just need a quick vent - irresponsible pet owners

[surfergirl602]

Ugh. Where to even begin. We live in a nice community. Nice houses, nice yards, quiet, nice people. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves and many people are military. Now, go outside our neighborhood a few miles into town and its a different story. Very low income, typical outside of post gates town. There are loose pets everywhere. Every time I drive to wal mart, I see a few dogs almost get creamed by cars crossing the 4 lane highway. It scares me every time. Have people not heard of a leash? or a rope?

We are getting loads of heavy rain due to the hurricane or something off the gulf coast. We're in Oklahoma close to texas. July 4th weekend was a very soggy mess.

On our way home from some fireworks on the night of the fourth, around midnight, we were pulling into our driveway and almost hit a black dog because we didn't see her - it was pouring out.

She was super friendly and wouldn't stop licking me, so I grabbed a leash and and umbrella and walked around the neighborhood with her seeing if she knew were home was. DH drove around to see if anyone was looking for their missing dog.

Nobody. The next day, we went looking again. We drove around three different surrounding neighborhoods just yesterday. We talked to people in their driveways. Nothing.

We posted signs. We called vets. We called animal shelters. We posted her on craigslist. Nothing!!

She has a very new, clean collar on. No tags, of course, and no microchip. She's been living with us for almost a week now. She's the sweetest thing, loves my kids, knows many commands, walks great on a leash. You'd *think* that someone would be missing their very sweet and well behaved dog!

Every day I check craigslist and more and more missing pets keep showing up from "being scared by the fireworks". There at least a dozen that has been reported missing since the 6th. I just can't believe it! Why are people so irresponsible? Put your dog inside and they wouldn't be missing right now!

Fluffy jumped the gate.
Ruff Ruff wandered away from our yard.

So many excuses! I have three dogs myself, two cats, and four children. We can't take in another dog. And I refuse to take her to the shelter because they are a kill shelter. She is too sweet to die. So, we are looking for a home for her. If we can't find her people or some new people, I will take her to the stray facility on post next week and hopefully she'll find a new family. (and of course my kids are already super attached to her already... she slept on the floor next to our bed last night...)

It just really makes me so mad that people are so irresponsible! We see loose dogs practically everywhere, and if this dog was mine and lost, I would be doing everything I possibly could to find her!

I just don't get it.

Vent over.

 

[golfgal]

Maybe they are doing everything they can to find the dog but the dog is from farther away then you are looking .


Our dog is terrified of fireworks and thunder and if someone opened the front door at the wrong time she would bolt. We are responsible and try to keep her in our room where she likes to hide under the bed during storms, etc. but sometimes the kids come home and she gets out. So far it hasn't been an issue but it could be.

 

[surfergirl602]

Maybe they are doing everything they can to find the dog but the dog is from farther away then you are looking .


Our dog is terrified of fireworks and thunder and if someone opened the front door at the wrong time she would bolt. We are responsible and try to keep her in our room where she likes to hide under the bed during storms, etc. but sometimes the kids come home and she gets out. So far it hasn't been an issue but it could be.

We've posted flyers in 5 or 6 neighboring developments. That's how housing is set up here. There's cows, cows, cows, housing development. Then more cows, fields, housing.

I'm just tired of people not taking care of their pets around here. There are so many dogs out and about. Don't own a pet if you're not going to see to its safety and welfare.

 

[surfergirl602]

Maybe they are doing everything they can to find the dog but the dog is from farther away then you are looking .


Our dog is terrified of fireworks and thunder and if someone opened the front door at the wrong time she would bolt. We are responsible and try to keep her in our room where she likes to hide under the bed during storms, etc. but sometimes the kids come home and she gets out. So far it hasn't been an issue but it could be.

my lab, a big dog who LOVES water, is scared of the rain. I have to shove him out the door to go to the bathroom, so I understand. He wouldn't bolt, but won't go out.

 

[DizBelle]

I'm with you. Irresponsible pet owners suck!

 

[golfgal]

We've posted flyers in 5 or 6 neighboring developments. That's how housing is set up here. There's cows, cows, cows, housing development. Then more cows, fields, housing.

I'm just tired of people not taking care of their pets around here. There are so many dogs out and about. Don't own a pet if you're not going to see to its safety and welfare.

In that case I am more inclined to think that it is a farm dog which really aren't "pets" and they assume something either happened to the dog or the dog will come home on it's own.

 

[lyeag]

Welcome to Lawton....sounds like we may live in the same general area!!!

