what to do when encountered by an aggressive unleashed dog?

[SnowyShiloh]

Just called animal control! I was walking home and there was a little Shih Tzu running around. Not barking or anything but I was afraid he would get hit by a car He didn't want to come over to me so I couldn't check his collar. Animal control dispatch knew exactly what dog I was talking about, apparently he gets out a lot. They said they'd send someone over. I hope I haven't caused any problems for the dog or his owners, I just don't want the little guy to get hit by a car because he was running around next to a very busy road.

 

[LakeCondo]

If it gets out a lot, the owners SHOULD get in trouble for endangering their dog.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Oh, great- just figured out that the stupid barking dog that spawned this thread is our neighbor's dog. As in, the neighbors that live on the other end of our triplex. I had no idea they even had a dog! It's a young (like about 8 months) black lab pitbull mix. No wonder the dog wants to get out and run around, his owners live in a 1 bedroom apartment without a yard. Explains why the dog hangs around here so much. An animal got into our garbage this morning and I'm willing to bet it was that dog. Actually figured out whose dog it is because my husband just came in wielding his ice scraper (for the car windows) and said the neighbor's dog was barking at him again. He described the dog and it's definitely the one I've been seeing, he didn't know I didn't know they had a dog and apparently it did not occur to him that it could be the same dog since the last time he saw it (in like September), it was a puppy. He forgot dogs grow or something!

Now that I know who the dog belongs to, I'd like to go over there tomorrow (with freshly baked cookies or something!) and nicely ask the neighbors if they could please keep the dog inside because he barks at me and I'm afraid he'll bite me or someone else, or get hit by a car since their front door is literally 15 feet from a very busy multi-lane road. They've always been nice enough before but they're kind of rough around the edges (if you know what I mean) and seem like they have jerk potential, if that makes sense. I am a little worried if we complain that they'll complain to our landlord about our rabbits, though. It is specifically in our lease that our pets are allowed, but I'm concerned if they complain to the property managers, the managers will just decide no one can have pets and we won't be able to renew the lease. Sigh! The sad thing is that these neighbors GOT the dog because of our rabbits. When they found out we had rabbits, they wanted to get a puppy and last I heard they were going to ask the landlord, who apparently agreed. Incidentally, when they told me they wanted to get a dog (pit bull puppy specifically), I expressed my doubts because our units are small and they didn't have a fenced yard so the dog wouldn't have anywhere to get its energy out. Look where we are now! :grumpy: And there's NO WAY the dog is getting out accidentally because you have to go through two doors to get inside our units, they must be letting him out. Also, our middle neighbors have a bunny thanks to our bunnies (the girl saw them and loved them and wanted one of her own).

Also, of the 3 units, we are the only one with a fenced yard. It only goes around our unit (and the gate is on our side), I hope the neighbors' proposed solution to this isn't to have the dog stay in our yard.

 

[ZRabbits]

Hopefully the cookies and a nice chat will help the situation. But unfortunately sounds like they really don't care if they are allowing the dog out without supervision. Especially so close to a busy road.

Wishing you luck. Please let us know how it goes. Do the best you can and there is nothing wrong for feeling concern about someone else's pet.

K

 

[BunMommaD]

Wow... I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this... Strangly enoung this situation sounds SO familiar to the one our charlie was in before we rescued him... His "owners" lived in my granmothers nieghborhood and he was out running around all.the.time. He came to my grandmothers back door all the time looking for food and she would feed him cuz he was so skinny... She talked to his owners many times and they just told her if he was bothering her don't feed him!! Ugh so one day shw let him in the house and didn't let him back out... She called me and I came and got him... And those people NEVER once came looking for him, and a few months later had another puppy... I really hope they are receptive to your cookies and concerns! I would also not hesitate in letting management know if the don't respond!if your a renter its your landlord/property managers job to do everything they can to afford you a safe enviroment to live! Good luck! Let us know how it goes

 

[SnowyShiloh]

I'm trying to decide how exactly to approach the neighbors! I want to do it in a very friendly manner. Perhaps if Paul and I meet the dog (and he sees his owners interacting with us in a friendly way), he won't be as barky with us. That won't stop him from barking at others, though.

