My neighbor's dog

[Shoo]

New neighbors moved in next door about 6 months ago.  They have a little black dog named Maggie.  She has very long hair that's not really curly, but not really straight either.  She has only one eye, and the hair on her head (very long) grows in such a way that it covers the bad eye, so for the longest time, I didn't realize she only had one eye.  It's very clever the way nature works, isn't it?

So Maggie is the world's greatest escape artist.  They (her owners) put her out in their backyard during the day, and she has dug a hole under their fence and she gets out.  She's an extremely friendly dog.  She runs all over the place, across the street, in and out of people's garages, generally making herself a nuisance.  I have a real soft spot for Maggie, for some reason.  I don't even like dogs, but Maggie tugs at my heartstrings and I don't know why.  My dd just loves her too.  Even my dh has a warm spot for Maggie.  It's very strange.

I have rescued Maggie more times than I can remember.  When the weather was good, I'd put her in our backyard (where she couldn't escape) until her owners got home, and then I'd take her home.  It's gotten to the point that neighbors who find her wandering about will bring her back to my house when they find her.  They think she's my dog, I guess.  I always tell them she belongs to the neighbors, but they're never home, and no one wants her to get hit by a car or hurt in some other way.  It's not safe for a dog to run around.  That's why I always try to take her home or keep her safe when I find that she's escaped her yard.  She always comes running when she sees me outside.

Usually she's such a mess when I find her that I can hardly pick her up.  She's got very long hair, and some of it is matted, and it's always wet and caked with mud.  And she's so excited when I see her that she jumps on me and she's got toenails that have grown so long and sharp that she has scratched me.

This dogs needs a serious grooming.

Maggie's owner's son and his girlfriend live in the house too.  They have a 4 month old baby.  I'm guessing the baby's mom doesn't want a dirty stinky dog in the house with her baby, so she puts her outside all the time.  Well, surprise!  That's why Maggie is wet and dirty.  They say they've tried to repair the spot in the fence where Maggie gets out, but obviously they haven't.  I open their gate and put Maggie back in their yard, and 30 seconds later she's at my door again.

This morning I took Maggie home and rang their doorbell, but no one is home.  She won't stay in her backyard (tried that twice).  Finally, I brought her inside my house and gave her a bath so she could stay inside with me.  She was ravenous and devoured all my cat's food in 2 seconds, so I gave her another little can and that was gone in 2 seconds.  She was very hungry and thirsty.  I think she may have been out all night.

I have a friend who is a professional dog groomer.  Maggie needs her hair cut around her feet (it's so long you can't see her toes and it drags in the mud), and she needs her nails trimmed desperately.  I'm wondering if it would be totally out of line for me to ask my friend to groom Maggie, then take her home and tell them she's all clean and trimmed up, so they don't have to keep her in the backyard anymore.

How rude would it be for me to do this?  I want Maggie to stay home with her family, but I suspect that her current condition prevents her owners from wanting her inside, and they're too neglectful or lazy to take her to the groomers themselves.  Or maybe they can't afford it.  I don't know.

What do you think?

[CocoCamm]

I think Maggie has some horrible, neglectful owners and she is lucky to have you. Dogs are extremely social animals (hence the fact that she escapes and goes visiting) and its really wrong to keep then outside by themselves all the time. The facts thats she is always outside and escaping and dirty leads me to believe Maggies owners care very little about her or her well being. She may be better off in the shelter where at least she has a chance at haveing a family. If I were in your shoes I would probably contact the local human society and see if they can help Maggie. Good luck.

[Irish Clovers]

This just burns my behind. 

Your neighbors do not deserve her.  Maggie is trying to tell you something, listen. 

[Rei-chan]

As a dog lover, I would do it, but for the dog, not the owners.

I have a feeling though, that it won't make any difference.  If they don't care enough to keep her groomed (it costs 5 bucks for a set of doggie toenail clips, and takes all of 5 minutes on my little dog), then Maggie will probably be shut back out in the yard within 10 minutes of her arrival home.

If it were me, I would groom her, take her home, but I would bring a shovel with me, and say "OK, let's get this hole fixed so she doesn't get hit by a car or worse!"  That, or if I was in the position to, I would offer to take her off their hands entirely.   IMO, if people aren't responsible enough to keep their dog fenced and safe, then they shouldn't have said dog in the first place.

Can you tell that this subject ticks me off?!?!  

[Bob Ducca]

I think Maggie has some horrible, neglectful owners and she is lucky to have you. Dogs are extremely social animals (hence the fact that she escapes and goes visiting) and its really wrong to keep then outside by themselves all the time. The facts thats she is always outside and escaping and dirty leads me to believe Maggies owners care very little about her or her well being. She may be better off in the shelter where at least she has a chance at haveing a family. If I were in your shoes I would probably contact the local human society and see if they can help Maggie. Good luck.

