I got a call this morn from my Vet's office that a woman had called about a stray Basset...she wanted to get him tested for heartworms, treat him, and find a Rescue to take him in.
So I called her and found out the real story. Apparently the people next door got divorced, and NO ONE had been living there for over a year. The wife has been going once in a while to dump food over the fence for 3 dogs, and there were at least 4 cats inside.
The shelter can't do anything because they had food, and access to the garage, so this woman was desperate to help them. The lab was showing signs of more advanced heartworm, and another dog had so many fleas that he had lost most of his hair. Duncan the Basset kept digging under the fence to be with this woman, so she kept him in her yard, and is trying to help.
I was concerned with the legality of just taking him away, so I called our Intake Coordinator with the story, and she said that if he kept digging out, then they can consider him a stray and would have no problem helping him! They probably wouldn't notice he was gone...
I went over to make sure he was a pure Basset first, and what a sweet, affectionate guy he is...2 yrs, neutered. No, I didn't come home with him, as it might be too much for Winnie, but I surely wanted to.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. There is no human living on the property, either in the house, the yard or the garage. Just dogs in the yard who have access to inside the garage? What about the cats inside? Are they being taken care of, fed, and kept warm? (are there utilities still on or not?)
And the shelter isn't doing something?
The shelter very well CAN do something, they can file abandonment charges on both the owners. If they aren't doing so, then talk to the local police department and they can get the shelter off their duffs to do something. If that doesn't work, call the local news stations, and I gaurantee you, the pets will be rescued!
It doesn't matter if food is being dumped over the fence. The animals have been abandoned. What about the cats inside? Who is taking care of them, and what condition is the inside of the house like? If no one is living in the home, I gaurantee you that by now, the inside of the house is not fit nor safe for the cats. In effect, they too have been abandoned.
Call the police, get action going to get ALL of these poor animals proper care and shelter...preferrably with a resuce organization, the shelter has been negligent enough.
As for the "legality" of taking them away, by yourself or some other caring soul, there could be problems with this. Don't rely on heresay without proof. If either owner has access to the home, they can lie in court and tell a judge someone was there for the pets, therefore they may deny charges of abandonment. This could go so many ways, it's pathetic. Again, what about the cats inside? Someone has to get them out and cared for, and into loving homes.
Yes, you understand it correctly, Traci. According to her, there has been no human living on the property for over a year. I think the cats are being fed, also...she said she has seen at least 4 different ones in the window. I have no idea about utilities, but temps here are not freezing, most of the time.
She has had the shelter come out, and the police...dang this town! She even called a local boarding kennel because she knew they bred Bassets (I didn't know that), and they wouldn't help her...passing thought, wonder if they may have bred this dog.
This is touchy...and I feel so bad for the the once loved pets.
Plain and simple, it is sheer neglect and abandonment.
Call the local newstations, and don't let fear or apprehension stop you. This needs to get out to the community, and the owners need to be charged.
Regardless of the weather, it is the living conditions and their welfare that need to be taken into account, both for the dogs and for the cats. Don't forget, that any type of temperature can affect pets in different ways, they need proper shelter, sufficient food/water intake, and a temperature controlled environment, not to mention human contact and care.
Remember, those who have the knowledge of abuse/neglect/abandonment, and don't report it or do something about it, are just as responsible as the guilty party. I'm not directing that to you specifically, but if you have any knowledge of the situation at all (this includes your friend and her responsibility as well), then do something about it. Those animals may be suffering more than you know.
Btw, if your vet was aware of this, what has he done? He too, should be reporting this if he has knowledge of neglect and abandonment.
Traci, you are right on all counts...I will do what I can for all the pets. We do have 2 other all-breed rescues in town, and she said she called them, and they are full to capacity.
I doubt my Vet actually knew about this as it was a tech who knew I had contacts with Basset rescue who called me.
Gotta add this...the lady who has Duncan called her own Vet to have a heartworm test done, and he refused to do it, because it was not her dog. I can understand that. So she called my Vet's office saying the dog was a stray and would they do it. They didn't have the whole story, and I understand this woman's feeling of helplessness.
Is there an easy way to curse irresponsible pet owners...?
If there is proof the dogs are not being cared for, and reside on an abandoned property....personally, I would take a friend or two on a dark quiet night and steal them, and place them in loving homes. (gee, they must have dug under the fence and got out).
As for the cats, chances are the house is locked up, but if this is truly an abandoned home (no upkeep, no one entering and keeping it clean, or having utilities, etc), then I'm surprised it hasn't been vandalized already. If it were prior vandalized and the owners obviously don't care, then I would enter by the prior vandalized entry and steal the cats and place them into loving homes. (gee, they must have escaped through that broken window).
But I'm here, and you're there, and this is only my opinion. Neither of us has proof of anything, only what your friend has observed. I'd wonder (and rule out), if someone is actually still making house payments on the house, or making rental payments, etc, or if it is truly abandoned (for all we know, the hubby could be in Iraq, the wife at mom's house). A trip to the courthouse for records on the property could tell you that much. (public information). If it's legally abandoned, someone must still own the land, that's also public information.
