so, our anonymous submitter had lived at her house in austin, texas for about two months when she went out of town for the weekend. for the two days while she was gone, she left her dog outside in the yard. three weeks later, her landlord – who lives at a completely different address — received this note via u.s. mail…postmarked cedar rapids, iowa.
a little creepy, right?
EMAIL THIS POST TO A PAL!
203 responses so far ↓
#1 cornucrapia
Barking dogs suck. Team Cedar Rapids, however it happened. Put your dog in a kennel, beeyotch.
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:44 pm rating: 0
#2 martha
umm. not as creepy as someone who would leave her dog unattended in her yard for an entire weekend.
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:51 pm rating: +7
#3 Trickster
I would have called the SPCA, or local animal shelter, or whatever it is you have in Austin, Texas. Leaving your dog alone in a yard for 2 days?? Not ok. If you don’t plan on taking care of the animal, don’t get it in the first place.
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:51 pm rating: +1
#4 Becca
I’m sorry, but don’t leave the poor dog out in the yard. Suck it up and either take it to a good kennel or hire a housesitter.
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:52 pm rating: +1
#5 Trickster
But yes, the note is creepy.
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:53 pm rating: 0
#6 Ben
I almost expected that to be on the house next door to ours….
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:56 pm rating: 0
#7 Dogs Suck
No, dogs that bark in urban, or even suburban, areas suck. They’re loud and annoying. You should have taken it with you or left it in a kennel. The note is completely appropriate.
Sep 17, 2007 at 10:57 pm rating: 0
#8 Siegs
Never leave a dog unattended for that long!! Grrrr!
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:10 pm rating: +1
#9 Rachel B.
Team: why did you get a dog in the first place?
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:19 pm rating: +2
#10 T'ollie
Dog left for TWO DAYS outside! OMG! It’s a travesty! Unless, of course.. it has proper housing, and enough food to last for two days (that’s one reason gravity feeders were created).
I’m with the person who left her dog — however, she probably should have at least left it a few forms of entertainment as well.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:25 pm rating: 0
#11 WanderingPenguin
That dog was fuckin’ delicious.
And T’ollie is a bit of a T’wat.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:35 pm rating: 0
#12 Liz
Dogs need more than food, water, and a dog house. They need human interaction, attention, and love. The note was completely appropriate–had my neighbor left their dog in the backyard while they went away on vacation for a couple of days, they would have had a summons on their door when they returned.
Team Landlord.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:38 pm rating: +1
#13 WanderingPenguin
Take care of your dog:
Don’t leave it outside to go
Bark bark bark all day.
That’s a grumpy neighbour haiku.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:38 pm rating: +1
#14 Simster
Our neighbours dog barks a lot, our dog doesn’t. We spend time with our dog every morning and night and walk him as often as possible, they don’t. Pay attention to your dog and it won’t piss off your neighbours. Don’t piss off your neighbours you won’t get notes to your landlord - creepy or not.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:47 pm rating: +1
#15 WanderingPenguin
Hmm. #11 was supposed to say, “that dog food was fuckin’ delicious” (in reference to T’ollie’s comment). But I like how it turned out regardless of the typo.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:52 pm rating: 0
#16 Jaquelyn
Dogs are outside animals. Dogs bark. I am sure that dog was having the time of its life being free in a back yard to bark all day. Is that not the purpose of animal rights activists? To support an animal’s right to happiness and whatnot? I doubt greatly the woman’s intention being to starve and torture her animal—and she very likely gave it enough food and water. I am a cynic, but damn—negativity. I am team woman who knows what dogs really want.
Sep 17, 2007 at 11:57 pm rating: 0
#17 Minox
I’m for the dog. How does this person know it barks ALL day and night? Don’t they have a life? Maybe they should get a dog so they have better things to do. Were they sitting at the window watching, absolutely certain the woman’s friend didn’t stop by to feed the dog?
