How can I convince my cousin that she needs to re home her dogs?

You would probably be able to convince Animal Welfare quicker than you could convince your sister. Call the police department or call the local humane society and ask who the appropriate person to contact would be for an Animal Abuse scenario.

I don’t know what the long term solution is, but in the meantime, why don’t you help the animals by giving them a haircut and a flea treatment. That is what I would do, then the dogs feel good because they have had attention and they are clean and free flea and you will feel good and proud of yourself because you have helped!

@rooeytoo I’ve already groomed her dogs before but the problem is that she keeps them outdoors and they get dirty and fleas keep coming back because she doesn’t maintain them. I don’t even think she bathes them much less get their hair cut.

If there is a local branch of the ASPCA where you live that would be your best resource as the handle situations like this all the time. I don’t mean just any shelter, but specifically the ASPCA.

They have a lot of experience dealing with people who neglect their animals and will try very hard to handle it in a diplomatic manner. But if that doesn’t work they can also back it up with law enforcement if absolutely necessary.

@kheredia Don’t know where you live, but calling an Animal Humane officer would do the trick. They’d be better at convincing her than you would. GA @RedPowerLady !

I live in Orange County, Ca and I don’t know of an ASPCA around here. There’s just the Orange County shelter and other non profits that take in doggies. I don’t know if the OC shelter can help.

@kheredia The best thing to do is call the OC shelter and ask if they can help and if they can’t, ask them who to contact. If they do not have answers call the police department and ask the same thing. It is better to call than not to know.

Or even better yet check out this website first :)

Orange County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Please follow the advice of @RedPowerLady.

Matted hair is far worse for a dog than just looks.
It causes the skin to pull and open seeping sores than then can be infested with maggots. Fleas cause anemia and extreme discomfort as well as skin infections.

Her neglect is cruelty.

Please help those pets.

If you’ve already tried to help & it made no difference, & nobody in that family wants to care for the dogs, then you should call. The dogs deserve to be cared for.

@Dog good information about the matted hair, I never knew that

@dog is right about the matted fur …it can also hide a plethora of ailments like cancerous tumors, old collars buried under the fur and skin, puncture wounds…

I have no idea why people get dogs they can’t afford to properly take care of or keep in the back yard, but here is the reality of the situation. If the dogs are picked up by the SPCA, what are the actual chances the dog will get rehomed or will they be put down as most are. So when you advocate calling in the authorities, that is what you must keep in mind.

If one of the kids came and asked for food, he/she must have some interest in the dogs. I would work with that kid and the other kids. Teach them how to take care of the dogs. If they were never taught how to take care of the animals perhaps that is why they are neglected, not because they don’t love them.

But it is one reason why I would never get a dog “for the children.” The mother must want the dog because almost always she is the one who ends up caring for the dog.

If the conditions are so bad that euthanasia would be preferable, then by all means call. The neglect has to be pretty serious though before the law makes any moves.

Just don’t call PETA

Thanks everybody.. I’m going to attempt talking to her again just because I would hate for those poor animals to end up getting put to sleep. I’d rather help her either re-home them or at least convince her to get them vaccinated at a low cost clinic. I’ll probably end up shaving them again too. If that doesn’t work then I guess I’ll just have to call animal services.

@kheredia Keep us posted!

@kheredia – don’t worry too much about shots except rabies which is mandated by law in most states. Many of us believe that annual vaccinations is just a money maker. If you have blood titers done, dogs don’t need them every year. Humans don’t get revaccinnated for small pox or polio. Unless I put mine in a kennel I don’t do it.

Better to tend to the immediate needs. If they have fleas, they probably have tape worms so worming might be good.

Good for you for worrying about them.

With all due respect to @rooeytoo (who I believe resides ourside of the United States) please get them the Parvo shot. Every year in the US we have outbreaks and thousands of dogs suffer and die needlessly from this virus that attacks the lining of the intestines.

@Dog – the vaccination controversy goes on and on. This guy sees it one way

http://www.oldcountryvet.com/youtube_vaccinations.html

as do many other vets. I wasn’t aware of any large outbreaks there. Most of my dog showing friends don’t bother anymore. Just do the occasional titer to check.

But I did get a flu shot this year, so who am I to talk!!!

@rooeytoo You know- this would make a great question! In regards to some vaccines I am inclined to agree!

@kheredia Is there something that makes you believe the animals will be put down if you call it in??

