Should I complain about this dog?
 

A neighbor a few doors down from me allows his/her dog out without a leash. It comes onto my patio and barks at my cats.

I know it's nice, because it also came around when my granddaughters were out on the patio and they petted it. But just the fact that it's allowed to roam free like that bugs the shit out of me. What if it wasn't a nice dog? I know the owner knows that the dog gets out, because I hear it being called.

I'm not sure exactly who, but I'm thinking of knocking on some doors and politely requesting that the keep the dog confined unless it's on a leash. I'm sure it's against the apartment rules. I'd rather not cause a scene, or complain to my apts. though, unless absolutely necessary. What do you think?

Dogs just wanna have fun.

Seriously that's a tough one. I don't think I'd be concerned if he wants to bark at your cats, the cats are probably laughing at the dog...but a dog you don't know well with your grandchildren might worry me.

You should talk to your neighbour Cloud. The dog might seem nice, but you just never know. You don't want it to get into the habit of hanging out at your place.

Yes.
Okay, I decided before I even read the post :)

But seriously - dog allowed to roam free? Bad idea.
The nicest dog in the world can turn, given the right trigger - my opinion, YMMV - and even apart from that there are other hazards. Tearing at garbage bags/ knocking over bins, chasing cats (natural but unfair on cats) crapping all over the pavement and/or where children play, running into the road causing an accident etc etc.

Letting dogs out alone here is also not the norm and where they are found to be, they are picked up for rehoming (or the owner is contacted for a word if the dog can be identified). That's not because we are killjoys, it's for good reason.

to be honest, little yappy dogs kinda scare me. When I do my walking (which is in the main part of the apts, not the back) occasionally there will be a done running free. It's the little ones that totally freak me out and have me scuttling back to my hovel in double time.

Kinda like my old place, where there was a family of skunks living nearby.

or was it porcupines?

Casually ask your neighbor if they ever watch Judge Judy (or any of the other TV Judge shows), and mention how sad it is to see pet owning neighbors having to deal with the injury, often unintended, to pets or people. If they don't get that you mean their pet, you might need to get more direct at that point. But it's a good entre' into the topic.

Since the health of both your neighbor's and your pets are at stake, I think you have to say something.

that's a good idea, Wolf, but . . . pretty hard to be casual like that, after I knock on people's doors and say, hey, do you own this dog? uh . . . ever watch Judge Judy?

I'm not that suave. :D

lol!

Judge Mathis is pretty cool.

Yeah, but, you have to say something.

If you don't already know the neighbor, I think there's no way that conversation can go well. Just alert the apartment complex, let them deal with it. And either way, yes, I would definitely do something about it. Dogs roaming the neighborhood is not okay.

but see, I would have a personal aversion to anyone complaining to the mgmt. about me . . . without at least trying to work it out first. I don't think that's right.

also, if I complained to the mgmt., I could do so anonymously.

but I'd feel like a coward for taking the easy way out.

Just have a talk to the neighbour Cloud. Or pop a note into their mailbox. Chances are they don't realise that their dog is being a bother and will do something about it. There are always going to be arseholes though, and if your neighbours happen to be that way inclined, then you have every right to complain to the management.

Is there a pet policy for the complex?

pets are allowed per the discretion of the mgmt; dogs up to a certain number of pounds, but on leashes.

One neighbor I had, had a yappy, barky, dog--barked all the time, and to be honest, that was worse.

But I don't like him barking at my cats! And yeah, they didn't seem to scared, so they were probably laughing at him.

Well, if it doesn't bother you then don't worry about saying anything, but you do have a right to speak up if you think the dog situation is out of line. You pay rent too. ;)

I never mind the interaction of dogs and cats, if it seems to be not dangerous.

Still, I would not want to be responsible for an unknown doggie running over and being an ass whenever it got out. And the barking? No way. People will say they don't even hear their own dog barking. Yet it can wake up the whole neighborhood? I find that to be pet owner laziness.

Maybe I'll take a picture of it and stick a note in the laundry room.

If the dog come on your patio, tie him up. They'll come looking for him eventually. That ought to break the ice. Give him water, though.;)

Caption suggestions?
Unleashed dogs will be fed to the cats

I think either of those last two suggestions would lead to an extremely pissed off neighbor.

I'm aiming for merely mildly annoyed.

Maybe they'll join the Cellar and post in the "what's mildly irritating you today" thread!

My favorite is Gay Judge Who Cries (Judge David Young), especially since he's gotten more into baby momma drama and the lie detector testing.

I don't know that judge. I also like the Divorce Court lady. She'll either be "you two are good people who need to work some shit out" or "you two totally suck and need to move to opposite ends of the earth."

Yeah, days off work are mind numbing fun, for me. They crack me up!

Dogs are required to be leashed at the state park we go to, but everyone assumes that that rule doesn't apply to them... I've been in the position of being one mom trying to protect 2 kids (usually running in opposite directions) from threatening unleashed dogs to have any sense of humor about it.
I would complain to the apt complex and call animal control.

