There's "Dog People" and then there's "People Who Own Dogs" [minirant]

[ZipperJJ]

I was outside the other day and my neighbor and her family were outside with their little wire fox terrier (http://www.22dog.com/images2/Wire-Fox-Terrier.jpg) puppy. The yard is un-fenced, and they had the poor thing hooked up with a remote-controlled shock collar and were working on training her to know her yard boundaries.

She told me that the dog "just will not listen" (the puppy is 6 months old) and they were about to send her away, and they had a buyer lined up and everything.

See, their 13-year-old wire fox died last fall. She was a very good girl (after 13 years, at least). The family just could not live without getting another dog, so they got little Maddie in late fall.

But, it really sucks to train a puppy in the winter in Ohio, with all the snow and whatnot. When you don't have a fenced-in-yard and you don't walk the dog, someone has to take her outside in the big big snow to do her business, and learn the yard. But now that her two boys are in their 20s and no longer little kids like they were when they had the first dog ... well, the new puppy just didn't get trained easy-peasy like the first dog. Who they probably don't even remember as a puppy, it was so long ago. I know I was thrown by this phenomenon when I got my puppy after having a "genius" older dog.

My neighbor is not the sort to be disobeyed, so she was convinced that the dog was just "too much" and had to go. At least they found and screened a buyer.

But, the family was just too smitten with the dog and they gave her a second chance. This time, training with the shock collar.

Whatever. That's not ALL that bad...

The family is scheduled to go on a week's-long vacation this friday. They didn't plan on having the dog when they scheduled the trip so they didn't make arrangements for a kennel. Since it's over the 4th of July Weekend, there was no room anywhere.

So she calls me up and asks if I wouldn't mind "looking in" on the puppy while she is in the garage while they are away.

A 6-month-old puppy, locked in a garage, for a week, in the summer.

It doesn't get Florida-hot here but damn - it'll be in the 80s all week!! And it's humid as hell! And I'll guaran-damn-tee you that their garage is not puppy proof.

So I said no, I would not like to visit the dog in the garage. Instead I would prefer if she let me take her INTO MY HOUSE and stay with me all week. This sort of puts a damper on some travel plans I have of my own, but my folks agreed to take the puppy for the 2 days I'm gone.

I finalized the "plans" (there really are none) with her this afternoon. She still insists that the dog will be FINE in the garage and "if you get tired of her, just put her in our garage." She doesn't want to put me out.

I told her I would be more put out by having to deal with waving goodbye to a sad puppy every day when I went to feed her and let her out. I half-lied and said it'd just be easier on ME (it actually will be a bit of a burden, but whatever).

My mom is furious and wants to call the ASPCA but I think that's quite an over-reaction. The last thing I want to do is piss off my neighbors.

I don't think she's a bad person...just, you know...not a DOG person.

Would you ever consider leaving your puppy in the [attached] garage for a week, if you had a responsible neighbor to look after it? I honestly can't fathom it - but my dog has never gone to a kennel or been left alone more than a few HOURS. Maybe I am just over-sensitive?

*sigh*

[Scarlett67]

I'm with your mom. Your neighbors need a cap in the ass.

[Contrapuntal]

ZipperJJ, you're my kind of people.

Although I might conveniently "lose" the dog (to a good home.) Those folks don't know squat about fox terriers if they think it will ever be 100% safe to leave it in the yard. And anything less than 100% is a potential death sentence.

[Sigmagirl]

Originallly Posted by ZipperJJ
Would you ever consider leaving your puppy in the [attached] garage for a week, if you had a responsible neighbor to look after it?
If I were taken suddenly to the hospital and in imminent danger of dying, and my bank account had been hacked into so I couldn't pay a kennel, and my family members and friends had been killed by drive-by thugs or swine flu, and the rescue group from which I adopted them had dissolved, well, then . . .

no.

[Anne Neville]

No, I would not.

[corkboard]

I've never owned (or been owned by) a pet of any kind except a goldfish, and even I would never do something like that. It's just cruel. If that were my neighbor I'd make the same offer you did. Who knows- I might really fall in love with it and get one of my own.

