# Do you NOT exercise service dogs like a normal pet? And another question:



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Two questions:

1. Do you not exercise a service dog similar to the amount of exercise you would give your regular non-SD pet dog?

2. Are there situations where your service dog DOES NOT live at home with you?

Here's what's bringing me to ask: I have a neighbor who moved in with cats. I guess their cats started peeing in the house, so they threw them outside to become outdoor cats. We have packs of coyotes that roam our neighborhood, and we've had them come right up on our porch. Not sure how long these indoor (now outdoor) cats will last before they become yummy snacks.

So now the neighbor has come home with a dog. I rarely ever see the dog or hear it. I don't know how often it gets to go outside to go potty. I see the family take it for a walk maybe once a week, and other than that, no exercise. It's certainly not left outside to exercise itself or to go potty often, as my dogs would alert me to the fact that it was out there. They don't. Poor dog. I feel as though, if the family couldn't care for their cats to the point that they threw them outside, why would you go get a dog? Well, now we were made aware that they recently got a 2nd dog, a service dog. I've never seen it. EVER! Where are they hiding this dog? When they go for a family walk, they only have the "pet" dog with them.

I'm the type that wants to live in the country to avoid neighbors, so I'm not some creeper spying on my neighbors. I actually don't pay much attention at all. But certain things, you just can't ignore or avoid. This is one of those situations. I wish I didn't know or see what was going on, but since we're neighbors and I'm a big animal lover, I wonder what exactly is happening over there sometimes. Ha!

So I was thinking, maybe this SD is an animal that you go pick up and take around with you when you need it, and if you don't need it, it stays somewhere else? Maybe that's why I've never seen it being exercised, walked, taken to go potty.

Their pet dog is allowed to run around their unfenced front yard. We've caught it pooping on the opposite side of our house, out of sight of its owners. Drives me crazy. We will pull up in our driveway and the dog will come running up on our moving van. It's a cute dog, part GSD and all, but I don't want to accidentally run over their dog. I also HATE when any dog poops in our yard and the owners leave it there for us to pick up. In this situation, the owners didn't even know it was pooping because they couldn't see it. Now, any time this dog is off leash running around our yard, I come out of the house and chase it back over to their yard. It growled and barked at me, and then the owners recalled it and yelled at it. Poor dog. We haven't had too many issues, so I'm not so worried.

But the SD is a big mystery. I'm so confused. Ha.


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## Fun (Jul 16, 2015)

Maybe SD is a rumour. Since the dog popped on the side of your house, if you want, you could go to their house and kindly let them know and then conversationally ask about other dogs or pets they have.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Fun said:


> Maybe SD is a rumour. Since the dog popped on the side of your house, if you want, you could go to their house and kindly let them know and then conversationally ask about other dogs or pets they have.


Nope, not a rumor. Ha. It's been confirmed. I just think it's weird that I've never seen the dog. Usually people with SDs take them with them wherever they go, so there's no way to see the person without seeing their SD. This is a strange situation. I don't want to seem like I'm being nosey, but I also want to make sure the dog is being well taken care of. This family parks in their driveway, so even if they were taking/driving the dog away from the house to exercise it, I would see it go from the house to the car. I've never seen it at all, but I do see the other dog.


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## jschrest (Jun 16, 2015)

counter said:


> Nope, not a rumor. Ha. It's been confirmed. I just think it's weird that I've never seen the dog. Usually people with SDs take them with them wherever they go, so there's no way to see the person without seeing their SD. This is a strange situation. I don't want to seem like I'm being nosey, but I also want to make sure the dog is being well taken care of. This family parks in their driveway, so even if they were taking/driving the dog away from the house to exercise it, I would see it go from the house to the car. I've never seen it at all, but I do see the other dog.


Maybe the person needing a SD isn't one of the people you see regularly, but someone who is confined to the home, so the SD stays at home with the person in need?


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I have lived in several states. Idaho and Texas are the two that I would never bother the neighbors about their dogs unless I knew that the dogs were roaming or being abused. I would talk to them once about the roaming dog as a neighbor courtesy. The next time it happened, or if you saw abuse, I would call animal control and let them deal with it.

I witnessed a case of dog abuse here several years ago. It involved a Cain Corso being tied up to a pipe in the wall outside a business all day right across the alley from my house. They propped a piece of plywood up for it's shelter in minus degree temps. I called animal control and they said the owner was in compliance for shelter with the plywood sheet leaned against the building.

