Not A Good Month.

[ti-billy]

There is nothing worse than an irresponsible pet owner. In fact i came home 3 weeks ago and my dogs were barking at the fence (6ft privacy) in the back yard, when i called them inside i got down and loved on them cause i just got home from work, about 10 seconds later is when the burning started in my mouth,eyes,nose, and the rest of my body that touched my dogs; yes some a$$hole sprayed my dogs with mace while they were in MY back yard. I went to confront the people i thought were responsible but they wouldn't even answer their door (and i tried 3 times, cowards). Sorry I kinda went off there but i can't stand stupid, irresponsible pet owners!

[tiFreak]

wait until you've calmed down and then confront them, if they're dog killed your cat you can't just let them get away with it

[roadrash]

Animals that are allowed to roam freely often end up eating things that they shouldn't. Occasionally those things are harmful or even toxic.

Not a suggestion, just a statement. Perhaps the dog owners need to be reminded of that.

Please see follow-up post.

[cooljess76]

I'd never do anything to hurt an animal, but I'd damn sure put a person in the hospital if I found out they were mistreating or abusing one. I used to be a cop and I've put people in jail for animal abuse. One guy I busted got kicked out of the military and served a few years in prison for drowning cats. He's lucky that it was reported and I was dispatched rather than me just finding out or catching him in the act. It's not the animals fault that their owners are irresponsible. Here's my beef with people letting their pets roam. You have responsible owners like myself who keep their pets on a leash or in a yard. Then you have irresponsible owners that don't care where their pets are and let them run free. There's about 10 dogs in my neighborhood that run wild every single day while their owners are away from home. They range from chiuahuas to full grown labs. There's even a really cool wire hair terrier that comes by and plays with my dog, a 10 year old red nose pit. I love my dog more than anything, if he were to leave the yard or turn up missing, I'd search for him like he's my child, because he is "my child". Now these other jerks, who let their dogs roam free, well they don't give a crap what their dogs are doing. I mean they go all over the neighborhood, sh!tting in peoples yards, raising hell with other dogs that are fenced in, and running out into traffic, chasing kids on bikes and whatever the heck they please. But that's not the only problem. Let's say one of those free-to-roam dogs contracts rabies, parvo, mange or some other contageous illness and gives it to my dog. Pisses me off I tell ya...

[b.u.ti-ful]

Wow - I can't believe people let their dogs run free.

If one is loose around here there is usually somebody looking for it not far behind.

In some cities you can turn the animal in and the owner is charged a hefty fee when they pick it up - if that happens enough times they might change their ways!

[Tyler]

Just yesterday i was mowing my lawn and a dog walks into my yard with no tags. I didn't see anyone in front of my house on the beach and nor was there anyone in the street. I was walking next to him out towards the street and he just took off running. I can't even tell you how many times i've almost run over a dog where i live cause people are careless and don't care. I mean the dog i almost hit was like the size of a cat just running around in the street.



BAck to what i said bout the dog attacking the cat. Yeah i can confront him when i'm calm but i will not be calm when speaking to him. I can't prove it unless i see something in his yard to prove it and if it's been almost a month since he went missing i'm sort of left in the cold here. I don't want to threaten him or do something stupid as i do have another cat and if something happens to him i will probably end up in jail for assaulting somebody..

[b.u.ti-ful]

Originally Posted by Tyler

my house on the beach

Okay, I just officially started feeling less sorry for you.

[roadrash]

I need to recant my previous statement. Jess is absolutely correct, the animal is not to blame, it's the owner who is to blame for not managing and protecting their pets. I tend to forget that distinction due to being chased by dogs while riding a bicycle. In that moment it's tough to see past your immediate fears for your safety (and that of an expensive bicycle) and blame the owner.

Tyler, perhaps if you have an "animal control" department, they could be notified about "stray" dogs roaming freely in your area? Of course if your local laws don't prohibit that sort of thing it's doubtful that they'll do anything about it.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by b.u.ti-ful

Okay, I just officially started feeling less sorry for you.

You couldn't pay me enough money to go in the water in front of my house.

[b.u.ti-ful]

Haha.

I am about 6 houses off of Lake Michigan and there are about two days a year when it is hot enough outside to even consider going into that cold water.

Although, guys in wetsuits have been kiteboarding out there a lot lately.

That looks fun.

