HI all,

Okay there is a dog that my mother told me she always sees when she goes for a walk around the neighbourhood. The dog is ALWYA in the back yard, chained up. Neighbours confirmed that the people NEVER bring him inside, NEVER walk him, NEVER show him any love or affection. They bought him when he was a puppy and for 7 years he has been chained to the backyard, alone, with nobody to socialize with. I went to see for myself today and from what i can see, he doesnt even have a dog house. ALl he had was a bowl near him, and that is it. He looked, sad and hopeless and lonely.

Now the tricky question here is what can I do to GET HIM OUT OF THERE!!!

A couple of years ago, I had tried to help a similar dog in the same situation by calling the SPCA. They investigated, went to the home, spoke with the dogs "owners", checked out the circumstances, but in the end there was not enough evidence of "neglect" for them to seize the animal or charge the owners. The poor dog therefore never was able to be removed from that horrible life and horribly lazy, uncaring, undeserving family.

I dont want this situation to a repeat of that situation, so I am not sure if calling the SPCA is the right thing for that dog. Maybe I should lie and say that I saw the owners abusing the dog so they will actually remove the dog from their custody? If lying will get that dog a happier life, I would be more than willing to do that - if that is what it is going to take. But i am not sure if that is the wisest way to help the animal. What if it doesnt work and the "owners" get pissed off and take it out on the dog?

Then I thought maybe I should approach the "owners" and ask them if I could take the dog, and if they say no, then pay them some money that I will try and save up?

But I wouldnt be able to care for the dog. I live in a atiny apartment and am gone for most of the day and night. It would be removing him from one lonely existence to bring him into another.

If anybody here has any experience with "backyard dogs condemned to living at the end of a chain", or any knowledge or opinion or info on what the best thing to do FOR THE DOG is, please post asap. This is an urgent matter as the each minute that goes by is hell for that animal.

I dont know what the WISEST and most EFFECTIVE course of action to take in this situation is. I want to get the dog OUT OF THAT MISERABLE LONELY BACK YARD!!

Does the dog look like he has been abused and/ or neglected ? Has the dog been left out in all kinds of weather ? Is his collar loose enough ? Is the chain long enough ? If any or all of these is true, call the SPCA. Do not lie as there could be an infinite number of worse situations for the poor doggie. Many times people just don't think and a visit by the SPCA will jog their brains a little. If the SPCA does take him and his people do not clean up their act, you can adopt him or find a home for him.

One of my experiences when I used to have to take the train to get to work included seeing a poor dog in a vacant lot. He had no shelter from rain and heat and only had a cardboard to lie on. I was hesitant because I didn't know what would happen , but decided he needed and deserved better living conditions so I called the SPCA. The next day I didn't see the dog there and thought I may have done the wrong thing, but after a week I saw a dog house in the lot, a big bowl of water and a basketball there (hopefully it meant someone was playing and socializing with him). True it was not the ritz, but it was an improvement and hopefully his people are more aware that he has needs as well.

I wish there was more that I could have done and more aggressive action I could recommend, but unless you can take him as a roommate or find someone that can adopt him the best you can hope for is to improve his circumstances. (Not a very palatable fact I know .....) That is why I will "say" again, more education must be provided and taught to humans for them to become aware that nonhumans are not inanimate objects and have rights and needs beyond food and water.

like i said, yes, the dog is left out 24 hours a day 7 days a week, through all extreme weather conditions.

dont know if his collar is loose enough, hard to tell from just looking into the backyard.

well, i would say that he is neglected because he is never walked or shown affection, he is bored and lonely, sad and as you all know, dogs are pack animals, not loners.


so i can call the spca but under the local laws here, they wont be able to remove the dog. all they can do is "talk" to the owners. what if that backfires and they take it out on the dog?

i am so unsure of how to proceed here.