@RedPowerLady
– PETA, as mentioned, would certainly kill them.
– Shelters are pretty consistently over-crowded or at max capacity, so in shelters that are not specifically No-Kill, if pets don’t find homes within a certain time-frame, they must make room for new rescues.
– Animal control turns pets over to city pounds or shelters, where the time frame is often much, much shorter, and explicitly states that after a certain date, they will be euthanized.
– Not so sure about SPCA facilities. I think they have better adoption success rates and more individualized concern.

@kheredia If you can convince her to let them go, I wold place an add in your local Craigslist pet community section. You can meet folks who are interested to ensure they go to good homes. That’s where I found my cats.

@Beta_Orionis No one suggested calling PETA.
In fact the suggestion is to call the SPCA who prevents animal cruelty.
Animal shelters also have an increasing incentive to hold onto animals as long as possible. There is no reason to believe they will be killed unless told so by the shelter. One can simply ask that question. Also this is a poodle and a cocker spaniel, both have very high adoption ratings.

@RedPowerLady Oh, I know no one made that suggestion. I did, however, forget the context of your question, so for that I apologize. I thought you were wondering what the hesitation was about calling any option. Still, the OC SPCA will probably direct her towards local shelters, which, especially in California, still suffer from crowding.

@Beta_Orionis I really feel that scaring this girl out of calling an Animal Shelter is the worst option available. These dogs are being abused where they are. She’s already tried to help with no success. The Animal Shelter would at least provide safety. And considering the breed of these dogs it is highly likely they’d get adopted (once cleaned up).

The chances of adult dogs being adopted are not great. Shelters are full of pure bred dogs. My akita was on death row in a shelter when I adopted him. Most SPCA are not no kill shelters because of huge numbers. I am not sure if no kill shelters are much preferable to life in a back yard.

It is not “scaring” the girl, it is the reality.

But if the dogs would be better off dead than in the conditions they are presently being kept in, then I would not hesitate to call. I wouldn’t like to see the kids crying though as their dogs are taken away. That is why I would try to teach them proper care of animals.

@rooeytoo Wouldn’t you choose a no kill shelter over animal abuse?

I don’t know how shelters are where everyone else is from by our local shelter is amazing! They take wonderful care of the animals. They have foster parents for when they get overpopulated. And they have many programs designed to get the pets who are harder to adopt out of the shelter. I would believe that most shelters are like this.

I would have to know exactly the degree of the abuse, there is a difference between neglect and abuse.

I don’t know where you are but unfortunately this is the reality about most shelters:

http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/fact-sheets/animal-shelter-euthanasia.html

The figures in Australia are about the same. I am involved in akita rescue and there is a constant cry for people to foster but to no avail. For every dog placed, more are dropped on the doorstep.

When dogs were abandoned in my kennel, depending on the age, breed etc of the dog, I did have several put down. Keeping them alive to spend their lives in a run is not much different than tied in a back yard. It is not good to make generalizations, I decided on a dog by dog basis.

@rooeytoo Well I do not claim to be an expert on animals by any means. So I was prompted to look at your website and my own Shelter’s website.

I am surprised by the national statistics offered. That about 50% of animals are euthanized. Knowing that I would also opt for this person to try and adopt the animals out herself.

I looked up my hometown and here is a website of practices they do to avoid killing pets. I also listed their stats which are much lower than the national average.

http://www.green-hill.org/euthanasia_policy.html
“Statistics for last year indicate that LCARA and Greenhill combined euthanized just over 50 percent of cats and about 16 percent of dogs.”

Having said all that I wonder if the animals would prefer a long life of abuse or neglect vs. a short happy life? I don’t have the answer. Just a thought to ponder.

@RedPowerLady My intent is not to scare her, but also not to ignore or distort reality. I’m from Southern California and have four adopted shelter pups, so I’ve experienced the shelter situations there pretty extensively. @rooeytoo is right; adult dogs do not have a great adoption rate and at least half of the pets in shelters are pure-bred. Even my puppy, very obviously adorable, and absolutely quiet and loving, was on death row when he was adopted. While most rescues are a little better, many are really not. My very first dog, as it turned out, was actually housed in one of the independent rescues whose conditions were the news-worthy variety of abominable. My experiences with shelters in Southern California have led me to strongly support trying to re-home dogs on one’s own, especially in cases like these, where there is no pressing timeline.

@Beta_Orionis Thank you for clarifying with your experience. After hearing that and reviewing the like the other user gave me I can see that not all Shelters are as nice as the ones in my hometown. I certainly see your point.