So mad I could cry..

[luvmyparker]

So my mothers friend is one of those women who spoil their kids, let them sponge off her and use/abuse her. This is nothing new but the story has a twist...

Her youngest son, who is just shy of 30, got kicked out of his house. He owned 2 unaltered pitbulls. He begged his mother, who lives in a 1-2 bedroom apartment, to take in the dogs until he found a place to take them. She, of course, agreed. You can guess what happens...
Yes. They ended up having puppies. 6 of them. So 8 dogs in total, in an apartment that only allows ONE dog under 45lbs.

Here is where it gets bad. The mother is so malnourished, she is skin and bones. They don't have money to take her the vet. The puppies, which are now 6 weeks, are confined to a closet. Yes, a closet. They are messing in there and not being house trained. 

So, there was an incident unrelated to the dogs that involved the son that "owns" the dogs. The building manager ended up at the door and discovered all the dogs. He gave her until the 16th to get ALL of the dogs out. The male has been placed in a temporary home but the mother and pups are still there. Her son is refusing to give the dogs up to just anyone. He wants to sell the pups. The issue there is that there is a major problem with people fighting pits in that area, so you know most, if not all of the pups are going to end up being fighting dogs.

Also, the son apparently abused the male pretty badly for defecating inside one day. His mother stood there and watched and didn't say a word. She won't call anyone to help with the dogs either.

The whole situation is just turning my stomach. I know the animal control needs to be contacted before the pups are sold...I just don't know if I can be the one to do it. The son is pretty violent and I don't want it coming back on us.

Me and my mom are the only ones that know about the male being abused so we can't just blurt that out...How can I get them investigated without it being such a give away that it was us? The manager gave her time to get the dogs out, so she would rule him out. I feel I have to do something but how to go about it is the problem. Any ideas or suggestions? I am scared for these dogs.

 

[speakhandsforme]

I don't know what the laws are in Nova Scotia, but here you can call the cops/animal control anonymously to report things like this. You can also get a restraining order against the son if you think he might come after you.

 

[rafm]

I don't know what the laws are in Nova Scotia, but here you can call the cops/animal control anonymously to report things like this. You can also get a restraining order against the son if you think he might come after you.

Unfortunately, to get a restraining order you must have more than a 'feeling' they might come after you. And at the end of the day it is only a piece of paper and really won't protect you if the person wants to get you.

If I were you, I would do one of two things....

1) call animal control immediately. Remain anonymous and scare the bejesus out of both mom and son. She has made her choices to ignore the situation, she is just as culpable.

2) ask him how much he wants for the dogs and then hand him the cash for the animals and remove them yourself. IME, these types have no idea what to charge and either throw out a stupidly high number or an insanely low number. If the number is stupid high, counter with a reasonable offer with the contingency you won't call animal control. If it is stupid low, pay it and remove the dogs.

I understand both options take a level of courage that alot of people struggle with. However, there are 7 dogs that need help and for me, that is the motivating factor. I have called animal control on our neighbor so many times it's ridiculous, but, you know what, she no longer leaves her dogs out all day/night with no shelter and barking until they go hoarse. Sometimes, only the police showing up will change people.

And honestly, if you can't change them into caring people that make good decisions for the animal, change them into people that are at least compliant with the law.

 

[momto3boys]

There's dog fighting in NS???

I didnt know that

 . Im shocked.....just wow.

The SPCA definately needs to be called, is there anyway you could talk to the landlord and have him call if you're not comfortable calling?

 

[luvmyparker]

There's dog fighting in NS???

I didnt know that

 . Im shocked.....just wow.

The SPCA definately needs to be called, is there anyway you could talk to the landlord and have him call if you're not comfortable calling?

That particular area is known for dog fighting, sadly. In fact, its a big problem in general. There is a large list of breeds that are no longer allowed to be posted on kijiji for that reason. 
I'm working on getting something done anyway.

 

[crickets mom]

Please Please Please DO NOT call animal control.  Contact a pit bull rescue.  There is one in Nova Scotia called "Ador-a-Bull dog rescue" www.ador-a-bull.com .  Im sure there are others.  Just google search Nova Scotia pit bull rescue.  Chances are animal control or aspca will have the dogs euthanised.  Even the puppies.  Especially if the parents are people aggressive.  The amimal control may deem the dogs "unadoptable" just because of their breed. 

