surviving or getting a home than if it were picked up.
The animals at our "shelter" are never walked or socialized with, they're fed once a day -I'm not even sure if they get food on sundays- they never have fresh water, they're constantly having their cages kicked or being sprayed with hoses by the employees that work there -female inmates who apparently hate their own lives so they take it out on these animals-
They're open 4 days a week, from 10:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m which is a VERY small window of time for people who go to school and work, so hardly anybody can get there to adopt.
Most of the animals there -especially the cats- are ill, and if an injured animal is brought in, often times they just put it in a cage in the corner.
This shelter has been reported many times, by many people, but apparently what they go through isn't anyone's concern.

I know not all shelters are like this, but mine is.
Sorry, my mind links to this one every time.

 

[sassafras]

If my call results in him being taken to a high-kill shelter where he's euthanized.

Why would AC bring him to a high-kill shelter instead of giving him back to his owner? You should probably call them and ask them what the process is. I know ACs vary tremendously by location, but around here animals only go to shelters from AC if they are unclaimed or the owner is unknown. If you call and tell them "my neighbor's dog runs loose" they will pick the dog up and likely fine the owner, but they're going to give it back.

 

[JulieK1967]

Why would AC bring him to a high-kill shelter instead of giving him back to his owner? You should probably call them and ask them what the process is. I know ACs vary tremendously by location, but around here animals only go to shelters from AC if they are unclaimed or the owner is unknown. If you call and tell them "my neighbor's dog runs loose" they will pick the dog up and likely fine the owner, but they're going to give it back.

That's very interesting. I'll have to call and get more info about the process. I just assumed he'd end up at a shelter and knowing how unsocialized he is with people, I figured he'd be very hard to adopt out & would end up PTS. If that's not the case here, I will call for sure.

 

[Inga]

Where I am, an animal has a better chance of surviving or getting a home than if it were picked up.
The animals at our "shelter" are never walked or socialized with, they're fed once a day -I'm not even sure if they get food on sundays- they never have fresh water, they're constantly having their cages kicked or being sprayed with hoses by the employees that work there -female inmates who apparently hate their own lives so they take it out on these animals-
They're open 4 days a week, from 10:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m which is a VERY small window of time for people who go to school and work, so hardly anybody can get there to adopt.
Most of the animals there -especially the cats- are ill, and if an injured animal is brought in, often times they just put it in a cage in the corner.
This shelter has been reported many times, by many people, but apparently what they go through isn't anyone's concern.

I know not all shelters are like this, but mine is.
Sorry, my mind links to this one every time.

Sounds like a great place to get a group of animal advocates together to make changes in that situation. Change can only happen if one person first stands against it. Just a thought

There used to be a female Pit Bull that wandered the neighborhood here. The first time I saw her, I rushed my dogs in the house and then watched her to see if she lived in one of the neighbors houses. I was new to this neigjhborhood and didn't know everyone. She never once put a foot in the street, we don't have sidewalks here so she was cruising peoples yards. She hopped 4 foot fences like it was nothing and seemed on a mission. The next time I saw her (about 3 days later) I put my dogs in the house and went to catch her. She was a sweetheart and let me catch her without issue. I found that she lived one street over and 4 houses down so I walked her home. There was nobody there so I put her in the back yard with a note. A week later, there she is again so I call her and she comes running tail wagging. I put her in the car and took her home. A few days later I look out into my fenced in back yard and there she is playing with my dogs. This time I put them all in the car and we went to drop her off. I had some words with her owner that time. Fast forward a couple more days and I hear noise out on my porch, I open the door to see her looking in as if to say "Can your dogs come out and play?" I let them play for a little while then we jumped in the car, ran to the bank for a deposit and a dog biscuit, then we took her home. That routine continued for quite some time, and then it stopped. It makes me crazy mad that those shitty owners wouldn't keep their dog contained and safe. It also made me sad that she preferred to live at my house then her own. At least with me, she got attention, food, air conditioning on hot days and even love. I would have kept her, maybe I should have. The owners never came looking, they never said "thanks" when I brought her back or offered an apology for their ill care of their own dog. Looking back, I should have kept her but I already had my hands full and I had Cancer at the time so... It wasn't a good time. The reason I didn't call animal control then was because there was no where to take her but our shelter that pretty much killed all the Pit Bulls or dogs that looked like Pit Bulls and Rotties. I wouldn't have chanced it but I agree 100% that it is better then getting hit on the street or beaten up by some stranger. In the case I just described, most of the neighbors here knew who she was and looked out for her. I am happy to say that crappy family is now gone. Most of the people around here are pretty good.