A boy about 10 was walking down the alley one day, the dog lunged out from the corner of the building at him. He freaked. I told him to come over by me and he got around the corner and ran. A bit later, the owner came out. The dog did not want to get in their car so the owner (female) proceeded to kick and punch it to get it in. She also had a baby in a car seat. I called animal control again. This time they responded with 3 police cars and confiscated the dog. The owner, upset and yelling that people should mind their own business ordered that the dog be put down and so it was killed. 

The reason for this is there are different attitudes in some areas. Your way may not be their way, and some people- well, you just don't want to mess with over small stuff. It can accelerate into a bad neighbor situation very quickly. I hope you get my drift. Or, the dog may end up being shot by the owner or chained to a tree for the rest of it's life. The owner's way of taking care of the problem. Which is legal in some areas.


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## Fun (Jul 16, 2015)

Yeah. When I mentioned going to their house, I meant it as a conversation between neighbors. If you're sure, then probably better to leave it. Also, there is possibility that the person with SD does not live at home? Boarding students or something similar.

Eitherway, I don't see many options for you but to hope for the best :/


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

jschrest said:


> Maybe the person needing a SD isn't one of the people you see regularly, but someone who is confined to the home, so the SD stays at home with the person in need?





Fun said:


> Yeah. When I mentioned going to their house, I meant it as a conversation between neighbors. If you're sure, then probably better to leave it. Also, there is possibility that the person with SD does not live at home? Boarding students or something similar.
> 
> Eitherway, I don't see many options for you but to hope for the best :/


 I don't want to go into too many details, but I know which person requires the SD. He's the person I see all of the time. I never once have seen this SD. That's why I'm asking. I'm just trying to learn, and not be too involved in their business. As long as the dog is being cared for, cool. But this is a family that just hasn't come across as the best home for pets, and yet they recently got 2 dogs. Just random and weird. It doesn't bother or affect me either way. I guess I'm mainly worried for the affect on the dogs in their home.


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## blueangele (Aug 5, 2013)

You could always start out a conversation with them like "I have a co worker who was asking me about service dogs because he/she knows I own dogs, but I don't really know anything about them...do you know anything about them? Or do you know of anyone I can contact about them?" Just get them started in a friendly conversation.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

I think the weirdest thing for me is that I see the family. I see them go for walks. They walk their 1 dog. I'm used to seeing people with SDs and the SD goes with them everywhere. In this situation, I've NEVER EVER seen the SD, despite the fact that I see the family going from the house to their cars, and from their house through the neighborhood on walks, but only with the 1 dog...NEVER the SD. Wouldn't a SD need similar exercise, or at least be with its human for comfort or whatever. I understand SDs are trained for various things, but why would you only exercise 1 dog and not the other...EVER? So strange. I can't wrap my head around it.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Do they still have the SD? Maybe it didn't work out. And really ... it's nobody's business to TRY to find out..


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

Now, that's what I'm talkin' about.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Galathiel said:


> Do they still have the SD? Maybe it didn't work out. And really ... it's nobody's business to TRY to find out..


As far as I know. This is a new situation anyways. Maybe you're right and it didn't work out. And yes, I agree, it's not my business to try to find out. I just want to make sure the dog is being taken care of. It would be weird to have a neighbor with a dog and you never hear/see it come outside. Indoor cats are one thing. What dog can live inside a house 24/7 without coming outside. I've never heard of such a thing. I guess if you train it to poo/pee indoors, but again, never heard of that. And at least they walk the 1 dog. Why aren't they walking the other dog.

Oh well, not my business until it affects me, and so far it doesn't.


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Fiona does not get exercised like a regular pet, because I am not physically able to take her on long walks. She walks when I walk when I need to go somewhere. Fiona gets exercised by chasing balls or playing with flirt pole. If I am not leaving the house to go somewhere, Fiona spends at most an hour outside over the course of a day.

I can't remember if SD is a GSD or not, but Fiona is the lowest energy GSD I ever met. She was picked perfectly for me. I am low energy too.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Cheyanna said:


> Fiona does not get exercised like a regular pet, because I am not physically able to take her on long walks. She walks when I walk when I need to go somewhere. Fiona gets exercised by chasing balls or playing with flirt pole. If I am not leaving the house to go somewhere, Fiona spends at most an hour outside over the course of a day.
> 
> I can't remember if SD is a GSD or not, but Fiona is the lowest energy GSD I ever met. She was picked perfectly for me. I am low energy too.


SD is not a GSD in this particular case. Their other dog looks part GSD. At least in your case, if you are out and about or even at home, it sounds like your neighbors would see your dog with you. I've never seen this SD in person, but see the family all the time without the SD.


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