Should I report her to the RSPCA?

Question

A woman down our street has a dog that she locks in the shed while she is out all day and the dog just barks and barks and barks.
I have a dog of my own which I leave for long periods of time but I don't lock it in the shed. I make sure it has food and water and it has the full run of the downstairs of the house.
Surely locking a dog in a shed is cruel? Sometimes she's only gone for a couple of hours, othertimes she is gone for most of the day and the dog barks so loud that most of the street can hear it. Should I report her or not?

Answer 1

The RSPCA won't do anything about noise nuisance you'd have to speak to the council about that. Does the dog look healthy and is it walked every day? If it does and is then your neighbour is probably leaving it with food and water. It's easy to judge others actions but you don't know her personal circumstances, perhaps she has no alternative as the dog is destructive in the house and she has to work. There could be many reasons for her doing this. If she is approachable have a word with her and see if you can help.

Answer 2

Have you actually spoken with your neighbour about her yet? Perhaps she is unaware that the dog barks all the time when left in the shed. No doubt she is trying to do the right thing by ensuring the dog is safe. It may be that the dog is not only unhappy at being locked up but is suffering separation anxiety as well. If that is the case, again she may be unaware of the situation but found that leaving the dog in the house resulted in havoc and destruction.



If your neighbour only becomes aware when and if you speak to her and if doesn't know where to begin to remedy the situation, there are a number of well respected canine behaviourists and trainers in the UK - Pauline Locke, Jan Fennell, the woman on the television - Victoria Stillwell? - to name a few that immediately come to mind. She could contact any of them or easily contact the UK Canine and ask for a referral for your area.



If she IS aware of the situation and is unwilling to do anything about it, then I would recommend going to your local council and finding out about the noise by-laws. There may be something they could do to help ameliorate the situation.



Suspect it isn't an RSPCA matter as it doesn't sound like cruelty to the dog, rather more like cruelty to the neighbours' ears.

Answer 3

ABSOLUTELY YES !



While you don't know for certain the condition of the shed the dog is locked in, it still is something that should be reported and then let the Dog Warden investigate.



My biggest fear is that in the summertime that shed could get like an oven and would be almost the same as leaving a dog in a parked car in the dead heat of summer while the thoughtless owner goes on a shopping spree !!

Answer 4

As long as the dog has food, water and shelter and isn't overheating then the RSPCA can't do anything.



The best people to contact are the Dog Wardens. They will come along and assess the noise level. They will talk to your neighbour about other options when it comes to leaving the dog and if the barking continues they can arrange for the environmental health to get involved who will then deal with the noise nuisance.



Have you spoken with your neighbour? She may not know that her dog barks all day long when she is out. She may think it is snuggled up asleep in its bed!

Answer 5

Report her i can't think of anything worse than shutting a dog in the shed for the day what sort of woman is she, i can't understand why she got a dog if she is not prepared to look after it properly, if she had to shut the dog in somewhere a crate would have been better for the dog but even then still not all day it is so cruel, how would she like it.

Answer 6

i agree contact the rspca no dog should be locked in a shed if the door is left open so that the dog can take shelter or sleep for a while then thats fine but this poor dog is exhibiting seperation anxiety hence the barking no dog shuold be left alone all day anyway you would'nt leave a child alone all day let alone locked in a shed

Answer 7

I wouldn't report the change in weather to a useless body like the rspca. It is not cruel putting the dog into a shed....assuming the animal has food and water. Something you might like to establish first. But why don't you, if you have the time on your hands, offer to baby sit the dog in the womans absence....that way you would stop the dog being put in the shed, which appears to bother you, and it would not have cause to bark. But reporting it to the rspca can and will cause all sorts of unquired problems....the rspca is now becoming known for its dishonesty and underhanded dealings. I would assist the lady in question as opposed to creating a possible hardship for her. As i said, I would not report a change in weather to a useless body like the rspca.

Answer 8

Just leaving a dog in a shed is not cruel provided it is not too hot and it has ample food and water. You can report her for the excess barking though. Honestly, I would prefer the dog to be locked in a shed where it is safe, rather than tied up. My only concern would be if it is too hot.

Call the SPCA and ask them to check on the dog. If all is well then fine, but if not, they will issue a warning to the owner.