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by roadrash

I need to recant my previous statement. Jess is absolutely correct, the animal is not to blame, it's the owner who is to blame for not managing and protecting their pets. I tend to forget that distinction due to being chased by dogs while riding a bicycle. In that moment it's tough to see past your immediate fears for your safety (and that of an expensive bicycle) and blame the owner.

Tyler, perhaps if you have an "animal control" department, they could be notified about "stray" dogs roaming freely in your area? Of course if your local laws don't prohibit that sort of thing it's doubtful that they'll do anything about it.

JMJ I know what you meant earlier. I'm sure you'd never harm someone’s pet, but perhaps an indirect threat may persuade an irresponsible owner into containing their animal if they care about their pet's well-being. The problem though lies in the owner's morals, or lack there of. See in their mind, they're not doing anything wrong. Not everyone loves their pets as if they're part of the family. If they're letting their dogs run free everyday, chances are they could care less if the dog gets run over, attacked or captured by the authorities. Not to mention that their animal might also be the aggressor causing harm, fear or inconvenience to other people or pets. I did exactly what you mentioned in your previous post with a wire hair terrier that lives a few houses down from me. Her owners are scum. They let her run free all day and don't care what happens to her. I've given her baths, fed her and she used to come over regularly and play with my dog. I used to bring her home, but the owners didn't seem to care. Sometimes she would be back at my house just moments after I returned her to her to them. After several unfriendly confrontations with her owners, she finally stopped coming over. Little did I know at the time, that was just the beginning of the problem. I found out from a friend who is their next-door neighbor, that they were keeping her tied up in the backyard. This is a wire hair terrier, not a pit bull or German Sheppard(not implying that that is right either, just that this is even more wrong). I went online and printed this off of the Humane Society's website:
http://www.humanesocietyvc.org/services/report-abuse/

"Teathering a dog for more than three hours in any twenty-four hour period. Pet owners may not fasten, chain, tie, or restrain their dog to a tree, dog house, or any other stationary object for more than three hours a day. Exceptions to the law regarding tethering are: A person may attach a dog to a running line, pulley, or a trolley system. When camping or in a recreational area, such as a park or at the beach. Law enforcement may issue a warning to a person who violates this law. If the person continues to violate the law, the person could be charged with an infraction or a misdemeanor. The infraction is punishable upon conviction by a fine of up to $250 dollars for every dog. If a person is charged with a misdemeanor, the person can be charged upon conviction with a fine of $1,000 dollars for each dog and/or six months imprisonment in county jail or both."

Then I went down to their house, walked into their backyard and cut Lola loose as the owners watched in shock or perhaps fear because I had a knife. I handed the lady the printout, told her my next step was to call the cops and then casually walked off of their property. Since then, my friend says that they don't tie her up anymore and have taken measures to secure their fence line. She has gotten out a few times since then and as a matter of fact it's been more often recently, so I'm gonna pay them another visit here pretty soon

So while threatening their animals well-being may not be of much concern to an uncaring pet owner, perhaps the threat of a fine or imprisonment will. Of course showing up at their house with a knife might also be a bit persuasive as well

Tyler, I know cats are different, and I'm not associating you as an irresponsible pet owner. Cats generally have a small area that they confine to. They burry their poop and pose little or no threat to other pets or people with exception for the occasional lizard, gopher or bird which most will agree is a helpful service to the community Besides that, they're extremely fast and evasive so there's little chance of them getting hit captured or attacked.

[ChItalian1027]

Tyler I'm sure you'll find your cat! I just hope nothing bad has happened to it .

It pisses me off when I see people mistreating animals. When my mom first moved in the house we still live in, we didn't have a fence and my dog would always get loose. My mom would take the car and I would ride my bike to find him. And we had an old table on the patio with a leash on it. We didn't have the fence till around 2000, when my mom finally decided to get one. Since then my sister has gotten two great dane/lab mixes. These dogs are HUGE!! And only 3yrs old these crazy "little" monsters love to destroy the back yard. They have already eaten bark off one of my mom's trees. My sisters house has/had a nice wooden fence which they have eaten already. These dogs are so much fun. We always play fetch with them when they are in the back yards

Now my cat. She is crazy. She already eats human food and mows like crazy to get fed. She knows how to open the screen doors. And has already gotten fleas. Which was hell for her because she had no clue what was going on. You know how cats HATE water, well I had to give her a bath to get all the fleas off a day before I had to leave for Carbondale to start freshman year. Man she hated me for ever till Christmas.

Best of luck to you Tyler on finding your best friend!!