CG calling the SPCA will let the owners know that someone is noticing how they are treating the dog and might make them more receptive to his needs. If you do not want to just leave the poor guy in his situation you have to take action. The worst case scenario is that you will have more ammunition if things don't change. When calling the SPCA tell them that the dog has been left out in all kinds of weather without any shelter. There should be laws providing for the safety and wellbeing of animals in Canada, so having the SPCA talk to them can only be beneficial in the long run for the dog.

Crash is right there. The SPCA might not help, but they may shake the people into behaving themselves. Are you in a position to take any pictures?

Crash and Mary,

Okay I definitely know you guys LOVE animals and are thinking only about helping the dog, so i trust your advice and your judgments 100 % and I will proceed to call the SCPA right now. I hope that they find some ammunition with which they can seize the beautiful animal, who for seven years has lived on the end of a chain, in a lonely backyard.

I can take pictures, but they will only show the dog sleeping. I wish that I could get my hands on more evidence.

Okay so i gotta go make that call now. will keep you guys posted.

thanks so much for your input. I wish I had a house - i would offer to adopt the animal myself and shower him with love.

Go there at night and take the dog. I consider it a justified action.

I agree with Tyler, though you'd need a home for it first and that sounds like a problem. My aunt (a very law-abiding meat-eater) 'liberated' a neighbours dog. They went off on holiday and left the dog chained outside with a big bowl of water and a bag of biscuits. She'd noticed them being generally neglectful and cruel to the dog over the years and decided to take action, so that she went into their back yard, and rescued the dog after having found a home for it with a friend in another neighbourhood.

I was tempted to take my aunts neighbours dog in as he was always left outside all day/night or was chased by her bunch of kids, never did and they no longer have him - and wont say where hes gone

Wish id of done something.

Am trying to rehome friends nans dog at the mo but computers all down for an upgrade at work so cant send a message.

Ive atcually fallen out with someone i worked with who got a dog as a cute puppy then sold him in the paper without a home check as she was fed up with the dog fur on her sofa not spoken to her since

Hope it all works out with this dog ok?

Alison

I agree. If the SPCA won't do anything get the dog out of there.

yes i was thinking the same thing.


but i am concerned that because the poor animal has never known any socialization except with his own chain, he might be agressive. He might even attack and rip me to shreds.

I have never had a dog before so i am not sure if there is a way I could tell before I actually jump over the fence and unto his territory.

He is a big dog - looks like a pitbull and Siberian Kusky cross (from what i can tell anyway).

So in other words, the whole thing might backfire, and the only thing that may come out of it is me getting arrested for trespassing. That's NOT going to help the dog.

I couldnt agree more that the action is justified.

Maybe i should approach them and ask them to give him to me? If they refuse, then i will be screwed because if i take him, they will know it was me later.

if they agree, I have no home to offer the animal. what do i do then?

Confused. And the SPCA has yet to return my call from yesterday!

Is anybody on these boards from Toronto, Canada - so maybe we can meet and come up with some kind of plan if we do decide to break and enter and rescue the animal? I dont think I can handle that dog myself - he is pretty intimating looking. My experience with dogs is limited to petting other people's dogs in the elevators of my building.

Ya know, its sad to admit, but I can relate from the dog owners perspective.

Let me tell you a little story....

I got a 1 year old Bull Mastiff, I absolutely adored him, that dog
felt like a brother to me. Its strange but true.

Eventually I moved to a new location, and got a new job and it wasnt
very good for the dog, My yard no longer had a high enough fence
to keep him in, and he kept escaping, and once was almost hit by a truck.

So yes, I chained him up for the 7 hours a day that I was at work.

That lasted for about 3 or 4 months, but eventually I gave him away to
a family that had a small hobby farm... reportedly he now plays with
the donkeys and is very happy. Giving him away was the hardest thing
I've had to do in a long long long time. It really broke my heart.

For the 3 or 4 months that he was chained up outside many people
complained to me and said that it was cruel. This not only hurt my feelings
but it actually made me angry. Other than for those 7 hours a day, the dog
NEVER left my side, we went EVERYWHERE together. I truely valued
the companionship of that big dumb brute, and he was very well
cared for. You could not have met a happier, funnier, lazier dog.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention this because I once did have to chain
a dog outside, and it didnt mean that I didnt love the dog, and it didnt
mean he was neglected or unloved.