My first step will definitely be to just talk to the neighbors, but I have to say I'm reluctant to involve the property managers. They're very nice, but I'm afraid if they hear the dog is causing problems, they'll just say no pets are allowed in the units. Our pets were the only ones allowed until about 6-8 months ago when the other 2 units became occupied. After thinking about it more, I'm not worried about the neighbors complaining about our rabbits- what in the world is there to complain about?! But I would worry that the landlord and property manager would just say "no pets allowed!" and we'd have to move elsewhere when our lease is up. If their dog bites someone I can also see them saying that. We love our apartment- the rent is great for the area, it's perfectly located, it's a triplex rather than an actual apartment, we have a decent sized fenced in yard just for us... we've been here since 2007 and don't want to move until we're ready to buy a house (about 2 years from now).

Any ideas on how exactly to broach the issue with the neighbors? I'm thinking of just explaining that we've seen their dog out a lot the past couple of weeks and he has barked at us/prevented us from entering our unit and we're afraid of being bitten. Then see what they say to that and go from there. It's hard to argue with that concern. I may not mention my concern that the dog will get hit by a car because I can see them interpreting that in a preachy way, ya know?

Oh and we baked the cookies- chocolate chip, yum! Half are for the neighbors and the other half are for the fuel company that has come over to emergency refuel our propane (or whatever it is) tank since the landlord forgets to pay sometimes and the heat goes out. We have no control over that (and heat is included with our rent) so it isn't our fault, but they're always so nice when they come out. The heat even went out on Christmas and they had to come out to fix it since it's not good to be without heat in -30 degree weather!

 

[ZRabbits]

Responsibility is just that responsible for an innocent life. Dog doesn't know. I don't think it's preachy at all. They have to understand that a dog loose can get hit by a car, stolen by someone, or injured by another party.

Got nothing to do with your bunnies. Good Luck. Let us know how it goes. But I've learned that people who let their dogs run loose, have no concept of responsibility.

And just remember one thing, it takes all kinds to make a world, and don't ever be surprised. Don't be surprised if your concerns go over their heads and no matter what you say will be taken the wrong way. Good Luck.

K

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Karen, that's definitely true. We'll see how it goes! I will update. I realize this sounds completely jerk faced, but these particular neighbors are kind of... uh... low brow? based on what we have seen so I'm a bit nervous. I won't get into specifics, but my eyebrows have definitely gone up over things they've said/done before.

Also, their dog isn't even full grown yet it turns out. He's about 8 months old I think and is already like this. I love well trained and well loved pit bulls (really, I do), but the idea of an undisciplined, territorial pit bull running around and barking at people (and us in particular because we try to get into our apartment that is in the same "house" as where the dog lives!) is scary.

And BunMommaD, I'm glad you have your Charlie!

 

[LakeCondo]

I'd suggest just saying now that you'd seen him around & wanted to meet him with his owners. Then if he still barks at you etc, a 2nd visit to tell them about your concerns will be needed. Of course on the 1st visit if they ask you how he was behaving, tell them. But my guess is they don't want to know. Just like they already have to know that he could get hit. There's a chance a 2nd visit won't be needed & you won't have to complain about his behavior at all.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Guys, I don't know what to do! Paul decided we shouldn't go talk to them because of the high likelihood of them just getting p*ssed off at us. Today I got a ride home from a classmate and I told her about the issue in the car. When we pulled up to the house, we saw the dog behind the health food store (so about 200 feet away and across the street). When I got out of the car, the dog started barking and ran at me. My friend scared the dog by honking at it and it was distracted long enough for me to get inside. I called animal control when I got inside and they said they'd send someone out. I had to give them my name and they said that while they won't tell the owners who it was, it's public record and they can request to find out who called. Figured that's better than just letting the dog run around. Now I'm afraid some kind of neighbor war is going to start. And I read that pepper spray doesn't always work on dogs I'm worried about leaving or entering our house (and I walk to/from the bus for school 5 days a week!). This is so unpleasant!

