Doubtful about Dog owners

[Misshalfway]

Ok. So I am having feelings about my dog owning neighbors.

Yesterday, the doorbell rang and on the other side was a terrified little boy who rushed into my arms away from the Boxer dog that just attacked him. He had large bite marks on his back, punctures on his hip and bite marks behind his knee. He is my son's little friend and was just on his way to our house for a play date.

The dog belongs to the neighbor two doors down. We don't know them well. They moved in only a few months ago, but we have noticed that their two dogs are out without being on a lead.

The law in our city states that any dog must be behind a fence or on leash even when they are with the owner and even if you are in your front yard.

The reports from the neighbors was that the dog had been running into two yards of playing children and then attacked my son's friend.

We finally found the owner and talked to her. At first she said her dog never bites. Then she said that the dogs were never out. Then she said that it was the neighbor kids who were antagonizing her dog and that she had yelled out the window for them to "stop or he'll bite you". When she said this, I went from being sympathetic to a dog accidentally getting out to being upset that she knew the situation was escalating and did nothing to contain the dog.

Then come to find out the dog had already bitten two other children in the neighborhood.

What is it with dog owners? What is the mentality that makes them think that they can allow their dogs to run free? Our neighborhood is frequented by big dogs off leash every day. The police told us last night that they had received 847 calls this last month. All but two were dog related.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love dogs and want to have a neighborhood where dogs and children and neighbors live in harmony. I mean my neighborhood remote and quiet and perfect for dog lovers. But when safety is compromised because owners are too lazy to either train or exercise their dogs responsibly, then I have issues.

What do you all think? My kids have been bitten (minor) twice. The dog owner (a different neighbor) was unapologetic and told us we should have our kids tied up and that his dogs had just as much right to the neighborhood as my kids did.

The police have two officers to handle all dog problems. It isn't enough. Should I pass out flyers or start a petition? I don't know. Want you wonderful advice. :)

[Gwen]

if the neighbors dog bit my child, or i had solid reason to believe it would (biting the friend is enough for me) i would call the law, i would be very clear with the owners that their dog will be contained or i will be calling to have the dog picked up by the pound... if it happens again (dog being lose, not biting) after that time i would petition the courts to have the dog put to sleep (getting all the other parents of kids who have been bitten together would help with this). if the children were in the dogs yard and hurting it and it's defending itself that is one thing but to enter my yard and attack my child would not be acceptable. just to be clear my approach would be the nice approach, my dad would just out and out shoot a dog that came into our yard and attacked us. no questions or discussion on the matter.

[Misshalfway]

Well, we did call the police and I was told that because the bite had broken the skin that the dog would be taken to the police kennels and the owner fined.

[Truegrits]

I know what you mean. I live in an area that does not abide by the law of leashed/confined dogs. They also do not believe in "fixing" their dogs. We have packs of stray and hungry dogs (also cats) all over our county.

I do not believe these irresponsible owners qualify as "dog lovers", however. They are dog owners, but not dog lovers. If you love something, you protect it. That means housing or fencing it. I see so many dead dogs and cats on our streets, due to the neglect of their owners.

The sad thing is, that due to this refusal, the dogs are roaming, frightening, and biting people. Sadly, the dog is the one that will pay the price...

[Truegrits]

Well, we did call the police and I was told that because the bite had broken the skin that the dog would be taken to the police kennels and the owner fined.

I think the owners should serve jail time or do community service, as well as being fined.

[MarginOfError]

My only advice is to protect the children without remorse. I don't know if this is a first time issue or a second, but you did the right thing getting the police involved. When you notice the dog off the leash, especially if unattended, call the police and notify them. If there's a history of reports, the next time a child is injured, the city will likely put the dog down.

I know that's harsh, but it is my opinion that we put human life before canine life. And if the dog owner isn't going to respect that, then he or she shouldn't have the dog.

[Misshalfway]

I guess I feel somewhat compassionate for the animals themselves. I wish there was something I could do to educated owners and help my community rise to a higher level of behavior. I am angry about what happened, but at the same time I feel heart broken when I see a dog put down. I think I feel outrage against the owners. Especially the ones who take on the responsibility of powerful breeds. I think that anyone who decides to own any dog has the responsibility to make sure their dog is behaving in social situations. But I think owners are lazy and uneducated. That makes me angry. Angry because I am a parent and angry because I am a dog lover. Such irresponsibility is bad for everyone.

[Hemidakota]

Ok. So I am having feelings about my dog owning neighbors.