What kind of dog is it? I guess it don't matter. It's against the law here to let your dog out of the fence w/o a leash. But no law on cats. They can do whatever they want. No matter what you do, your neighbor will not 'like' it. mmmm..cats.

Well, there is a difference in dogs. I'd trust a golden, for the most part. Some dogs are just plain dumb.

Cats don't bite for no reason; they have to feel cornered and threatened...they'll run away first.

We keep our cats inside except for the one that thinks the fence is the end of her boundary. It's very odd, but she never leaves the yard. Just doesn't like using the litter tray, so she goes out in the morning for a couple of hours to do her business and sunbake and again in the afternoon. She can't hunt for shit either, so our wildlife has remained in tact.

My brother's golden, Zeke, who passed away...completely knew his boundaries and never swayed. The new golden they have is very good but not nearly like Zeke (the wonder dog) was.

Taj has no interest in going outside. Gaines lost interest when he escaped and met some mean river cats. :)

Gotta watch out for those river cats. They're mean sons of she-cats they are! :D

They're like the river version of West Side Story. Gaines thought he was badass. When I finally found him, after three days of searching and missing him, he was a perfect angel. For like 2 days. Love that little brat. :angel:

I keep my cats inside too, as you know. Or at least, confined.

Our tomcat thinks he's badass too, but really he's just chicken shit coated in catfluff. ;)

lol...and Tajjy, the girl, plays all sweet and put-upon. But I've seen her chase Gaines. Funny cats. Tajjy will be seventeen in April. Wow.

Cats are a source of great entertainment at our place. Even though I grumble about their hair and stuff, I think it'd be less like home without them. :)

I know. Lately Gaines has been a total ass...but darnit I love him and they are such great company.

They make me laugh and I have someone to talk to. I guess I am Crazy Cat Lady. lol

You, me, cloud, SG at least. I know there's more, but they don't come to mind right now.

Buy a mountain lion. Dogs HATE those. :D

I love cats. They taste like chicken.

I like cats, but I'm a dog person through and through.
I would talk to the neighbors first, but if nothing changes, complain.
If they were letting it lose but standing right with it, keeping an eye on it, preventing it from bothering neighbors and such, then I would be fine with that. Since you say they aren't though, then definitely cannot be allowed to go on. Many reasons too, other than danger to people/kids. There is a danger to the dog itself, if they aren't with it: then they aren't cleaning up its messes, and it is probably annoying neighbors.

True. Don't they worry that it might get hit by a car or something?

It's laziness in pet ownership. I hate that.

Cloud, I have to join the "talk politely to the neighbor first" crowd. I have numerous dogs, all of which are licensed, microchipped, up to date on shots (tags on collars) and each has an ID tag as well. None are permitted to roam freely, they are kept inside a fenced yard.

Even if the dog is the nicest dog in the world, allowing it to roam freely can be dangerous to it's health and safety. It can be run over (some people like to run up their "score"), meet rabid wildlife, eat poison, be stolen and sold in Mexico or simply adopted right off the street.

Try being nice first, this way they can avoid trouble with management and the law. If that doesn't work, the landlord is the next step and finally, animal control.

My neighbor has three mean dogs chained outside. One day the mastiff got loose and chased a man several blocks. The dog returned without the guy's pants but animal control showed up two days later to talk to them about building a fence (the fence went up the next day) and the consequences of loose dogs.

Surprisingly, my momma Shih-Tzu took on this same dog once and sent it running for home and safety. She has learned to be aggressive to protect her babies, food and bones from marauding Weimaraners and pit bulls.

It's for their (and their pets') own good.

If all else fails, inadvertently drop a whole package of ExLax in front of the offending dog shortly before the owners call it home. Sheldon's solution is more humane.

I'm not sure if I would speak to the dog owner myself or not. You'll have to make a judgement call about the owners. Many pet owners become offended if it is suggested that not everyone loves little Fido/Fifi running around, barking, playing, knocking people down and giving them kisses all over their face as the victim laughs and enjoys the experience. The possibility is there for the dog owner to harbor resentment towards you for bringing it up.

Perhaps a photo of the loose dog, printed up in flyer form and annonymously posted in the laundry or mailbox room with a reminder about the complex's leash policy will be enough. If not, speak with management. That is what THEY are there and paid for to enforce and handle. IF this dog was only escaping occasionally and being immediately searched for, I wouldn't be so concerned...but this seems to be a regular occurance.

Bailing their dog out of Animal Control will also get their attention when it costs them money.

Or throw something on the dog that the owner would have to clean off: water, soda, pudding (not chocolate!), yogurt. Try not to get it in the animal's eyes, but I would want it to land in an area the animal can't easily clean/eat the evidence, like on the back of the head, neck and shoulders and the owner will have to be inconvenienced to clean their pet. If the owner confronts you, you could easily say the dog startled/scared you or made you lose your balance and drop whatever you had in your hand on the dog.

Keep in mind, this isn't the dog's fault, it is the owner's fault.