But yeah, if the dog is alone and chained outside 24/7 thats quite different.

Ok, what kind of fence are we talking about here? If its short or you can see through it you should first assess the dog's condition and temperment. Sometimes dogs that spend their lives chained up and neglected have really bad coats. Sometimes a dog's collar or chain will grow into the dogs neck and need to be surgically removed. Other times, they look really starved. If the dog is in really bad condition you need to be careful because he may be more agressive. He may also be perfectly sweet and eager to come with you, so you have to judge carefully. If he does have neck injuries or a really nasty coat (sometimes fur is falling off or they are just really dirty and scruffy looking) this is probably a case where the spca needs to step in, so don't risk anything. You don't want to be responsible for a really sick dog.

If the dog appears to be in good condition aside from being lonely and chained up, you have a good chance that he will have a good temperment. Try to keep in mind that even really scary looking dogs are usually sweet. What you should do is try to assess whether this dog will bark. You can usually tell the dog is a barker before you go in his yard. If not, I would hop the fence and if he starts barking just get the hell out of there. Hop the fence outside the range of his chain and see what he does. If you decide to approach him stay low, move slowly and extend a hand out for him to sniff. If he approaches you to smell, you are probably in good shape. If he is abused he may shy away from you, so stay low and be as non threatening as possible. Don't corner him, don't keep advancing if he is backing away. Just be chill. if he seems scared and backs away stop and wait. Maybe talk to him a little. Once you are able to approach him, Let him get a good sniff, don't go fast, try to stay calm even if you are a little scared. If he sniffs and seems cool start to scratch his chin and see what he does. Move from his chin to behind his ears, the rest of his head, his body until you have established a bond. If you are really loving in your approach, its easy to bond with a dog really fast. It can help to talk to him a little too. Speak softly and slowly and say stuff like "yeah...its ok...ohhhh, your a sweet guy...yeah." You can even talk to him while you're approaching him. Now that the dog is chill with you you can work on getting him out of there. If the dog is a pit bull you are actually in really good shape. They are really smart and love all people. They are only agressive towards other animals (and sometimes not even then). If the dog is a rottie or a doberman or something like that, I would be more cautious. One last thing, you should make sure you have a way to get the dog out before you go into the yard. if the gate is locked you will need to figure out whether you can get him out. You could go the bolt cutter route, but thats getting pretty serious.

When in doubt don't subject yourself to danger. Be safe! I hope everything goes smoothly if you decide to take him. I wish I lived near toronto, I would love to help. Good Luck!

Hi Austin,

Thanks for that amazingly detailed advice. It was very helpful.

But i still wouldnt have a home to where I could take the dog? The SPCA? Who knows how long it would take before the dog could be adopted - if ever? Wouldnt waiting in a cage at the SCPA be just as bad as being chained in a backyard? ANd for who knows how long?

SO what should I do with the dog if I do take him?

Also, it seems that there is a division of opinion - some say call SPCA, other say take direct liberating action.

I am confused. Still not sure which route to take.

If only there was a board member from Toronto that can help me assess the situation and come up with an action plan?

Hopefully somebody from Toronto reads this message soon and contacts me. I expect the SPCA tpo be returning my call on Monday - so now I dont know what to tell them.

If you have nowhere to bring the dog, then phone the SPCA. But are they like the RSPCA in the UK? Will they kill a dog that is not "suited"?

Have you been through the yellow pages and looked for every single animal sanctuary? Find out if there is a no kill policy place.

Is it possible for you to make friends with this dog? Austen gives really good advice for this.

Do you have any AR contacts in Toronto? One thing is that if you are waiting for a confident AR person from Toronto to read this and help you formulate a plan then you could be waiting a long time. Most people lack confidence in themselves, and therefore wait for help which often will never come. At the moment the dog only has you. If you can find a no kill shelter then get in touch with them, they may be able to help.