 

[iwrbnd]

I agree with you but I get even more upset by people getting a dog and just leaving it in the backyard all its life. My friend has had a Golden Retriever that has been an outside dog for 10 years. I feel so sorry for it! It just wants to be with the family, his pack, and they are a busy family that doesn't just hang out in the backyard with it. Sad.

 

[surfergirl602]

Welcome to Lawton....sounds like we may live in the same general area!!!

YEP!!! I hate Lawton. I can't wait to move.

 

[surfergirl602]

In that case I am more inclined to think that it is a farm dog which really aren't "pets" and they assume something either happened to the dog or the dog will come home on it's own.

I am not so sure that she's a farm dog. She's groomed very well, no fleas or ticks, smells nice, and her nails are clipped, not worn down by being outside. But, even if she is a farm dog, I would still be out searching for my dog, pet or not.

 

[surfergirl602]

I agree with you but I get even more upset by people getting a dog and just leaving it in the backyard all its life. My friend has had a Golden Retriever that has been an outside dog for 10 years. I feel so sorry for it! It just wants to be with the family, his pack, and they are a busy family that doesn't just hang out in the backyard with it. Sad.

I agree. I think this dog is an inside dog though, because when I take her out back (in our fenced yard) she has no idea what to do. But when the girls take her for a walk, she goes potty right away.

 

[kamik86]

I don't understand this either. I have 2 very cute kittys and one has a collar with her name, address, and our phone number, even though if you open the door in front of her she will bolt... in the other direction! She has no interest in going outside.

Now the kitten he will try to go outside if you let him, he wants to explore! This cat has in the last 2 weeks found so many cool places that our other cat never bothered to look for. He doesn't have a collar since you aren't supposed to put them on cats until they are 6lbs (because they aren't heavy enough to break the collar if it would choke them) however he is microchiped from when we got him and in about a month should be heavy enough for a collar too.

If it wasn't for the nearest place I know to microchip Gracie being 45 min away and her HATING car rides I would have her done too.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I agree with you! We go out of our way to spay/neuter stray cats and find if they are microchipped but none of them ever are. Sometimes we will find stray dogs but certainly in some areas it is out of control or you have those that are tied up in their yards. Working with the local humane society who is also our ASPCA, the stuff we see is absolutely ridiculous. No excuse for any of it.

On that note, Thanks for taking care of this sweet dog. I hope a forever home is waiting! It sucks that so many people just look at them as animals and not as important family members...I would urge everyone to get their pets microchipped.

We experienced the benefit of this last Thursday. One of our cats has been missing for quite some time after deciding to run out when a neighbor was looking after them and we honestly thought he was dead - there were smooshed cats in our neighborhood and they were convinced that one was Milo. Well, I received a call from Asheville, NC Humane Society (over 200 miles away) saying that my cat had been hit by a car. Luckily, he wasn't and just has vertigo but without that microchip, we would have never seen him again. In some ways, it angers me that some lady had been feeding him for four months and then when she thought he got hit by a car finally called Animal Control. This shelter is a kill shelter so without that microchip we would have never been reunited.

So many homeless animals and not enough good homes.

 

[samshane]

The dog might have just been dumped too... in a nice neighborhood where they assumed someone would take her in.

We are a military family ourselves - and one of our cats is from a military family who moved out of housing and left their 8 month old cat behind to fend for herself. There were other options - but I guess they thought setting her free, not spayed was the best thing to do. She is sweet, loving - and I'd like to tell them that she has lived the last 12+yrs with us moving all over the country and is doing great - as an indoor cat.

People just make me so angry - good for you for helping this dog out - she needed someone.

 

[mom2travel]

that doggie is very lucky that you found him. Hopefully an owner will surface soon - previous or new
One of our current dogs was similarly acquired - DH found him in the parking lot of his office. No tags, no microchip, no one in 3 surrounding counties where we posted him found ever claimed him. Our vet told us that typically the missing family finds the dog within a week if they are looking.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I work at a school that's in a not-so-nice area. It has lots of apartments, no backyards, speeding traffic, lots of police action going on. Right across the street from the school, there's family with a small black dog. We've never seen it on a leash. They let it out every morning to run around and then they call it in later and it runs back to the house. They're on a corner near a stop sign that people go screaming through all the time (right in front of a school...nice!). We see the dog when we are out waiting with our preschoolers for the bus. Our bus comes every morning at 11:30 to pick up our first session kids. It's almost hit the dog several times. The driver is so high up that it's hard to see a little dog darting out in front of him. He always scans the area for the dog but sometimes it just jumps into the street. Sometimes the dog follows its owners onto the campus to pick up their kids. We've told them many, many times that the dog isn't allowed on campus and needs to have a leash. We've warned them that we've seen it almost get hit many times. They just walk by without even looking at us. I really don't want my preschoolers to watch a dog get hit by a car or the bus. And I feel really bad for the dog who isn't being kept safe. We've mentioned it to the police who patrol the area but they've never actually seen the dog out so they can't approach the people. I wish some nice person would just pick it up and take it home!

