Please Help! Maybe I'm Overreacting?
 

Hello, I'm new to the board and I have owned a Yorkie for eight years and I was one of those people that made fun of these little lap dogs until I got one and now I am the one that people make fun of! :) Until you have a Yorkie you just don't know how wonderful they are. This dog is litterally my child and I could not imagine life without him! He has also helped my wife through some pretty tough times.

Anyway I have a question. I have noticed a little Yorkie down the street from me that has been tied up all summer to a line that lets it move about ten feet or so and it has been one hot summer here in Tennessee. It breaks my heart everytime I go by that house and see that little thing either laying on the ground or going back and forth in a kind of figure eight pattern. Am I overreacting in thinking that these types of dogs should not be treated this way and cannot handle that kind of treatment as a larger dog? So many times I have thought about going up there in the middle of the night and taking the dog and finding it a better home. Of course I would not do that as it is wrong not to mention illegal. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I should do or am I just being too sensitive to the issue. I have thought about calling the Humane Society but I am not sure that the owners are doing anything wrong. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

That poor baby. Does he have a shelter to go in or water? In a lot of states you have to have a shelter if not maybe the humane society can pay them a visit and just educte them as to the dangers of leaving a small dog out in the elements and not to mention larger animals harming him.

You could always go ask them...if you can have him.

In our city...it's illegal to tie dogs outside longer than a couple of hours..during that time..they must have shelter, food, and water.

Yorrkies are inside dogs and he or she can be sitting pray to anything right now theres foxs,owls, and they just caught a cayote here in marietta,this babies life is at stake,GO GET HIM,I usually would not say this but i really believe his life is at stake.

There is one of those igloo shaped dog houses there and I see some buckets so I am asuming that either food or water are in those buckets. They do have another large dog tied up too but I'm not as concerned about that one but I hate to see any dog tied up.

I could go ask them but you never know what you are getting yourself into when you insinuate things. We just had one of the worst storms in years pass through here and I hope it is ok.

Funny that someone should mention larger animals hurting it. The idiots next door have about five pit bulls and a very short fence. There are just too many things to worry about with this little dog.

:mad:That poor little baby...If it was me I would go and get the little guy...you don't leave yorkies outside...they are children and need to be inside with there mom and dad{human parents}...and in a loving home.
That is so sad...I would go kidnap the poor soul....:aimeeyork

I would check to see if the dog has food, water and shelter, as Patti said. If not, I would call local animal services to they could pay them a visit.

I'm the kind that would never steal from a store, work, or anywhere else but a Yorkie outside all the time. I would take him in a minute without thinking twice! Anyone that leaves a yorkie outside is crazy and should not have the dog.

You will feel even worse if the poor baby ends up dead and you didn't step in.

Go ask them about the baby and tell them there a easy prey for wild animals in the area or just ask them if they want to rehome him and that you would be happy to help them.

I'm going to go for a walk and see if I can get some more information. Like I said I don't know if the Humane Society would tell them they are doing anything wrong if they have food, water and shelter. Of course I believe with all my heart that they are doing something very wrong. I appreciate all of the quick responses. I'll check back later.

Heres the phone number for the humane society 865-584-0496 and the shelter is 865-215-6599,call and see what they say,i tried to look up animal cruelty for tenn.there are ordances like shelter food and water that i read,but i also read there shelter is working on how they run it,they have had some complaints,here we can call the normal police number and they can call animal control out,the phone numbers i found are in knoxville.
Let me know how it goes.

Yeah...ask like that...no insinuations.

I don't understand people like that:mad: They don't care, and the poor Yorkie is suffering. Ask the people if they want the dog, and offer to rescue the yorkie. No dog should ever be left in that condition. :eek:

You are doing the right thing in following through with this. If you call those numbers and complain.. they should have to at least go check it out. Then you have attempted to make a change in that poor little babies life. If nothing else, it may wake them up.

And who knows.. you may be able to rescue it.

I am so sorry when I hear stories like this and I cant imagine your dilemma! I agree with everyone's sentiments on here! I would love to see that baby relocated but just thought I would give a little imput to beware of!! My gut tells me that if these people are inhumane and unloving enough to do that to their dogs, they they might be as cold and evil if you approach them. Then if you had to involve Humane Society, they would know it was you and I would fear for your safety. So please remember to protect yourself. And I would have a conscience about stealing the dog in the middle of the night but that was the first thing that jumped in my head too!!! I would rather deal with the good Karma for rescuing the baby than bad Karma for breaking the law!! But I probably couldnt follow thru with taking it. So I truly feel for you and your worries.....and to answer your initial question, Im sure you have a definite answer to your question.....AND HEAVENS NO!!! yOU ARE IN KNOW WAY OVERREACTING!! You have a wonderful heart and I hope you will keep us posted on what comes of your situation. My heart and prayers go out to you and that poor baby.