Dogs barking are really annoying, but it sounds to me like the note writer deserved it.
Definately P-A to send it to the landlord. If they were really upset, they would have stapled it to the dog.
Sep 18, 2007 at 12:00 am rating: 0
#18 eh
team note-leaver. nothing worse than incessant barking. i also hate people who think dogs barking is normal, healthy dog behavior because it’s not. it means the dog needs attention of some sort. it is disturbing the peace. not everyone works a day shift 9-5 job, ever hear of graveyard shift?
Sep 18, 2007 at 12:15 am rating: 0
#19 agirlie
Who the hell leaves their dog outside while they are out of town for TWO DAYS!
The post is written like we are supposed to say “oh, yeah, such a creepy note…people should leave their dogs unattended more often”
I vote for calling the dog cops on people who don’t pay the effing money to kennel their animals. Even if the dog had food and water and shelter for two days, you never know what could happen. Is it that hard to get a dog sitter?
Sep 18, 2007 at 12:18 am rating: 0
#20 BoggyWoggy
From the Dog:
“Arf, arf, woof, woof. Grrr, ruff! Bark, bark, bark!”
(ranslation:
Dumbshit! I want a new owner! You’re lucky I wasn’t stolen or shot!)
Sep 18, 2007 at 12:29 am rating: 0
#21 nunya
What’s creepy is some c*unt leaving her dog outside for 2 days. That note didn’t go far enough.
Sep 18, 2007 at 1:01 am rating: 0
#22 Wry Exchange
I agree with the Dog’s opinion as translated by BoggyWoggy. What kind of dumbshit would submit this note about herself?
Sep 18, 2007 at 1:13 am rating: 0
#23 Canthz_B
I may be biased so don’t shoot!! LOL
When I was a teenager we had a very large back yard so my father built a dog pen 50ft by 10ft behind our garage. Inside were two dog houses and our two dogs. They were outdoor dogs and to the best of my recollection only cam indoors once in about seven years…the temperature dropped below five degrees F. They were happy and healthy, walked regularly by us and did not bark unless there was some threat to bark at.
The note writer is from out of state, it seems likely he or she is a relative of a neighbor who complained during a phone call about the dog’s barking and cannot possibly have personal knowledge of actual frequency of the noise.
My heart wants to believe that this animal was provided adequate food, shelter and security such that 48 hours should not be considered an excessively long period. We know not how much time the dog spends outdoors when the owner is home by the way.
If the conditions were inhumane the actual neighbor should most definitely have contacted the authorities. Apparently the dog remains alive and well…WTF?
Sep 18, 2007 at 1:27 am rating: 0
#24 Canthz_B
Has anyone here ever watched “The Dog Whisperer”? Very interesting show on National Geographic Channel. Dog trainer Caesar often says that one of the best ways to keep your dog happy and content is to recognize its breed and allow it to do the job for which it was bred. Let a retriever play fetch often for example.
The note says that the dog barks at everything. It does not say the dog is barking at nothing. Could it be that this dog was happily guarding his master’s territory in his master’s absence and has never been happier? Hmmm.
Sep 18, 2007 at 1:42 am rating: 0
#25 Canthz_B
OOps, not below five degrees…it was supposed to say below 10 degrees to about five!
Brain got vapor locked I’m afraid!
Sep 18, 2007 at 1:54 am rating: 0
#26 tweedle
Believe it, or not; there are upwards of 300 dogs living within a 1/4-mile radius of my house.
The barking of many excited dogs, as at feeding time, is as white noise to me.
But the repetitive ‘yap!………..yap!…………yap!’ of some lone, bored dog gets to me like so-called Chinese water torture.
Sep 18, 2007 at 2:06 am rating: --1
#27 Annie
Jaquelyn, please tell me you’re just trolling.
If not, please, please, PLEASE don’t ever get a dog, for its own sake.