 

[HollowHeaven]

Sounds like a great place to get a group of animal advocates together to make changes in that situation. Change can only happen if one person first stands against it. Just a thought

Like I said, we have tried to do something about it. The shelter "manager" -or so she thinks herself- believes there's nothing wrong and thinks the whole thing is a great joke. apparently her opinion matters over the clear evidence.

 

[LilasMom]

This dog is definitely not getting sent to a shelter. The city where I live is extremely pet friendly, and I spoke to the people and let them know this dog DOES have a family, I even told them what complex he lived at.

He has tags on his collar too.

 

[luvmyfurballs]

I had the same issue with a wandering collie I found out where he lived..I actually followed him one day and it turns out the dog is 16 years old, the dogs sister just died, and the actual dog himself is blind and deaf. I was amazed that these people didn't take better care to keep the dog safe. I haven't seen him in a while so I'm guessing he passed away but it made me so mad From what I know about animal control is that they pick up a dog, try to find the owner(micro chip or tags) If the dog has either, the owner is contacted to pick up the dog and fined(if there is a leash law) at this point the owner can probably surrender the dog and in that case the dog can end up being put to sleep or adopted out--depends on the dog and the room in the shelter. I would find all of this out before you make a call...do you know anyone that wants a dog? I've done that too..

 

[luvmyfurballs]

Sounds like a great place to get a group of animal advocates together to make changes in that situation. Change can only happen if one person first stands against it. Just a thought

There used to be a female Pit Bull that wandered the neighborhood here. The first time I saw her, I rushed my dogs in the house and then watched her to see if she lived in one of the neighbors houses. I was new to this neigjhborhood and didn't know everyone. She never once put a foot in the street, we don't have sidewalks here so she was cruising peoples yards. She hopped 4 foot fences like it was nothing and seemed on a mission. The next time I saw her (about 3 days later) I put my dogs in the house and went to catch her. She was a sweetheart and let me catch her without issue. I found that she lived one street over and 4 houses down so I walked her home. There was nobody there so I put her in the back yard with a note. A week later, there she is again so I call her and she comes running tail wagging. I put her in the car and took her home. A few days later I look out into my fenced in back yard and there she is playing with my dogs. This time I put them all in the car and we went to drop her off. I had some words with her owner that time. Fast forward a couple more days and I hear noise out on my porch, I open the door to see her looking in as if to say "Can your dogs come out and play?" I let them play for a little while then we jumped in the car, ran to the bank for a deposit and a dog biscuit, then we took her home. That routine continued for quite some time, and then it stopped. It makes me crazy mad that those shitty owners wouldn't keep their dog contained and safe. It also made me sad that she preferred to live at my house then her own. At least with me, she got attention, food, air conditioning on hot days and even love. I would have kept her, maybe I should have. The owners never came looking, they never said "thanks" when I brought her back or offered an apology for their ill care of their own dog. Looking back, I should have kept her but I already had my hands full and I had Cancer at the time so... It wasn't a good time. The reason I didn't call animal control then was because there was no where to take her but our shelter that pretty much killed all the Pit Bulls or dogs that looked like Pit Bulls and Rotties. I wouldn't have chanced it but I agree 100% that it is better then getting hit on the street or beaten up by some stranger. In the case I just described, most of the neighbors here knew who she was and looked out for her. I am happy to say that crappy family is now gone. Most of the people around here are pretty good.

We had almost the same exact thing happen when I was younger. It was a pit bull also. We would bring her home, about two blocks away and while we were walking back home on one side she would be running on the other side to get back to our house...she always beat us there This went on for about a year until we moved. My mom regrets not taking that dog!! The mailman couldn't come on the porch to deliver the mail..my mom would have to come outside and meet him on the sidewalk!!