Don't assume anything. The law doesn't work that way. If you see them doing something, call the police. You are paranoid now. The women CANNOT steal your dog, even if it was being abused. They can go to jail for that. I'm sure they know that. And furthermore, if you have a German Sheppard and those women were messing with the screws, he would be barking like nobody's business. Did you hear him barking? I've owned a German Sheppard and they are one of the most protective animals you can have.
I agree, it was an accident and won't be happening again. That is over with. I'm worried about these crazy women is the problem. Unless some random person tried stealing my dog tonight, they came onto my property again in the middle of the night. That doesn't sit well with me clearly.
You are correct I have absolutely no proof they were out here so I don't know for sure. That's why I didn't call the cops. No paranoia it is just very odd a large screw lock carabiner would come that far undone in such a small amount of time. Regarding barking, I have never met a German shepherd like this one. She barks at absolutely nothing. I have only seen her get aggressive once when we were on a walk and another dog approached my son when he was in the stroller. She was ready to destroy the dog but she never barked, just a low deep growl. She lunged in between it and the stroller and the other dog took off. I truly wish she would bark more to alert us of things like that but she never does. She is a sweetheart to everyone that has ever come on the property. I don't know if that will change as she gets older or not. I would really like the occasional bark out of her for strangers! But the main worry is she is good with my son and protective of him when anything/anyone is around and she does that just fine
Time for a security camera to see if they are trying to take the dog when you're not out there. If they come in your yard again, call the police and have them arrested. Don't put up with that BS.
Can't help you with the trespassers question. Yet this is your question. You sound like a decent soul, well intentioned. Food provided for, someone checking on the dog, all that. great. The real question is: I would not agree to leaving a 10 mth old puppy outside for hours much less days, even though the dog is secured on your property. Puppies thrive on socialization. German Sheps, so smart and intense, especially 'need something to do', play & work. Unless this is an 'outside' dog, (used to live in N.C., pretty common, but I don't get it) in which case, why have a dog? Get an alarm system. As for the neighbor, call a truce and talk about it, before the both of you get beyond 'calm & rational', you are both concerned about the dog. Your neighbor has already interpreted your actions as depriving the dog. Even if the nutty neighbor slams the door in your face it is worth the try. A) Start with find what you agree on (care of dog) - find common ground. B) What is it the ONE thing you want to have happen, the outcome - be very clear on this. Strip it down to one thing. Alternative: live next to nutty neighbor. You do not want this.
If she doesn't come on your property, ignore her. If she comes on your property, call the police. From a nice safe distance, see what house she goes to. It will be nice knowing who you're dealing with.
Can you completely fence and make the backyard more private? Probably your HOA, if you have one, has strict rules for what can be put up, but hopefully something can be done. A fence, a few No Trespassing signs, and video evidence, should allow you file a complaint and press charges against these people. And if one is pretending to be an official animal control officer, that sounds illegal too. You might also look into an "invisible fence" collar system. Then she wouldn't have to be on a runner. Add some very visible no trespassing signs and call the cops if they step 1 foot on your land.
We don't have an HOA so I can put a fence up without any issue. Financially speaking though, I just don't have the money to put up a wooden fence right now but my wife and I are hoping to before the end of the year. It is like $4-5k according to the last quote I got. That would fence in most of the backyard (we have a relatively large yard). I might look into the wireless fence option. I had held off because I planned to buy a wooden fence so we could have the added privacy and so my son could play back there as well when he gets a little older. I should have called the cops immediately after I asked them to leave and they refused. The only reason I didn't is I figured before they could get there the women would be long gone because sometimes they can be kind of slow to respond to smaller issues such as this. That was definitely a mistake on my part. I will definitely be calling if they show up again. The good news is I know both of their full names now (thank you facebook) so in the event I have another issue with them I will be able to file a police report with all the correct info. I work out at the same gym as the one woman's husband, if I see him in the gym I will more than likely mention it to him. He doesn't know that is my house. I will explain that she is well taken care of and everything and politely tell him for his wife to please not come on our property again. Whether it will do any good or not I have no clue as my wife has walked out there to play with the puppy a few months back and he was standing in our back yard petting her. When my wife walked out she said he said hey and that he "just saw the dog and wanted to come pet her" then she said he seemed like he felt really awkward that she saw him out there and he just turned and walked off...what is wrong with people, he is a judge! He is the last person I would expect to just be wandering to the back of someones property to pet their dog. I have no problem with people wanting to come pet the dog, but when she is in the back yard you don't just wander back there unannounced to pet her. She is super sweet to anyone and everyone so I guess people like that they can pet her without any issues, but it is just a little odd. I think a fence would be a good idea for sure.
If he was on your property and then his wife did what she did, then i think they're in it together and you should let the police know now what has happened because if it comes up again in a dispute, you are going to be having a judge argue to the police on the other side. So you need to have your side in place in advance. If he was in your yard he is a scumbag and he will no doubt use scumbag tactics if/when there is a dispute and the police are called in. I would let the police know in advance what has transpired. Let them know he was in your yard and whatever his wife did.
I called yesterday and they told me they could send somebody out to talk with me, but I wasn't home at the time. I might call this afternoon after work and see if I can go ahead and file a report so I can have my end taken care of in the event they cause any more drama. The "animal welfare" lady basically said if I put a doghouse out there and make sure she doesn't tip over her water regularly that she will be satisfied but would regularly be coming to check. It was the judges wife that acted like no matter what we were terrible people. She then tried to criticize us for having 3 cars in our driveway while we were on vacation...she said "did you have 3 people watching this dog at all times because there were 3 cars outside the house all week!" She was making the most ridiculous statements about anything and everything.