Yesterday, the doorbell rang and on the other side was a terrified little boy who rushed into my arms away from the Boxer dog that just attacked him. He had large bite marks on his back, punctures on his hip and bite marks behind his knee. He is my son's little friend and was just on his way to our house for a play date.

The dog belongs to the neighbor two doors down. We don't know them well. They moved in only a few months ago, but we have noticed that their two dogs are out without being on a lead.

The law in our city states that any dog must be behind a fence or on leash even when they are with the owner and even if you are in your front yard.

The reports from the neighbors was that the dog had been running into two yards of playing children and then attacked my son's friend.

We finally found the owner and talked to her. At first she said her dog never bites. Then she said that the dogs were never out. Then she said that it was the neighbor kids who were antagonizing her dog and that she had yelled out the window for them to "stop or he'll bite you". When she said this, I went from being sympathetic to a dog accidentally getting out to being upset that she knew the situation was escalating and did nothing to contain the dog.

Then come to find out the dog had already bitten two other children in the neighborhood.

What is it with dog owners? What is the mentality that makes them think that they can allow their dogs to run free? Our neighborhood is frequented by big dogs off leash every day. The police told us last night that they had received 847 calls this last month. All but two were dog related.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love dogs and want to have a neighborhood where dogs and children and neighbors live in harmony. I mean my neighborhood remote and quiet and perfect for dog lovers. But when safety is compromised because owners are too lazy to either train or exercise their dogs responsibly, then I have issues.

What do you all think? My kids have been bitten (minor) twice. The dog owner (a different neighbor) was unapologetic and told us we should have our kids tied up and that his dogs had just as much right to the neighborhood as my kids did.

The police have two officers to handle all dog problems. It isn't enough. Should I pass out flyers or start a petition? I don't know. Want you wonderful advice. :)

Neighborhood safety is an issue here.

[Truegrits]

then he or she shouldn't have the dog.

Correct! However, that is rarely addressed. It is so much easier to have the dogs "put to sleep" (killed) than to spend the time, the personnel, and the money to enforce the law! They could also sentence pet owners that neglect, refuse to confine/care for their pets, to not own or have pets for a period of years; but how do you really enforce that?

Maybe these owners, after three offences, should be put to sleep?

After all, they are much more culpable.

Edited November 4, 2008 by Truegrits
Changed "mush" to "much"; makes more sense...

[applepansy]

Ok. So I am having feelings about my dog owning neighbors.

Yesterday, the doorbell rang and on the other side was a terrified little boy who rushed into my arms away from the Boxer dog that just attacked him. He had large bite marks on his back, punctures on his hip and bite marks behind his knee. He is my son's little friend and was just on his way to our house for a play date.

The dog belongs to the neighbor two doors down. We don't know them well. They moved in only a few months ago, but we have noticed that their two dogs are out without being on a lead.

The law in our city states that any dog must be behind a fence or on leash even when they are with the owner and even if you are in your front yard.

The reports from the neighbors was that the dog had been running into two yards of playing children and then attacked my son's friend.

We finally found the owner and talked to her. At first she said her dog never bites. Then she said that the dogs were never out. Then she said that it was the neighbor kids who were antagonizing her dog and that she had yelled out the window for them to "stop or he'll bite you". When she said this, I went from being sympathetic to a dog accidentally getting out to being upset that she knew the situation was escalating and did nothing to contain the dog.

Then come to find out the dog had already bitten two other children in the neighborhood.

What is it with dog owners? What is the mentality that makes them think that they can allow their dogs to run free? Our neighborhood is frequented by big dogs off leash every day. The police told us last night that they had received 847 calls this last month. All but two were dog related.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love dogs and want to have a neighborhood where dogs and children and neighbors live in harmony. I mean my neighborhood remote and quiet and perfect for dog lovers. But when safety is compromised because owners are too lazy to either train or exercise their dogs responsibly, then I have issues.

What do you all think? My kids have been bitten (minor) twice. The dog owner (a different neighbor) was unapologetic and told us we should have our kids tied up and that his dogs had just as much right to the neighborhood as my kids did.

The police have two officers to handle all dog problems. It isn't enough. Should I pass out flyers or start a petition? I don't know. Want you wonderful advice. :)

There are leash laws for a reason. Dog owners must obey or lose their dog. REport the dogs out every time you see them. Eventually they will be picked up. I would also file charges since I child was bitten and traumatized.

We have my son and his pitbull living with us. We obey the leash laws. She's not out with out us or she's on a chain. I turned my neighbors dogs in two years ago. . .He still not talking to me. But if his dogs had been where they were suppose to be animal control wouldn't have picked them up.