If the shelter isn't doing squat, call your local or regional office for the HSUS in your area, file a report/complaint, be specific, but demand action. Tell them you're concerned about the animals being abandoned, ask how to proceed (since the shelter seemingly doesn't want to do anything).
If that doesn't provide results, call the most popular news stations in your area, and be specific with what isn't being done for these animals, ask for an investigation. During this, you might also ask your vet, or the heads of any rescue organization for advice on whom to contact, etc.
An occasional drop of food over the fence isn't cutting it, and you have no way of knowing the conditions inside the house for the cats, or even if they are getting fed and the care they need. So, proof first, then take action, but all in a very timely manner (quickly). You could call the shelter and demand they tell you if the owner is actually somehow taking care of them, and if they don't have proof of that, then tell them you will be contacting other authorities (that may get them into gear, if it doesn't, proceed with the above).
Interesting. We are often caught in the same situation. We get a report of animals abandoned on property, but we cannot go and take them if they appear well fed, have shelter and water. You never know when the animals are really abandoned. One example from before I became an ACO. People moved into a new house they built about a mile from the old house. A problem with the fencing company meant there was no fence on the new property when they moved in. THey still owned the old house so left the animals there and came by twice a day to feed and check up on the animals. One of the neighbors reported the dogs as abandoned. The Shelter people came and took the animals and were sued for traspassing by the owners after they retrieved their animals. The ACO who went and got the animals just barely missed going to jail.
Skeptic, I am glad you chimed in here. I can't see where the animals are totally abandoned, but they have been definitely neglected for a year. That's no way for a previously well cared for pet to live.
I did some researching on animal control laws here, and it says that " an animal shall be deemed harbored if fed and sheltered for 7 or more consecutive days." So the neighbor has fed and sheltered the dog since last Sat...the wife knows it, but doesn't care. Can I interpret this as the neighbor can claim ownership, and then relinquish the pet to Rescue. That might be my way out without a guilty conscience.
Years ago, my son came home with a stray kitten, and I was told the same thing then. The kitten was mine.
I have been given an idea for the cats, as well...and have talked to the neighbor about this possibility. I won't go into it now... but will get back.
There must be proof in the eyes of the law that the owner has been negligent, and/or has clearly abandoned the pets, according to definitions outlined in the animal welfare laws and to, I presume, the animal shelter's specific policies in handling this type of siutation. The animal shelter needs to investigate. If the shelter was notified by the neighbor of her concerns at one point, and the shelter simply came out and said "oh, we see food has been dropped over the fence, and there is a garage access for shelter", but did nothing more, then the shelter failed their responsibilities, and probably in the eyes of the law. The shelter needs to give warning to the legitimate owner, whether that is the husband or the wife, that the pets require constant care and supervision and observation on a daily basis, based on the welfare laws that define welfare and abandonment.
Your friend should make every attempt to contact the shelter and ask them for specifics, that is, if the owners ever recieved a warning, if the owners are under observation or investigation, and if the animals in fact are under observation by the shelter. (a shelter ACO may have given a warning and the wife simply makes sure there is evidence of food and shelter avaiable, so she can get away with not violating the warning). Be prepared, if there is an ongoing investigation, the shelter is not obligated to give this information to your friend, but should ethically at least inform you one way or another they are actively looking into and following up on the situation.
I don't understand the sitation with the property. No one has lived there for over a year, yet the pets remain at the property. This makes no sense. Who owns the property? Has the property been maintained? Whomever the legal owner is the responsible person to oversee the welfare of the animals. If there are no utlilities on at the property, this sets up a situation for unfit living conditions (lack of heat source, water, not to mention the problems with cats in a locked up house with no utilities). Where exactly do both the husband and wife reside if seperately? Is it possible the house was a rental? Did the friend ever ask the wife what the situation was with the property and these pets? If the neighbor tries to cross a property line or fenced yard, she can be charged with trespassing, unlawful entry, etc.
Don't go on heresay, Marty, despite your friend's best intention, you need to find out the entire story. Who owns the property, who is maintaining it, who is the legal responsibility for the pets, and how are they neglecting their responsibilities. What is the wife's story/reasoning/excuse? Is the shelter aware of what's going on and is monitoring the situation but the neighbor simply doesn't know that?
In the case of the kitten, that's completely different. The kitten, as you say, was a stray, so without proper identification on the pet, or known attempts on the owners part for locating their "lost" pet, etc, then the kitten becomes "finders keepers" if you will. The pets you are referring to obviously are someone's property, behind a fence, inside a house that is owned by someone.
Traci wrote:....personally, I would take a friend or two on a dark quiet night and steal them, and place them in loving homes. (gee, they must have dug under the fence and got out).
As for the cats, chances are the house is locked up, but if this is truly an abandoned home (no upkeep, no one entering and keeping it clean, or having utilities, etc), then I'm surprised it hasn't been vandalized already. If it were prior vandalized and the owners obviously don't care, then I would enter by the prior vandalized entry and steal the cats and place them into loving homes. (gee, they must have escaped through that broken window).
I agree. Do it and do it now. You know these animals will thank you and be forever grateful.
You know that show Animal Precinct on the Animal Planet? Maybe you can call them up, have them come out and all the NEGATIVE publicity these owners and your town will get will force the proper care onto these poor babies.
