RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
Hello pet owners & lovers. I dont know where to post this so I'll just throw this up and hopefully someone will offer some advice to my dilemma. Its a bit of a story so please bare with me while i explain everything.
A few years ago, my previous neighbour moved out and the property of course belonging to the local council decided it was in their best interest to settle a single mother with her 5 kids here. While her kids are little s**ts and one of them has even been arrested (mother has no idea how to control her kids...) they are not the current problem.
About 2-3years ago they bought a two staffordshire terriers. I guess initially they were generally well looked after but slowly over the year their care slowly declined to the point where they were left outside in all manner of nasty conditions courtesy of the great British weather and it didnt matter if it was thunderstorming, hailing, snowing, the dogs were ALWAYS outside in the garden and the only thing they had for shelter apart from each other for warmth was an overhanging bush at the end of the garden.
Occasionally the dogs would fight each other, There were bloodstains on the concrete as well as dog poop all over the garden year in and year out because this neighbour never bothered to clean her garden. It got to a point where during the summer months, there would always be a nasty smell hanging in the air because of the amount of dog poop in the neighbour's garden.
We called the local council to complain. LC came over to inspect and they denied they owned dogs and refused entry to the inspectors/council officials. The dogs got even more bored and started tunnelling under the garden fence and absolutely wrecking our vegetable patch & the tomatoes that my mother spends so much time growing year in and year out. the dogs would always run off and jump back down the hole every time we came out into the garden. one of them got stuck trying to get back to the other side so i went inside bought a camera out took a picture of the dog stuck in the hole trying to squeeze under the fence and the damage that the dogs had caused and sent the pictures to my LC. LC sent inspectors out again and again they were denied entry saying that it was 'US' that owned the dogs.
Anyway... This went back and forth for a while with the council not taking any action. Not only was the ungodly amount of dog poop in their garden an environmental health hazard but the dogs would be up into the early hours of the morning barking and whining and because my room faced the garden. trying to have a conversation over skype or on the phone was almost impossible as the mic would always pick up the dogs barking in the background.
Other locals that lived down the street rallied with us and started a petition to either get rid of the dogs or get rid of the family that lived their as the dogs were making too much noise and even the guy down the other end of the street could hear it. Again, the LC failed to take any action.
I was at my total wits end till one day i saw an RSPCA van parked outside my door and i ran out to talk to the inspector who was on his way to another job so couldnt do anything about it. He gave me a business card and told me to give the number a ring and tell them everything that i had just told him.
I went through the entire process of reporting it anonymously to the RSPCA though one thing that did annoy me was the young lady who took my call seemed to 'dispute' my claim because I could not see the entire garden from my room.
RSPCA: "how do you know they dont have a shelter?"
Me: "Its pouring down with rain, its thunderstorming, Its snowing -- The dogs are snuggling up underneath a bush at the end of the garden with a torn jacket that fell off the washing line a few months back -- I think an animal as intelligent as a dog would know a better place to shelter from the elements if one was provided would it not??"
RSPCA: "But you cant see the entire garden..."
Me: "YES! but i can see a good 80-90% of the garden and that small odd 10-20% isnt enough to put a kennel there and even if they did, I dont class a doll house as suitable accommodation for two staffies"
I gave her as much information as i could and ended the call, I had no idea if anything would be done as she didnt really seem interested as i couldnt see the entire garden.
Anyhoo..... a good few months later after some more fabulous British Weather the RSPCA eventually marched in with a TV camera crew and recorded the entire thing for TV. I didnt get to see it all go down as I was at work that day and they arrived in the afternoon to take the dogs away. I heard from one of the locals that one of the dogs was in such a bad condition that she had to be put down. No idea what happened to the remaining dog. I have no idea if the family was fined but i do know that they were banned from owning any pets for a long time.
Sadly i think this ban might be expired as i was working on my bike out in the garden, finishing the fettling of my shifters and I heard a constant meows coming from my neighbours garden -- the kind you get from a little kitten when they are cold or hungry and this kept up for a while until one of them opened the garden door to hang their washing out and im guessing it ran inside, but even then I could hear the loud meows.
Im not one to judge others, but given the neighbours track record with looking after their previous pets & the way the mother handles her kids. I cant help worry about that little kitten.
I havent seen it or know what it looks like as i think its a fairly new addition to their family but if they are going to leave it in the garden every night come rain or shine then I will have to call the RSPCA again.
----- What would you do in my shoes??
Im sorry this has been a rather long post, but it was necessary to get it all down so you know what sort of people we are dealing with here.
