How to help my family take better care of their dog?

I live out of state but come home to my parent's house at the holidays and sometimes for a few days in the summer. We got a poodle puppy in 2001 when I was a kid and now, 12 years later, my family doesn't pay any attention to him. I come home for Thanksgiving and he is smelly and ungroomed, with mats in his fur, long toenails, and hotspots where he's been scratching at himself. He's stubborn and has to be coaxed out of his crate to go potty using cheese and other treats. Sometimes he will stay in there all day because my parents go to work in the morning and don't have time to spend 20 minutes trying to get him to go outside. If he does want to go out or be let back in he will whine until someone opens up the crate/opens the door. He can be aggressive around food or if anyone tries to put him on a leash/disturb him from his location on the couch. He will jump on people asking to be petted. At the same time he can be very affectionate and sweet, and loves going on walks once he is outside (although it is impossible to get him to heel). My parents protest that he is "untrainable," that they've tried working with trainers, and have basically thrown their hands up. A lack of money for training and pet care is not the issue here. They make sure he has food and water, and take him to the vet when they need to, but they're so frustrated that they've given up doing anything else.

It doesn't help that we have two adorable, well-behaved, low-maintenance cats, so our poor old family dog languishes in his crate all day long while my parents and youngest sister ooh and ahh over the antics of the kitten and older cat playing together. The dog and youngest cat snap at each other sometimes but my family just laughs it off and thinks it's hilarious. I'm not there very often and couldn't take the dog back home with me, but I don't know what I can do to convince my parents that our dog deserves better treatment than this and that his bad behavior is affecting their quality of life as well.

Any suggestions?

Anonymous2013-11-30T10:23:01Z

Let me start by saying I am very sorry to hear that! Since you can't take the dog back home with you, I would suggest giving him up. Or, maybe if you threaten to give him up your parents will realize how serious it is and take better care of him. If they think he should be given up, it will be for the best because it shows they no longer want him. You should look up no kill shelters in your area and consider giving him to one of those, or even place an ad in the newspaper or online. Some shelters are actually quite nice and they take the dogs outside to play a few times a day. (Depending on the size of the shelter) It may be hard to find a home for an older dog, so I really think you should try convincing your parents they need to take better care of him. I really hope it works out and you don't have to give him up because I understand you've had him for a while. Good luck!

?2013-11-30T10:17:36Z

You after 12 years are noticing a dog being abused? I think since you're the only one that notices the poor little guy isn't getting 20 minutes a day you may have to take matters into your own hands. Grow up and do something This poor little guy is going to live out his days being ignored and abused. Your eyes are open, you've answered your own question now take matters into your hands!