Please contact a pit bull rescue!!!! These puppies cannot end up in the hands of someone who will fight them.  They also cannot go to the shelter.  They WILL end up being put to sleep if you call animal control and they place them in the shelter. 

They need your help.  They are innocent.  If a rescue takes them, they will make sure they end up in a good home.  Pit bulls will be anything their owner wants them to be.  Unfortunatly some owners want them to be aggressive.  It is such a shame that these dogs that are so willing to please their owners end up getting a bad rap because of bad owners. 

Before you do anything, contact the pit bull rescue, tell them the situation, and see what they suggest. 

Thank you for being concerned for these dogs.  They do need your help, as it seems no one else is going to help them. Please do the right thing!!!!

Please let us know how it turns out.

 

[rafm]

A rescue can not go into the home and remove the dogs for abuse or neglect. Only animal control. If they were willing to just give up the dogs then a rescue would be the way to go, unfortunately the OP has already stated the owner wants to sell the puppies and isn't willing to give them away.

In neglect/abuse situations only those with legal power to enforce the law have rights. The rescue can agree to take the animals once they are seized but until then, there really aren't any options.

And I realize this may come across as cold but if they are euthanized, it will be done humanely as opposed to starving to death or worse. It really is true, there just aren't enough homes for them all. We do our best as rescuers to save as many as we can but at the end of the day there are thousands we can't. And it's people like the OP that make me have to live with that every day. There is a cold reality to rescue that we sometimes just don't want to think about.

I hope you can find the courage to do what is best and right for you, your family and the pups.

 

[p3 and the king]

I don't know how it is in Nova Scotia but pits in the US are still pretty feared and if you call animal control, it is pretty much a death sentence for the dogs.  Most never make it to the adoption floor.  They are just put down immediately.  And, those that are not and do get put of for adoption, people often fear or they live in an apartment or property with landlords that have the same rules, smaller dogs only... No pits!!  They have a bad stigma here, too.  I would call a rescue organization.  In the US we have several that specialize or specifically deal with pits.  I don't know how it is there but look it up online and perhaps you will find something.  The rescues will not tell the neighbors who called it in.  Especially if you ask them not to.  You can just state you are afraid and they will not mention you. And the rescue will work with animal control to take the dogs so they are not put down and put in the rescues care instead... In the US anyway.

 

[crickets mom]

A rescue can not go into the home and remove the dogs for abuse or neglect. Only animal control. If they were willing to just give up the dogs then a rescue would be the way to go, unfortunately the OP has already stated the owner wants to sell the puppies and isn't willing to give them away.
In neglect/abuse situations only those with legal power to enforce the law have rights. The rescue can agree to take the animals once they are seized but until then, there really aren't any options.
And I realize this may come across as cold but if they are euthanized, it will be done humanely as opposed to starving to death or worse. It really is true, there just aren't enough homes for them all. We do our best as rescuers to save as many as we can but at the end of the day there are thousands we can't. And it's people like the OP that make me have to live with that every day. There is a cold reality to rescue that we sometimes just don't want to think about.
I hope you can find the courage to do what is best and right for you, your family and the pups.

There is a big difference between rescuing a pit, and rescuing any other breed of dog, or cat.  No one is going to put down dog just because it is a golden retriever, or a cat just because it is a siamese.    While I agree that we cannot save everyone, we all have a tendancy to want to do our best for those situations that are presented to us. 

Going to animal control first, certainly can be a death sentence for these dogs.  A rescue can guide you through the situation, and hopefully be waiting to take these dogs in if animal control does seize them.  The rescue may even contact animal control themselves, and they could say that they got an anonamous call. Im sure they are at least taking the mom dog out to go potty, and if she is in as bad of shape as you describe, it wouldnt be a strech that one of the neighbors called it in. 

If it comes to the 16th, and the pups are still in the apartment, the owners mother will have no choice but to get rid of them.  At least suggest a rescue to her.  Please try to discourage her from taking them to the shelter.

I wish you and these dogs the best of luck.  It sure seems like they need it. 

