Mistreated Dog

[Kira]

So I work at a doggie day care and there is a 6 month old husky mix that comes in sporadically. I'm concerned about him because I can feel his ribs way better than I should be able to. I can't see them since he has so much fur but they definitely stick out. He only gets fed once a day, 3 cups at 6AM and isn't allowed to have water after 4PM. Whenever he comes here, I feed him 3x per day and he has access to water 24/7. Clearly he is super hungry because he eats like a starving wolf. His owner occasionally feeds him frozen mice and wanted us to do that while he was boarding with us but thankfully my manager shot that down. (We had to throw away a pack of 6 mice...)

Basically, I feel awful for this dog but I don't know what to do about it? I can't afford to lose my job so I don't know what to say to the owners. My manager hasn't said anything yet either but I know it also really bothers him how this poor dog is treated. Opinions?

[MissterDog]

Why isn't he allowed to have water after a certain time????

If your manager seems bothered by it, is it possible you could talk to him about it to see where he stands? Atleast that way you can check and see where you could overstep or not since you're worried.

[Kira]

Because they think it will make his poop runny yet they let him drink out of a river. It's bizarre. I think that's a good idea. I'm just so frustrated with these people. Some people should really not own animals!

[AbsoluteApril]

Because they think it will make his poop runny yet they let him drink out of a river.

Simply curious and you may not know (and I'm not asking you to ask the owners!) but I wonder if they keep him outside during the hours they restrict the water but he has access to the river? Not saying it's right, just wondering if they feel this is good enough (since they seem to have some odd views on what the dog should have).

anyways, what a mess! I hope the pupper is okay in the long run.

[KMG]

Simply curious and you may not know (and I'm not asking you to ask the owners!) but I wonder if they keep him outside during the hours they restrict the water but he has access to the river? Not saying it's right, just wondering if they feel this is good enough (since they seem to have some odd views on what the dog should have).

anyways, what a mess! I hope the pupper is okay in the long run.

Good call.

Im a country boy and growing up my dogs drank out of all the ponds and creeks we would play in. Even today my dogs drink lake water when I take them fishing on my boat.

[Kira]

Simply curious and you may not know (and I'm not asking you to ask the owners!) but I wonder if they keep him outside during the hours they restrict the water but he has access to the river? Not saying it's right, just wondering if they feel this is good enough (since they seem to have some odd views on what the dog should have).

anyways, what a mess! I hope the pupper is okay in the long run.

I'm honestly not sure . Either way they wanted us to take away all of his water after 4PM and not give him water until 6AM so it's still a 14 hour period without water:/

[MissterDog]

That's the stupidest reason I ever heard and I question their general intelligence. They should not be owning a dog! I wouldn't even know how I'd react to the situation but ugh, I definitely feel your frustration and anger!

[KMG]

Seeing the dog would help us confirm your worry.

My Old English Bulldogs only eat once a day but they would eat twelve times a day if you fed them that much. They are pigs but feeding the proper amount once a day has them both in great shape. Most people overeat and if they do it they are extremely likely to overfeed their animals as well. Just like we have a large number of obese Americans there is a large number of overweight dogs. A dog shouldn't look like a sausage.....unless it's a dachshund. Lol!

Eating mice may seem weird but there are plenty of people that feed their dogs nothing but raw foods. Mice may be out of the norm(for a dog) but I'm not going to condemn this person as bad dog owner because of it. Plenty of people here give left over mice and rats to their cats so I don't think you should be concerned with that.

[MissterDog]

Seeing the dog would help us confirm your worry.

My Old English Bulldogs only eat once a day but they would eat twelve times a day if you fed them that much. They are pigs but feeding the proper amount once a day has them both in great shape. Most people overeat and if they do it they are extremely likely to overfeed their animals as well. Just like we have a large number of obese Americans there is a large number of overweight dogs. A dog shouldn't look like a sausage.....unless it's a dachshund. Lol!

Eating mice may seem weird but there are plenty of people that feed their dogs nothing but raw foods. Mice may be out of the norm(for a dog) but I'm not going to condemn this person as bad dog owner because of it. Plenty of people here give left over mice and rats to their cats so I don't think you should be concerned with that.

Honestly the most worrying factor is that they are cutting off the dog's water.

I really don't think this is a potential overweight or diet issue, I think this is a case of owners being completely oblivious and putting restrictions not for the dog's health but for their own convenience.

[KMG]

Honestly the most worrying factor is that they are cutting off the dog's water.

I really don't think this is a potential overweight or diet issue, I think this is a case of owners being completely oblivious and putting restrictions not for the dog's health but for their own convenience.

I agree.