A recent item in the Portsmouth police logs begs the question: Why own a pet that you basically ignore?

On Dec. 15, Animal Control Officer Ariel E. Fisher investigated a complaint that a dog on Redwood Road was being left outside for more than 14 hours in a 24-hour period. (Under Rhode Island law, no dog can be tethered for more than 10 hours or confined in a pen or other shelter for more than 14 hours in a 24-hours period.)

The couple that lives there confirmed the dog was kept outside during the day. At night, the pet was brought inside but crated because he wasn’t house-trained and destroys furniture, they said.

The husband, identified as the dog’s owner, told police “that as long as he has the dog he plans to house him the way he does now,” according to the report.

Sounds like a pretty miserable life for a dog.

Police told the man he could take his pet to a shelter so someone with more time for the animal could be found, and offered him other housing suggestions as well.

His response? “He would continue to house the dog the same way and if it was against the law then I should come take the dog,” Officer Fisher stated in her report, adding the owner also said the dog is not vaccinated for rabies or licensed with the town.

Within a couple days, however, the owner apparently had a change of heart, telling police he wanted to keep the dog and that he was willing to make changes to the housing of the animal.

When Officer Fisher went back to offer training tips, she learned the man had brought the dog to work with him that day and would try to do so a few times each week. The man also said he had gotten the dog vaccinated and licensed with the town.

Hopefully, this dog will have a much better life going forward. Pets deserve much better than to be treated like furniture.