[Dung Beetle]

My mom is furious and wants to call the ASPCA but I think that's quite an over-reaction. The last thing I want to do is piss off my neighbors.


I am furious. I want to call the ASPCA and piss on your neighbors.

[Freudian Slit]

Leaving a puppy...or any canine in a garage for a week? That's so evil. Why don't they just get a furby? You can't just put a dog in a closet when you get bored with it. It's a living, breathing, social animal.

[tr0psn4j]

It's interesting that the garage thing is pissing everyone off while the shock collar is getting ignored.

[ZipperJJ]

I'm a dog person (duh) and while I would never do the shock thing to my pwecious baby, I'm not totally against them. It's just as humane as an invisible fence - just without the fence. She only gets shocked quickly for training. Just like I only pop-choke my dog quickly for training.

I only put it in the story to set up her cluelessness as to why her puppy was so bad.

[corkboard]

It's interesting that the garage thing is pissing everyone off while the shock collar is getting ignored.

Are shock collars viewed by the dog-loving world as inhumane? I just thought they were a fairly conventional training tool.

[tr0psn4j]

I'm not part of the dog-loving world. Well, I like dogs and all but you know what I mean. It just seemed like something they would frown upon.

[EmAnJ]

Geez, I feel horrible for that puppy. I would NEVER put a dog in the garage for a week, EVER. Is it even air conditioned? The dog would probably overheat and die. The more I think about this the more upset I get. Please try and convince them to re-home this dog.

[Dolores Reborn]

Oh, hell no! And my husband has mentioned getting a shock collar to get my sweet Bichon Ernie to stop his barking. No.

I have a neighbor coming over to feed and let outside our three dogs this weekend while we're gone. My husband even rigged up a doggie door! They've been using it all week. Well, not the old man. (He's 13.)

Anyway, even if I lived in more northern climes, FUCK NO!

[Swallowed My Cellphone]

I'm with yer mom. I'd have said: "Sure, just make sure your garage is unlocked." and then the split second they left for the week called the ASPCA to have them rescue and hopefully re-home the pup.

ETA: And I hate shock collars as a training tool. Reward for good behavior is always more effective for living creatures than pain for bad.

[Athena]

I can't even get my head around people who would leave a six month old puppy in a garage for a week, even if the weather was perfectly 70 degrees and wonderful. What an incredibly horrible thing to do... I'm a little sickened by the thought, to tell you the truth.

Thank God you talked them out of it.

Yes, I'm a crazy dog person... my dogs are incredibly spoiled, I'll admit, and we do go overboard in keeping them safe & sound & happy. But any schmuck should know that you can't leave a living, breathing, social animal alone in a room (much less a garage) for a week with someone to "look in" on them every once in a while.

It's worse than a friend of mine who adopted an Australian Shepherd then left the poor thing in the garage all day, every day when she went to work. Australian Shepherds are incredibly energetic smart dogs - they don't really do well unless they have a job to do all day. They don't make good house dogs. They really prefer a farm with some sheep to herd to really be happy. The poor dog went nuts. And the friend? "Oh, we'll just take her back to the humane society, she's untrainable" :smack:

[WhyNot]

I'm not part of the dog-loving world. Well, I like dogs and all but you know what I mean. It just seemed like something they would frown upon.
Some may. I haven't had cause to use one, but one of my dads does use them for his dalmatians. Doesn't seem to bother the dogs much. Mother dogs often nip at their pups' necks to correct their behavior, and it seems that the collar is pretty readily recognized by the dog as a corrective signal.

And yes, I tried it on (my leg) and shocked myself. Not entirely pleasant, but not like a tazer, either. Feels like a rubber band snap. I assume, since dogs have fur, thicker skin and less nerve endings in their necks than we do, that it hurts them even less than it hurt me.

Humans are the only animal that are so pain avoidant that many of us won't use it as a teaching tool. Dogs have no such compunctions. Assuming that brief, consistent and non tissue damaging pain is cruel to a dog is anthropomorphizing them.


