Nat, I would call animal control each time this happens, that way they can deal with the situation in a way that favors compliance and helps protect the dog. Here, the first time animal control picks up a dog there is a small fine. Subsequent fines are much more expensive.

I'm also an animal lover.

"IF" it were me....I'd offer to pay/install to have an invisible fence put in. I've got some free time on my hands....can you tell?! :0) I think of it as being similar to donating money to an animal rescue.

So ......I'm sure the owner knows there's a problem. Talking to him/her and suggesting YOU solve their problem is the only way I see a change coming.

Call the authorities. Obviously your neighbor isn't doing anything to mitigate the problem, and the fact that they tie the dog up outside is just beyond the pale for me.

Get this officially on the record. If something happens to that dog due to the owners' carelessness, they should be help responsible and maybe even barred from owning another dog.

@Nicole, you do have a generous heart ;-) It is definitely not for a lack of means, the parents are very successful business owners - IF they wanted to I am sure they would have done it, but overall they tend to just be careless with the dog

Im rather on the fence for calling animal services, I don't know them well enough to know that they won't retaliate somehow and take it out on my own dogs, you just never know with people

I know the parents are aware of a few situations where the dog has gone loose because I've seen the father chasing the dog around neighbouring properties on occasion.

My husband said to not return the dog next time and wait for them to come to the door to see if we found her but I don't know how I feel about that either, I know if it was either one of my dogs I would be worried sick to find them before they got hurt.

Some great suggestions here though!

@Chisue I may just try and leave a note for them at the door as you suggested, they are not my direct neighbours so I have no idea if its the kids that are just carelessly leaving the dog out poorly secured or the parents

You would be worried sick but it doesn't seem like they would. I would def call animal control. No dog should be tied up and if these people have the funds and did care about the dog they would put up a fence. Animal control will not tell them who called so there should not be any retaliation.

A few trips to animal control to pick up their dog and pay a fine might make them a lot less careless in the future. Or they may not really want the dog and not even go get him. In which case he may hopefully find a new/better home being adopted by someone else.

Accidents happen, dogs get loose, but for it go happen over and over again to me shows a lack of caring about the dog.

If you do call, I don't think animal control would let them know it was you who called.

Holding the dog "ransom" or PAYING to install invisible fence?!? That's just CRAZY! It doesn't sound like you've spoken to the owners directly yet... just kids?? I'd make a point to do that ASAP. A FRIENDLY conversation, with NO talking about an "or else" situation, nothing more. If unwanted visits continue, then I'd just contact animal control and let them handle it.

On "invisible fences"... doesn't work the same with all breeds. I had one installed when I had 2 Rottie and one of them had developed a total HATRED for a kid who would on rare occasions come to visit?? I suspect he did something to physically HURT my dog, though never saw anything more than teasing. My dog would lose her MIND at my 4' picket fence. It scared me to death because there was NO reasoning with her when that kid was out back playing with neighbor kids?? Neither dog paid any real attention to the 2 little girls who actually lived there, except in anticipation of a ball accidentally coming over fence... did replace SEVERAL of those over the years?!? The "fence" gave enough of a pinch to make her back up, but she was ALWAYS will to try when that kid was around... like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park?!? I lost MY mind one time when I caught him teasing her and was ranting like a crazy woman. When neighbor came out... coulda been a really ugly scene but she TOTALLY backed me up... maybe SHE saw him teasing at some point?

And in front, where no fence, they were more than willing to take that pinch to go "visit" during snow shoveling after a storm... one playing with Golden Retriever 2 houses over and other on other side of circle "helping" the kids make snow angels... well, actually just rolling them in the snow, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Note: Animal control "here" tells people "who" called.

I think a dog losing it's home to be taken to the Humane Society is worse than becoming prey. Our local Humane Society has just taken in 150 dogs from the Korean meat market and is overwhelmed with too many dogs. They're constantly trying to find facilities to move animals to before they run out of space.....and make space....

My neighbors have money...they just don't "care".......and since "I" do care....I end up fixing problems....

I would just pick up the pup and take it home to an adult - "look what I found!" and then have a conversation about the dog always getting out.

Apparently different places handle things differently. Here they would talk to and warn the owners, next call they get a ticket and have to go to court and pay a fine.

I would be very disappointed in one of my neighbors that would call animal control without having spoken with me first. For all anyone knows the adult owners have no idea the dog is getting loose. It could be the carelessness of the children that is allowing the dog to get loose.6 - 9x this year is once a month or less so obviously they are not allowing the dog to roam free.be neighborly, speak with your neighbors before you take an action such as calling Animal Control. Give them the opportunity to solve the problem. a problem that they may not even be aware of.

Now you've added the information that you have seen the father out chasing the dog. They still may not know how *often* the dog is loose. They may be pretending this isn't a problem.

My goal with the "Come Claim Your Dog" note is to make the parents take responsibility. You've 'helped' enough. It's their dog.

Maybe they don't know what to do with a dog they don't really want? Are there shelters in your town?

When I noticed a very small dog out on the street alone, luckily I knew which house he belonged to. I went directly to the owner and said that I needed to talk about her dog being loose. I told her I would feel awful if something happened to the dog and I didn't say anything. He could get hit by a car, or get taken by occasional coyotes they sometimes roam through our development.

Thankfully, I haven't seen the dog loose since.