 

[KAMLEM]

I hope you find this poor dog's home, I hate to hear these stories. This part of your post just made me chuckle, though, as if the kids are just another species.

I have three dogs myself, two cats, and four children.

I have 2 very cute kittys and one has a collar with her name, address, and our phone number, even though if you open the door in front of her she will bolt... in the other direction! She has no interest in going outside.

I have one like that, too. One time he got out accidentally and DD came home and found him sitting on the front steps. We didn't even know he had gotten out. Ever since then he doesn't go near the door.

 

[jen0610]

I work at a school that's in a not-so-nice area. It has lots of apartments, no backyards, speeding traffic, lots of police action going on. Right across the street from the school, there's family with a small black dog. We've never seen it on a leash. They let it out every morning to run around and then they call it in later and it runs back to the house. They're on a corner near a stop sign that people go screaming through all the time (right in front of a school...nice!). We see the dog when we are out waiting with our preschoolers for the bus. Our bus comes every morning at 11:30 to pick up our first session kids. It's almost hit the dog several times. The driver is so high up that it's hard to see a little dog darting out in front of him. He always scans the area for the dog but sometimes it just jumps into the street. Sometimes the dog follows its owners onto the campus to pick up their kids. We've told them many, many times that the dog isn't allowed on campus and needs to have a leash. We've warned them that we've seen it almost get hit many times. They just walk by without even looking at us. I really don't want my preschoolers to watch a dog get hit by a car or the bus. And I feel really bad for the dog who isn't being kept safe. We've mentioned it to the police who patrol the area but they've never actually seen the dog out so they can't approach the people. I wish some nice person would just pick it up and take it home!

It's not just the seeing it happen that can cause distress to the kids, it's the "screaming" that they can do after being hit. That was the most horrid sound I have ever heard. I am so glad neither of my kids have been with me when I witnessed 2 different dogs getting hit.

The last time, the dog had yanked it's leash out of the hands of the kids walking him to chase a cat. The kids were chasing after them trying to get ahold of the dog before they got to the busy road. You could see them running towards the road and everybody, but this one car had stopped. He was in such a hurry, that he went around the stopped cars and hit the dog and ran over it's hind legs and kept right on going. The kids saw it happen, then had to listen to the dog screaming in pain. The girl, had to have been 11-13 years old, was sobbing. The poor dog kept trying to stand up and it couldn't.

One of the cars that stopped, happened to be a vet tech and she helped calm the dog, muzzed it, loaded the kids and the dog in her car. When she left, she was taking the dog and the kids to her place of work - the kids had no clue who their vet was and neither mom nor dad were answering their phones. The kids left a message for both of where they were and why.

Before she left, several of us gave her our names and numbers, as one of the cars that stopped had followed the guy who hit the dog and got his plate number and home address, so that if the owners needed anything from us, if they took the guy to court.

You could plainly see that the kids were trying to catch a runaway dog. The leash was bouncing all over the place behind the dog as it ran. The kids were yelling for it to stop chasing the cat. And you could see it happening well before you actually got to where the dog was hit. The cars were stopped and a couple of people were already out of their cars, trying to help head off the dog, when the guy went around all of us - there were 12 cars alone on my side of the road stopped. And yes, the family called us. And don't know if they actually took him to court and once he saw how many of us were will to go to court and testify against him, that he paid up or if he knew he was in the wrong and covered the cost on his own.

That sound is ingrained in my memory.

 

[npmommie]

I don't get it either. One of our neighbors up the road lets her dog run loose, all the time, even when she is not home.
I almost hit the dog one night. Yesterday the dog was rooting thru another neighbors garbage can.
she has already had the dog officer called on her and she was fined $50. our town has a restraining dog order, dog must be under your control all the time.
I feel like calling on her again, its just getting out of hand. the poor dog is going to get hit or worse. I have seen coyotes come out of the woods at night in a pack, her dog would be killed I am sure of it.

we acquired 2 of our dogs due to irresponsible owners, both were strays.

 

[Planogirl]

One of our cats used to bolt all the time. He was raised an outdoor cat and he never stopped trying to get out there. Luckily, he seemed street smart and never got in trouble when he got away.

A lot of animals disappear around here too but it appears that people are going into back yards and taking dogs. Gates should have locks on them IMO.