Stray Dog

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I wonder if anybody can offer helpful advice.

For the past few months there's been a little dog wandering about the street where I live. The first time I saw this dog, about a year ago, he was a pup and was owned (still is) by a young guy, alcoholic, quite violent.

At that time I was slightly concerned, not overly so. He didn't appear to be cruel to the animal, but he never had it on a lead either, it ran behind his bike, sometimes stopping (as dogs do) to have a sniff and a piddle, when it did he always went on ahead leaving it to negotiate busy main roads itself.

As time went on the dog began to be out wandering the streets by himself, collarless and thin. I came to the conclusion that either the owner had been put away or just put the dog out on the street.

The dog was friendly, he'd always come over, tail wagging to be patted and fussed over. I admit I fell in love a little. He never followed anybody, once he'd been fussed over he trotted away quite happily.

He disappeared, and the next time we saw him he was back with his owner, on a lead, looking very depressed and sorry for himself.

I was relieved, a little.

But now, once again he is back out on the street. He is a million times more wary than he was, he cowers away from friendly hands now and barks at passers-by. I left the house to come to work at six-thirty this morning, in the rain, and the little dog was outside my house licking the inside of a chip-bag. I could have cried.

I feel so helpless. My last dog was a rescue dog and I have a huge amount of patience for these animals. I persevered when my last dog ate my house, pulled me off my feet and weed in terror when left alone for more than ten minutes. I helped him become a loyal, confident and playful dog, and I miss him with all my heart.

My current flat is too small to take in an animal. I don't have the time just now to concentrate on training a dog. Besides - he's not my dog.

I'm scared that if I take him to the pound, or a police station he will be destroyed. He's a little thin whippet like dog with huge eyes and floppy silky ears.

What would you do?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 07:26 (twenty years ago)

Sorry about the length of that, it all came pouring out there!

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 07:27 (twenty years ago)

great movie

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 08:04 (twenty years ago)

sad story

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 08:06 (twenty years ago)

Helpful advice anyone?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 08:07 (twenty years ago)

I thought there were a lot of dog lovers on this board.

― Rumpskin, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 15:17 (twenty years ago)

Rumpie, are there any no-kill shelters where you are? If it's a whippet-like dog, is there a whippet rescue org that will foster it? Some of the breed-specific rescues in the US will only take purebreds, but others will take mixes. It's hard, because you can't offer to adopt the dog yourself from the guy. And it doesn't sound like he's the sort you'd want to befriend just to make sure his dog is taken care of.

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 15:58 (twenty years ago)

I would take it to the nearest pound, even if that meant it was going to be put down. It might be better off, and less risk of breeding more puppies to die wretched. I am probably quite pragmatic about killing things.

― isadora (isadora), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 22:37 (twenty years ago)

I would take him in and adopt him, without question.
Doing exactly this became one of the best experiences of my life, and now that our little sweetheart has passed on, something I think of daily.

Caring for an animal unable to care for itself is absolutely one of the best things someone can do, IMO.

― Sparkle Motion's Rising Force, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 23:09 (twenty years ago)

"Besides - he's not my dog."

Oh yes he is.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 23:18 (twenty years ago)

If it were me, I'd try to find a rescue agency that places abused dogs with foster families, who'll help with the transition back to normalcy. Failing that I'd try to adopt and train him myself. If he's housebroken and non-violent, the two biggest steps are done, I think.

― Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 23:45 (twenty years ago)

I went through something similar last summer, detailed here:
stray pitbull

My stepmom basically just stole a cat from an negligent neighbor by feeding it and letting it in the house. The people moved away and she kept the cat, which is now overly spoiled and arrogant instead of kindly and appreciative.

― andy --, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 00:27 (twenty years ago)

one too many little fishy dinners.

― estela (estela), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 00:32 (twenty years ago)

you could build him some shelter and feed him daily. do you have any sort of yard or garden area?

― kephm (kephm), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 02:15 (twenty years ago)

If you can't take him in yourself, here's a link to the ASPCA's shelters, there is probably one near you. If the dog's behavior has really changed like that, it's definitely been abused, and that guy doesn't deserve to have a dog.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 03:36 (twenty years ago)

Thanks for the advice people.
Sadly I don't have a garden. I live in a block of flats, one up. If I wasn't out of the house 9 hours a day I would have that dog in a second. I don't know where the owner stays. I presume it must be nearby as the dog spends a lot of time around my street.

