I think you did what you had to do.

Unfortunate situation.

Try not to feel badly, and don't hesitate to call Animal Control should the husky ever get out again. You did what was right.

Does the non-leash citation have a monetary fine attached to it? In my old city (Anchorage, AK) there was, and also there was fine for leaving your dog's poop on another person's property (I'm guessing this girl you saw didn't pick up her dog's runny poo).

A neighbor of mine used to let their dog out (no fence) to go do its business, then whistle for it to come back in. A stinky fresh pile left at the bottom of my back deck steps prompted me to call Animal Control. The neighbor didn't let their dog out again after that. The fine for having an off-leash dog ranged from $75-$150 (depending on whether it was spayed/neutered), and the "scoop the poop" fine was $100. It hits dog owners in the wallet, where it hurts the most and sometimes is the only reason they'll change their ways.

You absolutely did the right thing. Good for you. These people are extremely irresponsible pet owners, and I'm disgusted that Animal Control does absolutely nothing about the situation. This can lead to a dangerous situation (the dog can attack a person or another dog, or can get hit by a car), and AC is just allowing it to happen. I wonder if calling the police would do anything? You (and the 11-month-old girl) almost got attacked, and now you will be fearful anytime you are out walking your dog (or even walking alone).

I'm sure this will continue to happen, and maybe you'll have to keep calling AC until something gets done about this. The situation is not only a danger and a menace to the community, but I consider it animal cruely/neglect.

You did the right thing.

You did the right thing. Last summer two strays showed up at our house and I took them to the farm next to us - the owner is a kind, dog rescuer- and the next day, while looking for the owners, we took the dogs to a vet (no kill vet) and one of the dogs was in the extreme stages of parvo. (There was a meltdown in the vets waiting room) I hated that my dogs, although vaccinated, were exposed to this, because the dogs had interacted with mine and also sheltered under a bush- until I found out, of course.

I felt terrible for the dog, a sweet setter mix, but was appalled that my dogs touched her.
The happy ending is that the other dog was adopted by the farm owner and now has a privileged life at her home.

So with that runny poop, you never know. Totally aside from all the other bad issues going on.

If the dog was with a 14 year old, then the parents may not even know about the dog causing problems.Is there a way that you could send a letter or put a note in the neighbor's mailbox, telling them what happened?

It doesn't sound to me like the police or anyone else spoke with adults. I grew up with 2 Eskimo Spitz, and they were not nice to people outside of our family. I believe that a husky may not have a sweet gentle temperament like some other dogs that we have in our homes.

Sammy

If I had complained about the neighborhood dog running loose, this might not have happened to my Monty 2 years ago on our leashed walk:

This is Monty, he stood there and took it like a man. He has no idea how to fight. Monty will be 13 in June.
{{gwi:149987}}

So. Keep calling Animal Control. They can only enforce the law as it's written. So find out what the laws are in your county for repeat offenders and make sure you follow through with written affadivits/notarized.

Cynthia, my dogs are also vulnerable - they don't know how to fight either. My response is because I don't think animal control or the police will do anything if they do not see the dog. But perhaps the neighbors will if someone contacts them.

Our neighbor allowed their little dog to charge at my goldens, and I screamed at them to get it. As they were picking up their dog, I yelled that they were in violation of the leash laws. I did this twice. They are very stupid, and may not still get it.

I don't know how to get animal control to get involved, but I thought a letter or a face to face approach might work.

I am very sorry that your dog was injured. What happened to the other dog?

Sammy

You did the rational thing.

A big aggressive dog, even a healthy one, is a hazard.

Better to report him than to see him on the news for ripping someone's arm off.

& if he was excretting runny stuff on his way through the neighborhood, it sounds like he had no control over it, which sounds like he's sick, & it could be something disastrous to other dogs.

"Huskies are hard to keep in."

Well, duh, then you need to fix the fence or get a different kind of pet.

My friend Tammy, who raises Barbados sheep, came home one day to find a ewe dead & her ram dying.
The neighbor's I-forget-what-kind-of-dog had killed them.

