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Please help me figure out what to do...
Neighbors (local teachers) got a Basset Hound puppy months ago. He was cute and in the yard w/ them. That's the last we saw b/c he now spends literally 24/7 in the closed garage tied to a riding lawnmower. This is Tampa where the hot summers get a garage well over 120'. I see piles of *hit on the floor, so he even eliminates in there. I've seen the guy out washing his car, dog still tied up, receiving no attention. I had no idea he was in garage so much til my kids went near (looking at lawn ornament) and we heard him whining. Other neighbors shook their head saying 'oh, yeah, he's in there all the time- they don't want him in the house, poor thing.' wtf? why get a dog?? I called animal control who first left the complaint at MY house, stating the dogs were 'clearly indoors' ..wrong house, guys. Well I guess they came back, b/c he came knocking on my door. I left him the note I received stating 'I believe this was meant for you, as we never keep our dogs in the garage. If your dog is too much right now, let me know- I've got a friend who would give him a great home- and spoil him." Well, he said he's not breaking any laws and doesn't like to have to explain himself to anyone. I again mentioned..'well, I have a friend..' 'Nope- not interested.' he said.
So now what??? Ignore it and think 'how sad?' like everyone else? I live a life of knowing animals can't speak for themselves. He's not being beat, nor starved, but everyone would agree a dog needs affection, attention and fresh air and exercise. Existing in the confines of a dark, closed garage is no life for a year old dog. He remains friendly at this point, but I'm sure being isolated will eventually make him different.
Suggestions????
I commend you for your tactful note to them but they obviously are either clueless to a dog's needs or just don't care. Sounds like one of those "borderline" situations where the owners are feeding the dog but otherwise neglecting it so it might not be called abuse by some people or agencies. I've known of very similar situations and it makes me want to scream at the owner "why do you have a dog when you don't treat it as a pet!"
Go to Tampa's website and go over their regulations for animal care with a fine tooth comb, and see if there is anything this guy's in violation of, and call them again if you find something. Now that the temperatures are more moderate unfortunately there may be nothing they can charge them with. You can treat a dog like dirt and as long as you follow the letter of the law a/c can't do a thing. It's so sad.
id keep filing charges, if ac got the wrong adress the first time...complain about the whining, complain about the smell (public health issue)
unfortunatly as long as the dog has adequate shelter, palatable food (doesnt have to be wuality, just has to be edible) and water then there doing nothing wrong by the eyes of the law. sad but true.
however the squeey wheel often gets the greas so id file any complaints you can think of that might lead to the removal of the dog (noice and sanitary conditions are 2 that might work beter than animal abuse given the dog has adequate shelter (and id assume food and water)
im NOT saying its right...
just that unfortunatly its the way it is and as long as the owners have no interest in getting rid of the dog...theres little more you can do.
Maybe have your friend who would adopt the dog stop by and talk to the guy. Perhaps she could offer to just take the dog for a daily walk and a few hours of play and before you know it, the dirtbag will realize his life is easier without the dog.
Another option---if the dog starts to bark a lot (which it should given its living conditions) start complaining to AC about the noise. The hassle of dealing with that shouldn't be worth it to the dirtbag.
Here's a link that explains tethering bans/limits. Maybe your county has a time limit on how long a dog can be tethered? http://www.unchainyourdog.org/Laws.htm
Thanks for caring. I'm glad you're trying to resolve the situation and I'm glad some states have a ban on tethering. They ALL should.
P.S. you might get more suggestions if you retitle your post to make it more descriptive. "Puppy chained up 24/7" will get people's attention here real quick.
You need to grab a copy of Flrida's animal laws. They have TWO specific areas that covers this.
One is the area about animal cruelty. Animal cruelty includes all the usuall things like torture, killing, injuring etc along with what I call the "I can't define it in specific words but know it when I see it" type of abuse. The second one is more about what you have, it deals with shelter, water, food, etc. Read both and see how the situation meets one or the other. You may not have any case on either at a speccific time, but you may have one if conditions cross the line and thats when you pounce.
Tampa, the county its in and the state does not have any laws on restraining/chainning (unlike some other florida cities or counties) unless it crosses into one of the other laws.
health code violations is a possible way to go, but since most garages are treated like a patio or proch under the laws for animals, its going to be a tough one unless you have massive pee and poop that causes a health violation.
If the dog barks a lot, check with the police about noise or barking dog ordinaces.
Check with someone who knows the facts and find out from them the correct agency to call if you suspect some form of negligence that may harm the dog. Lots of times people contact Animal Control which may have jursdiction, but often times, there may be another agency (or even a SPCA or HS) who also have jurisdiction and teeth who act more quckly on complaints.
Last, try speacking nicley tot he other neighbors who seem to be dismayed at this and see if maybe you can get them to call every now and than when they syuspect something is wrong. many of the animal welfare agencies are overloaded with complainst, but if a address pops up several times, they are more likely to respond. And by reading the laws, you will know the keywords to use.
If your temps get down in the winter, and up in the summer which I know they do, then check your local laws. As stated above, if you start noticing smells, call and complain. Barking all the time, call and complain.
I'll never understand it either why some people want a pet. Good luck, I hope something changes for the better for that poor dog. Thanks for caring!!
Liza54......sneak in there one night with a big juicy bone and doggynap him....any lifes better than the one he has now...poor thing
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wtf? why get a dog?? I called animal control who first left the complaint at MY house, stating the dogs were 'clearly indoors' 
..wrong house, guys. Well I guess they came back, b/c he came knocking on my door. I left him the note I received stating 'I believe this was meant for you, as we never keep our dogs in the garage. If your dog is too much right now, let me know- I've got a friend who would give him a great home- and spoil him." Well, he said he's not breaking any laws and doesn't like to have to explain himself to anyone. I again mentioned..'well, I have a friend..' 'Nope- not interested.' he said. 
