Dog on second floor balcony....was I wrong?

So yesterday I was driving through my neighborhood down a main st. Now, I knew of this family last spring who got a yellow lab puppy and seemed to love him to pieces. Now, that he is a 10 month old unaltered teen it seems as though his hang out spot is a front porch balcony with a 3 ft. rod iron fence around it . I live in Mass. and it was quite cold yesterday morning. I was out for almost two hours doing errands and when I drove by again he was still out there. No bed, no water, no toys, NOTHING! Just a poor young dog chasing his tail and he was shaking from the cold. Well, I called the police station and reported it. I told them the situation and they said the dog officer was off cause of the holiday but that they would send a cruiser over there ASAP. Was I wrong to do that? I was told that I should mind my own business

I would have done the same thing. And I probably would have been told to mind my own business, as well, but who cares, since you just helped that pup?

Thanks seriously though, you would hope that the dog would be smart enough not to jump. But, my thought was that if another dog was going by the house with its owner and the balcony dog put his paws up over the 3 ft rails there is a chance of him falling if he leans over to far. That was my worry and why I wasn't going to mind my business Plus I told the person who told me that to go fly a kite......to put it nicely

Thank you for caring.

You did the right thing .

I think you made the right decision.

I think you made the right decision! if he really NEEDS to be out there then a dog house with proper insulation should be there for him! poor lil guy was probably freezing

you did the right thing, by law they at the very least MUST provide him with protection from "extreem temps" and water, and it sounds like they wernt providing either...

i too would also be concerend about the short rail, ive seen dogs get deseprate enough to try and jump something like that.

GOod for you. Poor baby.

Good for you!! I woulda called it in too.

the police officer told you to mind your own business????????

Wonder if they woulda told you to mind your own business if you said it was a child out freezing on the balcony. How the heck is it any different?

You def did the right thing

I agree.

Yup...no one has any business telling you to mind your own business. It is your business! You care about another living being and that makes it your business. I would have called the authorities too. That is just wrong to leave a dog in that kind of situation. Cruel, neglectful and shows indifference to a living creature. And for that person to take that stance with you shows that he/she has little empathy for an innocent animal, dependent on humans for it's well being. I hope something will be done about that poor pup.

unless it was below zero, I would have minded my own business. If it was 30-40 a dog can be out there for hours with no problems at all, especially a lab.

You did the right thing and I would have asked for that officer's superior! If he refused to transfer you, my next words would have been, "Then we'll see if the local news stations think I should mind my own business about a neglected animal, too."

WIth no shelter on a second floor are you serious? I know dogs that would jump to try to get to something warmer. 40 degrees would be uncomfortable but I doubt I would call. but 0? 10 degrees? IF it were that cold there is no way I could stand to see a dog out there for hours with nothing.

I hardly believe that a lab is going to be so desperate after 2 hours in temps that are more than comfortable for them, unless it was below freezing,that it is going to jump a 3 foot rail from the 2nd story to find something warmer. and YES i am serious.

Well, he might not care about the temperature, but I'd be more worried about stupid puppy/teenage brains... I don't see him jumping to find something warmer but I DO see him jumping to chase whatever critter he might see on the ground...

He is only a 9 to 10 month old lab pup. His coat isnt very thick, as a matter of fact his coat is almost sparse. I have seen labs with ultra thick coats as I know they are hunting dogs and water retrievers so they have the extra protection. This guy is young and his coat is thin, I also have a friend with a yellow lab who has a thin coat. I don't know.....And it was only around 19 degrees the other morning. It didn't warm up until later in the day. Either way it is no place for a dog to hang out, a second floor balcony with 3 ft. rails. I would NEVER leave my dog out there unsupervised! As for the police officer....he wasn't the one telling me to mind my own business. It was neighbors around the area. Too many people turn a blind eye and I ain't one of them!! Thanks for all who told me I did the right thing

It's not just about temperature. There was no shelter, no water and a not very high iron railing on a 2nd story balcony. In many places, leaving a dog unattended outside with no water and no shelter is illegal...for good reason. That's no way to leave a puppy.

Even though Labs are notoriously hardy in the cold, wind is hard on a dog. This dog, too, was shaking. It was either cold or frightened.

I hope this doesn't continue.

My son fell off of a second story balcony as an adult and broke his pelvis. A lab that age is capable of anything. I wouldn't want one out there without supervision let alone by themselves.

As to the cold...it reminds me of a conversation I had with Jim one winter day.

THe dogs are cold.

THose dog's aren't cold...look at them running around.

Gee Jim...lets see how long you stand still in your skivvies out there.

AT least they could run around to warm themselves..no running around on a balcony. THE wind is greater too the higher you go.