Landlord Issues: Dog left in the rain.
I need some perspective regarding a situation with my landlords and their dog.
My landlords recently got a dog, and over time I have observed that he is often left alone for extended periods while they are out. When I say extended periods, I mean up to nine hours at a time. To be fair, the dog is generally well cared for in some respects: he gets taken to the park, he is fed good food, he is allowed inside the house, and he is treated as part of the family.
However, as we have moved into the colder winter months, I have become increasingly concerned about situations where he has been left outside in poor weather conditions.
One evening, when it was freezing cold and raining heavily, the dog was left outside while my landlords were away. More recently, there was another day when the dog was outside in the morning, which was not an issue because the weather was still fine. However, later that afternoon my landlord left again, and the dog remained outside while it rained for hours. He became extremely distressed, desperately trying to find shelter and warmth. He was visibly upset and barking incessantly.
The reason I did not simply bring the dog into my own home is because I have a nine-year-old Jack Russell/Fox Terrier cross who does not cope well with this dog's energy levels. The dog is a young Rottweiler and is extremely energetic. Another concern is that he has not received adequate training and is therefore very difficult to manage.
As much as I care about him and want to help, bringing him into my house creates problems for my own dog. On the occasions when I have allowed him into my yard or home, he has eaten my dog's treats, dug up items in the garden, and consumed my dog's food. I have responsibilities toward my own pet and cannot continuously accommodate another dog at the expense of her comfort and wellbeing.
Because of these concerns, I sent my landlord an email suggesting that we find a practical solution for the dog during winter. My suggestion was simply that there should be some form of sheltered space available for him when the weather is exceptionally cold, rainy, or windy. I was not accusing anyone of neglect; I was trying to find a solution that would ensure the dog's comfort and safety.
My landlord responded by asking why, if I cared so much about animals, I had not brought the dog into my own house. What I found particularly frustrating was that I had already explained that my own dog does not appreciate his rambunctious puppy energy and that bringing him into my home creates stress and discomfort for her. Despite being aware of this, he still chose to use my decision not to bring their dog into my home against me, rather than addressing the concerns I had raised about providing appropriate shelter during severe weather. He also accused me of using an isolated incident to make them look like bad people.
I do not believe this is simply an isolated incident. While the severe weather may have been unusual, the dog has been left alone outside on multiple occasions. Furthermore, they have had the dog since late summer and have still not provided a kennel or any other dedicated shelter for him. When I suggested that he either have a jersey during cold weather or that a kennel be provided, I was told that dogs have fur and that he is built for the outdoors, and that providing a kennel would be a waste of time and money as it would end up being decoration since the dog would not use the kennel.
As a result, things have become quite uncomfortable between us. I am now questioning whether I overreacted by raising my concerns, or whether my concerns about the dog's welfare were reasonable.
Eta: i did not leave the dog in that desperate state, i did create a makeshift set up for him and provided a snack to keep occupied. I do usually bring him into my home, but he has since grown and i can no longer accommodate him.
I have suggested daycare, which is very affordable for a full day, but am met with 'there's no budget'. Yet the quality of their lifestyle is pretty good.