Animal control "visited" the neighbor & told my Tammy that the neighbor said he "felt real bad" but that his whatever-kind-of-dog was hard to keep in.

no citation, no impoundment, nothing, & the neighbor made no apology to Tammy & no attempt to secure his fence.

Tammy copied pages of Texas health department law (because the sheep were livestock) & took them to the sheriff & read them to him.

The sheriff sent the animal control officer back out to impound the dog.

As he was leaving, Tammy drove up, & the ACO rolled down his window & told her that he was taking the dog in, & he sure did feel sorry for the dog's owner; he thought the guy was going to cry.

no tears for her or her Barbados sheep though...

Here, leash law citations are kind of a reverse sliding scale.

The first one may be, say, $40, & the next one is $100, & the next one is $200, & the next one can get the owner put in jail.

If that's the case where you live, just reporting the dog every time you see it loose may do the trick.

& you might visit with the city attorney to find out if there's a civil law on the books for things like dangers to the public-
things like unfenced swimming pools will come under this heading.

Thank you all so much - I feel much better about calling now!

Cynthia I am so sorry about Monty!!! He is a beautiful dog and it's terrible that happened! I hope the dog that did that to him was dealt with appropriately (training, re-homeing, or euthanized as a last resort).

The citation does have a fee associated with it so I'm certain the AC officer had to give it to the parents. The girl had said that AC had been at her house the day before handing out a ticket so even if there isn't a sliding scale (which sounds like a *great* idea) the expenses have to be adding up. I can't find on the county website how much the fees are but the AC officer did say there was a fine.

I like the idea of a letter Sammy, unfortunately I'm not sure exactly which house is theirs. I do know which side road it's own so a few walks and I should be able to find out which house. I did mention the invisible fence to the girl (mine was only 100 bucks from Wal-mart and works beautifully), but who knows if she'll talk to her parents about it or that they will listen.

The runny poop really bothers me (and it definitely wasn't picked up by the girl, cuttervonwifflepuff). In my mind I was only thinking about worms or something else treatable but your experience with Parvo really scares me Bumblebeez! The AC officer just said that the Husky probably just ate something bad that caused it, as apparently he'd been out since early that morning! He did say to call again if I saw the Husky out, but that he wouldn't do anything except issue another citation. I do like the idea of involving the police or visit with a city attorney or something like that if it happens again.

sylviatexas, your story about your friend and her sheep really inspires me to not back down on this. From my experience, and talking to the man with the lab, and talking to the little boys it sounds like it's only a matter of time before someone really does get hurt from this dog, or the dog gets hurt from a car, etc.

I just found the penalty for a loose dog:

Any person who violates this chapter by allowing any of his canine or canine crossbreeds to run at large in violation of this chapter shall be fined twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the first violation and an additional ten dollars ($10.00) shall be added to this amount for every subsequent violation within a twelve-month period of time, up to the maximum allowed by law. Each occurrence of a canine or canine crossbreed belonging to a particular owner running at large in violation of this chapter shall be considered a separate violation and an additional penalty shall apply as set out in this section regardless of whether or not it is the same canine or canine crossbreed who was found to be running at large.

So it's a fairly reasonable fee with a small sliding scale. Even so 2 offenses in 2 days is going to run them 60.00 and I'm sure this wasn't the first time.

You know, I just remembered a similar situation I had a few years back, and here's what happened when I got AC involved:

My neighbor was walking my dog (they like to take long walks and love bringing my dog along with them), and while they were walking a little yorkie came out from the garage of someone's house (unleashed) and nipped at my dog. Since my dog is much bigger and it wasn't a "viscous" bite, she wasn't injured. But when they came back and told me what happened, I was enraged. Not only because it could have turned out much worse, but these people just let their dog hang around unleashed several feet away from a PARK where little kids play, and there is also a dog run there.

So I called Animal Control after driving to the person's house to get the exact address, and even though AC took the report, they told me that they couldn't do anything since it was after the fact. They told me that "next time" I need to stand there and call them while I am still there!

