Leave me alone!! (A rant)

[Stacey]

This evening I was nursing Sam and I see a shadow pass by my blinds in the front yard, I prepare myself and wait for a few seconds, expecting a knock on the door...nothing, so I go about my business.  A few minutes later the doorbell rings and when I answer it there are two SPs (base police) at my door.  They inform me that they are responding to a complaint of a neglected and abused dog.   I am P1SSED!!  I tell them that my dog is WELL taken care of and there is no need to worry.  They say the caller informed them that there is no food or water left out for the dog.  I tell them that Tonka is an indoor dog, but if they look in my yard they will see a 5 gallon water jug upside down in a bowl and that is his outside water, as far as his food he is fed twice a day NOT free fed and NOT outside.  They don't really know what to do or how to evaluate the situation (as they are NOT qualified for the task they have been given) and say that maybe he is skinny.  I inform them that Tonka was recently sick and hospitalized for, among other reasons, not eating for 8 days.  He is now within a perfectly normal, healthy weight range but that Great Danes can tend to be on the slender side.  I show them the vet receipts and ask them "do you really think I would pay $1100 dollars for a dog I was neglecting?".  I then let them know that I would appreciate any further complaints being directed to animal control so that the responders would at least be knowledgeable of animals, or if necessary I would take Tonka to a vet and have his health cleared and bring written documentation of it.  They said not necessary and went on their way.

I am sooooo mad!!  What do I have to do??  Get a bullhorn and walk outside and announce "I AM FEEDING MY DOG" every morning and evening, and then later "I AM REFILLING MY DOG'S WATER", or "I AM PLAYING WITH MY DOG" .  This is the second time this has happened!!  (When Tonka was about 6 months old the cops came out to investigate my skinny PIT BULL ).  AAARGH, I do everything for Tonka and he is well taken care of!!  I want to call the cop shop tomorrow and complain, but I don't know what to say.....
I just hate nosy neighbors!!

[Kermit]

THAT SUCKS!!!
There are so many people who DO neglect and abuse their dogs, and are those the folks getting in trouble? HECK NO! Instead the cops (?) waste their time on responsible dog caretakers like you???
GRRRRR...
I am with you on this rant!!!!!

I hope it doesn't happen to you again.

[longshadowfarms]

That really rots!  I'd just carry on as usual and try put the obnoxious interlopers out of your mind.  Whoever is being the PITA will eventually be ignored by the police when it becomes clear that their complaining is simply malicious.  Glad to hear that Tonka is regaining his weight! 

[chaos270]

I know the feeling we have a neighbor whose decided to start stuff in our neighborhood and it's one of two suspects neither should be pointing fingers.  One's a cokehead/dealer and the other has a bunch of town violations on his property.  It's really annoying as we originally moved to this area for it's ruralness and now we have 2 Indian casinos and a theme park going in grrrrr!!!

[zanie]

Stacey, this can be such a pain in the tuckas, especially when you know that you are doing right by your dog.  I would call and ask that an animal control officer come out, look things over and then write up a report or document stating that things are fine, the dog is well taken care of, etc.  I would also provide your vet's contact info so they can talk to him/her if they need to.

Then I would go about my life as if I wasn't living under a bell jar with Mrs. Polly Busybody living next door.

Glad Tonka is feeling better though.

[Stacey]

Thanks guys...oooohh I was sooo mad yesterday, still kinda am.  The neighbors kids (I am fairly sure it is my neighbor) are always on the side of MY yard (in front of our fence) with a lemonade stand, there are sometimes 10 kids hanging out there.  I have been slightly concerned that one of them had given him something he shouldn't have that had caused his illness.
I am no longer letting him outside alone.  I am going to watch him and watch who else is watching him.

[Gypsy Jazmine]

I'd be p.o.'d too!....I had a guy working on the street out in front of my house recently & the dogs were of coarse going nutso barking...I was outside so I told him not to worry they just bark & he says, "It must get awfully hot for them outside with all that hair"...So, I tell him they are HOUSE dogs & live in a/c...But I am sure he thought I was terribly neglectful until I spoke with him.

[newflvr]

I am going to watch him and watch who else is watching him.

Sadly, I think that's a good idea.  And once you figure out who is watching, maybe go over and have a pleasant chatty conversation with him/her.  Invite the jerk, opps, I mean NEIGHBOR in and let the person of dubious character see what a wonderful life you are giving Tonka.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

[Newf Lover]

Sounds like you have nosey pathetic losers for neighbors, who have no lives and stir up stuff for their own amusement.

[NoDogNow]

OK, I admit, I'm totally at a loss about the military police.  But don't you have a right to a copy of the complaint?  Even if they found that it was unsustained, someone answered the phone, took the complaint, someone dispatched the officers, and somewhere, there's a copy of their response!

I would think, given the way the military documents paper clips, that you'd be able to get  a copy of the complaint, so you could go over, nicely, with your dog and your vet bills and say, "I understand you're concerned about Tonka--I appreciate having another dog lover in the neighborhood.  Let me just show you what's been happening...." Who knows, maybe by some miracle, you just have a paranoid neighbor who's trying to vicariously take care of him. Maybe they want to share him, but have bad social skills. 

[Stacey]

OK, I admit, I'm totally at a loss about the military police.  But don't you have a right to a copy of the complaint?  Even if they found that it was unsustained, someone answered the phone, took the complaint, someone dispatched the officers, and somewhere, there's a copy of their response!

I would think, given the way the military documents paper clips, that you'd be able to get  a copy of the complaint, so you could go over, nicely, with your dog and your vet bills and say, "I understand you're concerned about Tonka--I appreciate having another dog lover in the neighborhood.  Let me just show you what's been happening...." Who knows, maybe by some miracle, you just have a paranoid neighbor who's trying to vicariously take care of him. Maybe they want to share him, but have bad social skills. 

I am waiting for my call to be returned to ask about this...good idea!

[doggylover]

I think you have a strong moral obligation to prove to your neighbors that you are feeding Tonka, every day, twice a day.  For this reason I think you need to bag his poo in the morning and evening and take it over to their house.  You could leave it on the step for them, or maybe just put it in their mailbox. 
 

[Stacey]

I think you have a strong moral obligation to prove to your neighbors that you are feeding Tonka, every day, twice a day.  For this reason I think you need to bag his poo in the morning and evening and take it over to their house.  You could leave it on the step for them, or maybe just put it in their mailbox. 
 

HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!  This is the best idea yet!! 
I swear I need to start putting on a diaper before I read any of Doggylover's posts!!

[doggylover]

I think you have a strong moral obligation to prove to your neighbors that you are feeding Tonka, every day, twice a day.  For this reason I think you need to bag his poo in the morning and evening and take it over to their house.  You could leave it on the step for them, or maybe just put it in their mailbox. 
 

HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!  This is the best idea yet!! 
I swear I need to start putting on a diaper before I read any of Doggylover's posts!!

HEH thanks!!! I live for the laughs!
 

[Newf Lover]

I think you have a strong moral obligation to prove to your neighbors that you are feeding Tonka, every day, twice a day.  For this reason I think you need to bag his poo in the morning and evening and take it over to their house.  You could leave it on the step for them, or maybe just put it in their mailbox. 
 

Better yet, light the bag on fire too.  I've always wanted to do that prank, but my neighbors are too nice.