And no, I'd never leave a dog alone in a garage for a week. They are social animals who need regular interaction with creatures they love or they do suffer. That's not anthropomorphism, that's knowing how dogs' psyches work.

[ZipperJJ]

Well, the "good news" of all this is that she managed to bring the puppy over tonight and my dog absolutely LOVES her. Yes, even though they're neighbors they've never played together. And, since the poor thing was tied up on a line for the first 6 months of her life, they never smelled each other until this week.

Anyway, Dolly doesn't get along with other dogs. She is not mean, she just feels like she's "above" them and would rather not have to associate with those animals. But she actually PLAYED with the puppy. It's hard to describe how amazing this is.

So hopefully this week goes well and the neighbors realize they can leave the puppy with me any time. Heck, they can even bring her over for play dates!

Another "stupid dog owner" tale for you, though - when she called to ask if they could come over, she said "me and [the son] were trying to figure out how I should get her over to your house, since we're training her not to leave the yard. Maybe I will just carry her?"

The idea of a leash did not compute with her. For real! I suggested a leash and she was hesitant. I said "she's got to learn how to be on a leash some time, you know." She did bring the dog over on a leash.

I'm going to walk her every day, dammit.

[rocking chair]

were they confused and thought that they got a fox terrier cat? 'cause i would never leave a dog alone that long. cat... sure ( in the house with a cat sitter stopping by), dog... no.

no leash training? once again cat = no leash, dog = leash.

good grief, they really forgot what puppies are like.

[Freudian Slit]

They didn't even have a leash? How were they taking it outside to relieve itself?

[ZipperJJ]

They didn't even have a leash? How were they taking it outside to relieve itself?

They have a leash - she did end up bringing her over on a leash. But I think since they never use it she just bought it as a matter of rote when she got the dog.

The dog used to go outside tied to a decent dog-run thingy. But, she wasn't happy and they wanted her to be able "just to go out" like their old dog, so that's why the shock collar, to keep her in the half-acre yard. God forbid they get a fence or anything.

I can't even imagine anyone in that family walking the dog on a leash. It's not like they're crack heads or losers (in general). They're hard working middle class folks who seem fairly normal to me. They just do NOT get the whole "having a dog" thing.

[Rubystreak]

I've got a story for you guys. I have this co-worker who is rumored to be nuts, but she was always nice to me, so... she was going to Venezuela for a month last summer and needed a pet sitter for her Pomeranian. She swore the dog was well-behaved, got along with cats, etc. She planned to pay me, so I said, OK, dependent upon her bringing the dog over and him getting along with my cats. She was supposed to bring the dog over for a visit, but kept delaying...

The DAY she was leaving, she brings the dog over. He is wearing a diaper because she says he pees in the house. No medical reason, he's just not housebroken. He proceeds to bark at my cats, chase them, knock shit over, and cause chaos. I tell her this is not going to work out and she says, "But I have to go to Venezuela today." This was right before the 4th of July weekend. She said if he was bad, I could put him outside.

Well, the diaper thing was not happening. He was fine to go to the bathroom outside, she just never taught him. He did bark incessantly, and putting him outside or in his crate did nothing to curb that. He couldn't be in the house because he went after my cats. Total disaster.

I took the money she paid me for his care and put him in a nice kennel. Of course, what she gave me was not enough to cover it, but that was not my problem. His owner covered the balance when she returned from South America, and I bet he was actually housebroken after his time in the kennel, because the kennel owner laughed her ass off when I told her about the diaper on the perfectly healthy dog and said, "No way that's happening."

I felt so sorry for this dog, who was basically a sweet little guy, very affectionate, just wanted some love and good training. I think his owner loves him, but is not a dog person and also kind of a nutcase/moron. So I know what the OP means.

[Hockey Monkey]

If it weren't for you, they would most assuredly be coming home from their happy vacation to a decomposing puppy corpse in their garage. :rolleyes: I can't believe some people.

[silk1976]

Reward for good behavior is always more effective for living creatures than pain for bad.

