Our neighbor has gotten a puppy who is now about 6 months old. They are terrible animal neglectors, and in the past we have taken care of dogs, horse, etc because we have felt so bad for the animal. This puppy has been no different. She lives in a kennl out back and rarey gets out. We have talked and talked with them about having her spayed, as their last female dog was allowed to breed every dog in the neighborhood at about a year or so old, and had pupppies with no vet care, and they and the mom all died of parvo.

Unfortunately we cannot force them to spay their dog. SO our responsibilty lies in keeping our young unneutered male out of trouble when she comes in heat, which could be any day.

We have a wood board fence which means he could conceivably climb out of it if he truly wanted. He is 2 years and 4 months and has respect for the fence right now. I would like it to stay that way. I don't know if I should expect to have to walk him around on a leash for 3 weeks, or really what to expect in terms of what his behavior may be like.

I would love any input here and any tips on how to make his life easier during this time. her pen sits about 30 feet from our fence.

And I am purposely refraining from spending this post giving my opinion of the neighbor except to explain the situation. because I could go on all day, but however they treat their animals, it is our responsibilty to control our dog, no matter the situation.

In my city it is illegal to have a female in heat outside, unsupervised and unleashed. They must be kept inside, except for leashed walks, for the duration of their heats. Even behind chain link, they can not be out alone.

I would check with animal control and see if this law (or something similar) exists in your area.

If not, then it will be up to you to make sure that your male does not get to the female...I know, but you are the responsible one here.

Another option would be to contact a rescue who does mobile spay's for free. Ask them if this would be a case they would be willing to assist you with. If you approach the owners with a solution that will cost them nothing and not put them out any (having to drive the dog to the vet), they may be more receptive. And I would approach it like "Oh, this rescue stopped by my house yesterday offering free spay/neuters, did they stop by here too?", "It sounds like a wonderful idea, I could call them to come out if you'd like?"....you know, act stupid....Its hard, I know....LOL

I will try to check with animal control, but they leave a lot to be desired out here. But it is worth a shot. I have already checked into the low cost spay option in our area. I even checked with my vet, being willing to go have it done myself, and believe me they would allow it if it took the responsibility away from them, but he wants $205 to do it, and I just can't swing that.

We truly do take our dog being unneutered very seriously. It is our responsibilty to keep him contained. I mean what if a true breeder lived next door, and there were dogs in heat all the time? we thought about it before making the decision to keep him intact. Unfortunately we know from past experience if this dog comes in heat, the lab who runs the neighborhood unneutered has already been back to check her out, she will get bred by someone. And that is just sad, beyond sad.

i thought about maybe putting a bandana on him with some strong smell might help to disguise it. That may not be a drop in the bucket though to what a female dog puts out. I hate for the dog to be on a leash for 3+ weeks, for him AND for us. He lives inside but loves the cool weather and he likes to spend a lot of time outdoors at this time of year. Even with a good long hike under his belt every morning.

What breed is the 6 month old pup? Contact a breed rescue and see if they would be willing to help you start a donation project to raise the money for a spay. It is in their best interest to not have this dog bred, and if you are willing to help them raise some money, they may be more receptive to taking on the project. This is again, totally not something you HAVE to do, but the sooner it's done, the sooner your boy can go back to normal

It is true that if you had a responsible breeder next door you would still have to be careful, but the reality is that anyone who is breeding to improve their breed and their lines is going to do anything within their power to make sure no unsuitable males get to their females.

Yeah, I don't think the bandana thing will work, but using that female as a distraction for OB work is a great way to make light of this situation. Teach your boy to completely ignore her and her yard and focus on you instead. This really only works when you are there though, when you are not, his male instincts may take over.

Amazingly I got a call back from animal control. It must be true that they are trying to make a better name for themselves. A very nice volunteer who said state law says a female in heat must be contained, but a 3' chain link is considered contained. She did have a $65 max spay program if we can get them to take her or let us take her. FYI, these people don't need money, they need responsibility. Downside is the care she will need afterwards.

Getting them to spay her is a great thing, but controling mine is what I need to concentrate on if in fact she does not get spayed. OB work is a great idea. I had just been thinking of how to up the distractions at home while we were hiking this morning. Not my preferred method, though. :-)

I am not worried about him breeding her. That is not going to happen. Aside form all the moral issues of not allowing it to happen, I have a contract with the breeder about breeding, and with him having had an elbow issue, he will never be allowed to breed.

I AM worried about him contemplating trying the fence. I am worried about quality of life for all involved during the event. And the end result of an unwanted litter of mixed breed puppies. AC said they are so full right now anything through the door will be put down. That's a sad fact all over.