This is an easy one. The law is being broken. Report it! Especially when children are in danger.

applepansy

P.S. Not all dog owner's are bad. The few who are give the rest of a us a bad name.

[applepansy]

Well, we did call the police and I was told that because the bite had broken the skin that the dog would be taken to the police kennels and the owner fined.

Good. I'm glad they responded. Keep calling every time the dogs are out.

applepansy

[pam]

There are responsibilities to being dog owners. Almost sounds like the parent who's kid is the bully. Can't be MY kid. Unfortunately there are some people who shouldn't be dog owners as there are some who shouldn't be parents.

[NeuroTypical]

Yep, we had our dog at a park, and some foolish person thought it would be a fun thing to come up behind him and scare him. So of course our dog thought he was being attacked, and bit him. Our dog spent the weekend in quarantine to make sure he didn't have rabies. That was the law in Denver - your local laws may be different. I got to pay dood's medical deductible and buy him a new shirt - I offered just to get the incident over with.

We've gone through maybe half a dozen barn cats, because our neighbors let them run wild in our neighborhood as a pack. Their house went into forclosure and they moved away, and oddly enough our barn cats stopped dissapearing.

There's a balance somewhere between wanting to be good neighbors, and making a big stink when neighbor dogs are a cause for alarm. I'm not sure I've ever found that balance - but I'm reasonably sure it involves walking over and trying to talk to the neighbors first. If that doesn't solve the problem, then it's up to the local laws of where you live to direct your next actions.

LM

[bytor2112]

I have a very large German shepherd dog. He is an all European working line dog.....very strong drives. Absolutely wonderful with kids and other animals....but trained to protect. I would never allow anyone in to my back yard without me or allow him to be in the front yard without a lead. Lots of people have dogs that they should never own. Especially big dogs. Many breeds are over bred....like the German Shepherd dog, and have temperament problems. I would never own an American blood line shepherd....the German breeders do not allow health and temperament problems. Anytime a dog attacks someone, it is because of fear,dominance and just a bad temperament. Your neighbors are irresponsible dog owners and shouldn't have these dogs. Even if the dogs were properly trained...they should never be allowed to run free.....and I would have remedied the neighborhood problem personally if it had been one of my kids. Edited November 4, 2008 by bytor2112

[pam]

My dog is a member of my family. I protect her just like I protect any other member of my family. I couldn't imagine just letting her roam free. That's for her protection. I guess I've always just had a pet (no pun intended) peeve about dog owners that aren't responsible. Shoot I've always been one that carries little bags just to clean up after my dog. I wish others had the same thoughts about courtesy.

[funkymonkey]

Misshalf... that lady was just a flat out irresponsible dog owner. What is the big deal about keeping a dog fenced in or on a leash all the time? Why do they need to be running around on their own anyways? Doesn't make sense to me.

I've noticed a difference in how dogs are treated here compared to where I used to live. In the city where I used to live, all the dogs were on leashes and always supervised outside of their homes. Every neighborhood had pretty strict rules on animals and they would enforce their rules quickly. The town was very dog friendly (the drive thru restaurants would have dog treats for the dogs in the cars). There were several dog parks, restaurants where Fido could dine with their owners on the patio. None of the kids were scared of the dogs in the neighborhood and they would always want to pet them, get to know them, and play with them. We even had a kid just walk into our house one Saturday calling to our dog to come play. haha.

In my new town (in UT), the dogs walk around free all the time and poop everywhere and bark at all hours of the night. They even ruined our neighbor's newly poured cement driveway the other night.

I noticed during trick or treating that the kids are really scared of not just a few dogs, but of ALL dogs. We walked our dog around on a leash (we dressed him up as a missionary, haha) and the kids would seriously scatter when they saw him...and he's the absolute nicest best dog...and the parents would try to tell their kids that the dog was nice and the owners had a good hold and the dog wasn't going to hurt them.

Maybe Utah needs to tighten up their dog laws and do a little more to enforce those laws?? I know that dogs aren't really welcomed in a lot of places around here to help them run (like baseball fields). If a dog bites a kid, especially more than once...I'm sorry, but the dog should be put down...because it's just a matter of time before it happens again.

Misshalf, is there a person in your neighborhood that owns dogs, that can talk some sense into this lady with calling her out ...like "come on, I'm a dog owner and understand all about dogs and their rights, and what you're doing is not OK for any dog." ??

[Dr T]

Poor child. Good thing u were available 1/2s