Awww I feel so sorry for the little thing. They are not outside dogs, and theres prob not much they would do if you turned these people in, most places wont get involved with a dog unless it has no shelter and or no food and water kept out for it. can you get a closer look and see if he has water? If not then they might come check it out.

They should not be having him/her tied up. he shouldnt even be wearing a collar, collars seem to cause Collapsed Trachea .

The trachea is the valuable structure that connects the throat to the lungs. It is made up of 35-45 rings of cartilage that are joined by muscles and ligaments to create the “tube” that is know as the trachea. When the rings are closed from top to bottom, the trachea is collapsed. Rapid gasping for air can cause the trachea to flatten and make it hard for air to enter the lungs.

Toy dogs tend to have an abnormality in the genetic makeup of their tracheas. The rings easily loose their rigidity and are not able to retain their round shape.
This is the main reason anyone who knows about the breed will recommend a harness as opposed to a collar/leash for a yorkie. Leashes attached to collar put too much pressure on the delicate tracheal structure.

maybe you can print that out and talk to these people about it.

First of all, I'd like to welcome you to YT! You are going to love it here!

Second of all, I am from Knoxville myself, and I agree that the storm that went through was a really bad one! At my house, we had hail and off and on power. I would definitely look into asking the owners about the dog or I would call Animal Control and speak to them about the situation. They can always do a drive by to see the situation and determine if they need to speak with the owners or even take in the dog themselves.

I hope the poor little one is safe and made it through the storm okay. If there is anything I can do, let me know! I will gladly help out with the situation! :)

Edit to add phone numbers: Knox County Animal Control: 865-215-6658 or Knoxville City Animal Control: 865-215-7457.

Welcome to YT.

Poor little baby! I can't believe anyone that has a Yorkie would leave it tied up outside :( They are fragile little beings. Do you have any idea how old it is? Do they leave it outside during the winter too?

I had Abby and Daisy outside for a just a bit today to potty and poor Abby was panting so hard, I could tell she was miserable. She's been laying on the bed all day ever since.

I hope you can help him or her out of this situation.
Thank You for caring and trying to help.

How about he "RESCUES" the dog in the middle of the night and lets you take the dog in...That way noone sees the dog with him and he is not suspected... Trust me, my husband is a cop and most of them are more concerned about real crime, then someone calling to say I left my little dog tied up outside and now it is gone.. They will probably think that he ran off and just let it go....If you cannot handle the dog or rehome him, then I can workout some way to get him and find him a great home...People like that obviously do not care and I bet they would be glad that it was gone....

omg that is so sad...i would go take the yorkie...obviously they don't care enough for him/her to tie him/her outside...like that...

I hope he lets us know something .

I second that! I feel like it's a rescue, not stealing. That poor baby doesn't stand a chance with those people, and they definitely do not deserve him. If they don't love the dog anymore than that...to just tie him up...they wouldn't miss him anyway. I would go get that baby just as fast as I could get there and think nothing of it. You want my number?

I would take that poor darling in less than two seconds. I understand you don't want to do anything illegal, but do you know anyone that would? Poor thing, I can't even keep Ranger outside for like, five minutes without worrying! What is the point of having a dog if it's tied up outside 24/7??????????????????????????

looking for an update..............:(

Aaahhhh this is so sad ..... I hope you will post an update today on how it went .... poor Furbutt .... :(

I would first inform the owner about the danger of leaving the dog tied up all summer. I would approach the dog owner in a friendly manner and show them that I am concern about the dog\'s welfare. I would offer the owner some suggestions on how to take care of a small dog. If the owner does not take better control of their dog in a week, then I would call the humane society. I would routinely check up on dog to make sure he is O.K. Some people do not know how to properly take care of their dog and need help on how to be a good dog owner. I agree taking a dog from the owner is wrong because it is called stealing. If your neighbor is confrontational, then just call the humane society. I hope the owner starts to understand that Yorkies are inside dogs. I hate to see any dog tied up all day. I prefer my dogs to live inside the house with me so I can shower them with love. I understand your concern about the dog\'s welfare.

SOS

I was getting ready to type and Maxwell, wanting attention, jumped on my hand - SOS is what typed out.

That says it all!

Hope to hear update.

i wouldnt even confront the owner, come on!! how stupid can ya be..
obviously they dont care about the animal by leaving it outside like that.
rescue the dog away from those sickos. you will be saving him..

hmmmm.....:hmmm33:

Wonder if she has like an extra 100 bucks sitting around. If she goes and asks for the dog sometimes money talks. If they dont care for this dog at all most will take the money and say she hes all yours