What I think I'll just do is buy an air horn since I read that can scare dogs away, and I'm keeping a log of every time I see the dog out running around. If it comes down to it, I'll call the property managers as they're quite nice and I'm sure they would be alarmed to know the other tenant has a dog that's a potential threat to others. It could result in us having to find another place to live when our lease is up, but we'll just have to see. Hopefully the visit from animal control will convince the owners to keep the dog inside. Heck, they've had him for months and I didn't even know he existed until a couple of weeks ago, so obviously they kept him inside before!

 

[ZRabbits]

SnowyShiloh wrote:

Guys, I don't know what to do! Paul decided we shouldn't go talk to them because of the high likelihood of them just getting p*ssed off at us. Today I got a ride home from a classmate and I told her about the issue in the car. When we pulled up to the house, we saw the dog behind the health food store (so about 200 feet away and across the street). When I got out of the car, the dog started barking and ran at me. My friend scared the dog by honking at it and it was distracted long enough for me to get inside. I called animal control when I got inside and they said they'd send someone out. I had to give them my name and they said that while they won't tell the owners who it was, it's public record and they can request to find out who called. Figured that's better than just letting the dog run around. Now I'm afraid some kind of neighbor war is going to start. And I read that pepper spray doesn't always work on dogs I'm worried about leaving or entering our house (and I walk to/from the bus for school 5 days a week!). This is so unpleasant!

You should not be afraid to walk in and out of your home. You did the right thing. What the neighbors are doing is wrong. They are showing such lack of responsibility allowing their dog to run loose. You have all the right to call animal control. I understand about neighbor wars, but some wars are worth fighting for. Especially your safety going into your home without being harassed by a dog. It now got nothing to do with a dog running loose, it has to do with you feeling safe walking out of your home or returning from school. Hopefully animal control will confiscate that dog because that is no life to live. Because of the way it's being raised, it will become aggressive. Thankfully a car horn scared it, but what about next time when the dog is used to car horns?

I know you don't want confrontation, but you need to feel safe in your own neighborhood.

K

 

[JjGoesBounce]

Well if you notice that the dog doesn't have a collar with ID tags you can go to the neighbours telling them that, idk bout where you live but where I live it's against the law to have a dog that belongs to someone running around with no ID tag.
Personally I feel sorry for that dog, you said in one post that they live in a one bedroom apartement which (if I'm right) is much too small for a big dog. This dog has probablly become aggrersive from lack of excersise, since I never knew a loyal dog owner to let their dog run free around an intersection with no supervision. It might be time for them to either move or find a bigger place for that dog. It's not his fault he can't see his owners often or have normal walks as often. JMO
Jj

 

[LakeCondo]

Easy for your husband to decide, when he wasn't being threatened by the dog. Your neighbors will probably assume you're the most likely to have done it. Definitely talk with them before talking to the property manager if the situation keeps happening.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

JJ, believe me, I feel very sorry for the dog, too. That doesn't mean I want myself or anyone else to be bitten by him, though. I'm not especially worried about the neighbor knowing I'm the one who called (unless they request the public record)- how would they zone in on me over someone else? I didn't know it was even their dog until a few days ago and we have other neighbors and they let the dog run around often enough that other people have definitely seen it. We'll see what happens.

 

[LakeCondo]

I thought you were the closest neighbor.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

There's another unit between us (it's a triplex, we're on one end, there's a couple in the middle, and the people with the dog are on the other end) and there are houses around, too.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Awwwww I think the dog's owners brought him to the animal shelter. I haven't seen him since Tuesday, and I just looked for him on Petfinder. There's a dog at our shelter that fits his description exactly. Young pit bull mix, black with white feet and a white belly and white muzzle. Maybe it's not him, but I get the feeling it is Poor guy.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22391183

Good luck, dude! I really hope you get adopted by someone really wonderful who will give you the home, love, and training that you need and deserve.

I feel that I was justified in calling animal control, but I feel pretty bad that he lost his (admittedly not very good) home and really hope he doesn't get put to sleep People really need to think before they get pets!

 

[LakeCondo]

He won't get hit by a car this way.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Sounds like he'd be better off away from them.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Oops, I made a post saying Oreo was gone from Petfinder but he's still there, there was just a problem with the web page.