 

[nerdrock]

I don't like to say any bad things about a rescue, but Ador-A-Bull is also based here in London. When Mike and I separated and we were forced to rehome our pit mix, we contact them right away before we knew if any friends or family would be willing to watch her while we got our lives straightened out and were financially able to have another dog again. They never responded, we ended up trying to contact them a few times. Thankfully, my boss stepped up and got her into a different rescue. 

I'm not saying Ador-A-Bull is bad, I'm just saying that if that's who you chose to go with try to get in touch with them as soon as possible. I was told they mostly work in Ontario getting pits to NS. 

 

[crickets mom]

Ador-a-bull was just what came up when I did a search of Nova Scotia pit bull rescues.  I have never dealt with them.  If they dont respond to you, heres a site that I found that lists a bunch of Nova Scotia rescues.  None seemed to be pit specific, but a lot of rescues have a lot of exprience with them.  Its gonna take some research and phone calls, but you should be able to find someone willing to help.http://www.adoptananimal.ca/search.php?animal=&prov=NS&zip=&within_miles=50&x=56&y=13

Good Luck!!

 

[luvmyparker]

I doubt the dogs would be put down should the SPCA end up taking them. They adopt out pits (and other similar breeds) and pups all the time. Some are given to shelters to be adopted out as well, which is what would likely happen in this case. That being said...

Since they prioritize by severity of the case, I don't know if they will get there by Friday. There are only two officers that work the whole municipality. Since the dogs are being provided with food/shelter its not an "emergency". Her son said he's NOT just giving them but will only sell them but I am hoping that if the SPCA doesn't get there first, then the building manager will put a call in and up the urgency of the matter. 

Any other information I get from here on out will be when my moms friend calls. Keeping my fingers crossed. 

 

[luvmyparker]

Just another little update:



She and her son had a fight over something unrelated to the dogs and she ended up kicking him out. She mentioned the dogs to him on the way out the door and he said he was going to shoot the mother dog. His mother said she is going to call the SPCA herself on Tuesday (Its closed on Mondays) and see if they can come get the dogs. If they can't, I will give her the number for[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]  Ador-A-Bull and a few other rescues. 
Not sure how serious she is but here is hoping she follows through. [/font]

 

[wendyb]

Things are definately getting worse there.

Shooting the momma dog is just horriffic.

 

[crickets mom]

So is the mama dog still in her apartment, or did he take her?  At least he didnt take the puppies.  Is the spca "no kill"?  If they are a kill shelter, they would be better off calling a rescue to begin with. There are so many pits at most shelters that they have a hard time adopting them all out.  Same with a rescue, or "no kill" shelter, but at least they would have an unlimited amount of time to be adopted.   I think you are a very kind person being concerned for these dogs.  The son/owner is horrible. I am sending lots of good vibes for these pups that they will end up in loving, caring, forever homes. 

 

[luvmyparker]

Hmm, I don't know if they are no kill. The mama dog is still there for the time being. This guy is a bit of an idiot so it may very well be an idle threat (especially since he doesn't own a gun), but then again, he did beat the other dog, so who knows.

Their future may be uncertain regardless. If they end up euthanized, it will be sad but it sure beats a life of being forced to fight and ending up mangled or killed by another dog. I would even take one if I had the means to look after a dog...but that just can't happen right now.
I appreciate the advice and vibes and again, I will update as soon as I know anything.

 

[courtdawn333]

is there any update on what happened to these poor dogs?!

 

[luvmyparker]

Oooh, right. I meant to update. All of the puppies were handed over to a gentleman with a farm. He is going to get the pups all UTD on needles and vet checks, socialize them and adopt them out. The mother of the pups is still at the apartment for the time being. I will update when I find out where she is headed.

 

[courtdawn333]

Oooh, right. I meant to update. All of the puppies were handed over to a gentleman with a farm. He is going to get the pups all UTD on needles and vet checks, socialize them and adopt them out. The mother of the pups is still at the apartment for the time being. I will update when I find out where she is headed.

what a great outcome for the puppies!!! Hopefully ends well with the mama as well!

 

[luvmyparker]

Another update! The two adult dogs were surrendered to the SPCA today. Although, they were going to be seized soon anyway, if her son didn't get back to them. The are being being fixed and temperment tested. If they pass, they will be adopted out. Soooo happy they are finally free from the abuse!!!