Sep 18, 2007 at 2:13 am rating: 0
#28 tweedle
As for the note:
I Like the “Tell her to shut that dog up” part best.
I see curlers, a house dress, hands on hips, a gal named Dorothy or Dolly or Edith –from Iowa– who is just FED UP!
I’m guessing the dog also barks when our good note sender is at work /away from home during the day. She doesn’t know Patches is barking because she isn’t there to be driven stark raving mad by it. Perhaps another dog to keep 1st dog company? A nice mellow non-yapping creature from the pound, one whom no one else will adopt ’cause he or she is too old? Everybody’s happy? er?
Sep 18, 2007 at 2:35 am rating: 0
#29 Canthz_B
That’s what I mean Tweedle…that “ya yap yap” or constant whining is a sign of distress. But a good hearty bark is just dog talk, by that I mean not always a bad thing in terms of the dog’s well-being. How can the note sender know from Iowa the nature of the dog’s vocalizations?
Team fresh air for animals.
Sep 18, 2007 at 2:36 am rating: 0
#30 K
No sympathy. She should have had worse than a note. I’ve seen dogs left by their owners even inside who freak out and can’t stop barking and bark until they are hoarse. They don’t do it in front of their owner, because when their owner is there they aren’t FREAKING OUT. Pay for a kennel or don’t have a dog. If you can’t be a responsible pet owner, you don’t deserve one.
Sep 18, 2007 at 4:24 am rating: 0
#31 Daniel
Team Vacation.
Seriously, if the dog had enough food and water for christ’s sake, quit having your panties in a bunch. granted, she should’ve had someone check on the dog or something, but if you’re only leaving for two days and the dog will be well fed and hydrated with lots of shade, then two days is not that long at all. goodness. a dog is a dog. it can fend for itself especially if it’s got the resources.
the barking can be annoying though, I do agree with that. get the mutt a bark collar
(hah, I kid. bark collars suck)
Sep 18, 2007 at 4:59 am rating: 0
#32 bobwong
Here’s to responsible pet owners–I’ll be staying the night at a girlfriend’s house for the next 2 nights to take care of her 2 dogs, 2 birds, and salt-water fish tank (which her boyfriend calls the tank of death) while they fly to Chicago.
Sep 18, 2007 at 5:03 am rating: 0
#33 Jayne
Dog ownership rules aside, the note IS very creepy. And.. umm.. IOWA? That is so odd.
Sep 18, 2007 at 6:36 am rating: 0
#34 claw71
I agree…Iowa is odd. Why did they make it a state?
This happened tome. Some dog across the courtyard barked all night every night from its balcony. I finally couldn’t take it so I struck an agreement with some guys I knew and we took that dog. Neuman, one of the guys, wanted to kill it but I couldn’t go through with it so we dumped that mutt out in the woods outside of town. The next night that damn dog was back on his balcony barking like a maniac.
Sep 18, 2007 at 6:43 am rating: 0
#35 Sam
OMG! The horror! She left a dog outside for TWO DAYS!!!!
Get a grip people, it’s a dog. They’re actually equipped top live outside.
I get so tired of the big deal we make about stupid animals. Women are killing their babies and getting off because of post partum depression but Michael Vick is going to prison for killing a handful of useless animals.
Then all of you animal lovers celebrate his demise over a juicy burger.
They eat dogs all around the world and some immigrants actually eat dogs and cats right here in the USA. Your golden retriever can feed a family of four for a month. Get a grip.
Team Food Chain.
Sep 18, 2007 at 7:07 am rating: 0
#36 claw71
I’ve got 20 bucks that says before the day is over the “anonymous” submitter enters a statement in her defense.
Hopefully she made better arrangements than food and water. I have two dogs and would never leave them unattended for more than an average workday. Until more facts are entered into evidence I have to say that the submitter is an irresponsible twit. She’s lucky the dog didn’t fall into harm’s way, whether self-inflicted or frustration-induced
I do think it’s funny that people offer submissions that make them look far worse than the person who authored the PAN.