Two years ago, a neighbor's Basset mix and Lab mix were getting out and coming here to bark at my horse. I returned the dogs several times and let the owners know that if the dogs got into the horse's corral, she was an accurate kicker of bouncing basketballs and a dog's head wouldn't be much of a problem if they got too close. I also told them I would feel bad, but I would not be responsible for any dog vet bills, but if their dog injured my horse while she was in her corral, they would be presented with my vet bill to pay.
They kept the dogs in for a few days, but they escaped their yard again. I returned them after dark that evening. Very early in the morning I woke and I heard them barking at my horse, but it was 3 or 4am, I was tired and knew my horse could take care of herself. When I got up, their dog was dead. He had been hit and killed in the road in front of our house.
I felt bad for not going outside to get the dog home.
Less than 2 weeks later, their lab mix was killed in the road in front of their house.

Don't feel bad about inconveniencing the dog's owner. It is for the dog's safety and well-being that you are complaining.

You could always do my what bitch of neighbour did and leave a note in the mailbox.....something along the lines of "my vicious dog marauding around the neighbourhood".

I would of preferred she spoke to me, instead I left a note in her mailbox stating that I had fixed my gate (it was broken by the skip man and fixed that nite), now it was her turn to stop her yappy dogs yapping all nite :)

Clyde's a big dog, I hate the thought of him getting out. Mainly because if some stupid little yappy dog thinks it can take him on, he's of the *fight first* mind when it comes to male dogs.

I used to get shitty that the dogs across the road used to come into MY yard and chase MY cats.....but a quiet word to the neighbours and they made a fece to keep them enclosed.

If you think it will make a difference, I would speak to them, some people just dont care though.

Sounds like you don't even know which neighbor it is. Call the apartment management. If they don't take care of the problem, call animal control.

Most places have leash laws and they should be enforced. I would call animal control if they continue to allow it to roam.

Take dog. Break legs. Solved.


Works on cats, too.

so...I'm getting the feeling you aren't really an animal person, Zen

Will that affect the flavor?

Which would be determined by which part of you is unhappiest at accidentally sitting on one, I guess.

But if your well-used kindling axe handle, neglectfully left outdoors, has been gnawed into chips, it was porcupines. They are crazy for salt. Can't get enough. It's a wonder they don't make pilgrimages to the seashore to take the waters.

Nah, I am still just channeling Steven King.

leave salt licks out for them?

At a previous place we lived, we had a dog issue. One day an unknown German Sheppard (sp?) chased my son, barking and growling into the house when he was playing outside in the front yard. I was upset and tried to go out to the front porch but the dog was standing on it and growling at our front door.

I didn't know who owned the dog and figured he might have been a stray. I called animal control, which for this town happened to be the police. They came over and I told her what had happened. But by the time they got there, the neighbors had called the dog inside. If I had known he belonged to the neighbors, I would have gone over and talked to them.

Apparently this town had no leash law, because the police officer came back and told me that the dog was harmless and that the neighbors had lived there for 30 years and never had issues with the dog. It was apparently alright for them to let their dog roam because "He never goes to people's doors." I guess I must have been lying.

Anyway, since I could not do anything about it, I accepted that the dog was allowed to roam around and intimidate children. I also apologized to the neighbor and set up a time for my son to meet the dog where the dog felt safe and everything seemed alright after that. My son never felt very safe around the dog, though, so he usually came in when he saw it outside.

Easy way out is to let the dog rat himself out. Just attach a note to his collar (or make a lightweight string collar for him) that says, If I am your dog, please keep me home because I am bothering the neighborhood. If nobody takes care of me then they are going to ask the apt managers to call someone to pick me up. Please help..

That's brilliant, sweetwater!

I like that idea too.

Zombie thread!

I was walking through town on the way home today, and I saw a chap with his dog. Dog was on a lead, walking perfectly fine, and the chap stopped outside Boots (large pharmacy store), left his dog outside the door and went in. Left the dog outside without tying its lead to anything. Just sitting there on its own on the pavement, on the high street during the busiest part of the day. It was clearly a well-behaved dog - didn't try and go anywhere - but ffs, the traffic that time of day, right near the bus station, as the school buses are all coming through is really busy and a little chaotic (albeit at slow speeds). Plus loads of people milling about.

No way could I leave my dog like that. I'd be worried he'd take it into his head to chase a piegeon, or wander into the road (no fucking road sense whatsoever). Not to mention the potential for dognapping. The only times I leave my dog outside a shop, he's tied up, and it's only ever the little village shop or bakery, where I can keep an eye on him from inside. Even then I'm anxious to get right back out to him quick sharp, just because of dog thieves (who are known to operate in this area).

t'other week, mum and were in the car parked up outside the chippy (mum had treated us to curry and chips ;p) on a main road, near a mad busy junction at tea time, so rush hour traffic, and a chap was strolling along with three big dogs, all off the lead, padding along behind him. He had to cross the road whilst the traffic was stopped at the lights, and he and the dogs just weaved in and out of the cars.

I swear I just don't get it. Why risk it? Just put them on a fucking lead. There are loads of places round here to walk a dog off their leads for some free running, why risk it on a busy road?