So my advice to you is that the next time you see this dog off leash, call AC right away. Maybe even keep a leash on hand, and try to slip it around the dog's neck if you can (obviously without touching the dog or putting yourself in a dangerous position). I don't know if I can explain what I mean, but you can basically take a normal leash and put the end that clips onto the collar into the part where you put your wrist, and make a loop...just like those blue throw-away collars they use at vets or animal hospitals. Then keep the dog with you until AC gets there.

Good luck with the situation, and I would definitely try to call the police to make them aware of the situation...it can't hurt.

You certainly did do the right thing. A few years ago there was a young black lab running around in my yard. Our children were small then and we had an inflatable pool set up in the yard. The lab, being a lab, jumped in the pool to play in the water and popped it. Any time the kids would go out to play the dog would jump up on them and knock them down, scratching them in the process. Not to be mean, just because he was young and excited. I called Animal Control because the dog had no collar and was being a nuisance. The next day we went out and bought another pool. The day after THAT, the dog was back and again popped our pool. I called AC once more and they informed me that the dog belonged to a neighbor. They gave me the name and number and I called the person (I had no idea which house they lived in). I got a machine and left a message telling them what had happened but I called AC again and asked them to come and get the dog. They refused! I said the dog had popped yet another pool and they said that if the dog hadn't jumped on anyone then they couldn't do anything about it. I was furious so I said, "okay, I just let my kid outside and the dog jumped on him...come get the damn dog!". Obviously it was a lie and they knew it. But I wasn't ACTUALLY going to stick my toddler out there and let this dog knock him down yet again. They finally did come and get the dog but the ACO was not happy about it, hung up on me more than once and called me a few names. The owner of the dog called me and begged me not to call AC again because he had to pay a $75 fine to get his dog out every time I called them and said they were going to fix the fence that weekend. Never offered to pay for the two pools (about $40 each). I never needed to call again but I didn't feel bad about calling the first two times. I had an old rottweiler/lab mix at the time who couldn't go outside when that dog was around either because he was such a nuisance. I later found out that the guy who owned the lab was our local fire chief. I'm glad my house never caught on fire because I'm sure he never would have come over to put it out!:)

I know someone who has two huskies - they do climb and jump fences, and are hard to catch once they get out. But my friend always supervises her dogs when they're out in the (fully fenced) yard. When she can't supervise, they are out in a harness attached to one of those runner tie out lines.

It's not ideal, but she does what it takes to keep her dogs safe and contained. How sad that animal control was making excuses for the owners. :( You did absolutely the right thing in calling AC - who knows, you may have saved the dog from getting hit by a car and dying a painful death.

A little off-topic, but we adopted one of our dogs from Animal Services, she was picked up by them as a stray on a really busy street. She has a very strong prey drive and runs like the wind - I suspect that's why she was out there. But because someone (like you) cared enough to call Animal Services, she was picked up and has now lived with us safely for the past 4.5 years. :) So - thank you!

moonbyte5, you most definitely did the right thing, but I want to suggest something else you and anyone else reading this can do. You now know the law in your area, but apparently, at least in this case, the law is terribly ineffective at deterring the problem behavior. In addition to continuing to report these folks to Animal Control, I would suggest starting a letter campaign to your local city or county government.

I know a woman who wrote a letter every week for about six weeks and sent it to her police chief, city council members, mayor, animal control chief, and anyone else she could think of. After about the third week, she would also send a copy to the local newspaper with a note about the inaction thus far by the city officials. After the second letter to the newspaper, the paper did a story on the problem and many, many other citizens wrote in and said they had experienced similar problems. They started contacting their local officials, as well. Before long, her city council completely rewrote the local ordinances to be more effective and more enforceable. It was a problem that many people had experienced, but because few had complained, it wasn't a priority for the officials to fix until they did. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

