Pets outside in the heat

I have a neighbor (who I strongly dislike) that leaves her dog outside year round while she is gone for work (10-12 hrs). I will give it to her that in the winter she keeps a heated floor pad in the dogs house which I'm sure does provide some comfort but I still don't agree with it. I have dogs too that I leave outside on nice days (above 50, below 75) and I make sure they have plenty of water/shade and don't leave them out when I know there is a chance of rain- she leaves her's out no matter what. Today I noticed she left for work and left the dog outside again, well knowing it's going to be almost 100 out. Does anyone else consider this animal cruelty? I know some would argue that wild animals are outside all day in the heat but this is not a wild animal. It's a domesticated dog that should not be left out in the elements... don't have a "pet" if you aren't going to treat it like one. I am strongly considering calling the SPCA or somewhere to report her. Would anyone else do this?

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If there is no shade and not enough water I'd call asap

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i agree with the PP

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Well you could consider the dog house, which is baking in the sun, shade. The dog did have water when I left , the dish was about half full so I filled it. My concern is that it's such a small dish (hold about 2 cups) and she is going to go through that in no time. This just makes me so angry! She has AC, why would you not keep the dog in the house!

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report it. my brother has a neighbor that leaves their dog out ALL the time with barely a "dog house". I feel terrible. Unfortunatly no matter how many times it has been reported the poor dog is still outside.

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I'm not certain but I believe they just changed the laws so that you cannot leave a dog tied up outside for an extended period of time. I believe the limit is 3 hours, but I'm not certain.

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If there is no shelter or water, shade...call. I have called on my neighbor in the winter about their dog.

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I emailed the SPCA to see if it would be something they would look into. The dog does have shelter, water and technically is not "chained up" but I still find this wrong. Ill have to wait and see if I hear back from them.

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Call. The water in the bowl won't last long enough. Any chance she comes by and refills it?

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While my instinct would also be to call, I believe the basic standard is they must provide shelter from elements (shade) and ample, clean water. If the dog looks like it is in good, physical health and meets the other requirements, I wouldn't expect much. Sadly, the laws are not very good for situations like this.

I don't understand why people like this even have dogs. So many times I've heard "But they like being outside!" pfffft. Sure. How about we put a fur coat on you and see how much you like being outside for 8 hours, topping out at 96 degrees. You would say noooo I don't want to go lay on the nice air conditioned floor?!

Some animals are just not a family pet to some people - they're possessions.

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I got an email back from Suff Co SPCA, they asked me to send them the details if I felt it should be looked into. I sent them the info and told them it's completely up to them. I would really hate to cause an issue with my neighbor but like I said before, I STRONGLY dislike her anyway and regardless, the dogs health is more important. I am wondering if they will keep me updated if they end up looking into it. Has anyone else that has reported something received updates?

Message edited 6/9/2011 1:02:39 PM.

Re: Pets outside in the heat

Good for you for calling. I hope they do something about this. It's too hot for these poor animals to be outdoors for long periods of time.