Dear PAN, Look at the sign my boss posted in the kitchen after I made a grilled cheese sandwich:
“ATTENTION: After the fire damage in our office kitchen is repaired, stop putting cheese, meat and/or vegetables in the toaster!”
Sep 18, 2007 at 7:58 am rating: 0
#37 dawn
Team Doggie. I’d bark my head off, too, if my asshole human guardian left me alone outside for two fucking days. I’d want to be sure that everyone around me was miserable, too.
I cannot stand people who get animals and then treat them as if they had no needs of their own. Dogs are pack animals. Don’t leave them outside all the time! Whether you’re away or at home, they need contact.
Oh, and Sam? Caring about the welfare of the creatures who share this planet with us and caring about the plight of our fellow humans is not mutually exclusive. Some of us have the emotional capacity to do both.
Sep 18, 2007 at 7:58 am rating: 0
#38 ann
The note is a little creepy, but what it comes down to is this…barking dogs are annoying as hell. Don’t leave the f***ing dog outside. Team Cedar Rapids.
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:09 am rating: 0
#39 ms. m. m.
Here’s an idea: The person that wrote the note may have already had a bad experience with the dog owner (who is an ass, as far as I’m concerned) over the barking dog, and not wanting another confrontation, went the super-duper-anonymous route.
And I have to say, at least here where I live, dog owners are a defensive bunch. The two times I asked two different owners of incessantly barking dogs to please do something about it, I was treated to endless harassment (including dog sh** left under my car tires).
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:24 am rating: 0
#40 ms. m. m.
P.S. - I bet the submitter is one of those people that leaves dog sh** all over the yard, too. Mmm, the neighbors must love the aroma on a hot summer Austen day…
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:27 am rating: 0
#41 ms. m. m.
pardon, Austin!
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:28 am rating: 0
#42 Rachel
Hahaha. I’m Team Sam. That comment was great.
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:28 am rating: 0
#43 pry
autin texas? outside for two days and nights? she’s lucky she only got a note, jeez.
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:34 am rating: 0
#44 Blah was delicious
The first couple of times I saw a comment like “That dog was delicious” I thought it mildly humorous. Its just not funny anymore. I’m team “Quit being a copycat and try to think of something original for once in your very stupid life.”
Seriously.
Oh, and that dog was delici … uhh, never mind.
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:41 am rating: 0
#45 pry
oh and sam, that old fake logic trick where you pick a horrible, unrelated practice and then compare it to the idea in question…..it doesn’t work. you can feel any way you want to about animals; you don’t have to own one. it’s irresponsible and illegal to leave an animal exposed to the weather (assuming she did). in my experience, the way someone treats an animal in their care says a lot about his character.
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:46 am rating: 0
#46 Absolutly
The fact that the letter was written to the landlord at a different address just goes to show that I have always been right about what IOWA stands for: Idiots Out Walking Around (hey Iowans, before you jump on me, I can say this, I am a direct decendant of a Iowan)
As for leaving your dog outside for 2 days, in my opinion: Not Cool. My doggie went everywhere with me, so why not bring Rover with you Anon??
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:03 am rating: 0
#47 sunshine
maybe the dog barked because the note writer or someone kept hanging over the fence yelling shut up at it. i agree with claw about needing more information. i don’t leave my dog alone longer than a workday either. if i go somewhere for more than a day, i either board the dog at the vet’s or make arrangements for someone to come by and check on her. on the other hand, i live in a very rural area, and most of the people around here have no problem with animal noises. as a matter of fact, one of my neighbor’s german shepherds is barking her head off right now. unless i know the dog is being mistreated, i tend to leave the situation alone.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:36 am rating: 0
#48 T-Bone
bobwong: “the tank of death”? What– is it filled with pirhanas? Awesome!
Austin Dog Owner: don’t leave your dog outside for two days. That is complete bullshit.
