WWYD - Abandoned dog, owner has dementia and doesn't remember that she is his!

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Toast

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As title really, my boss has asked if i'll take a young collie bitch who is hanging around her house.
The dog apparently belongs to her neighbor, however he has dementia and for the last month has refused to accept the dog is his. Boss has phoned the dog warden who gave unhelpful advice and told her to take the dog to the nearby fell and 'let it out'. (Presumably as there's lots of dog walkers there they might pick her up?)
I have said i will take the dog in as she is hungry and cold, as i couldn't stand to see her suffering but what are the legalities on this?? The owner is adamant that he doesn't want the dog. So can i just go up there and take her?
 
Well I would go and take her but does the owner have family who you could tell? At least then they may prefer to sort something out or they may be delighted she has found a good home.
 
Yes, you can turn up and take her if you wish. You will need to give the police and council your contact details should anyone wish to claim her but good on you
 
If the owner's dementia is advanced enough for him not to remember he has a dog and nobody even goes to check on him, how is he going to survive? I find the owner's situation at least as worrying as that of the dog.
 
no its theft especially if your not 100% about the situation. The dog warden should be ashamed a reported if that their attitude they need a change of job :mad:

Personally I would go and visit the person who owns the dog if they are as your boss is telling you suffering from dementia contact local social services or the council because they may have contact details of family. If they choose to rehome the dog then you can step in.
 
Just take the dog in tell the Police you have found it wandering loose and that you will look after it, after 1 month if no one claims the dog it will be yours. I helped some friends of mine and picked up a stray BC for them and this is what the Police told them.
 
I don't see a problem with fostering the dog, but would agree that social services should be notified if the owner has dementia and nobody is caring for them. Once it has been established if there is any family you could perhaps offer to keep the dog permanently, or help rehome.
 
horseloaner said:
no its theft especially if your not 100% about the situation.
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Hardly theft if the dogs all but been abandoned? Picking a stray up off the road isn't theft, so I don't really see the difference here as this guy is adamant he has nothing to do with it/want it.
I'd take it and do your best to notify his family of the situation.

Good on you :D
 
read this on a rescue centre website:

"All local authorities have a responsibility for dealing with stray dogs; they employ dog wardens to collect any dog that is believed to be a stray. If a stray dog is found outside office hours it can usually be held at a local police station until the warden can collect it.
If the dog is microchipped it will be scanned by the dog warden service or police and returned to the registered owner as soon as possible.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 states that the finder of a stray dog is to return the dog to its owner, or contact the local dog warden service to report it and have it collected, or to take it to the nearest police station to where the dog was found. Remember that it is illegal to take a found dog into your home without reporting it to the police first"
 
At the very least, visit the man with a responsible person (Social Services official?) and get him to sign a statement that the dog is not his and he lays no claim to it, then get the signature witnessed by the person who accompanied you. It might also be an idea to tell the police so they have a record of it.

Lie to the police? Yes, that's a great idea -- NOT!

A dog went missing locally. Remember the thread about the dog on a chain for three months while the owner was away? Anyway, some concerned member of the public removed the dog and has hopefully given it a good home. The police became involved and the theft was reported in the local newspaper with a photo of the dog. Haven't heard any follow up but the police are treating it as theft, which of course it is.

Concern for abused animals will not be accepted by a court as a legitimate excuse for theft and is it really worth getting a criminal record?
 
TinselCat said:
Hardly theft if the dogs all but been abandoned? Picking a stray up off the road isn't theft, so I don't really see the difference here as this guy is adamant he has nothing to do with it/want it.
I'd take it and do your best to notify his family of the situation.

Good on you :D
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Its not a stray if you know who the owner is ;) Have a chat with Trevor Cooper he'll be able to give you some good advice. http://www.doglaw.co.uk/
 
As you know who the owner is the dog isn't a stray regardless of the owner's mental state. Go to the house and speak to the owner as atm you only have what your boss is telling you to go on. Even if the owner is barking mad you just can't go in and take the dog. Also - ring the Cinnamon Trust as someone else has suggested, they have to deal with situations like this. Social Services are unlikely to tell you anything but they might pass your details on to his family if they're in contact with them.
 
Ok , here is what I would do.
If any dog was hanging around my home with no shelter, and the fella next door who I thought it belonged to said "it aint mine"! I would scan it (in your case take to the vet and scan) make sure it's not registered to anyone.
Pop a note though fellas door saying "is this your dog? once again as I have it"? (with a photo) of the dog and my details (number) and if I got no reply after a stipulated period, I would then rehome it:p
 
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Really sad to read this, for the puppy and owner. Can not believe that a dog warden said take dog out and abandon it, what if it killed sheep etc think the warden should be reported to local authority.