First off, th3e Animal Control Officer is correct, by law their is nothing they can do medically for the dog they have taken in, it was in good health and even tho it had the runs, they are not authoirzed to treat the animal unless the dogs condition is dire. I know it seems harsh but their are a number of really good reasons for this. first the officer does not know what kind of medication the husky or any other dog might be on, which might be giving the dog the runs, or if it has an underlying medical condition, plus the county just does not have the funds to treat every dog they pick up. Those are the basics, then ther are the legal ramifications of treating a dog which is owned by someone else....that could take pages to get into.
The most important part of this story is that you did call animal control, Dogs can not talk to us except by their actions, that the owners of such a beautiful but tempramental breeed dont know how to deal with the special needs of the breed, like running it for 5 hours a day!!! That the dog is uncut and is aggressive are basically a death warrant for this animal, should it get out and bite someone, which is more likely than not given that the animal has a history of being aggressive. It is too bad that the girl took out what her and her family are ultimately responsible for on you guys. It is possible you saved her dog from attack by another dog, or a wild animal or getting hit by a car. It seems like the lack of parental supervision may also be an issue but it is hard to judge by one afternoon alone. You did the right thing, and you should not feel bad for "ratting" on your neighbor. Like I wrote, it is possible you saved the dog from injury and hopefyully the fine for the dog being out again, which goes up every time the dog is handled by the county, might be a wake up call for the owners to do something before someone gets hurt. Being on the law enforcement side of things, I wish more people would call in issues regarding animals, they we would not be having to pull up to so many cases where things have gone too far. Look at it this way - your voice was that for the dog, not against its owners, who obviously need a little assistance learinng how to properly deal with their pet.

Don't let it bother you. I have a problem with the dogs next door running loose and trying to get to my dogs while I walk them on leash. Personally I would have let my dogs have them annoying little buggers long ago but I just figure it would be my guys that got in trouble over it because they are "bad breeds"

Lisa

I know animal control's number by heart because I call it so frequently. I don't see why you would feel awful about calling because that is what you're supposed to do, cal law enforcement, not be a vigilante. And don't like that the laws aren't being enforced, get on the agenda at the next county or city commissioners meeting and let your concerns be heard.

AS for Huskies, I think they are really neat, fascinating dogs.... absolutely horrible pets for most people. They need to pull sleds, competitive agility or obedience. Being merely a pet will bore them out of their minds and out of their yards. For the life of me I can't understand how that has come to be such a popular breed when most people around here that have them chain them up to the tree in the back yard because they don't want to deal with their needs.

People get them because they don't have a clue as to what it takes to keep a Husky happy. They just see the beautiful dog

Lisa

I hate seeing unleashed dogs.I have two now and it is a nightmare for a dogowner with multiples onleash to encounter strays.Invariably mine are nipped and I end up tripping over dogs trying to get away from the strays and wrapping their leads around my legs.We have a pair of local offenders,but they really are "houdini" dogs.The owners have erected fences.I have their home phone number on speed dial.and have been known to towel them off and drive them home when they cross the canal on a cold day.They are good natured though.

I have not been carrying my bitter apple spray when I walk the dogs with my husband, but when I am alone, I try to put that in my bag, and carry my phone. I have a gardener's apron like a carpenter's one, and that gives me a place for plastic bags, and the spray - even treats, and I still have both hands for the dogs.

Sammy

We come across a lot of loose dogs too. I got some slip leads recently and was able to catch one, brought home and called AC to pick up. If there was a tag on the dog I would consider returning the dog to owner but since they never do, I would just leave it up to trained professionals. I can only hope that if they love their dogs enough to pay the fine and pick them up at the shelter they will then make some changes to prevent the dog from getting lose and invest in a $5 tag. Heck if you were even dirt poor you can make your own tag from a key ring and laminated paper.

Cupajoe, I use this thing shown in the picture below (click on link) for walking my two dogs and it is much easier than two separate leashes. When we encounter a loose dog, I put mine into a stay and use treats to gain the trust of the loose dog.

Here is a link that might be useful:

You did the best thing. I can't think of anything else you could have done. Did animal control even speak to the parents?

If you see the dog again, definably don't reach for him. You might try grabbing one of those dollar store leashes, making a noose and slipping it over his head. A treat might help to make him more agreeable.

I watch those animal cops/precinct, etc. shows on Animal Planet and it looks like they're Godsends to animals but I'm completely disillusioned with mine and I wonder how many other ones out there are as great as the ones on TV.

I think most are overwhelmed by thousands of cases each month, incredibly un-staffed and under-funded. They may not look as heroic as those animal cop shows, the stuff they see and have to deal with is stuff that most of us couldn't deal with. It takes mine 2 hours to come out but I still admire people that can do that job.

