For two days the weather folks have warned us that we’re to have freezing rain/ice storm this evening through tomorrow morning. I have a neighbor who leaves his dog out 24/7. This dog is always barking, all times of the night and day. It’s annoying. The freezing rain started about 30 minutes ago. The poor dog is out there barking it’s head off, obviously wanting to go inside. I’m worried for the dog.
Should I call someone and report it so the dog can be checked on/cared for? If so, who/what organization should I call? I should also add that I’m not exactly sure which house on my street the dog lives. I can only tell the general direction of the barks.
In most places, you have to provide shelter for animals. if the dog has no where to go to get out of the rain,(dog house or under cover area inside the house ) it is neglect.
I don’t know how people can just leave their dogs outside. Unless the dog has company or something to keep it occupied, I think it’s cruel.
To be fair the OP doesn’t know which house the dog is barking from so we also don’t really know what conditions it is in or what breed it is. It might be a vocal Alaskan Husky laying on his warm bed in a covered doghouse exclaiming to the neighborhood how happy he is to finally have some decent weather. It might be a tiny poodle on the verge of death, chained to a metal pole in the middle of the yard with no shelter or bedding. The details would make a big difference in deciding the right course of action. If in doubt of course it would be better to call someone and save the dog (and maybe risk looking foolish and earning an angry neighbor if you turned out to be wrong). I would be a little reluctant to call animal control on a neighbor until I had actually seen the dog and the circumstances.
Taking the OPs word at face value I would do the right thing and call. Better to get involved and possibly save a life or bruise someone’s ego, rather than perpetuate the not my problem attitude so prevalent these days.
This reminds me of the time the RSPCA was called out to a “dog” chained to the spot, and given no food or water. Turns out the "dog’ was actually a statue.
This is coming from someone who does animal rescue and doesn’t have a dog. Dogs should not be left outside for long periods of time, no matter the weather. Cats shouldn’t either, but they usuall get ate by hungry dogs so aren’t that much of a noise problem.
Take a walk. Find the dog and yard. If there’s a dog house and evidence of food and water being provided, then you got nothin.
If you see the dog in a yard with no means for cover, then you got somethin.
You have to have an address to report it. Humane societies have too much to do and too few resources to bother with some yahoo calling them and saying that someone, somewhere down the street, has a dog that’s barking and seems like it’s outside all the time. The response you will get on the other end of the phone will be something like, “??”
People can keep their dogs outside if they want to. They have to provide shelter, in the form of a dry surface, three sides and a roof.
Go find the dog. Take a look for shelter. You have nothing to report except a noise nuisance if there’s a shelter out there. It sucks. I wish everyone would treat their dogs as family members, but a lot of people just don’t.