What to do about a dog living at an apparently empty house?

DEAR JOAN >> I live near a house that has recently gone dark. The house used to have many comings and goings, but now nothing. All lights, exterior and interior, are dark at night.

The only recent activity at the house is a large guard dog that barks and howls all night and the owner’s kid coming by once for a few minutes in the past week, according to neighbors.

I have contacted law enforcement and animal control, and they said there is a doghouse and food for the dog, so they cannot do anything.

Are there any other avenues I can take to help the dog and our sleep and sanity?

I realize that if it has food, then someone is coming occasionally to feed the dog, but no one is there with it regularly. The dog is fenced in the front yard, which is chained closed.

The dog has a history of biting and is used as a guard dog by the owners, so I don’t feel safe approaching it.

I haven’t seen the owners of the dog, so I can’t speak to them. Any suggestions and resources would be greatly appreciated. — C.V., Bay Area DEAR C. >> This is just heartbreaking, with no easy solutions nor much hope for a happy ending.

We’re missing some critical information, the first of which is what happened to the family that once lived there? Are they on an extended vacation, or were they forced to temporarily relocate? Have they moved away with plans to bring the dog later, or have they left with no intentions of taking the dog?

The answers to any of these questions aren’t likely to help you sleep better at night, but they can point us in the direction that we need to go.

If the family will be returning, then you might just have to wait it out. If the dog is being fed and has a place to stay, it’s not ideal, but it won’t meet the definition of abandonment or cruelty (although I could argue it does), and law enforcement already has told you it can’t do anything.

If the owners have indeed moved with no plans to return, they need to come get their dog or make arrangements for it to live elsewhere, not restrict it to the yard without human contact.

The dog has food and shelter but no loving interactions, which is reprehensible.

As you don’t live next door or across the street, you’ll need to enlist the aid of someone who does, who can grab the son when he’s rushing by and ask him some questions, or deliver a letter to his parents asking about their intentions and telling them the dog is being a nuisance.

If the dog did not bark wildly before the family left, there’s every chance that they aren’t aware it is doing it now. They need to know.

While you might not get law enforcement to pursue animal cruelty or abandonment charges against the owners, you can file disturbing the peace complaints, the same as you would if a neighbor was throwing loud parties every night. You’ll need to call the police every night and document the barking.

I’m afraid none of this is going to end well for the poor dog. Readers, any other suggestions?