My neighbor left her dogs out in the heat

[Johnv713]

This dumb woman left her 4 dogs in a kennel in her drive way for days now. I just found that out . OMG im surprised they havent succumbed to the heat. There’s no top or any kind of shade for the kennel. And theyre all chows i’m going to call Animal control. I swear i hate humans sometimes.

 

[Jcatbird]

Is the neighbor alive? Check on the neighbor and if they are okay then you have a chance to say,” I was worried about you because I knew that no one who loves their dogs would ever leave them exposed to such horrible conditions unless something was terribly wrong!” See if you can help to provide a better shelter? Maybe something is wrong with the neighbor? People sometimes get in over their heads, get sick or are just plain ignorant. Animal Control may just fine her. Not sure what happens in your area. The dogs should not be left to suffer like that! Is there any kind of Chow rescue near you? Beautiful dogs. Very, very glad you found out and are willing to do something to save them!

 

[Caspers Human]

How hot is "hot?" What's the location or climate like?

Yes, animals need shade but they can get along, to a certain extent, as long as they have water.

Driveway? Are they on pavement? That would be bad! Very bad!

Dogs cool themselves mainly through panting but they also keep cool through their feet. If they are walking on a hot surface, their feet can't exchange heat through the air and/or ground. This is the reason why it's a very bad idea to walk dogs at the beach on a hot day unless they can go in the water to cool off. Even then, the hot sand can still hurt their feet. Anyhow, I digress...

Are the owners around to check on the dogs, throughout the day? Are they even home?

If nobody's home, maybe you could use a garden hose and spray them down. Make it like a game so that they think they are having fun. If they really are hot and need to cool down, they'll probably like it, no matter what.

Just don't soak the ground and make it so they have to walk in mud and stuff. Maybe you can leave part of the ground inside the pen be dry so that they have a clean place to walk?

 

[Jcatbird]

All good ideas! Check the circumstances and see what you can do to help them. It’s always possible that the owners left them under the care of someone temporarily too. They may not know what’s going on.

 

[neely]

Ugh, this literally makes my blood boil. Chows have a thick, longer type of wooly coat. They are magnificent dogs and if the owners are unable to properly care for them or they have suffered some unexpected hardship you should definitely contact the authorities. Both of the above members gave you some good advice. Please check on the owners and let us know what happens.

 

[Johnv713]

It’s Houston’s hot The neighbor is alive and has a history of neglecting her animals. Previously i offered to give her a window ac unit to install on a dog house but she was kinda flaky on the idea.

I just reported her thru a website but dont know how soon they will respond. I just dont want to talk to her again because she’ll most likely to answer me something along the line of “Oh the dogs been out here and they’re fine” No they aint fine!!!! They are suffering you selfish dimwit!!

 

[jefferd18]

I swear I have seen this same thread in the past.

 

[Johnv713]

It was a similar thread where her dogs were in the backyard with no AC but at least there was a little of shade and roamed freely. Now theyre baking in the driveway all crammed into a crate.

 

[catapault]

How does she even fit three chows into a crate? It must be huge.

 

[The Goodbye Bird]

How does she even fit three chows into a crate? It must be huge.

Bought crate from Doctor Who. Fits comfortably in subcompact car. Seats 6 chows, great danes, or pyrenees.

On-topic... I would look very closely at the condition of the dogs before calling the cops. I would only get the law involved if it was very obvious they were suffering. I would make sure I wasn't mistaken about the situation. As bad as animal abusers are, the animal cops can be the other side of that coin.

 

[Johnv713]

Oh the crate is meant to be for a mid size dog. I saw 2-3 small ones and the mama dog. I’m 100% sure the dogs are suffering in this muggy weather. Heck i had a tank top on and it’s unbearable to be outside for more than a couple of minutes.... in the shade!!!! Im afraid to say something to her because she may bring them into her garage which is probably worst than the driveway with the door shut.

 

[Willowy]

If they're together in a small crate, call an animal welfare agency. It might not end well for them (Chows are notoriously standoffish with strangers) but they wouldn't be crammed in a crate in the heat at least. There is almost certainly a square footage requirement for caged dogs. If you know of any actual rescues in the area you could try them first.

If a dog has water and shade and a reasonable amount of room to move around, leaving them outside when it's hot isn't terrible, even if they have thick coats. Double coats actually have an "air conditioning" system built in (the sun heating the outside causes a convection process that moves cooler air through the undercoat) so as long as they aren't being forced to overexercise they should be ok.

 

[amandag1]

take photos and report....or call the cops wtf humans suck

 

[Caspers Human]

Animals are often more resilient than we give them credit for but, on the other hand, we shouldn’t push it.

The best solution would be to talk to the owner but, if they are determined to be difficult, you might have to “go over their heads,“ so to speak.

 

[Johnv713]

I know dogs are resilient but theyre in the sun with no shades whatsoever! You can get away with that in California but you’d get cooked here in Houston.
From my house i dont see the dogs today. Maybe animal control paid them a visit. Will drive by later to confirm.

 

[Caspers Human]

I know dogs are resilient but theyre in the sun with no shades whatsoever!"

That's what I mean by "don't push it."

 

[Uncled]

I did read today that east Texas and parts of Louisiana are under a extreme heat warning and excessive humidity levels , I would not want to be in a crate outside in weather like that, I do hope animal control paid a visit.

 

[LTS3]

There is almost certainly a square footage requirement for caged dogs.

Current USDA recommendations:

Dogs less than 33 lbs - minimum floor area per animal, 8 ft²
dogs 33 to 66 lbs - minimum floor area per animal, 12 ft²
dogs over 66 lbs - minimum floor area per animal, >24 ft²
Cage height should allow the dog to comfortably stand erect on their feet.

https://extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/VA/VA-2-W.pdf

 

[Willowy]

Yeah but that's USDA recommendation, not enforceable law :/. But the city probably has some kind of ordinance on the books.

 

[Johnv713]

Update
The dogs are back out onto the driveway tonight. It’s BLEEP BLEEP but better than getting baked in the hot sun. I just dont know what to say anymore other than some people just need to grow a brain. I’m sick to my stomach over this and they arent my dogs.