Twig Just About Scared Me To Death!

[Bones]

My friend’s dog got out of her husbands house and she is at her house about a hour away so she called my mom and had us pick him up. She said that she would come get him in a few days but when she came down she said that her husband would pick him up in a couple more days but it has been about 2 weeks and he is still at my house. I don’t think that she plans on coming back for him. I have to keep him in a crate in my bedroom when he can’t be outside so I wrapped cardboard around his crate to keep twig out. Today I was sitting at my computer and I looked over to see Twig in the crate curled up with the dog . It scared me so bad it felt like my heart stopped. I don’t have anywhere else to put the dog because our dogs will not get along with him and I am afraid that if he got into a fight with my dogs that he will be killed because he is so much smaller then them. I hate the thought of taking him to the pound but I can’t risk having him here anymore and when ever we talk to his owner about it she says that she will pick him up in a few days. 

[Roberta]

If you know when she is going to be home take the drive and drop him off. Or better go when she is not home and drop him off then phone her to let her know that she doesn’t need to make the drive as he is already home.

[Roberta]

If you know when she is going to be home take the drive and drop him off. Or better go when she is not home and drop him off then phone her to let her know that she doesn’t need to make the drive as he is already home. if the husbands house is closer you could also drop him there. Don’t give them a choice, its their dog. Simply open the gate let him in secure the gate and go. Otherwise they will just let it get longer and longer and longer.

[Bones]

I don’t know where her house is and the husbands yard has holes in the fence. The first time I picked up the dog I just put him back inside his yard but the next day he was out again. He lives next to a Highway and the last time the dog got out he was running around in the middle of it.

[Roberta]

OK, lets work this systematically… Do you know anyone who has her address or would the husband give it to you. Is she in the phone book ?

You can tell the husband you need her address to drop the dog off as you can longer keep it. Alternately is the dog registered, does it have tags ? You can bring the case to the local council ranger and explain that you cant keep the dog but here are the owners….

[Bones]

The husband will not tell me where she lives and I don’t know any of her other friends. Her husband is actually staying at her house. They just left her dog, her husbands German Shepard and her 2 cats by them self for a week with out anyone caring for them. When they did come back it was for less then a hour before they went back to her house for another week. The dog is not registered with the county so I can’t find her that way. The dog does have a tag with his owner’s phone number.

[Roberta]

Have they collected the other animals or are they still abandoned ? This could be a matter for animal welfare. AW will be able to access records for the properties Lease, Council Rates etc and track them down through the system. You can not bear the burden for all these animals and obviously the animals need help too. I would not feel guilty about having to surrender the dog under these circumstances. You could also alert any local animal rescue groups and they may be able to offer advice and support.

[Roberta]

Alternately ring around friends and family and see if anyone would like to adopt a sweet little dog who is bunny friendly then ignore her phone calls if she ever resurfaces.

[Bones]

Thanks, I have tried to get animal control to come out but they have not gotten back to me. The people leave food and water out for the animals when they stop by and the other dog stays in the yard. I actually have a stray puppy that I have been trying to re-home but no one I know seems to want a dog.

[Roberta]

OK… You are going to have to call animal welfare again to follow up. As to the stray puppy you will need to start canvassing rescue groups. If its a pup there could still be someone looking for it who isn’t modern tech savvy. Trust me there are a lot out there. I regularly get calls from family and friends who need info for friends about how to locate or reunite lost/found animals. Its time consuming but you have to exhaust every avenue even taliking to strangers at the shops and telling them about the puppy. Trust me an off hand remark to a stranger about a found animal can result in them saying “OMG thats my neighbours pet they’ve been searching for ages” Yes, there is some tact and tecnique involved so you don’t come across as a loony. Remember, check out chicks at your local supermarket are a great source of information and also a great way of distributing information.

[Bones]

I am pretty sure the pup belonged to the backyard breeders a few streets away from me because they had two that looked like him and they were in the same condition but one disappeared about when I found this dog. He was about 6 months old when I found him and was covered in mats, urine and feces. I did what the shelter told me I had to do in terms of finding the owners but they never called.

[Roberta]

OK, Where are you ?… Lets find all the local shelters and animal protection groups. We might have to deal with several different ones as they don’t all take dogs or they don’t all take cats.

[Bones]

I am in Riverside county in southern California USA. I really can’t let the lady find out that I called on her because my brother is in the private school that she works with and she is helping my brother get his diploma so if she finds out that I called animal control or anything she will get really mad. I go by their house every few days and the animals have food and water and are fine.

[Roberta]

OK…. Not a problem… Firstly, this lady has no right to harass your brother and if she does you have a serious case for redress… But right now lets try to find a peaceful resolution.
Right, your brother is in contact.. Could he politely and diplomatically ask for her address for the purpose of you returning her dog and saving her a long journey as you are unable to continue keeping the dog ? Sounds like someone is coming by or one of the neighbours is feeding the other animals. These people may have issues they are trying to resolve but it is not fair to expect you to carry the burden whilst they sort it out. Can you phone her and ask her honestly and outright if there is a problem and will there be an actual date when they can collect her pet ? Don’t accept the “couple of Days” Answer… remind her gently and politely that she has said this several times and you need clear and concise information as you can no longer care for her pet. Do this tomorrow and lets see where we go from there.

[Roberta]

Meanwhile lets find someone who can help with the Puppy

[Bones]

Thanks, I will call her later today and see if we can work this out. I am pretty sure that the husband is the one feeding the animals. I think he leaves a a container of food for them.

About the puppy who I named Buddy. I think that he is a Skye Terrier/Cocker Spaniel mix and I have had him for about 4 months. I took him to be evaluated at a rescue and he growled at the trainer. He also bit the vet when I took him to get neutered and get his shots. I think he has fear aggression when he is in a strange place because he is fine when he meets someone at my house. He is also afraid of new dogs. He is fine with cats though but is to playful to be around my rabbits when they are running around. I was planing on paying a dog psychologist to help me to help him but needed to save up for it. 

[Bones]

This is what he normally looks like but I shaved him because he looked miserable with all that hair in the heat.

[Roberta]

Suspect there’s also a touch of Shitzu, definitely not a money making line for a breeder (what a shame we can’t do the same to the miserable human beings who perpetuate animal suffering with backyard breeding farms/ If we could have the thoughtless humans put down instead of the helpless animals the overbreeding, neglect and dumping problem would be solved almost over night)…. Regardless, well done on the shaving… I’d cancel the dog psychologist and book into puppy school. Snappy bitey is part of their resume if they have had a rough start or if they just want to be centre of attention.

[Bones]

I’ll look into a puppy class.

[Author]

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