‘I am so disappointed in our justice system and awful humans’: Cops fail to intervene when neighbors lock dogs outside in sweltering heat

Anyone who’s ever loved a dog is well aware that our goodest boys and girls must be protected at all costs, but not everyone is qualified to meet those needs.

If you’re not equipped to be a dog owner, that’s all well and good, but you take on responsibility by bringing a dog into your family. Most people take that responsibility seriously, but one TikToker’s neighbor is shirking their duties in the worst possible way.

TikTok user @mostlypenelope largely builds her page around her cat — can you guess her name? — but she took a break from feline content to zero in on her neighbor’s dogs. From @mostlypenelope’s second-story window, she’s got a great view of her next-door neighbor’s yard, which gives her front-row seats to the abuse their poor dogs are suffering at heartless human hands.

From her vantage, @mostlypenelope has a clear view of the pair of American Bullies living in her neighbor’s back yard. A nice enclosed yard is wonderful for a dog, but only in the right temperatures, and not for all hours of the day. Unfortunately, that seems to be what the pups next door are enduring, despite the high summer temperatures, and @mostlypenelope is scrambling for a solution.

In her first video, the TikToker records as the clearly overheated dogs seek out any inch of shade they can find, as a minor relief from the heat. In a text overlay she asks TikTokers for advice on what to do, noting that it’s more than 100 degrees fahrenheit in her area. A follow-up video shows what she settled on, and — while it was certainly a good effort on the content creator’s part — even calling the cops wasn’t enough to give the dogs more than a temporary reprieve.

Taking the advice of her viewers, @mostlypenelope summoned the police, who showed up to check the situation out. Unfortunately, the cops were unable to do anything to help the poor overheated pups. They informed @mostlypenelope that they’re unable to help, since the dogs have a dog house in the backyard, which technically makes their outdoor imprisonment lawful.

The neighbors were clearly aware of the optics of leaving their dogs outside, however, since they invited them in for the duration of the police visit. Once the cruiser was gone, however, the dogs were right back outside, panting and hunting for shade of any kind.

Every animal has the chance of overheating eventually, but many dogs are particularly susceptible. While American Bullies aren’t among the most susceptible to heat, their short noses often situate them in the brachycephalic camp, and brachycephalic dogs are among the most endangered when it comes to high temperatures. An inability to properly regulate heat due to their short snouts makes hot days much harder for breeds that fall under the umbrella, which puts those neighbor dogs in even more danger.

A few suggestions, scattered amongst responses to @mostlypenelope’s videos, may provide relief for the poor pups, at least. While it seems the TikToker won’t be able to provide a bowl of water, given the tall privacy fence separating their yards, she may be able to spray a hose or sprinkler over the fence to give them a cool-down. She can also continue to reach out to the police, call nearby animal shelters, and reach out to local organizations, neighborhood groups, and news stations.

@mostlypenelope seems determined to do everything in her power to help the dogs stay cool — and breathing — through the summer heat. Heatstroke runs the risk of not only permanently damaging the dogs, but — if left unchecked — taking them from this world, which makes the TikToker’s efforts — and the support she’s finding among commenters — all the more vital.

A final update — for now — on the matter clarifies that @mostlypenelope and her husband are working hard to help their canine neighbors out. They’ve called numerous resources, plan to call the humane society, and have asserted that they’re not giving up. They’ll keep putting in the work to get those dogs to safety, and hopefully the next update will see them removed from the neighbor’s custody and placed in a home that actually cares for them.