Absolute nonsense.

(That is not to say reward for good behavior doesn't fit the bill a majority of the time - but to say 'always' is.. well, thats just naive. If you don't believe it, just ask me).

[Freudian Slit]

The DAY she was leaving, she brings the dog over. He is wearing a diaper because she says he pees in the house. No medical reason, he's just not housebroken. He proceeds to bark at my cats, chase them, knock shit over, and cause chaos. I tell her this is not going to work out and she says, "But I have to go to Venezuela today." This was right before the 4th of July weekend. She said if he was bad, I could put him outside.

DIAPERED DOGS?! Oh my lord.

[eleanorigby]

I'm not even a "dog person" and I wouldn't leave a puppy (or a dog or a cat) in the garage for that period of time. I might leave a pet in the garage overnight (with us home) IF we had done something like have the wood floors refinished or some such.

This woman sounds like a nut--I pity her new pet.



Why would she think a newish pup would be the same as her elderly dog? It sounds to me like she doesn't get that each dog has a different personality or something. IOW, she sounds seriously stupid.

[NinjaChick]

Good god, no. Not ever. Not any age dog, in any weather. Dogs are social animals, and I'd no sooner lock a dog anywhere alone than I would a person - they need companionship just like we do. Poor puppy.

[Guinastasia]

Good for you -- that's a horrid thing to do to an animal, in ANY weather. Jesus!!!

Mind you, I've been TEMPTED to lock my dog away in a closet at times, but I'd never do so. She sleeps in her crate at night, but it's all fixed up for her with her bed and her blanket, and our house is air-conditioned.

Poor thing. :(

[Dung Beetle]

My stepdaughter who lives with us is a clueless pet owner. She has a history of getting animals because she thinks they’re cute, then ditching them when they get to be too much trouble.

When she moved in with us recently, she brought the world’s most unappealing dog with her. Since we have a dog already, it just sort of naturally happened that we’d walk it with ours and feed it with ours. (First time this dog has had anything approaching a schedule). Seventeen year old stepdaughter is so busy with work and friends (no school), that she just can’t help look after the dog. When she is asked to do it too often, she just throws up her hands and says, “Well, I’ll get rid of it then.”

It’s very frustrating because she claims to love it. She’ll cuddle him and squeal over him in passing, but…

My husband was out of town for a couple of days recently and she had promised to help with the dogs because they’re too much for me to handle alone. She called me at work one day to tell me she was going to a friend’s house after work, and I asked her if she had walked the dog. She said, “Ohhhhhhhhhhh…” in total surprise. It’s like she doesn’t realize it’s alive.

I am deeply frustrated about this and though I feel terrible pity for this creature, I don’t want to be stuck with him forever either. Lately she’s been talking about giving him to an ex-boyfriend. *crosses fingers*

[Lanzy]

Only "dog people" should have dogs.

[Jackmannii]

Leaving a puppy...or any canine in a garage for a week? That's so evil.Well, it depends on how you define "evil".

For instance, there are dog people, non-dog people and then there are those who really aren't dog people.

"A Columbus firefighter admits that he took his two dogs to the basement, tied them up and blasted them with a rifle so he and a girlfriend could vacation without paying to board the animals.

"He said chunks of concrete were flying everywhere," Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said.

"I think it was the thrill of the kill for him. He has shown no remorse for this."

Link. (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/25/fire_dog.ART_ART_06-25-09_A1_DSE9JB8.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101) Eeesh.

[Casserole]

"This was an isolated event not to be repeated and totally out of character for him," Shamansky said after the hearing. "He is extremely remorseful."

In the courtroom, Santuomo raised a middle finger to the reporters assembled to cover his case.

:eek:

[Canadiangirl]

The lack of common sense in people never ceases to amaze me.

That dog would be gone by the time your neighbour got home. Likely living at my place :)

[NinjaChick]

Well, it depends on how you define "evil".

For instance, there are dog people, non-dog people and then there are those who really aren't dog people.

"A Columbus firefighter admits that he took his two dogs to the basement, tied them up and blasted them with a rifle so he and a girlfriend could vacation without paying to board the animals.

