Poor little dog!

[keeperscottage]

A couple of months ago, a neighbour asked me whether I knew anyone who wanted two dogs - his friend wanted to get rid of them - a lab bitch and a springer x lab bitch. Friends of ours "up North" had just lost their lab and wanted a rescue lab plus one other dog so I told neighbour I could rehome the dogs. Next day, neighbour said friend now wanted to keep lab, but our friends particularly wanted a lab, so I had to tell neighbour I couldn't help. Weeks later, I enquired whether the springer x lab had been rehomed and he said no, but his friend had said that the dog had to go that weekend. I asked what he meant and he just replied that the dog had to go......rang daughter who just said "Take the dog, we'll rehome it!" and dog was delivered to my yard a few days later. It was just skin and bone. One of my liveries said she'd rehome it, but I had my doubts because her home is immaculate, her dog is quiet and this was a totally different dog to what she was used to. Next day, she admitted she couldn't cope..... Daughter took her in - absolute sweetie, but daughter's fiancé wasn't happy with a fourth dog in the house! Fast forward three weeks. Daughter is currently house sitting and asked whether I'd look after little dog whilst she was away from home, leaving just her other three dogs for her OH to care for. So I took little dog in to live with my "pack".......my OH has fallen in love with her and wants us to keep her, which I have no problem with! So now we're a seven dog household!! Daughter wants joint custody so she can have on occasion, which suits me! Little dog is SO happy! She still has lots of weight to gain but is looking so much better! We feed her small amounts about four or five times a day and now has one meal of raw, which she loves! Oohhh....I just adore her! She's safe now and much-loved. All we're trying to do now is get the lab away from the owner. We have a lovely home awaiting in the next village and neighbours have said it's getting thin. He also has a Bichon Frise and OH has offered him £200 for both and he's apparently "thinking about it" (I'm fast becoming an animal rescue centre!!).

This is why I prefer animals to people.....

 

[EllenJay]

Little dog has at last landed on her feet. Hope you have reported the original owner, in the slight hope that they will prosecute.

Keep us updated on little dogs progress - what is her name?

 

[YasandCrystal]

You are a good compassionate soul. What despicable people to let a dog starve like this, it makes me want to weep.

 

[AmyMay]

Poor littlle scrap.

What's the condition of the other dogs like??

 

[keeperscottage]

Little dog is called Rosie, which is bit of a pain because I have a companion pony called Rosie, too, and when I couldn't catch my pony last week because she'd been frightened by the local hunt passing the yard, I rang my daughter saying "I can't catch Rosie!", she immediately went into a panic thinking the little dog had run off!

Ellenjay, the RSPCA aren't interested because Rosie is now safe and being cared for (OH spoke to them recently).

YassandCrystal - when Rosie was delivered to my yard, one of my liveries did actually burst into tears!

I'll update on her progress with up to date pics - she's a little dynamo!

 

[fankino04]

But surely the rspca should visit just based on the fact that he let the dog get into that state and he still has other dogs? ?

 

[Clodagh]

What a lucky little dog, good luck with the others.

 

[AmyMay]

But surely the rspca should visit just based on the fact that he let the dog get into that state and he still has other dogs? ?

Exactly.

 

[{97702}]

Thank goodness you have taken on little Rosie, as you say - that poor little dog I hope she continues to thrive with you, and that you manage to get the other dogs off the ******* who is so cruel - I cannot believe the attitude of the RSPCA sometimes...

 

[keeperscottage]

RSPCA were pretty useless and OH was quite firm with them but, as I said, since Rosie is now safe, they're not interested. As to the other dogs, they can't act on what we told them because it's only hearsay and suggested we get our neighbour to contact them, which of course we can't do (a) because the dogs' owner is their friend and (b) we don't want them to know what we're doing in case there are any repercussions from the owner. Neighbour did say he'd been reported in the past but I don't know how long ago and what the outcome was. We don't want to rock the boat as we want to get the other dogs out of his house. Don't worry, though, we're not going to let the matter rest and are just biding our time until the dust has settled, so to speak. We have to be very careful because the owner is a fairly frequent visitor to our neighbours (who, incidentally, were horrified when they saw the state of Rosie and are so pleased I'm keeping her). So, as I said, I don't intend letting him get away with it, I just need to be very careful. Rosie, incidentally, has no hair on the end of her tail and several small scars on her face and body. She was kept in a crate and my lovely vet reckons she has either bitten her tail because of boredom or stress or may have kept banging her tail on the bars of the crate. Either way, she doubts the hair will grow back. Also, we believe Rosie has had puppies and I will check this with neighbour who will probably know.

Finally, I was chatting to one of my liveries this morning who told me that several years ago she rang the RSPCA to report a neighbour who had gone away for the weekend, leaving her dogs without food and water in an 8'x4' room with no ventilation when the weather was very hot. She was told they were far to busy to investigate! Livery said she would have broken a window to give the dogs more air, but window was double glazed. Needless to say, she had stern words with her neighbour on her return. Why own dogs if you don't want to care for them?

 

[keeperscottage]

Amymay, sorry, I somehow missed your first post! I'm unsure of the condition of the Bichon Frise, but neighbours have said that the lab is "getting thin" and that they are "working on him" to part with the dogs. Apparently, there are terriers (always fighting) living in a shed and his house is full of caged rabbits! But, as I said earlier, RSPCA will not act on hearsay. I have a home lined up for the lab and am constantly being chased for news!! Do hope OH's offer is accepted for the dogs!

 

[irish_only]

Can you sneak up when they are out and take some photo's and threaten the RSPCA that you will send the pics to the local press with the story about them 'not interested / unable to act'. They hate adverse publicity, particularly at the moment when they are getting such bad press about wasting money on hunting prosecutions. (Or even tell them you have photo's even if you haven't.)