Need Help - Animal Abuse

[Locke]

Okay, here is the deal. My girlfriend lives next door to a rental house.

All throughout the day, her neighbors complain that they can hear a dog inside yelping all the time. Then my girlfriend comes home and she can hear the owners swearing at it and, this is speculation, possibly hitting it.

This dog is rarely walked and typically shut in a small room all day, and then sworn at and possibly hit. Based on the noise alone, the neighbor across the street, an owner of 2 dogs herself, feels that its basically being unreasonably confined and then abused.

She has spoken with the SPCA and they have told her that her best bet is to call the cops to have something done, but if they dont find any evidence of mistreatment then its a frivolous call.

What do they do? They can hear the dog in pain all day, incessantly barking and yelping, and then they can hear it being sworn at later. Are there any other options?

[Suzles]

Calgary Humane should be able to help. They have Peace Officers. Also could your girlfriend get some sound bytes of the noise coming from the house? Anything is worth a try if an animal is really being abused.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Suzles

Calgary Humane should be able to help. They have Peace Officers. Also could your girlfriend get some sound bytes of the noise coming from the house? Anything is worth a try if an animal is really being abused.

Actually, she has tried recording some with her cell phone but it was pretty terrible, and she is working on getting a proper recorder.

[dissentowner]

Is this in Calgary?

[JustAnotherGuy]

Originally Posted by Locke

Okay, here is the deal. My girlfriend lives next door to a rental house.

All throughout the day, her neighbors complain that they can hear a dog inside yelping all the time. Then my girlfriend comes home and she can hear the owners swearing at it and, this is speculation, possibly hitting it.

This dog is rarely walked and typically shut in a small room all day, and then sworn at and possibly hit. Based on the noise alone, the neighbor across the street, an owner of 2 dogs herself, feels that its basically being unreasonably confined and then abused.

She has spoken with the SPCA and they have told her that her best bet is to call the cops to have something done, but if they dont find any evidence of mistreatment then its a frivolous call.

What do they do? They can hear the dog in pain all day, incessantly barking and yelping, and then they can hear it being sworn at later. Are there any other options?

Don't you already have the answer?

[pylon]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

Don't you already have the answer?

No he doesn't, I'll give it to him.

JustAnotherGuy Is a grumpy, condescending, know-it-all.

[pylon]

To add something constructive, I have a telescopic mic you could borrow if needed. You just need to plug it into a DSLR or Camcorder with an external mic jack. You can buy them at B and H photo for about fourty bucks as well. They pick up sound very clearly, from pretty decent distances.

[CaptainCrunch]

My sister and her husband went to a party once, and saw the host families dog had pretty clearly been abused, he was just a puppy, but he was underfed and exercised, and was incredibly distrustful around his owners, so my brother in law made them sell the dog to him, and my sister spend a lot of time trying to get the dog to trust humans.

It was tragic, he was a smart little German Shep, he had quick paws, but he lived his life not quit trusting anyone but my sister and her husband, he was nearly uncontrollable when he got into moods, he did live a better life, but died of cancer a couple of years ago at the age of 8.

I would encourage you to call right up the ladder until you find someone who will go in and get the dog. The SPCA, humane society, animal control, the cops.

Because one day, that dog, is going to completely turn against his owners, and the dog will be the one that pays the price.

[WilsonFourTwo]

This probably won't work, but it's worth suggesting.....

Maybe offer to buy the dog "For a friend that's looking for just that kind of pooch".

If they're abusive because they're overwhelmed, this might be an out they can accept? Other than that, I'm out. Thinking of animal abuse makes me leak from the eyeballs.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

Don't you already have the answer?

If they show up and all they find is a happy family with little physical evidence and then the owners breathe a sigh of relief and go out and buy a muzzle knowing that their neighbors called them in. The dog pays the price.

She has to, in some way, get some proof.

[Regulator75]

Keep calling 3-1-1

[drewboy12]

Their address is....

[jschick88]

I have zero respect for people who abuse animals. What is wrong with some people these days.

[PIMking]

Go to the door, beat on it until someone answers, and ask to see the dog.

Or just ask them if they don't want the dog and take it.

[kn]

You may want to get in touch with the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society. If they cannot directly intervene, I'm sure they can steer you in the right direction.

AARCS - Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society
http://albertaanimalrescuecrew.com/index.php
(403) 804-4334

[simmonjam1]

A constantly barking dog could have separation anxiety. The beating part, if true, is unwarranted though.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Originally Posted by Locke

If they show up and all they find is a happy family with little physical evidence and then the owners breathe a sigh of relief and go out and buy a muzzle knowing that their neighbors called them in. The dog pays the price.

She has to, in some way, get some proof.

I understand that logic. But in the mean time while they wait that animal may be getting more abuse. Yes, I understand it is a bit of a dilemma. But why ask the question online after already contacting the proper authorities and getting an answer. I don't understand that.

If that makes me a grumpy, condescending, know-it-all as Pylon said, then so be it.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Locke

What do they do? They can hear the dog in pain all day, incessantly barking and yelping, and then they can hear it being sworn at later. Are there any other options?

The barking/yelping during the day is nothing. I know you're a 3rd party to the situation, but that statement is junk. Unless you know the dog is actually being mistreated, then its just a BS claim. My dog barks and yelps during the day Im sure. But thats in between him sleeping in the sun all day and being treated like a king.

You really need evidence of abuse before anything can be done. Barking =/ abuse, its more of a noise bylaw issue if anything.
If you see physical abuse happening then by all means call SPCA and the police.

[killer_carlson]

Yeah, call me skeptical, but I'd want a bit more evidence before I'd be sure it was animal abuse.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Yeah, call me skeptical, but I'd want a bit more evidence before I'd be sure it was animal abuse.

This may surprise you as I'm a real dog lover, but I had to call bylaw on a barking dog once. I had to keep a journal of the times barking would start and for how long the dog would bark over a month or something (this was about eight years ago). Anyway, I turned in my journal at the end of the month and never heard from the dog again. Had I cared about the dog I probably could've found out what happened, but the barking stopped so I was cool.

Anyway, tell your gf to keep a detailed, dated journal of the barking starting tomorrow as it will probably be necessary to move this forward.