No Good Doggy Momma!

The Situation

At Michael Guadagno & Associates, we ALL LOVE dogs. We all rescue dogs from the shelter and our social media and marketing guy, Patrick Cox, is on All Breed Animal Rescue of the Carolinas board of directors. So when someone comes in concerned for the well-being of their pet, we jump into action.

A while back, we were visited by a gentleman who lost his mastiff, Spot, in a custody battle and was concerned the dog was not being properly cared for in his new home. Since his ex-wife worked close to home, she made a good argument why she should have physical custody of the dog, as she would be able to run home and walk the dog on break. The Client was told he would be able to see the dog whenever it was practical. They also split the cost of dog care fifty-fifty. He felt that she was padding the bills and didn't understand why there were so many doggy day-care visits since she got custody due to her ability to go home and care for the dog.

The Assessment

According to our Client, he was never allowed access to the pooch because of one excuse or another. He told us that whenever he passed the house, the dog was always in the yard, alone. Regardless of the weather. He needed proof to take her back to court so that he could take custody of the dog.

This was not a complicated case. It was only going to take 1 team member. Since I am a dog lover to the extreme, I took up the investigation.

We Got to Work

First, I positioned myself outside of the house before dawn. The wrought-iron fence gave me a clear line-of-sight into the backyard. Sure enough, the large dog was in the backyard, tethered to a large doghouse. It appeared that there was a food and water dish nearby. NO food in the dish, but he had access to water. Okay, some dogs only get fed once a day.

I sat in my car and watched as the ex-wife left the house, and never even checked on the dog. She didn’t even give him food or take him for a walk.

I stayed on the block, staking out her house. One of my team mates arrived to give me a break. I was gone for three hours and when I returned, my team member said that no one came to take care of the dog. I could see that the dog was walking around the yard as far as his tether would allow him. It looked as if the yard hadn’t been cleaned in quite awhile.

Around 5:30, the ex-wife arrived home. I watched her go into the house, turn on the lights and it started to rain. I watched her go out into the yard and dump a scoop of food into the dog’s bowl, fill his water bowl and then go back into the house. And the temperature was dropping. Before too much longer, I had to start running the heat in the car.

Around 9:00, she went to bed and the dog was still in the yard, now in his doghouse for protection from the early winter elements.

I went home, annoyed and angry at how some people just don't care about the needs of others. I returned the next morning, Saturday. around 8:00 am. The ex-wife went into the backyard and put Spot on a leash and lead him into the house and into the car. I followed her to the local doggy daycare, where she dropped him off and then went shopping, spent a few hours at the day spa and then picked him up afterward. She then took him home, re-tethered him to the doghouse and then went back into the house.

It was cold, freezing rain was hitting my windshield and the poor dog was outside. And she hadn’t even walked him in over 48 hours.

I recorded the entire 2 days including weather conditions, the deplorable conditions of the yard and her apparent disregard for the dog. I also recorded my client attempting to visit Spot and how his ex-wife telling him that it wasn’t a good time and shutting the door in his face.

Now the Ex is the One in the Dog House!

I was able to present our client and his attorney with the videos and my statements.

This story has a happy ending. Our client brought Spot to my office to inform me that his attorney had appealed the judge’s decision and awarded full custody of Spot to him and forbid the ex-wife from having any kind of contact with Spot or the client.

This woman had no care when it came to the dog. Unfortunately, she felt the need to take her anger toward her husband out on an innocent creature. Thank goodness the dog was not hurt. I love it when it all works out for the best.

Interested in helping out a local animal rescue? All Breed Animal Rescue is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing senior and disabled pets. They currently care for nearly 2 dozen forever fosters on their farm and they need your help. Food and medicine costs are increasing while donations are not. If you can help, please visit All Breed Animal Rescue and donate today. You can make a one-time donation, join their League of ALLBARC Superheroes and donate monthly or send them some items from the wish list. That way they can provide fosters with the food they need and properly care for the forever fosters on the farm.

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