Oh, quirky, that is so true. I cannot imagine having to deal with what they do. My parents used to tell stories about how people in the country had to take care of stray animals. Those were the good old days, and I for one am thankful that we have the city workers that we have.

Sammy

Being understaffed and under paid doesn't excuse some of the things the one here has done.

My kid neighbor called them when she found a baby deer in her backyard. It was really young and yes, the mother does leave a fawn for a good portion of the day, my neighbor didn't notice that.

Her parents were out and she doesn't have a licence. So she called animal control, they came out and said there was nothing they could do. That is utter BS b/c animal control makes injured wildlife deliveries to the wildlife rehab very frequently and they're pretty close to each other. This includes young fawns.

So animal control went away. A little while later they sent some one else. To shoot it. They took out the gun, pointed it at the fawn's head and changed their minds then left.

All this in front of my kid neighbor. It turned out that there was something wrong with it and it died in her arms.

Under staffed? Then why are they notorious for soliciting volunteers and then after telling them the positions needed, just stop contact with the would be volunteers? They're well known for this.

moonbyte, don't feel bad at all. I am still haunted by the animal control call I DIDN'T make. Nothing bad happened as a result, but I did the wrong thing in not being willing to take the chance of angering a neighbor when his questionable dog was loose. The what-ifs have made me sick to my stomach from time to time.

A few months later animal control came out, on off hours no less, and took his dogs away for aggression.

After that, he was very cool to DH and myself. It bothered me for about 10 seconds that he thought we had called on him. THEN I realized that if he thought DH and I might have a reason to call AC, let him think we did! If he suspected a problem existed and did nothing to correct it.... well, you know.

Moonbyte - I didn't have time to read all the posts but
1/ If you have a neighborhood association, contact them and let them know of this owner and the problem. They are risking everyone's safety. Like someone else said, some people only react when they get fines.
2/ Maybe your city or town has some ordinance that can help.

I've just gotten to the point in my life where the good of the whole community outweighs an individuals right to do whatever they want or to do nothing at all. So I applaud you for calling animal control!!!

Before Xmas, maybe the fall, I was walking my dog at night and my dog sniffed in this persons yard. Little did I know that they owners were sitting on their front porch and said "you're on our yard". A few years ago I would have just quickly hurried away but it just hit me right and I said back, "my dog didn't do anything." The husband said "Good!" I shot back "And if my dog had done something, I would have picked it right up!" Then I walked on. Maybe I was wrong but I am one of the most consciencious dog owners you'll find and I was not going to be that persons whipping girl for what may have happened to them before, but certainly not from me! I get their point in all this, but they can't assume everyone and their pets are treating the neighborhood the same. Hey, I've seen stuff left on lawns etc. and don't like it but I'm not doing that. I figure I can only do my part and as a citizen you did the right thing in calling animal control.

Well another weekend went by and no sighting of the Husky. I'm hoping the fee's or common sense got to the parents and they are being more responsible with him.

Mazer you're completely right about AC not being able to do anything about the diarrhea - I hadn't really thought about it from that perspective. I still wish he had at least mentioned it to the owners - they may not even realize he wasn't pooping normally.

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas in dealing with this. I really like piper101's idea of talking to the neighborhood watch - I know I have one, but I've never been to any meetings/etc. And I feel ya about the people yelling for a dog even sniffing at the yard - there is one house here that would always yell whenever we walked by, even if we didn't go near their grass.

I've also bought a couple extra leashes to keep around. I love the idea of looping it and 'lassoing' the dog rather then trying to grab the collar! Much safer!! :-) Thanks Gabro!

Sammy I've started to carry mace with me if I walk my babies after dark. I didn't used to, but one time I went by what I thought was an empty car then suddenly the lights turned on and this creepy guy started talking about how pretty my dog was and how if he saw her by herself he would have caught her and kept her. Our walk turned into a jog at that point! This is a pretty good neighborhood, but crazies can come out anywhere! Bitter apple could be a better choice as it would work for both loose animals and people with a less harmful reaction.