Answer 9

No, it isnt cruel if the dog has water and food and the shed is well insulated but not hot. Just have a word with her about the barking (as she probably doesnt know about this) you could suggest one of those special bark collars. We crate our dog when we are at work and this must be far smaller than a shed, but our dog doesnt mind, which i know as we filmed him and he just slept all day

Answer 10

Yes.If it has water then it is ok to shut it in the shed & the rspca can't do anything. But the visit will wake this woman up to the distress she is causing this dog.A few words from the rspca should do the trick.If that fails phone the council about the noise. The dog warden will pay her a visit.

Answer 11

i would ask the SPCA to at least investigate. although some people find nothing wrong with locking up an animal for hours on end in a dark shed, dogs are very social animals and are intellectual beings. also it wouldnt be barking loudly ALL day long if it were content in the shed, it must be very stressful. at least if it were allowed to stay outside in a fenced yard with a regular dog house then it would have something to look around at all day. if its staying in the shed for all day on some days then it must be at least urinating in there, that wouldnt be pleasant for any animal to live in all day.

Answer 12

I think you should report it. It could get really hot in the shed and the dog can't get out. It's also possible she's not putting food and water in the shed for him. At least if you call the SPCA, they'll investigate and take action if the dog is being mistreated. It couldn't hurt anything.

Answer 13

does the shed protect the dog from the outside conditions like cold, rain, or heat. Does the dog have food, water and proper ventilation? If it has those things then there won't be anything the authorities can do.

Answer 14

report the *****, there is no need to lock an animal in a garden shed thats awful, the poor thing probably doesn't have any fresh drinking water. is the dog under weight? i wouldn't even have to think about it i would of reported her by now.

Answer 15

It is very distressing for the dogs to be tied up. Too many dog owners don't know and sometimes don't want to learn how to train their dogs to be relaxed and independent. They don't deserve to keep a dog. The barking is a sign of separation anxiety. Please do get in touch with RSPCA.

Answer 16

I dont think that the dog is being mistreated!! She obviously has considered the dogs welfare if she has given him shelter. I am a dog owner and personally I wouldnt do this but Im a soft touch!LOL



I say dont worry about it! The noise can be very irritating though. Maybe the dog would bark nomatter where he would be

Answer 17

i agree with senge - i have recently adopted a 3yo dachshund who suffers with separation anxiety - i have alerted my neighbors most of whom say they don't hear him to often, i work shift work and a lot of night shifts (2130hrs - 0730hrs) when I'm at work on night shifts my dog is locked inside the house. let your neighbor know, as far as I'm aware my dog only barks for about half an hour after i leave then settles down, i would hate to think anyone in my neighborhood called the rspca on me without speaking with me first

Answer 18

Try talking to her first to see what her reasons are for doing that. If she is doing it out of cruelty or indifference, make her aware that she might have her dog taken away by the RSPCA. If she still doesn't do anything about it, do report her.

Answer 19

YES! Get the RSPCA in immediately AND also tell your local council environment officer. They'll have to do something about the barking.

Answer 20

You should report her to the RSPCA and the local council for noise nuisance.



There are too many people who leave their dogs for long periods. Dogs are social animals that need companionship.

Answer 21

1

Answer 22

she could be unaware the dog barks while she is out, he could have water left in the shed

My dog gets the run of the whole house when I am out

Answer 23

Why do people have pets if they're not prepared to take the time to care and look after them...i think you should report her for the sake of the dog,hopefully this will be the wakeup call that she needs :D

Answer 24

yes report her,i done the same last year to a neighbour,they told her sign it over,or if it wrecks the house to leave in the kitchen as a shed is dark and cold.please do it today

Answer 25

report this ,the dog is unhappy to be locked up like this ,,thats hy its barking all the time

Answer 26

would you like to be lock in a shed all day,

report them

Answer 27

Yes! You're reporting your concern, she'll only get in trouble if the experts think she's done wrong. If you have any doubt, then act.



Good luck!

Answer 28

Yes report it, it is wrong to leave an animal under those circumstances.

Answer 29

yes please do and make sure you give all details. this is not fair on the animal or the neighbours, you can also report this to your local council as a a nuisance neighbour

Answer 30

you can try and get the rspca to come take a look but dont hold your breath waiting for them.

Answer 31

Hi, what i would do is have a word with your neighbour and tell her that it is distrssing you and the neighbours, and ask her to do something about it, if she does"nt then report her to the R.S.P.C.A.

Answer 32

if the barking is bothering u, report it.

Answer 33

yes YES



regards x kitti x

Answer 34

yes quickly

Answer 35

yes, people shouldn't keep pet's if they are not able to look after them

Answer 36

I think I would just in case...