"He said chunks of concrete were flying everywhere," Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said.

"I think it was the thrill of the kill for him. He has shown no remorse for this."

Link. (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/25/fire_dog.ART_ART_06-25-09_A1_DSE9JB8.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101) Eeesh.Some people are really just awful people.

Good for you -- that's a horrid thing to do to an animal, in ANY weather. Jesus!!!

Mind you, I've been TEMPTED to lock my dog away in a closet at times, but I'd never do so. She sleeps in her crate at night, but it's all fixed up for her with her bed and her blanket, and our house is air-conditioned.

Poor thing. :(
FWIW, there is absolutely no similarity between 'my dog sleeps in his crate at night' and 'my dog stays in the garage'. A dog who sleeps on a bed/blankets in an indoor crate every night = happy dog who's got the calm, safe, cozy 'den' he instinctively wants. My parents have a crate for their dog in a corner of the kitchen, and even if given the chance he won't sleep anywhere else. On the other hand, a dog locked up alone in a garage for a week = lonely and neurotic abused dog.

[Munch]

Here's the thread I was looking for...

There's a puppy living down the street. REALLY cute puppy. Occassionally, I see him outside tied to the tree. Pretty big tree - lots of shade. He's extremely friendly, and my dog loves him (which she rarely does, especially on leash). But...I see him out more and more often. I'm starting to think seeing him isn't some happy coincidence or matter of timing, but a matter of inevitability. I ask a neighbor about it, and he says the puppy is "always" out there. Now it starts pissing me off...

I had a meeting yesterday near my house, and drove by to eat a quick lunch. I drive by the puppy house - and he's outside. It was 87 degrees yesterday, and he was looking miserable. Fed up, I called Animal Control*. After the meeting (3:30), he's still out there. I head back to the office, and head upstairs to the Mayor's Action Center (which is where Animal Control calls go through), and follow up, and see if there's anything I can do to expediate the process. I run into one of the Administrators, and tell him the issue, and he promises to send a few targeted e-mails.

Knowing that's not going to have the best response time (regardless of the help), a coworker and I go straight there after work, ready to confront the "owner" - nothing offensive, but just to see if maybe he and his family don't really want the dog (god, he's so sweet), and we'd be happy to rehome him. Nobody was home, but at least the dog had been brought inside. We left some printouts from http://www.unchainyourdog.org/.

I went by this morning, and they had removed the leash from the tree. I'll keep going back until something positive happens.

[Guinastasia]

Oh, I know (when I said "poor thing", I meant the dog in the OP -- I probablby should have said so!)
Lexie -- we just can't trust her upstairs -- she gets ahold of something and will NOT give it back. (At home by herself, fine. But if we're all upstairs asleep, she'll want to be up there too). I want to take a picture of her to show everyone, but she needs a bath.

Dogs are a lot of work. You need to be prepared to train them -- unlike cats, you can't just get a litterbox and plop it down in a corner. You have to have patience, and be prepared to deal with a lot of cleaning up.


Sometimes there are exceptions, at least to protect the dog from him or herself:
My cousins had to crate their dog, Guinness, when he was a puppy -- a daschund -- at Christmas when they went out, because he kept eating the tree.
UNFORTUNATELY, they couldn't even leave him a pillow: he was still recovering from surgery, when he had to have a piece of a TOWEL removed from his stomach. Yes, Guinness managed to eat part of a towel. But this wasn't in a garage, in the middle of a heat wave, or in the cold. Other than that, I'm told, he's a spoiled little pup.

[Voyager]

There is another option besides kennels and just leaving a dog. You can usually find a pet sitter, who will come once or twice a day to walk, feed, and play with a dog. My daughter worked for one in high school and when she was back from college. Some dogs did stay in the garage, but always with a doggie door into a fenced yard. I'm in California where the temperature is pretty good, though.

The never walking the dog is what gets me. Beside the exercise, dogs like to see new things also. I agree that this dog should get "stolen" - what do you expect leaving a dog in an unfenced yard.