Well this was an eventful weekend! Yesterday (Saturday) I found another loose Husky running around my fence. This one was a female and much more people-friendly. She kind of ran off when I first came out, but after a treat and a water bowl was put outside she came right up. I leashed her, she had a collar but no tags. She immediately rolled over and made the "I'm a good dog" face at me, then walked fine on the leash. No aggression whatsoever. She looked VERY similar to the male Husky seen previously.

I took her through my backyard and put her in my laundry room with a bowl of water. On the way she lunged for my dogs, I wasn't sure if it was to play or to eat them, but either way I had planned on keeping her separated from them. I called AC and they came and picked her up. During this time I watched for anyone to walk by who might be looking for her. I let the AC officer know she looked like the Husky that was out before and they should check with that family. I never did find out where they lived - I'm regretting that now. The AC officer also mentioned that the dog matched reports of a Husky that was attacking local livestock. I'm in a neighborhood, but there is farmland 1-2 miles away. Again I feel bad about calling AC, but it is far outweighed by knowledge that she won't get hit by a car, go hungry and she has a real chance of finding either her owners, or better ones!

I left for visiting friends that evening and was out until about midnight. When I came home there was a note on my door saying that my dogs were keeping the entire neighborhood awake all night and had been since I moved in. AC and the police had been called multiple times and they were considering legal action. And my dusk to dawn light was too bright and keeping people awake. It was signed "Residents of X lane". This greatly upset me as I try to be a good neighbor and considerate of people around. Any time I hear my dogs bark I bring them in or do the "hush" command.

Since the note was pretty anonymous I went around to each house on my street this afternoon to talk with everyone - apologizing profusely for bothering anyone and letting them know that I would fix the problems by not letting my dogs out at all after dark (even though they are never out past 10pm and even then are supervised) and turning off the light. Not a single one said they had a problem with my dog barking or the light or admitted to writing any note or discussing it with other neighbors. One did admit the light came in through the edge of her bedroom window and I immediately agreed to unplug it/put it on a timer for early night hours only. She also said she had heard my dogs sometimes, but it didn't bother her, and denied writing any note. The pit bull in a pen in the house behind me was the only real problem anyone had - it barks constantly and I've only seen it out of the pen once in the 7 months I've lived here. There was only one person that wasn't home, but she had a dog herself so I can't imagine she'd complain about mine. I plan to follow up with her later.

The thing that really bothered me was the note mentioned AC and the police had been called but I haven't heard anything from either them and I just had AC at my house the day before for the Husky! My mother suspects that it's retaliation from calling AC on the Husky. I'm scared to leave my dogs outside anymore (they have a dog door so they can come in at any time, but they have access to the outside while I'm at work too) and I'm scared to call AC if anything else happens again.

I guess I just can't wait to get out of this neighborhood - which won't happen for several years. My plan is to lay low for a while and hope it blows over. I just can't believe that some people could be so petty, stupid, and just plain liers.

Can you call AC or the police and ask if they have had complaints? Sounds like the owner of the Husky got angry with you. Some people always prefer to blame other people for their problems, even when they are obviously at fault. If there had been complaints to the police or AC, I'm sure you would have been contacted, and probably fined. What were you suppose to do? Just leave the poor dog wandering around to be hit by a car?

jcrowley - I tried calling AC today and they were closed. I'm not sure of the correct # to call for the police but I need to try them tomorrow as well. I can't imagine having multiple complaints against me and never hearing from them. There is a barking law around here and it does carry a fine.

I think my dogs are picking up on my outside anxiety. Unlike normal they aren't begging to go out. Or someone was mean to them outside - but I don't even want to think about that - it would break my heart for my furbabies to hurt! They are definitely staying inside for the coming weeks (maybe forever)unless I can see them. I know if they got out and I couldn't find them I would want someone to get them to AC. I'd much rather have a fine and a safe dog!!!!

I would schedule a new family to come try and catch him and take him home. Not saying that would work out, but perhaps a husky rescue. I mean if no one “claims him” if he’s missing, it would work I think

umm, this thread is 13 years old. i think it's safe to say, this husky is no longer a problem. ;)