I'm afraid I have to agree.  My guess is that the neighbor doesn't want the dog in the house at all, and is using the wet and dirty issue as an excuse.  Getting her groomed would be nice for the dog, but it probably would only be a short-term fix.  Etiquette wise, it does seem like it would be overstepping your bounds, unless you got permission from the couple (maybe tell them you got an offer for a dog grooming, and you'd love to take the dog in yourself sometime).

My fantasy suggestion?  Have Maggie groomed and take her to the humane society, then adopt her yourself.  Maybe the owners wouldn't recognize her with her hair and nails cut!    Seriously, you aren't under any obligation to care for these people's pet, and the dog sounds like a sweetie.  Good luck!

[MDefarge]

Your neighbors do not deserve her.  Maggie is trying to tell you something, listen.

This is one of the few things I have no patience for.  My BF was moving out of his apt in a not very nice building.  The last night we were there someone put a kitten in a box, tied up the box and put it next to the garbage.  This poor kitten was screeching so loudly that all of the neighbors came out of their apts to see what was going on.  The lady next door (LND) let it out of the box and he was wandering around the hallway.  Come to find out that he "belongs" to another neighbor on the floor but she had asked a guy she knew to cat sit and he said he would but only for an hour - 5 hours before.  LND goes and knocks on the apt door where the cat "belongs" and they won't take the cat.  After a few minutes discussion w. my BF I declared to him (and him alone) that I was taking the kitten and we did.  We went back to the apt a week later and he asked LND about it - no one from the apt had even bothered to ask what had happened to the kitten.  He went to my next door neighbor and is now called Oscar (cause he came from the trash) He's a sweet kitty and I hate to think what might have happened to him.  

I'm not usually one who sticks my nose in other peoples business but since animals can't stick up for themselves I think it's only right that we do.

[Irish Clovers]

I'm not usually one who sticks my nose in other peoples business but since animals can't stick up for themselves I think it's only right that we do.

Exactly!  This poor doggie needs your help.  The neighbors obviously could care less about her so see if they can sign her over to you.  If you can't keep her permanently, try and locate a rescue organization in your area that can help Maggie.  She deserves so much better.

[ButterflieRJ]

I would call the SPCA/HS to at least see if there is anything that can be done.  Chances are the family will get a warning to start taking care of the dog.  Allowing a dog to get so matted and dirty means she's also not getting her nails cut and other necessary-to-health stuff done (prob including vaccinations, maintenance pills (like heatwork/flea meds).  That's neglect, which might be a finable, or even jailable, offense in your area.  Also, some towns have started to implement laws against keeping dogs out in the elements for too long.

The SPCA/HS might be able to get them to sign a release to allow the dog to become SPCA/HS property.  You do have to realize that there's a chance that the dog might be euthanized (especially since she's a "special needs" dog (only having one eye, many will see her that way even if it doesn't affect her).  Of course, if you want to take her in and adopt her as part of your family (which it seems *she* has already done) it won't matter if the SPCA/HS is a euth-shelter, since you should be able to take her in almost immediately.  Ask about that as well when you call though. 

While I agree that you aren't under any obligation legally to care for someone else's pet, it seems like the dog has chosen you to do so because her people aren't doing it.  Whatever the reason, I think you should at least take the next step and try to get animal law enforcement involved.  If your town doesn't have an SPCA or HS, call the local police and file a complaint.  I needs to be done!  And don't worry, I imagine they will keep everything as anonymous as possible.

[Shoo]

I just don't know what to do.  Thank you all for your advice.  Maggie is sleeping on my couch right now.  She seems very comfortable.

Part of me wants to just keep her and not take her home.  My dh would probably agree to it, begrudgingly.  Having a dog is not something we've ever wanted.  Once the newness wears off and the daily chores of dog ownership set in, I don't know how we'd feel about it.  I don't know if I want to clean up dog hair, dog poop in the yard, take potty walks, etc.  And our cat would have a stroke.

On the other hand, she's very sweet.  And when she's clean she doesn't smell.  I think she's just attention starved and lonely.  When my dd gets home from school today and finds her here, it'll be all over.  I need to figure out what to do before then. 

And I know we can't just keep her.  That's dog stealing.  I know who she belongs to, and the son once told me that his mom (Maggie's owner) treats her like a kid, taking her to McDonalds for chicken mcnuggets and things like that.  So I don't really know how Maggie fits in to the family.  I also don't know if it wouldn't actually be a relief to them to have someone offer to take Maggie in.  Like maybe they're tired of her, and now that the baby's there, Maggie doesn't belong anymore.  I just don't know.