[CutterJohn]

We've left our dog alone in its kennel for a few days before. I think never as long as a week, but near enough. Plenty of food, lots of water. Sure, its not the most amazing time, he gets quite bored, but its only for a couple of days. The dog will certainly live.

Depending on the weather, the garage would probably be a bad idea, unless its cold out, and bored animals dig into stuff, so there will very likely be a mess(or worse.. if they had chemicals of any sort within reach).

Leaving a dog alone for a week? A bit long, but not overly so. Definitely is better to leave it with someone though.

[CrazyCatLady]

It's interesting that the garage thing is pissing everyone off while the shock collar is getting ignored.

Nobody ever got heat stroke and died from a shock collar. Lots of pets and humans have gotten heat stroke and died from being locked in a non-climate-controlled space during the summer. Leaving your pet locked in a garage in July is just flat-out dangerous, even if the space was puppy-proofed and the dog wasn't at risk to ingest something harmful.

The problem isn't that there are dog people and then there are people who have dogs. The problem is that there are people who have dogs but aren't dog people, and then there are absolute, utter morons who are apt to kill their dog.

[Freudian Slit]

We've left our dog alone in its kennel for a few days before. I think never as long as a week, but near enough. Plenty of food, lots of water. Sure, its not the most amazing time, he gets quite bored, but its only for a couple of days. The dog will certainly live.

Yeah, but why do it? Besides, this is a puppy.

My neighbors when I was younger used to leave their dogs alone when they went on vacation. In the house, not the garage, and they'd have someone come a couple times a day to walk and feed them. Even with the two of them, you could still hear them crying and whimpering because they got so lonely by themselves. It seemed a pretty inhuman thing to do.

[Guinastasia]

Yeah, but why do it? Besides, this is a puppy.

My neighbors when I was younger used to leave their dogs alone when they went on vacation. In the house, not the garage, and they'd have someone come a couple times a day to walk and feed them. Even with the two of them, you could still hear them crying and whimpering because they got so lonely by themselves. It seemed a pretty inhuman thing to do.


Why? At least they were at home, in their comfy house. They probably felt the same way when their owners left to go out for a few hours. They'll be all right.

My neighbor has mother my mother come and do that when he goes away for his dog. She's okay. (Besides, she loves my mom.)

[Zsofia]

Yeah, but why do it? Besides, this is a puppy.

My neighbors when I was younger used to leave their dogs alone when they went on vacation. In the house, not the garage, and they'd have someone come a couple times a day to walk and feed them. Even with the two of them, you could still hear them crying and whimpering because they got so lonely by themselves. It seemed a pretty inhuman thing to do.
Oh god, what monsters to have pet sitters. I leave my dog in the house for eight hours a day and don't even come home to walk him! Then when I get home, after a couple hours I go into my room and close the door on his little nose and leave him alone for eight more. Call Animal Control, somebody needs to take me to the pound.

[Freudian Slit]

I guess these dogs were used to having people around. I mean, only having about ten or twenty minutes of human contact a day just seems way too little for a dog. Obviously, they're not going to die, but why get a dog if you don't care about how it's going to feel?

[AuntiePam]

My husband's son (late 20's) called yesterday a.m. and asked if we'd feed and water his two dogs while he's gone -- he's driving to Florida, leaving in a few minutes.

The kid lives in another town, we don't know his dogs (one is an Akita, the other is a big something we've never even met, it's his girlfriend's dog), and the dogs are kept on a chain in an unfenced yard.

There are no words. We'd bring the dogs here but we'd just be exchanging one tree and chain for another, in an unfamiliar place. The dogs aren't housebroken and we don't know how they'd be around cats so we're not going to risk bringing them inside. We can't afford to kennel them and we don't even know if the dogs have had their shots.

So Ron's driving over there twice a day to check on the dogs. We're having a cool spell of weather and no rain, or I don't know what we'd do. I'm tempted to call the authorities but I'm afraid the dogs would just be picked up and put down. I told Ron to put the dogs in the house, but there's a small dog in the house. Presumably so the big dogs don't eat him.

