I called the police on Friday night because I heard the dog yelping like crazy from inside the house. Don't know what is going on in that house.

I keep stopping by the house, checking the yard, even walking behind the house. It's filthy back there. Really gross. Not only filthy, but unhealthy. And there is a huge bowl of dry dog food on the side of the house. But I've never seen the dog outside. I'm tempted to bang on the door and ask the creeps if they have a dog and what kind of shape is he in. I did talk to a resident who was smoking on a fire escape a few days ago and I asked about the dog. But he said he didn't know anything about it. He said he had just moved in. I told him I had contacted the City about the dog. And I told him to warn whoever is inside that I'm keeping my eyes open and will call the police the next time I hear any distressing noises from the dog. When you called the police, did they show up and did they investigate at all?

It's not just the dog. The place is a mess, often w/ garbage piled up on the side, the wall falling into the street and people yelling inside. I'm going to try to call the Livable City Initiative this wk. I'm a homeowner and paying them paying them to be recognized as a licensed landlord, then it seems that part of their role is to get in touch w/ landlords that aren't doing their part. On their website they list these points as their role and mission:

Enforcement of the city's housing code and public space requirements.
Design and implementation of housing programs to support high quality, affordable, and energy efficient housing opportunities.
Educating and increasing awareness on solutions for neighborhood concerns.
Design and implementation of public improvements and programs to facilitate safer, healthier, and more attractive communities.

You're right about the filth. Last week, I walked in the yard and around the back, and it is filthy-beyond-filthy. The dog was not there are the time, but a huge bowl of dry food was next to the house, and an insulated wire about 4 to 5 feet long. I spoke to one of the residents and he claims it's not anyone's dog in the house. The discussion got heated. But he's lying. The dog is there today (Monday the 26th), tied to the house by that wire. I tried to approach the dog from an adjacent yard, but he barked so agressively that I backed off. I notified a Yale plainclothes officer passing by in a Yale police car. He said he would check it out and then notify the New Haven police. I finally reached the police on the non-emergency line, and the woman officer told me it was not abuse, as I described it -- despite all the desperate barking and yelping. She was not at all sensitive to the situation. But she said she would notify the animal shelter, which she says handles such cases. I, too, called the shelter, but they never answered the phone. It looks hopeless. If the police don't handle such a case, and if the contact officer is unsympathetic, what chance does that dog have?

Look...

Just sent an email to the Livable City Initiative, to Raphael Ramos (Deputy Director of Housing Code Enforcement) and Velma George (Neighborhood Specialist-Dixwell, Newhallville, East Rock). Explained the situation and asked how to best handle things.

The lack of responsiveness on the part of city agencies cannot go unaddressed. When an animal is suffering we need to insist that they act. The person police representative that handled "neighbor's" call was not exactly correct that chaining a dog is not abusive.

Connecticut S.B. 274A prohibits chaining a dog for an "unreasonable amount of time", and this situation, in which a number of people have heard the dog barking and crying day and night, is clearly an unreasonable amount of time. Neighbors also report hearing the dog stop barking and yelp when someone comes out of the home, which they suspect may mean it is being abused.

The city needs to investigate this situation (is the dog licensed? vaccinated?) and get this dog away from an owner who clearly does not have the means or desire to care for it properly.

I wish I could say this issue is closed. But I don't know that it is. I saw the same dog tied to the same house on a chilly morning four days ago. My heart sank. I thought that perhaps the Animal Control Officer had come and rescued the dog from the clutches of the cruel, neglectful people in the house. But obviously she had not. I have not seen or heard the dog since, however. Is he still in the house? I don't know. Will he be put out back again, tied with a short wire, neglected and alone and cold in this changing weather? Yes, he will be, if he is still under the control of the people in the Compton Street house. I plead with the Animal Control Officer to please come to Compton Street and rescue this poor dog once and for all. What more does a person have to do to try to save a dog in this city?

Yes, Animal Control, please investigate the conditions under which this dog is living, and City inspectors, please address the fact that this single-family home is being run as an illegal rooming house.

Has LCI looked into this? It might be hard to prove that the dog has been chained for an excessive amount of time since animal control can't watch the place all the time, but maybe LCI would be able to find evidence if they get inside the home to inspect.

