So yesterday I was at a friend’s place and I met her neighbours, a delightful couple with a 4-month-old hound mix pup. The female half of the couple arrived home at about 8:30 and told me the dog had been alone for 8 hours. She brought out the sweet little wriggling and waggling thing on a leash, and hung out on the little grassy yard while we yapped and I squee-d and the puppy tried her damndest to run all over the city as hound puppies are wont to do.
At one point she dropped the leash and assured me the dog wouldn’t run away. Of course the dog ran away, she ran out into the street and the woman chased after her. Of course the dog thought this was great fun and a really dangerous game ensued as she chased the dog around the street. I yelled at her to run AWAY from the dog to make the dog chase her, eventually she did and the dog came back.
Then they went inside.
A while later the male half of the couple arrived home. I think the puppy came out to say hello. Then the couple started coming out with furniture they were getting rid of, they had crated the dog to keep her out of the way. Then the guy came out with the dog so she could pee.
Then they all went to bed.
Now, dog people have probably figured out what I’m about to say: this dog needs more exercise! Nobody likes that sanctimonious know-it-all who tells you how to raise your kids or pets, so I really try to avoid being that guy. But really. They were complaining about how she barked all the time and peed everywhere and how they needed to crate her a lot. Well for crikey’s sake if you have a 4-month-old beagle mix, of course she’s going to be a total pain in the ass if you don’t walk her a lot! I have a 2-year-old pit bull who gets 3 or 4 walks a day and there’s only one of me to give them out, so I know how annoying it is, but I also know how effective it is.
I have a dog trainer friend who says about 95% of behaviour problems disappear if you exercise your dog sufficiently. In my admittedly limited experience this has been correct.
So I didn’t say anything, but I think I should have. Some might say I’m overreacting but frankly, this is how dogs end up dead. If that pup grows up cooped up like that she’s going to become increasingly less fun, and as she grows up she’ll be less cute, and who knows if the couple will still want her. I can see why dog rescue people are so fussy about who they adopt dogs to!
What have you done in this situation? Did it work or did it just make you enemies?
Do you know for a fact that this is their regular routine? It’s possible that this was an unusual day in that dog’s life. My dogs get a lot of time and attention from me 98% of the time, but the other 2% they don’t. I’d be pissed if someone started telling me that I was “mistreating” them based on an evening of observation.
Your best bet, IMHO, is to chat with them next time and refer them to a competent trainer. Otherwise it’s not really your concern.
Could you give them a book on puppy care, and say you don’t need it anymore due to your dog being older? Clearly, people who think a beagle mix puppy won’t try and escape at some point are misinformed. Honestly though, while it’s sad that the dog isn’t getting enough exercise (if that’s the case) there’s not much that can be done. It’s not so bad that you can justify butting in.
Nope, my friend confirmed it. Her kitchen and front deck is right beside their front door so she sees most of the comings and goings.
Good call on the dog book. I do have a couple I haven’t looked at in a while.
The idea that dogs need walks, especially multiple walks a day when they have their own yards, is a fairly new one. I hadn’t even realized it spread past urban boundaries until very recently, to be honest. 15 years ago when I lived in the 'burbs, only city folk walked their dogs regularly, and it was because they had no yards. I moved to the city, and sure 'nough, everyone’s walking their dogs. Then I went back home to visit and - burrrwuh? Dog walking. Here. In the suburbs where everyone has 1/4 acre lots and the houses are not taking up the whole yard - there’s plenty of room for doggy romps there in the yards! It’s a philosophical change in dog care, and it’s happened sometime in the last decade and a half. Perhaps your friend’s neighbors didn’t get the memo.
I agree that it sounds like, for that day at least, the dog didn’t get all the exercise and family time she might have liked. But it sounds like she did get quite a bit in the time she was out. Too much to call it neglect or abuse when there are puppies out here chained to hot water heaters who can’t lay down and get fed once a week, IMHO. Could they avoid some behavioral problems if they spent more active time with her? Perhaps. But they need to choose what sort of relationships to have in their own family. And it won’t be long before she’s a nice lazy hounddog that’s a better fit for their family. (Unless she’s like my one totally bizarre hyperactive basset. That was weird.)
I didn’t see anything in that scenario that would indicate mistreatment; not the kind that would get any animal rights groups up in arms, anyway (aside from off-the-leash behavior…dogs should never run free in an unfenced area). Different strokes and all that. But I see nothing wrong with suggesting things that work for you.
So someone was home with the dog until 1:00PM. It’s possible to get an awful lot of exercise before 1:00PM ya know. Perhaps the Mr. or Mrs. took the dog for a 2 hour run in the AM. Perhaps they played a rousing game of fetch. Perhaps they did nothing but keep the dog locked up all day. However, between 8:00AM and 1:00PM is 5 hours that they could have been exercising the dog.
I really don’t think it’s appropriate to say anything - you certainly don’t have all the facts.
Well, I’ve been the one who was told how I should treat my dog. It didn’t make anyone my enemy, but it didn’t change my behavior, either. And it lowered my opinion of the person doing the lecturing, because she was speaking of things that a) she didn’t fully understand, and b) were really none of her business.
I guess the most is the worrisome part as far as saying anything. Was she up and watching at 6am? At 8am? All day? If not, she and you have no business saying a word. If so, she seriously needs a hobby.
Sounds like a beagle mix will soon be looking for another home. If they keep the dog crated all the time, they don’t want it anyway. As soon as it has grown out of the puppy cuteness it will be more trouble than it is worth to them and they will get rid of it. Beagles are very active dogs and need training.
I don’t think it would do you any good to say anything to them. Hopefully they will get rid of the dog while it is still young enough to find a good home.
Maybe they got the dog thinking it would be the stereotypical lazy hound **WhyNot ** mentioned, and didn’t realize the dog would be really annoying without a good amount of exercise and training. As others have said though, you can’t really have all the information. A beagle is small enough to get a good amount of exercise in the house. I wouldn’t take it any further than mentioning the book, or taking **Kalhoun’s ** advice, and discussing how you solved the problems they’re going through.