Why do people have dogs if they're only going to use them as lawn ornaments? The kid needs a kick in the ass, and he'll get one when he gets back.

[Dung Beetle]

The kid needs a kick in the ass, and he'll get one when he gets back.

Well, that’s good to know.

My husband is going to drive to Colorado in a few weeks to give his daughter’s dog to her ex-boyfriend. (Husband was going to Colorado anyway, but he would have flown). The boy is supposed to meet my husband in a city three hundred miles from his home, and he doesn’t have a car, but he’ll “find a way.” :dubious:

The irresponsible child who brought us the dog in the first place will be flying to Colorado alone next week to spend her birthday with ex-boyfriend. Not a care in the world, and no kick in the ass waiting for her either.

[AuntiePam]

Dung Beetle, do you think she's learned her lesson? Maybe not, since she's not the one being inconvenienced. Fingers crossed that the ex makes a good home for the dog, unappealing as it is.

[Dung Beetle]

Dung Beetle, do you think she's learned her lesson?
I surely don’t. :(

Hey, who’s taking care of the little dog in the house?

[AuntiePam]

Ron's doing his food and water too, and playing with him. He'd probably play with the big dogs too, but the Akita is a bit standoffish.

[ZipperJJ]

Good call on not bringing the dogs to your house, AuntiePam. Seems like the situation you're in IS a pain in the ass, but having them at your home sounds worse in your situation.

Things aren't going too well here. Dolly decided Friday when they dropped the puppy off (3 hours early) that she in fact does NOT like the puppy, so she's been quite snarly. As expected, though, things have "worked themselves out" and the puppy has been snapped at enough to know to stay away. For the most part.

She did, however, grab my retainer from my nightstand and give it a good chewing. Broke off some plastic, puked it up and left a stain on the carpet. I didn't catch it in time to put a stop to it, and I'm the one who carelessly left the tasty treat where she could get it...so no blame here. I was able to disinfect the thing and bend it back enough to fit in my mouth.

Three more days to go. Oy!

[Dung Beetle]

Thank heavens for you and Ron, then.

Truthfully, I believe we’ll get stuck with stepdaughter’s dog in the long run, so I’m trying to adjust myself to the idea. Maybe I’ll get a cute little pug in my next life.

[Sailboat]

Are shock collars viewed by the dog-loving world as inhumane? I just thought they were a fairly conventional training tool.

They're a tool of last resort. Something tells me these people haven't tried the first, second, and third resorts (which are, to wit: you, the human, bothering to learn how to train with positive reinforcement).

[AuntiePam]

Truthfully, I believe we’ll get stuck with stepdaughter’s dog in the long run, so I’m trying to adjust myself to the idea. Maybe I’ll get a cute little pug in my next life.

Pugs are so cute.

Maybe stepdaughter's dog's appearance can be improved. A good haircut sometimes works for me.

ZipperJJ, oy indeed! Puppy-proofing a house is harder than baby-proofing.

[Dinsdale]

I'm with the couple of folk who don't see the garage itself as all that horrible of a deal.

Of course the temps are relevant. I'm not sure 80s alone is necessarily too hot, provided there are windows for ventilation, and plenty of water. But they are probably at least near the upper border.

Toss down a few towels/rugs and the dog's favorite toys, and I don't see why it would be all that worse than leaving it in the house, in one room of the house, or in a crate.

Another relevant factor is how frequently the neighbor is going to check in on the dog for how long. If the neighbor stops by - say - 4 times a day, and spends 15 minutes with the dog each time, I think many dogs have it much worse.

I'm not sure that impresses me as terribly worse than folks who work full-time jobs leaving their dogs alone in their cages for 8-10 hours per day. Or putting a dog in a kennel, unfamiliar surroundings,where it has unfamiliar dogs barking all around.

And I'm not sure 6 months is necessarily too young. If not then, when? How old ought a puppy be before being left alone for how long?

Having said all this, the neighbor certainly sounds like an idiot who has no business keeping a dog. Not sure it quite rises to the level of abuse, but it is probably pretty close.

