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Puppy chained to tree in backyard

Posted at 11:09 PM, Dec 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-15 23:09:00-05

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - A concerned citizen called the authorities when she continued to see a puppy chained to a tree in the back of a Cape Coral home.

Neighbors say the hear the puppy's pained cries.

"Heartbreaking, I've even shed tears over it," said Kim Reum, a dog owner herself. "When you hear her cry like that, you want to cry and untie it," she added.

Reum and other neighbors say they hear the cries often.

"Probably three times a day, but when the dog is tied up it's for a long time," said Reum.

A Lee County Domestic Animal Services agent investigated the home. The report says "they didn't know" about the anti-tethering ordinance.

Jennifer Galloway is the director of the Gulf Coast Humane Society. She explains why it's so dangerous to leave a dog tethered outside alone.

"They could wrap themselves around a tree, hang themselves, choke themselves, knock over their water" said Galloway. "Heat is a big issue, and not to mention, we have coyotes in Florida," she added.

The 4-month-old puppy is inside a plastic crate in the garage along with a male pitbull in a metal crate.

According to the incident report, one of the owners told the agent "her husband wasn't able to clean them this morning."

Lee County Animal Services didn't take the dogs with them, but they did issue a warning. They want the crates to be cleaned.

Neighbors hope the dogs' homes will get better.

"They're not meant to be alone," said Reum. "When you put them by themselves by the tree, they think they did something wrong," she added.