Yesterday I bought a box of Bakers Complete at the shops and waited for him to appear - he didn't.

I have an SSPCA shelter nearby but if they can't rehome an animal it gets put to sleep.

There is a Dogs Trust about 40 miles from me but they only deal with abandoned or stray dogs - and I'm not sure if they would travel out to me. The website says nothing about rescue.

If I do get a larger flat shortly, which I'm aiming for, then I have every intention of taking on a dog and having someone call once or twice a day to walk it. Maybe it will be this dog?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 06:29 (twenty years ago)

i love cats, but andy... that's cats. its what they do.

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

My auntie came by her cat that way, the cat belonged to someone else in the street but came to my aunts house and gave birth in her living room. She's had her now for 17 years.

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Could you keep the dog for a short while until something (a new flat for you, another foster home, etc) could be sorted? You'd be doing a good thing (but you know that already). He may be able to amuse himself for 9 hours a day in the short term (and is possibly quite good at holding his bladder/bowels)? I've known small dogs who were champs about that kind of thing.

good luck with it!

― patita (patita), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 20:07 (twenty years ago)

isadora is right. even if the poor thing gets put down, it will be a million times better for it than being abused. don't be afraid to take him in or call for a pick-up. i've worked in city shelters that euthanize, and the people there were just as caring as at no-kill places. if anything, the volunteers may work extra-hard to get animals rehomed because of the time pressure.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 30 March 2006 15:01 (twenty years ago)

Rumpie, you can report suspected cruelty to the R/SSPCA - in confidence - and they will investigate. If you really can't take the dog in yourself (and it sounds like you can't) then you should phone them. Lauren's right that the risk they can't rehome him and he gets put down is worth taking. It's worse to do nothing and see an animal continue to suffer, surely?

Here's the Scottish number, call it: 0131-339-0111 (National UK one is 0870 55 55 999).

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 30 March 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

i think the sspca is a good place to start, but the dogs trust are lovely people and will probably have sensible advice of some kind (even if it's just "call the sspca"). call their main number in london to start with, not the west calder place (the uddingston one isn't open yet). 020 7837 0006.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 30 March 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

even if the poor thing gets put down, it will be a million times better for it than being abused

this is a pretty bold philosophical position isn't it? i mean, i'm not saying it's wrong, but it doesn't seem at all self-evident to me.

― amateurist0, Thursday, 30 March 2006 21:04 (twenty years ago)

i don't think so.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 30 March 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

philosophy doesn't enter in to this for me, or at least not in the way that you seem to imply. i'm working from the premise that whatever will cause the least suffering is the best decision, and i really can't see how being neglected, underfed and possibly physically abused is preferable. i doubt the dog is thinking, "but i'm still alive to see another day!" as it scrounges for garbage.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 30 March 2006 21:18 (twenty years ago)

seven years pass...

http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1306879/loyal-dog-chengdu-searches-buses-everyday-its-owner

― 乒乓, Monday, 9 September 2013 11:48 (twelve years ago)

stray dog that's a good movie

― conrad, Monday, 9 September 2013 11:51 (twelve years ago)

the dog is behaving in this way because like hachiko it believes in a confucian value system based on duty and collectivism, western dogs by contrast just do their own thing without heed to the consequences

― 2 ℜ 4 u (Nilmar Honorato da Silva), Monday, 9 September 2013 12:01 (twelve years ago)

We lost our husky in the woods once, a mile from our house. They say once you lose a husky, it's gone forever. However, I arrived home to find the husky sitting on the porch.

One time after my dad died someone called for an ambulance for me because I was feeling faint. When the cops and ambulance arrived, I said I was feeling fine. The so-called "paramedics" didn't even check me out.

While I was at the hospital, the cops let my dog escape and I never saw him again. They think it's no big deal because they think it was my dad's. As if they knew him at all. I had to move, which means that if Sweetie escapes and looks for me, I'll never find him. As if a dog who has lived with someone for ten years has no bond with that person.

― Wee Willie Winkums (I M Losted), Monday, 9 September 2013 14:04 (twelve years ago)

― conrad, Monday, 9 September 2013 14:13 (twelve years ago)

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