[Freudian Slit]

I'm not sure that impresses me as terribly worse than folks who work full-time jobs leaving their dogs alone in their cages for 8-10 hours per day. Or putting a dog in a kennel, unfamiliar surroundings,where it has unfamiliar dogs barking all around.

I think a lot of people might argue that that *is* cruel. Dogs are social animals. Many people refuse to take their animals with them to England because the quarantine period is just that hard on them.

[Dung Beetle]

Maybe stepdaughter's dog's appearance can be improved. A good haircut sometimes works for me.

I'm laughing at the thought of a doggie makeover!

This (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7428938@N08/3632956002/) picture shows him in the background (and that’s me with the bare feet). I suppose he’s not really the least appealing dog on earth, if you don’t take slobbering into account…

[Zsofia]

Well, that's hardly fair - the dog in the foreground is so gorgeous.

[Dung Beetle]

Thank you, Zsofia! A year ago, I thought of that gorgeous dog as a big pain in the ass…so maybe a year from now, I’ll feel better about the new dog too.

[CrazyCatLady]

Dung Beetle, dogs are a pain in the ass. So are cats, children, spouses, and all other pets. It's just that when they're ours we don't mind nearly so much.

[ZipperJJ]

So this morning the puppy tried to break out by digging a hole under the fence (oddly enough, not towards her own house!) This was like at 6 AM, and it was drizzling, and she is a white dog. I finally collected her, wiped her off a bit and put her in her cage. Not as a punishment - the routine here is to wake up, eat/potty, then go back to bed for a coupla hours. I wasn't awake enough to deal with her dirtiness.

Then when I finally did get up I made the mistake of doing my bathroom stuff instead of letting the dogs back out for THEIR bathroom stuff, and the puppy pooped in the hallway. I was in a quandry because I didn't want to take the time to deal with her digging before I got to potty myself.

So I took her outside, and put some dog poo in the hole she'd dug. I noticed she'd reached over and grabbed what looks like a dead plant from the neighbor's garden. Let's hope it was dead, and not something important. Let's also hope he doesn't notice the pile of dog poo and dirt next to his fence.

Now it seems she has decided to dig deeper into the holes in Dolly's big bed. There were already holes, from Dolly scratching and trying to "nest" in the bed. The puppy flat out ripped the insides out.

I just ordered a new bed online. Lucky for everyone it was $25 off and free shipping. It'll be Dolly's treat for not killing the puppy this week.

My mom said "make sure you tell your neighbor when she gets back!" I said ... what am I supposed to tell her? "I said I'd watch your puppy, only I didn't do much 'watching' and she dug and ripped stuff up like puppies do"? I know my neighbor's answer would be "You should have put her in the garage!"

Untrained puppies. Blech!

[Athena]

As much as I can sympathize with having to deal with puppy antics, I'm horribly jealous. I wish I had a puppy to watch for a week!

As it turns out, we found out last weekend that we also have idiot neighbors when it comes to dogs. They have a year old pug, and, like your neighbors, have not realized that a pup doesn't just automatically follow the owner around AND they have no fenced yard. We knew the dog got out a lot, because we've had them come over and ask if we'd seen it (once in the middle of February, at night, when it was below zero out).

This weekend, a friend of ours showed up at our door, pug in tow. He was pale - apparently the dog had been running in the middle of the very-busy road we live on, and he said 8 or 10 cars had stopped to avoid hitting it. He knew we had pugs, and he thought it might be ours so stopped and caught it and brought it to us.

We knew right away it was our neighbors, so took it from him. Sure enough, we go out in the backyard and hear the neighbor calling for her dog. We yelled, and she came over and got it, and re-iterated the whole "we just don't know why he takes off!" line. She asked if ours stayed near us - we pointed at the large fenced area off our deck.

The whole thing just makes me angry. I can see being clueless and not realizing a dog will run off once, but this happens over and over and over. That poor pug is going to die on the road in front of our house, I know it. I just can't even think about it anymore.