Now, Dog Owner, if you’d left your charge some money so he could go downtown to hear some live music while you were on vacation, that would have been different.
claw71, bet you’ll be twenty bucks richer by the end of today.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:38 am rating: 0
#49 Katzndogz
The only useless animal in this thread is Sam.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:39 am rating: 0
#50 e
Creepy note.
It’s two days people. Get a grip.
I guess there’s no such thing as an outside dog, right? The nerve.
I knew this note would incite a riot.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:46 am rating: 0
#51 lala
@ Sam: shutup.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:48 am rating: 0
#52 lala
@sam again: just because you like raping and beating dogs or whatever, doesnt mean everyone has to agree with you ignorance.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:50 am rating: 0
#53 the sos
folks, i grew up in austin, and there are far too many people in that town (and that part of town) to intervene if the dog was being mistreated. i’m willing to bet a shitload of money i don’t have that she had someone checking on that dog.
frankly, the fact that the note came from IOWA and given the area of caswell (walking distance to UT) sounds like someone’s too much of a pussy to deal with this on their own and mommy wrote a note to get her out of gym.
team let us know you had people checking on the dog and neighbor, grow the fuck up.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:52 am rating: 0
#54 GhostWriter
Objection- The notion of the dog being left outside for a weekend is irrelevant!
Here’s why: the note was delivered three weeks after the weekend trip, and does not specifically mention the weekend in question. It simply spouts exaggeration (honestly, how can a dog bark at “everything“?) probably a result of ongoing daily barking.
The submitter was unwise to offer her weekend confessional- but it doesn’t hurt her case.
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:57 am rating: 0
#55 mere
umm.. i feel bad for the dog. i get that it was (only) 2 days, but i still feel for the dog.
team: sad doggy
Sep 18, 2007 at 10:01 am rating: 0
#56 Jessie38
Haven’t you people ever heard of OUTSIDE DOGS? Do you all coddle your dogs and let them sit on your lap all day? Our dog is an outside dog 24 hours a day. He doesn’t even like being inside. Maybe a fucking neighbor was keeping an eye on the dog and making sure it wasn’t hurt and was feeding it twice a day or something. I’ve had dogs bark for an hour or two and I’ve said “Jesus, this dog has been barking all day.” Maybe the fucking note writer is EXAGGERATING. Someone said it was protecting the place, you bet your ass it was. The writer said it barks at everything, maybe the “everything” is passing people and he’s just annoyed with the dog reacting. You guys need to get a goddamn grip.
Sep 18, 2007 at 10:08 am rating: 0
#57 BoggyWoggy
I hate barking dogs…and I have 3 of them! One is a 99-pound Basset Hound! In honor of our neighbors, we moved our dogs out of the $1400 kennel area we built when we bought the home. If you want to read more about our experience, go to: http://rantasaurus-rex.com/
It’s a great site…and I wrote about our neighbors and what asses they are.
However, I also respect humans, so, once we found out our dogs were barking while we were at work, we immediately moved them into our beautiful backyard, which meant the herb beds were destroyed, but the dogs were quiet.
Sep 18, 2007 at 10:10 am rating: 0
#58 Cat Skyfire
If the dog was properly fed/sheltered, then being outside was no big deal. I’m also going to use the theory that the dog doesn’t usually bark a lot, and that the submitter isn’t just a jerk.
What makes this note SUPER passive-aggressive is that whomever sent it was so scared of being found out, that they had a friend from Iowa send it. That’s what’s crazy. I mean, you have to figure the note sender is a neighbor, because who else would be bothered if the dog barked. Yet the note comes postmarked Iowa, for an address in Texas?
That is creepy. Very very creepy.
Sep 18, 2007 at 10:11 am rating: 0
#59 mere
btw- i think claw just got her money. #50?
Sep 18, 2007 at 10:12 am rating: 0
#60 Oedipa Maas