I haven't heard back from my groomer friend yet, so that's probably not going to happen today, so Maggie will have to go home as is.  Until the next time she gets out, then she'll be all wet and muddy again.

Maybe I should just call the animal shelter and "turn her in."  But what if they ask me questions?  Should I tell them I know where Maggie lives, but she's neglected? 

[gwennan]

Shoo, you have a very kind heart - blessings on you for it!

In your shoes, this is what I'd do.

First, wait 'til hubby gets home and discuss whether or not you can adopt the little dog yourself.

Next, I'd go next door and talk to your neighbors.  I'd mention that their little girl was getting out awfully regularly, and she badly needed grooming, and maybe if they were finding it too hard to find time for her what with the new baby and all....

If they seem amenable, offer to either 1: take her in yourself or, 2: take her in temporarily until you can find a new home for her.

When/if you have the dog in your possession, get her cleaned up and presentable, especially if you're going to try to find a new home for her.  There are probably no-kill/rescue groups in your area that could help.

If, on the other hand, the neighbors refuse to give her up, I'd take pictures of her condition, start keeping statistics on how often she escapes, and look up the local pet care statutes to see if they're in violation (I strongly suspect they are )
Then contact the local authorities to report the problem.

Even if the dog winds up being taken by the local SPCA and euthanized, it's better then a long, drawn out death by neglect and/or accident. 

And bless you again for having a caring heart!

[veryfluffy]

One thing you might try as an interim measure is suggest a "dog-share." Go and see the neighbours, and say that the dog is getting out all the time, spends most of its day with you, and you don't mind having it around, and it obviously likes your company. Tell them you'd be willing to dog-sit during the day, but the dog needs to be groomed properly, etc., which you could arrange if they would pay for, say, half.

If they tell you they don't really want Maggie anymore, and why not keep her, then you need to decide what to do. Whatever you do, please do not take it to a shelter where it would be euthanised. It sounds like a happy little dog, and it while it is being somewhat neglected it is not in a state that is worth than death.

[dawbs]

if you DO turn her into the shelter, it can make sure something gets done.

ON the (few) occasions I have had to turn a dog in, I talked to AC officers and made it clear that I wanted to know if the dog was to be put down, etc.  (and often they'll agree...if not, you can simply call the next day to follow up)

If a dog is wandering and you call AC, you can tell them where the owners live, and that her escaping is a reapeating problem.  And the neglect you fear the dog is suffering.

AC will take the dog, and often having to pay $50 to spring Maggie from doggie jail will inspire the owners to take their own action to ensure she doesn't escape
(or, on the other hand, their refual to spring Maggie from doggie jail will give you the opportunity to adopt her...)

(your local ASPCA or humane society should get a phone call too.  They have a lot of experience at telling people "this might make you and your dog happier" in tactful ways)

[CherryB]

Maggie needs a new home. I think she has found one. Dogs are pretty intuitive and she knows she has found someone to love and protect her.

[sparksals]

This just burns my behind. 

Your neighbors do not deserve her.  Maggie is trying to tell you something, listen. 

I couldn't agree more!  

The OP is very eerie because I had the exact same situation with a neighbour neglecting his beautiful dog.  The dog kept escaping and coming to our house.  He really pulled at my heartstrings.  I found a way to get him a new home and it was the best thing we could have done for him.  He is happy and very much loved now.  

The similarities to what I experienced is amazing.

OP - do what you think is right for the dog.  I agree, Maggie is trying to tell you something.  

Also, most areas have laws about food and watering requirements for pets left outside.  If the dog has no food or water available, in most places, the authorities will fine the owners and possibly remove the dog from the home.  

[Shoo]

Dh came home from work early (I wasn't expecting him until 6!) and when he saw Maggie, he was so excited and got down on the floor and started petting her and stuff.  I told him I don't want to take Maggie home. I want to keep her.  He said, "Okay!"  I was pleasantly shocked!

My friend is coming over at 5 p.m. and she's bringing her grooming table and tools.  I told her all about Maggie and she is going to do this for HER, not for the owners.  I also decided I am not going to take Maggie home when I see they are there.  I am going to wait to see if they come looking for her.  If and when they come here, I am going to invite them in and talk to them about Maggie (hopefully, they'll want to do that).

Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm going to get in trouble for dognapping.  I don't want to send her back over there, only to be kept outside in the wet and cold again.  If I have to, the next time Maggi gets out and I find her wandering around, I'm going to contact the animal shelter and make arrangements to adopt her.

I sure hope this doesn't start some kind of war with my neighbors.  I really hope they just give her to me.