I sent an email to LCI and heard back from Velma stating that she monitors that property regularly and spoke w/ the owner regarding our "LCI related concerns". ( I had mentioned the dog, the garbage, some of the tenant issues, the general disrepair of the wall/tree/yard). I haven't heard the dog in a couple of wks, they did take down the tree and repair the wall falling into the street, I haven't seen as much garbage, and I will say I haven't heard screaming and fighting, as I did in the summer. I will definitely keep an eye out though.
Regarding the use as an "illegal rooming house". Certainly they are renting rooms, but do you know for sure it's not a legal arrangement? Is it run by an agency or just the landlord?

Thanks, Melissa, for keeping on top of that house issue and the dog. Today is Wednesday, the 18th, and I saw the dog out in the yard today as I was driving down Compton St. around noon. He seemed to have a somewhat longer rope or wire attaching him to the house. He was standing up and wandering around the yard in a circle. Some sun was shining on part of the lawn. But he is all alone. No one ever walks him for exercise or for him to relieve himself. He remains a prisoner with occasional 'yard privileges.' It is heartbreaking to see him like this. Yes, the wall has been repaired, with a fragile wooden fence installed where the tree roots used to bulge. And the tree -- two trees? -- have been cut down. So the yard looks a little better-tended. But the dog remains a lonely prisoner. As for the legality of the rooming house: I am going on second-hand information from a person who lives in a condo next to the house. I do not have first-hand knowledge of its legal status.

I would guess that Animal Control has the right to knock on the door and ask to see the animal, if there is a complaint of neglect or abuse. The Animal control officer is, after all, a member of the NHPD.

During my morning walk today, I followed a fellow who looked like he might be a resident of the rooming house on 17 Compton Street, and I was right. He is. He is also the owner of the dog I've been writing about. I watched him enter the yard, where the dog was already outside, and the two of them went to the rear of the house. The dog was untied -- and looked happy and delighted to see the young man. The dog seemed relaxed. He wagged his tail. The young man sat down and the dog came over to him. They seemed to have a relaxed, comfortable relationship. The dog actually seemed comfortable with the young man. I stood on the sidewalk and called out to the young man -- he is very thin and slouched and slightly haggard and seems to be in his early-20's -- and I asked if it was his dog. He said yes. I said you really have to take care of him. You can't just keep him tied up outside all day and night. He said he doesn't. He said he is always outside himself when the dog is out (which is not true), and that he always lets the dog be free in the yard and never ties him up (which also is not true). But the young man would not come to where i was standing, and I could not hear everything he said. I told him he needed to take his dog for a walk every day. He mumbled something I couldn't hear. While I was talking, the dog headed toward me, in a friendly way, not an aggressive way, but then stopped about 8 feet away. The dog seemed okay. His owner is passive and neglectful, but does seem to feel some muted affection for the dog. It is hardly an ideal relationship. But for a brief time this morning -- Thursday, Sept. 19 -- the dog seemed to be safe and at ease. If an Animal Control Officer witnessed what I witnessed, she would probably conclude that the dog is not being abused -- at least not enough to be "rescued." I am not satisfied nor happy with the way the dog is being treated. But I probably have to back off a little, based on what I saw this morning.

The house is zoned as a single-family residence, and it is occupied by a number of unrelated adults, who report renting rooms. That is a violation.

I agree. But neither you nor I can correct the situation. I guess the local authorities, who can correct the situation, have agreed to look the other way. Looking the other way is a lot easier than actually doing something about it. That's true of everything!

Yeah animal control should step in so they can execute the poor animal when nobody adopts him. Get a life! Not everyone is a well to do busybody, but their relationship with their best friend is none of your affair.

This is about the dog. It's not about my life. It's not about your life. If a person is abusing his "best friend," then it's about all our lives. It's up to us to try to help that so-called "friend" by speaking up and saying he's in trouble and needs help. No one is entitled to abuse anyone, dog or human. Too many people, like you, just look the other way when something bad is happening. The overwhelming number of dogs at the animal shelter are adopted into loving homes. The dog on Compton Street would stand a very good chance of ending up in such a home -- if he hasn't already been emotionally crippled by his neglectful owner. The condition of that dog's life IS my affair. And it should also be yours.

The dog is long gone. So please close the issue. Which is to say: close it, close it, close it. How many times must I say that?!!