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What is your response when you see a dog being abused by it's owner in public? By abuse, it could be from watching someone dragging their dog behind them oblivious to how the leash may be all tangled up in the dog's legs and that they are in distress around their neck from being pulled, especially while the owner chats away on their cell, to being locked in a car without the windows rolled down? Any form of abuse..would you say something about it or mind your own business?
i have called 911 for a dog locked in a car on a warm day .... and then waited in the area to see what happened... the AC officer responded immediately and stayed with the car until the the woman came out of walmart... she was ticketed ... the ac officer kept a close watch on the temp in the car through the cracked window and i am sure would have taken appropriate action if it got over a certain level.....
as far as seeing a dog dragged by an oblivious owner, i would calmly and politely point out how the leash was tangled or something along those lines..... people get defensive and i would hate the idea of the owner's embarassment being taken out on the dog.....
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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I never mind my own business and I certainly wouldn't when it comes to a poor defenseless dog. I'd most definitely say something. I'd *try* to say it nicely, though. If I'm getting a lousy response, however, I'd get stronger (aka louder).
It reminds me of a story. I was in the grocery store with my husband and we saw this obviously frazzled woman yelling at her daughter. Not only did it make me very uncomfortable, the little girl was just being a kid, for God's sake. The woman was clearly in a rush and didn't want to deal with her daughter's questions and dawdling.
I figured that telling this woman how to behave was going to get me nowhere fast, so I decided that I'd try to change her mood. As we got closer, I said to the woman, "I absolutely LOVE your hair! It's fabulous!"
Well! She stopped, smiled the biggest smile that I've ever seen, and thanked me profusely. Then she said to her daughter, "Sweetie, what kind of crackers do you want this time?"
My point? Although it's frustrating to see someone doing something that you think is wrong, you have to taper your anger and sweet talk. You get more bees with honey, even if you're seething inside.
PS. All my instances of the word "you" don't apply to YOU. It was a general "you" that I was using. You know...
I'm a lot like Dawn, if I see abuse, you can be sure I'm going to say something, but I take the more bees with honey approach too. If that doesn't work then I do whatever is necessary, but that has been very rare.
I've made it a point to compliment people if they have great kids, well behaved dogs, good customer service, some sort of kindness. Positive reinforcement works with dogs and people for me.
Yes I say something. I have called cops on locked dogs in cars. Almost got decked one time by irate man who was "only gonna be gone a minute" but obviously the dog was in distress.
Another time I confronted a man who did not pick up after his dog in a public park. He cussed me out, called me names but I don't care. people need to have their consciousness raised about things like that.
my biggest pet peeve is seeing a puppy being
forced to walk too far.
as in a 8-10 week puupy with a runner in july!
can't be quiet then .
Oh, I know! I saw a woman pulling a puppy by the neck on leash without it walking...dragging it in a crowded ice cream parking lot with her large family following along. The woman looked so inconvenienced. I was fuming! I calmly waiting for her son to come near me and suggested he tell his mother that if she is having problems getting her dog to walk with her, as a puppy, to get a halter that goes around the body and can't injure it's neck. He seemed appreciative and said he would pass it on. I noticed on the way out that the woman had a Lab Breeder's sticker on her car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One time a lady almost called the police on me when my dog was in the car. Thing is, so was I! And the a/c was running, lol! I was asleep in the backseat with a blue blanket on, he was in the hatchback area of the car. I guess she didn't realize a person was back there sleeping, ha. My husband had run in to a rest stop on 95 and was getting Burger King for us, and it was late at night in the summer, about 2 years ago.
We were driving from New Jersey to Virginia, and I told him that while he was gone in there, that I was going to sleep from the rest stop to our house. (What a great passenger I am, huh). Doggy was in the hatchback area, all comfy, and I was freezing cause the AC was cranked. All of a sudden I hear pounding on the window where my feet were. This is about 10 minutes of him being inside the stop. She was pounding to get the dog's attention (I guess to see if he was all right). When I made a sudden movement, she screamed. I know I'm pale lady but gosh! She was laughing at the end but said she had her cell phone in hand ready to call the cops!
I've wanted to call the police on dogs left alone in the car. My mom has done it on several occasions and has always waited in her car until animal control comes out to investigate. I guess I need to stop being shy and just call on the dog's behalf. They'd thank me I'm sure!
Wow...that was really a long reply. Sorry.
Last edited by beatlecrazy; 09-21-2011 at 02:06 PM..
Reason: mis-typed d'oh!
One time a lady almost called the police on me when my dog was in the car. Thing is, so was I! And the a/c was running, lol! I was asleep in the backseat with a blue blanket on, he was in the hatchback area of the car. I guess she didn't realize a person was back there sleeping, ha. My husband had run in to a rest stop on 95 and was getting Burger King for us, and it was late at night in the summer, about 2 years ago.
We were driving from New Jersey to Virginia, and I told him that while he was gone in there, that I was going to sleep from the rest stop to our house. (What a great passenger I am, huh). Doggy was in the hatchback area, all comfy, and I was freezing cause the AC was cranked. All of a sudden I hear pounding on the window where my feet were. This is about 10 minutes of him being inside the stop. She was pounding to get the dog's attention (I guess to see if he was all right). When I made a sudden movement, she screamed. I know I'm pale lady but gosh! She was laughing at the end but said she had her cell phone in hand ready to call the cops!
I've wanted to call the police on dogs left alone in the car. My mom has done it on several occasions and has always waited in her car until animal control comes out to investigate. I guess I need to stop being shy and just call on the dog's behalf. They'd thank me I'm sure!
Wow...that was really a long reply. Sorry.
Not at all!
Boy, I know how hot VA can be in the summer so that lady would have had good cause to worry if you hadn't been in there with the ac on.
Once during the summer someone left their dogs in a van with all windows closed in a strip mall. I went into the stores nearby and asked who belonged to this van. The man came forward and I called him on his crime. Several people came out of the Starbucks too and almost surrounded this man for what he did. So stupid. Had to do this with someone leaving a bunch of really young kids in a van with the keys left in the ignition in front of a Nordstrom Rack, again in the summer with the windows up!!!! OMG!!!! How do these people manage not to kill their kids? I went to store security, gave them the license number and info and in return they called the cops and found the woman happily shopping in the store! WHAT?????
Once I saw two kids beating a puppy with a stick. I mean really hiting the puppy as hard as they could because the puppy didn't sit as they asked. The puppy was smarted enough to run into a pond and hide behind bushes. I think they were around 6 or 8 yrs old. They were weaving the stick and screaming at the puppy to come out and trying to going into the pond.
I run over with my GSD and quickly figured out that they were afraid of my GSD. I asked my GSD sit between the puppy and kids so they can't get close to puppy. I didn't grow up in this country and don't want to get into trouble so I really don't know what to say. I just kept asking them for their parents. The younger one started to cry which led to a white woman stopped to ask what is going on. She run into pond and picked up the puppy. She then insisted to walk with kids and puppy to their home. I was relieved that lady stepped in and sad that puppy would have to grow up in that home.
Last edited by LingLing; 09-21-2011 at 02:50 PM..
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and I certainly wouldn't when it comes to a poor defenseless dog. I'd most definitely say something. I'd *try* to say it nicely, though. If I'm getting a lousy response, however, I'd get stronger (aka louder).