Because the owners have demonstrated poor responsibility, they may also get miffed if you approach them about their roaming dog, (By now, they are fully aware their little doggie wanders and apparently don't care.) That sort of operation works on a farm setting of not less than 40 acres and the dogs tend to stay near home base unless they are chasing a fast rabbit. That mode of operation does not work in an urban setting.

The next time you see the dog running loose, call animal control and let them handle the situation. Once the owners have to pick up their dog at the pound a couple of times and maybe pay a fine, they will change their mode of operation. Don't be surprised if they try to discover who turned in their dog. If you get word they are looking for the individual who called, lay low, very low. They may be the type who plan vendettas.

The fines here to get your dog out of the pound are somewhere in the 300-500 dollar range but to be honest that is not what worries me, i've heard terrible stories of dogs being put down by shelters when they come in because they deemed them to be unhealthy, too old, etc. I would HATE for that to happen to someones family pet, maybe I am being too jaded with my views on the shelters in the area but who knows what can happen when an animal is turned in there.

There is no doubt in my mind that they are aware that this little dog sneaks away any chance she gets and just cruises around - sometimes they come looking for her but the last few times there was nobody in sight. She doesnt impose a threat, I am just worried for her well being, she is a very friendly dog and whenever I catch her roaming about she will come right to me when I call her. Im just looking for the least jerkish way to make sure she stays safe and out of harms way

Not so sure about calling Animal Control in this case. In some cities, dogs "picked up" by animal control are "put down" within a very short time!

I used to have an escape artist dog. Could get out of her crate or the fenced yard in seconds. I thankfully had great neighbors at the time and she would go to one of two neighbors that were a couple acres away to visit the other dogs and neighbors did everything they could to help. When she passed at 14 it was devastating. I now live on a private road surrounded by farms. We all know each other's dogs and we help each other out. Our dogs now don't leave our property but occasionally get a neighbor dog and we call or walk them home. Until you talk to the adults you don't have a feel for what is happening. I err on the side of compassion and getting to know the owners.

Also invisible fence does not work for every dog. I had an 11 lb dog who would either break through or sit on the line and shudder.

@Anne, I am also the same way especially when it comes to animals.

Invisible fences are quite popular around here, but I've been charged at by dogs while walking my own, they going right through the fence not giving a damn whats in their way.

I don't mind giving a helping hand when she roams free, but the fact that she does it pretty often is what worries me, I would hate to see something happen to her or someone dognap her during one of her 'adventures'

@hounds_x_two THAT is my biggest worry! I would not be able to ever forgive myself if that happened to anyones dog as a result of a phone-call I made to animal control. Id truly use them as a last resort if I was attacked by a dog or if my dogs were attacked by a dog due to owners negligence and it was an absolute necessity, but the situation would need to be pretty bad for me to resort to that

You can't save the world - it's counterproductive to obsess about the welfare of other people's pets as though they were children. That leaves you constantly open to distress as there is not going to be any shortage of such episodes where many people with animals live in close proximity. And what would you do if it was a neglected child? You would call the authorities.

That said when I've found a dog out of the yard once or twice here - and I knew where it came from - I went and alerted the owners. Recurring nuisance situations like the one described on this thread I would either call Animal Control or go about my business, as you have seen indications the involved adults already know it is happening at least part of the time.

I personally would try human contact with an adult. Where I live animal control is overwhelmed and they don't keep animals long before euthanizing. It scares me. Rather be friends with neighbors and save animals.

When we built our house a 100-pound husky-malamute became a regular visitor when the workmen broke for lunch. She was an older dog, but knew some tricks -- had been trained. She had a collar that was very tight and embedded in her fur. She growled when we tried to see if there were tags. We didn't know most of the neighbors; those we asked knew of her, but didn't know who owned her. She was was filthy and flea-ridden -- and frequently swam in the creek. As the weather cooled, we decided to call the city, hoping animal control could at least loosen her collar, and check for tags.

A week later I saw a tall man walking this freshly groomed, very HAPPY dog -- on lead. She did belong to a neighbor, but their sons were now grown and gone. She'd been fed, but neglected. This turned out great for the dog. Her master continued to walk her and play with her for the year or two she had left. She never had to beg for attention again.

chisue, sounds like an episode of Animal Cops. I don't get how people can be so neglectful and cruel.

I don't care if you've got 50 kids. How can you have no empathy for your suffering pet?

Sorry, but some people are just idiots. There is nothing in the rule book that says everyone must have a dog. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a dog, is to not get one.

To be fair, this really big dog was fed, probably had her shots, and I think she enjoyed roaming. However, she looked so much happier with her master -- once he was forced to recognize the neglect. After she died, the couple got two tiny (5 lb.) dogs who go *everywhere* with the husband -- on walks, in his SUV, and to and from Florida several time a year.

I'm glad they got the wakeup call!

When I went to an animal shelter here once I was somewhat taken aback to discover that the dogs were all old ones that people didn't want around anymore.

But then we farm out our old people as well.

Sometimes they start having accidents. It could also be the vet bills that come with aging pets. Many simply can not afford it.

People, too.

The amount of residents in my mothers nursing home that has nobody to visit them is shocking.

I think under the circumstance, it's very appropriate to hold on to the dog and ask a parent to come get it. I'd simply say you've brought it home to the kids several times and as a dog lover, you're concerned for it's welfare.