How long to leave a dog with daily visits - neighbour

elsien

I stand by my previous comments. I am pleasantly surprised that the RSPCA did turn up, and this has prompted some action but the letter would have been a “has this dog been abandoned, please get in touch” type letter which may or may not have gone any further. 

Hopefully the owner will engage their brain more in future. 

Jude57

I echo the views of several other posters regarding the RSPCA. Certainly, in the North East, the RSPCA has next to no presence at all and, having over the years made several calls to them about seriously mistreated animals, not once have they ever visited to investigate, let alone ridden in on their white chargers to save the animals and the day. I don't know anyone with a good word to say about their interactions with the RSPCA in this part of the country.

I live in a large city but have friends and relatives in rural areas across the North East and North West, some of whom raise farm animals and all of whom have domestic pets. Some have had RSPCA visits over the years due to complaints from aggrieved people, but as their animals are all well cared for, there was nothing for the RSPCA to do. All of those farmers have since been inundated with telephone calls and letters from the RSPCA seeking donations. One relative was so fed up with this that, after formal written complaints didn't stop it, he enlisted the help of his MP to finally get them off his back.

On this occasion they seem to have had some effect and I sincerely hope that the dog is now being properly cared for by people who know how to care for a dog and not just taken to a strange person's home and left outside there instead of locked inside the owner's home. I'm cynical enough to think that is a real possibility - after all, if the 'carer' actually cared, they'd either stay with the dog at its home or take it to their home. I've done both as a favour to friends and certainly will again, it's what people who love animals do.

I appreciate that others' experience of the RSPCA may well be different from mine but I won't be gloating if I'm proved right.

nayathepsychic

The fact that the RSPCA attended OP's neighbour's home is astonishing to me. It must have been a very slow day, or whoever contacted them exaggerated the situation.
A couple of years ago my neighbour MOVED HOUSE and left a German shepherd behind in the empty house. I noticed he was at the window about 10 days after they left and was horrified to find out from their adjoining neighbour that he'd been there alone all that time, presumably very lonely and confused about where his 6 humans had suddenly disappeared to. On further inspection (peering through windows, scaling the side gate) I ascertained that the back door had been left open so he had access to the back yard, there was a large flat box, the kind fruit is delivered in, full of dry food, and an upturned mixing bowl that had presumably contained water when it was the right way up.
The other neighbour said that the mother of the woman who'd moved was popping in once a day to check on the dog and to walk him. I watched her arrive later that day, she indeed took him out but was back in 6 minutes. 
I phoned the RSPCA who said as long as someone was going on once a day it wasn't neglect so I lied (and I'm not sorry) and said no one had been. I also phoned the housing association to let them know the house had been abandoned and left unsecured. When I got back from work the dog was gone and the doors were locked. 
All this to say, RSPCA have a very different idea of neglect and abuse than I, and I think most people, do. 

Undervalued

nayathepsychic said:

The fact that the RSPCA attended OP's neighbour's home is astonishing to me. It must have been a very slow day, or whoever contacted them exaggerated the situation.
A couple of years ago my neighbour MOVED HOUSE and left a German shepherd behind in the empty house. I noticed he was at the window about 10 days after they left and was horrified to find out from their adjoining neighbour that he'd been there alone all that time, presumably very lonely and confused about where his 6 humans had suddenly disappeared to. On further inspection (peering through windows, scaling the side gate) I ascertained that the back door had been left open so he had access to the back yard, there was a large flat box, the kind fruit is delivered in, full of dry food, and an upturned mixing bowl that had presumably contained water when it was the right way up.
The other neighbour said that the mother of the woman who'd moved was popping in once a day to check on the dog and to walk him. I watched her arrive later that day, she indeed took him out but was back in 6 minutes. 
I phoned the RSPCA who said as long as someone was going on once a day it wasn't neglect so I lied (and I'm not sorry) and said no one had been. I also phoned the housing association to let them know the house had been abandoned and left unsecured. When I got back from work the dog was gone and the doors were locked. 
All this to say, RSPCA have a very different idea of neglect and abuse than I, and I think most people, do. 

Maybe so.

I am no fan of the RSPCA (as I said earlier) but they have no statutory powers and can only act within the law.

There are laws relating to animal cruelty, abuse and (indirectly) neglect but they don't go as far as many people would like. Unless those laws are broken, a domestic animal is a chattel (i.e item of property) in the eyes of the law and the owner can do with it as they please.

I am sure the RSPCA would like more powers and resources. Whether or not that would be a good thing is a contentious issue.

thriftytracey

An informative thread.  I am glad that there was some action in the end.  

I feel so sorry for that little dog.  Dogs are social animals and need the presence of their owners.  I have two dogs.  We don't leave them for long very often and take them on holiday with us.  On Sunday we went to a concert and were out for three hours. They were frantic with joy when we returned I felt really guilty! 

tanmich

I am totally shocked by any dog lover leaving their dog behind on their own when on holiday. They do not deserve to have a dog at all, best get themselves a stuffed toy to play with at least then there is no responsibility on their end. As for one poster saying they quite happily left their old dog for 12 hours as "he sleeps most of the time" it totally disgusts me. That old dog gave them so much love during their lifetime, the very least they could do was be with them when they are old, what if the poor dog died all alone, I could never live with that thought. My dogs are always cared for, we give back the love they have given us over all the years, we forgo holidays  simply for the pleasure it gives us to be loved and owned by that very special member of our family.

PennyForThem_2

Dog Lover? ??>>>???  Really?