Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Have you heard this dog in distress?



An EVG readers shared this flyer, posted outside a building on the north side of Fifth Street near Cooper Square.

Per the sign:

Have you heard a dog on 5th or 6th street that is in possible distress?

There have been reports of a dog crying out daily.

We are anxious to help the dog if she/he is being crated all day.

We are trying to locate the building and/or apartment to help this animal.

And there is an email address here to use to share any information.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Crating a dog all day is cruel. People in other countries think it is insane that people do it here in the U.S. I wish NYC would make it illegal. I have always had dogs and never felt the need to crate them when I leave my apartment.

Anonymous said...

Are you fucking kidding?? Dogs howling, yelping, crying all day long is not indication of crating. Just indication of a self centered asshole who doesn't care about neighbors, dogs, or anyone but themselves.

Anonymous said...

I've heard it too. Although several variations exist, the most basic story tells of a dog by the name of Coco who kills her puppies as revenge because her mate left her for a younger dog. When she realizes what she's done, she drowns herself in the East River. But she is not permitted to enter the afterlife until she has found her lost puppies. Coco wanders East 5th or 6th Street, searching in vain for her puppies, crying in distress.

Gojira said...

There's a crated dog in 528 East 11th Street, whose owner is a bus driver always working double shifts, which means the poor critter is left alone all day and often part of the night, crying to the point of heartbreak. This has gone on since 2009. But when I have tried calling the ASPCA over the years to report it, they always tell me they do not consider this to be animal abuse. Not sure what else to do - anyone got any suggestions?

JM said...

I like Anon 10:41's version. Especially on a cold, windswept, autumn night.

Anonymous said...

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

There's a similar situation somewhere between 8th and 9th; occasionally, sometimes late at night and sometimes during the day, you can hear a sad dog howling away. Fully agree w/ Anon @ 8:52.

Anonymous said...

It's Lady Gaga!

Anonymous said...

Back when the far east of the East Village was abandoned, there were packs of wild dogs roaming in and out of abandoned building, howling in the night. Maybe the ghost of what's to come???

Anonymous said...

When I adopted my wee puppy 10 years ago now I knew, as a single working person, there would be days when she was left on her own at home. Knowing this, before I brought her home I studied puppy training literature and from the minute I brought her home we embarked on intensive separation anxiety training. Now she doesn't even bother to get up from where she's sitting when I come home and doesn't even bark. Me leaving and me arriving is boring and nothing to get excited about. She goes to day care a few days a week but she's home a few days as well and she does just fine. She's a happy wee dog. My neighbors who work from home confirm that they never hear a peep out of her. It can be done.

These dogs that are howling and crying are suffering from severe separation anxiety. The sad thing is that with some training these dogs (and those of us who have to listen to their heartbreaking cries) would be so much happier. Don't be lazy. Train your dog. There's lots of training material online or there are plenty of trainers out there that specialize in this kind of issue.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else hear the cat yowling all night around 9th between 1st and A? I assume the cat is fine since it's been going on for at least a year, but I wish the owner would keep it inside or something.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 9:09 -- that's the way to do it, so thank you for being a responsible human being, which is a taller order to fill than most of us would like to admit. I'm afraid though that it's not as simple as telling people not to be lazy or that they should avail themselves of readily available resources. You're expecting people to behave reasonably. You can't expect to reason people out of attitudes that they didn't reason themselves into in the first place, which extends to lessons far beyond the scope of mere dog training.

Any person that shoves an animal in crate for any extended length of time (not saying that's the case here) and doesn't know that they're causing potentially irreparable psychological and physical harm to the animal is so far divorced from being human it really makes you wonder just what motivates them. If you need a book to tell you not to bite the heads off kittens, what hope is there for you?

Anonymous said...

There are too many dogs around. Why jave a dog if you live in an old tiny apt and are gone all day? Seems abusive.

Anonymous said...

"intensive separation anxiety training"

Hi Anon,
What did you do? What worked? Pls. could you direct to literature/author/trainer whose work actually worked. Thanking you in advance for any info or leads.

Anonymous said...

10.04 am Most separation anxiety training focuses on desensitizing the dog to you leaving thus reducing their stress. Seriously you can google this stuff and there are bookstores full of dog training books. I don't remember the exact book I read, I think it might have been called Positive Dog Training or something similar. There was a whole process of leaving the house and then coming back in before she reacted and praising and treating her for not reacting and then repeating over and over with longer gaps between leaving and coming back in. Lots of positive reinforcement and treats. Cesar Milan has some good training tips on his website too.

The key is persistence. Most people try for a few days and give up.

I also buy her dog puzzles which you can get on Amazon. She has lots of different ones and I rotate them so she doesn't get bored. I put a couple of them down on the floor the moment before I leave. Something for her to concentrate on whilst I'm walking out the front door. She's busy figuring out how to get the treats out and by the time she's done, I'm long gone and the stress trigger has passed. It works for us. She loves them!

I always make sure we take a long, vigorous walk in the mornings before I leave as well. A tired pup who is asleep doesn't care if you're not home.

If you need more personalized one on one help, there are local trainers like Andrea Arden that can help you out. Try andreaarden.com

I hope that helps!

bayou said...

@anon 10:04 - contact Village Dog Works obedience. Best in the neighborhood!

A dog walker is the best money I spend - endless peace of mind and supporting local creative community.

IzF said...

Any updates?

Anonymous said...

Also: owner could be dead and animal has no food/ water.