Dear Janice, my neighbour leaves her dog out in all kinds of weather with no shelter. The wee thing is out when she goes to work and is there all day until she returns. Don’t get me wrong, it barely makes a sound, but I don’t think it’s right to leave it for so long on its own, and especially with our cold and damp weather.

Don’t suggest I speak to her because she is unapproachable, and I don’t want to cause friction between us and end up with a nasty neighbour.

My son says to keep my nose out of it, but it’s just not right. What do I do? Agnes.

Dear Agnes, thankfully people like you do stick their nose in, because mistreating animals should never be acceptable.

Dogs are there for us when we need them, but in the interim, they are expected to do nothing but wait for us. They can however, be left alone for hours outside, and indeed some dogs prefer it, but they must have adequate protection from all weather conditions plus food and water.

Call the Scottish SPCA, the helpline number is 03000 999 999, or you can report this via scottishspca.org. You can ask to remain anonymous.

It’s a shame you can’t approach her because you could suggest a dog walker, or she could check out borrowmydoggy.com for people who don’t have their own pet and are happy to walk dogs for free. I hope it gets sorted.

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Dear Janice, our son has been getting into trouble since he was 14 years old. It started with small things like stealing money from his schoolfriends, and then us. He was drinking alcohol, and of course smoking.

He is 19 now and is taking driving lessons which is yet another worry as we are terrified he drink drives and it ends in disaster.

Up until now we have covered for him, bailed him out when he owed money (he gambles on slot machines), and are at the end of the line having to deal with his unruly behaviour. He just smirks when we pull him up for anything which makes it even worse.

His dad said we should throw him out and cut him off completely, but I know I wouldn’t sleep a wink and would be racked with guilt, but I’m at a loss to suggest an alternative. He is our only child. Joan.

Dear Joan, yes he is your only child, but he’s not a child anymore and needs to learn that his unhealthy and unruly behaviour has consequences.

As parents you have no doubt exhausted all attempts to change his behaviour, therefore it might be worth an uncle, grandfather, in fact any relation who he respects, having a word with him. They may be able to get through to him the effect his disruptive behaviour is having on his parents and, his alternatives going forward.

From this day forward stop subsidising him as all this is doing is rewarding his bad behaviour.

Your son must have some positive qualities which will be easy to overlook when he is behaving the way he does, so try and focus on his “good” side: his achievements, his ambitions (he is learning to drive), and the nicer side of his nature. Remember, for five years your son has become accustomed to angry and disappointed parents, so difficult as it will be, a change of perspective and focus is needed.

Throwing him out would be my last resort, but if all else fails, perhaps helping him find suitable accommodation elsewhere is the answer for everyone.

He is, after all, a young man who now needs to stand on his own two feet. I hope it works out.

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Dear Janice, my boyfriend of six months is moving abroad with work. He says we will still be a couple and that we will make sure we see each other as often as we can. I am gutted as he is the “one”, but how can we carry on a relationship if we only see each other every few months?

I wonder if I should just end our relationship before he leaves and try and move on without him. Do you think that’s best? Gillian.

Dear Gillian, if I’m honest, the probability of this working out long term isn’t great for a number of reasons.

Firstly, we need to see, feel and touch the people we love, and you can’t do this if you are on the end of a phone or screen for the best part of your time. All other aspects of a close relationship will be missing too.

Communication by text is very different to chatting to someone, as messages and feelings can get skewed. All this said, I wouldn’t end your long distance relationship before you have given it a try as you could find a way for it to work. Your feelings whilst being apart may strengthen and you could join him, or he may return to you.

Gillian, finding the “one” doesn’t happen every day therefore, you both need to put your best efforts into trying, and at the end of the day if it doesn’t work out, well at least you have given it your best shot. Good luck.

Got a question for our agony aunt? Email askjanice@glasgowtimes.co.uk