Why do some people have a dog

Sometimes I just do not understand why some people have dogs. There is a family who live in the next road. In the five years I have lived here I have only once seen the dog out for a walk.

The dog lives in the garden. She has a shed for shelter. If it gets very cold they do put her in the garage, you can hear her barking. The garden stinks with the smell of dog poo. They go away on holiday a couple of times a year and she gets left in the garden. Obviously she gets fed as she survives. Her coat is obviously not brushed. She is clipped every year or so when her coat is very tangled. The poor old dear is now obviously both blind and deaf.

Still she has had her revenge. The house was put up for sale about a year ago. Usually houses round here sell very quickly. This house is still on the market. I suspect that prospective buyers get to the front garden and the stink hits them and they run

Why have a dog?

Thats horrible, cant you report them to the authorities there?

I do not go to my brother's house as I cannot bear to see his dogs. They have never been walked. he has two dogs, one is 7 and the other is 2 yrs old. and what the OP says about this dog is exactly how my brother treats his dogs. I have asked him numerous times why he has dogs and that he is being selfish as he has no time for them and they are just left outside with shelter with nothing to do at all. He says there guard dogs, but he doesnt have any signs up saying there guard dogs. Neither dogs are trained. he makes me so sad and mad that i cant bear to go to his house. He has said to me also I will pay you to take them out, however, they are not trained at all, have had no socialisation at all and I dont have the time to trian his dogs, as I work full time and have two dogs of my own. I feel like it is a waste of a dogs life. I have also tried to report him but as they have shelter, food and water, there is nothing that can be done.

I have no idea why people like that have dogs. I guess they are just horrible?

Not quite as bad as the poor dog you describe, but there is a guy who lives near me who has two Australian Cattle Dogs. The dogs are kenneled outside 24/7 in a small kennel (his garden backs onto the pavement and you can see/hear them). Once in a blue moon, usually on a warm sunny day, they are "walked" to the local shops -- both muzzled and on a short chain lead. I've seen the dogs get whacked on the nose for attempting to sniff. So basically these dogs lives consist of the inside of a kennel pretty much 24/7 with no stimulation or a 10 minute walk on a very rare occasion. I have no idea what pleasure the man gets from keeping them that way and vice versa. I suspect like Jugsmalone brother, this man thinks they are guard dogs.

It's such a sad situation for the dogs.

I absolutely hate to see lazy dog owners My sister is also one of those

I really feel for the poor dogs

I don't think our dogs realise how lucky they are - in fact I told them only this morning while we were out walking, but I think they were too busy to listen racing through the woods.
It really, really upsets me when I see or hear of dogs being poorly treated - life for dogs (and humans I guess) is a total lottery as to who becomes your 'guardian'.

I commented to my pal at 6.30am in the middle of the forest, that we walk every day, whatever the weather, this morning that our 3 are very lucky to have landed with us. We were both saying when we come back we want to come back as a dog who has an owner like us.
I do feel sorry for some dogs as they have no choice as to who they live with.
I do not understand why some people have dogs either.

My neighbour has a dog and in the 5 years we have lived here I have never once seen them walk the dog , it is a cute little JRT who barks at eveybody and anything that walks past, it seems in good health but in terms of excercise all this poor gal gets is to run round the garden

People opposite me have a beautiful black GSD type that never gets taken out, is either out in the garden barking its head off or shut up inside.

There idea of walking the dog is opening the front door and letting it run to the bottom of the road and back !

My other neighbour said that the woman had said they wish they'd never got the dog, they've had it since i've been here which is 6 years so why don't they do the decent thing and give the dog up to rescue where it has a chance of getting a proper home.

Makes me sick to be honest. I have thought about offering to walk the dog but i can't stand the people, i've had words before so not sure how they would react if i asked, i'd be doing it for the dogs sake not theirs

My sister in law met a girl recently with a Pug puppy, SIL asked where the Staffy was that she usually had with her and was told that it escaped and the dog warden wanted x amount, she wasn't prepared to pay it!
I'm sure however much it was didn't compare to the cost of a Pug pup.
Another Staff in a rescue, if it got that lucky!