I think first thing is to get the dog into safety and inform police that you are caring for it until something is sorted. The animal needs food and shelter, it is winter! You will not be able to get anywhere with the owner if he does not recall the dog and if pushed and he is confused he may get more confused and upset.

Ask your boss to telephone Social Services and request a visit/assessment of his neighbours needs, tell him to explain that his neighbours behaviour is deteriorating and that there are no obvious people around to support the man.

The police can also take action and report to social services, if you can get them to visit and see the man and check if he wants the dog or not, you might then be in clear to keep the puppy.

Not easy to resolve, but if it was me I would take dog in then sort not wait for it to be run over or something similar.
 
planete said:
If the owner's dementia is advanced enough for him not to remember he has a dog and nobody even goes to check on him, how is he going to survive? I find the owner's situation at least as worrying as that of the dog.
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I agree.

Regarding the dog, however we feel about the removal of the dog, for its own well being, as others have said, it would be theft, pure and simple, and wrong. As a compromise, and without wiring into the generally inept and cumbersome Local Authorities, if the owner has any known family, and if he genuinely denies ownership of the dog, then I would probably consult with his relatives, and take her in, as an interim measure, though the reality is that "There's nothing as permanent as temporary" ;).

My FIL is now a widower, and he too has dementia. He also has a form of epilepsy. My now deceased MIL's dog is now his property. He neglects her, but is aware of her, and though there's been talk of re-homing the dog, that would be cruel and needless, so we simply check her food and water, and we see her daily, and she seems to be quiet happy with the life that she has, poor girl, and poor FIL too. He often wanders off with her for hours, and I wouldn't be surprised to find her one day come home, alone. At least she's never short of walks!!

None of us can live in a perfect world, so we have to manage with what we have, and as best we can.

Alec.
 
Sounds v sad & likely that the owner is at risk here too. Can your boss report to soc services...often there are online referral forms. Wld have thought fostering dog wld be a good interim solution. Unlikely owner can gift you the dog as sounds like he doesn't have mental capacity to make an informed decision.
 
planete said:
If the owner's dementia is advanced enough for him not to remember he has a dog and nobody even goes to check on him, how is he going to survive? I find the owner's situation at least as worrying as that of the dog.
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deicinmerlyn said:
You could contact the Cinnamon Trust a charity that helps older people and their pets.
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I agree with the above. I also find the whole story a bit suspicious. Your boss is trying to rehome his dog without contacting his family or social services, and the dog warden he contacted is no good as he just told him to dump the dog somewhere?? Are you totally sure this story is real - he could just be trying to get rid of his neighbour's barking dog or something..

Do some research yourself - go and visit the man, try and find out from other neighbours if he has any family (if no neighbours ask in local shops perhaps?) I would also contact the police if there is any worry about the old man. My MIL has dementia and it is heartbreaking. Every night she rings us up asking why she is not at her house (she thinks she lives at the house she lived in twenty years ago) and is totally confussed. I would hate to think of her living alone with nobody checking on her etc. I remember a story on here a year or so ago about an old man with dementia wandering off in the snow, I think he died.. We should all check stories like this out and make sure the person is ok. Do what you would hope someone would do for your relative in the same situation..

Sorry to go on - quite a close subject for me at the moment..
 
Apparently, this has been going on for 8 months?! the dog just goes to my bosses house and sits at the back door. It isn't barking.. just has no home to go to. I may go to the police and ask if they'll go and see the man first.
 
I would, if nothing else it will perhaps start the ball rolling and they may get social services involved etc, as well as allow you or a rescue to take the dog.

Good luck.
 
How has the dog been getting food for 8 months? It is so cold at present, please do hope you can contact police and get some action!

The person with dementia is really at risk in this cold weather if they are not looking after themselves and the poor dog .
 
Toast said:
Apparently, this has been going on for 8 months?! the dog just goes to my bosses house and sits at the back door. It isn't barking.. just has no home to go to. I may go to the police and ask if they'll go and see the man first.
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In your shoes, and thinking about it further, the poor little sod's obviously craving human company, so I suspect that I'd just take the poor wee thing, under my wing. ;)

Go on, do it, I wont tell tales! :D

Alec.
 
Think my boss has been slipping it food, which I'm assuming is why she won't now go home. The old guy declared that his house wasn't a dog's home and that he didn't have a dog :s
 
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I feel sorry for the old guy as well as the dog. Its a horrid illness. If you do things properly they'd both get help... If it was your dad, would you hope that your neighbour wouldsimply rehome the dog and leave your dad in a mess, or contact the authorities? By all means take the dog, but tell someone about the old man.. Your boss should've already. My MIL rings up all confused nearly every night panicing that she is at someone else's house, and we have to talk her through looking over everything and seeing its her pictures etc.. She also thinks her aunty that died 25 years ago is still living with her and is missing.:(
 
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