Austin Animal Abuse Hotline (houses, neighborhood, live)

[OpenD]

A friend who is a dog trainer and professional pet sitter just forwarded this link to me.

Frankly, I didn't even realize before that animal abuse could be reported on the city's non-emergency 311 line, but nevertheless, this is an alternative. APD has set up a dedicated Animal Cruelty Unit Tip Hot Line at (512) 978-0523 for those who may be reluctant to call 311 "due to fear of retaliation or not wanting to be perceived a bad neighbor."

As before, emergency situations like an injured dog, dogs fighting, or a dog in distress in a hot car can be reported to the 911 emergergency number.

Austin Police APD Animal Cruelty Unit Tip Hot Hot Line Report Dog Abuse

[Cheyenne2010]

I was so glad to stumble onto this post with the hotline. There is a homeless lady that stands on the corner of Howard Lane and IH35 Frontage Road (going north). I'm not going to judge whether she's using her dog or loves her dog and just wants the dog with her but nevertheless, the lady has no business pacing back and forth in the middle of a hot day with the little dog in tow. I reported it - let's see what the authorities say. May not be an issue at all.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Originally Posted by Cheyenne2010

I was so glad to stumble onto this post with the hotline. There is a homeless lady that stands on the corner of Howard Lane and IH35 Frontage Road (going north). I'm not going to judge whether she's using her dog or loves her dog and just wants the dog with her but nevertheless, the lady has no business pacing back and forth in the middle of a hot day with the little dog in tow. I reported it - let's see what the authorities say. May not be an issue at all.

Hmmm, "using her dog"? I'm not gettin that. Are you saying you want to take the dog in? Have you volunteered at the animal shelters? Would you rather see that dog in a cage practically 24/7?

Maybe you have an old dog dish and a gallon of water and some dog food...maybe you could go back and give them to her. Maybe give her a drink of water too if you can find it in your heart.

Or:

Maybe the "authorities" can lock them both up, (dog and woman) problem solved right?

I think you're probably just looking for a reaction...well, I guess I had one. I need to quit my addiction to city data....

Over and out.....going to enjoy the rest of the day.

[steve78757]

Originally Posted by Cheyenne2010

I was so glad to stumble onto this post with the hotline. There is a homeless lady that stands on the corner of Howard Lane and IH35 Frontage Road (going north). I'm not going to judge whether she's using her dog or loves her dog and just wants the dog with her but nevertheless, the lady has no business pacing back and forth in the middle of a hot day with the little dog in tow. I reported it - let's see what the authorities say. May not be an issue at all.

Maybe they'll take that homeless lady's dog away from her and lock him up somewhere so they'll never see each other again. I'm sure the both of them will be much happier with that arrangement. Well done.

[el_beh]

tl;dr - Neighbors treat their dogs terribly, let them roam freely. Dogs are un-altered, under-fed, and act as though they're abused. Some are chained/caged. Most that aren't get hit by cars and killed. Some are not nice. Some get sick and die. Don't want my neighbors to hate me, but want the situation addressed.

New here, and just found this thread looking for answers on how to deal with the dog situation in my neighborhood. Particularly my next door neighbors, but they're not the only ones.

Next door neighbors have been through 5 puppies (that I know of) since I moved in last October (2012). I'm pretty sure I just spotted a 6th one tonight when I came home, but it was dark, so I can't be sure. All but one of the 5 have died or otherwise "disappeared", and the one that's survived these people is only alive because I took him in. He was about 6 weeks old and left outside to fend for himself for over a week, malnourished, wormy, filthy, and covered in fleas and ticks. Kept showing up in my yard, so I kept him, cleaned him up, and took him to the vet.

I've asked the little boy who lives there about the dogs, and he's said everything from "They got crashed" to "She cut her foot in the back, and mom took him to the [doctor/perrera/whatever comes to mind at that particular time]". There are some teenage girls there, and I've tried to ask them about the dogs. First, they clearly think I'm weird for talking to them or even caring. Second, they don't seem remotely concerned about all the dogs who go there and die within weeks. They said a few of them got sick or "got into something" and died. I have yet to get a straight and consistent answer from anyone over there about why all their dogs keep dying. (Granted, I try to not come on too strong about it.) Whatever's going on, that place is certain death for dogs. All but two dogs that I've seen over there - a chihuahua who's a royal pain in the ass, and Buddy, the big, old, white mutt, who is freakin' awesome and sweet - are now dead or "missing".

There is no fence, and they don't let the dogs inside (as far as I can tell). We live a block from HWY 71. No fence pretty much equals puppy pancakes. I suspect they tie the dogs up somewhere during the day, because I rarely ever see them until the evening. There are 3(?) houses on the property, and from what I can gather, everyone there is related. Despite the language barrier, we have a pretty okay neighbor-ish relationship. I help one of the little boys with homework, and the adults and I say hi to each other when we cross paths. I really don't want to make these people my enemies, but the way they treat their dogs is appalling, and I don't see how it could possibly be legal. (I'm pretty sure they know it's not, because the little boy has mentioned to me a couple times in the past how they have to hide the puppy when the "perrera" comes.)

I've given them information about Emancipet (Spanish and English), and tried to talk to the little boy about taking care of dogs, not hitting them, getting their vaccinations, etc. Tried to explain to him once that when he hits them, it hurts them. He seemed genuinely confused.

There are at least a handful of other dog owners within a 2-block radius of my house who either keep their dogs chained up, in tiny cages, or unrestrained entirely. We have 6 dogs, and can barely manage to walk them because of dogs running around the area. I was approached by one a few nights ago while I was walking one of ours. Fortunately, I was the only one not totally cool about this (yeah, I know you're supposed to stay calm and stuff, but it was dark, and I was alone with a dog that once consumed an entire bottle of Klonopin and another I didn't know). Turns out she just wanted to say hi, and my guy was surprisingly well-behaved about it. Two nights ago, a different dog lunged at my car and bit the tire as I was driving by, trying not to hit it.

Blargh. Long rant. Sorry. Just not really sure how to handle this without becoming That Lady in the neighborhood. I've called 311 and the ASPCA, and haven't managed to get anything accomplished. I'll give the hotline a call, but I'm not thrilled with the idea of the dogs just getting taken away from their owners and stuck in a shelter. The ones I know, I really like having around, and would be sad to see them go. It's the ones who are very poorly trained and cared for that I'm more concerned about. I'd love to adopt them all, but, yeah. Already have 6. Not really an option.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure I have the only 6 dogs in the neighborhood who have been spayed/neutered. So there's that, too.