A few years ago, my previous neighbour moved out and the property of course belonging to the local council decided it was in their best interest to settle a single mother with her 5 kids here. While her kids are little s**ts and one of them has even been arrested (mother has no idea how to control her kids...) they are not the current problem.
About 2-3years ago they bought a two staffordshire terriers. I guess initially they were generally well looked after but slowly over the year their care slowly declined to the point where they were left outside in all manner of nasty conditions courtesy of the great British weather and it didnt matter if it was thunderstorming, hailing, snowing, the dogs were ALWAYS outside in the garden and the only thing they had for shelter apart from each other for warmth was an overhanging bush at the end of the garden.
Occasionally the dogs would fight each other, There were bloodstains on the concrete as well as dog poop all over the garden year in and year out because this neighbour never bothered to clean her garden. It got to a point where during the summer months, there would always be a nasty smell hanging in the air because of the amount of dog poop in the neighbour's garden.
We called the local council to complain. LC came over to inspect and they denied they owned dogs and refused entry to the inspectors/council officials. The dogs got even more bored and started tunnelling under the garden fence and absolutely wrecking our vegetable patch & the tomatoes that my mother spends so much time growing year in and year out. the dogs would always run off and jump back down the hole every time we came out into the garden. one of them got stuck trying to get back to the other side so i went inside bought a camera out took a picture of the dog stuck in the hole trying to squeeze under the fence and the damage that the dogs had caused and sent the pictures to my LC. LC sent inspectors out again and again they were denied entry saying that it was 'US' that owned the dogs.
Anyway... This went back and forth for a while with the council not taking any action. Not only was the ungodly amount of dog poop in their garden an environmental health hazard but the dogs would be up into the early hours of the morning barking and whining and because my room faced the garden. trying to have a conversation over skype or on the phone was almost impossible as the mic would always pick up the dogs barking in the background.
Other locals that lived down the street rallied with us and started a petition to either get rid of the dogs or get rid of the family that lived their as the dogs were making too much noise and even the guy down the other end of the street could hear it. Again, the LC failed to take any action.
I was at my total wits end till one day i saw an RSPCA van parked outside my door and i ran out to talk to the inspector who was on his way to another job so couldnt do anything about it. He gave me a business card and told me to give the number a ring and tell them everything that i had just told him.
I went through the entire process of reporting it anonymously to the RSPCA though one thing that did annoy me was the young lady who took my call seemed to 'dispute' my claim because I could not see the entire garden from my room.
RSPCA: "how do you know they dont have a shelter?"
Me: "Its pouring down with rain, its thunderstorming, Its snowing -- The dogs are snuggling up underneath a bush at the end of the garden with a torn jacket that fell off the washing line a few months back -- I think an animal as intelligent as a dog would know a better place to shelter from the elements if one was provided would it not??"
RSPCA: "But you cant see the entire garden..."
Me: "YES! but i can see a good 80-90% of the garden and that small odd 10-20% isnt enough to put a kennel there and even if they did, I dont class a doll house as suitable accommodation for two staffies"
I gave her as much information as i could and ended the call, I had no idea if anything would be done as she didnt really seem interested as i couldnt see the entire garden.
Anyhoo..... a good few months later after some more fabulous British Weather the RSPCA eventually marched in with a TV camera crew and recorded the entire thing for TV. I didnt get to see it all go down as I was at work that day and they arrived in the afternoon to take the dogs away. I heard from one of the locals that one of the dogs was in such a bad condition that she had to be put down. No idea what happened to the remaining dog. I have no idea if the family was fined but i do know that they were banned from owning any pets for a long time.
Sadly i think this ban might be expired as i was working on my bike out in the garden, finishing the fettling of my shifters and I heard a constant meows coming from my neighbours garden -- the kind you get from a little kitten when they are cold or hungry and this kept up for a while until one of them opened the garden door to hang their washing out and im guessing it ran inside, but even then I could hear the loud meows.
Im not one to judge others, but given the neighbours track record with looking after their previous pets & the way the mother handles her kids. I cant help worry about that little kitten.
I havent seen it or know what it looks like as i think its a fairly new addition to their family but if they are going to leave it in the garden every night come rain or shine then I will have to call the RSPCA again.
----- What would you do in my shoes??
Im sorry this has been a rather long post, but it was necessary to get it all down so you know what sort of people we are dealing with here.
, as said a cat will just toddle off and find a decent place to live, a kitten is more vulnerable though.
