My neighbors have two grown pitbulls that have been EXTREMELY aggressive towards me and my son ever since they moved in about 6 months ago. There is a thin wooden fence seperating my courtyard and the neighbors backyard. So everytime my son and I leave the house, the dogs start barking furiously and hurling themselves at this thin wooden fence. Each time they do it, the fence gets weaker and weaker. I asked my neighbor if they were dangerous and if I should be worried, and he said that only one of them is dangerous, the other one is all bark. It's gotten to the point where I have to carry my son out of the house when we know the dogs are out because he is so terrified. Personally, I like dogs and I've never had a problem with pit bulls, but these dogs are terrifying. I often worry about what would/will happen if/when they end up breaking down that fence. Would they attack me and my son? I totally get that they are just trained to protect their family and their property, but I have to do the same. I have respected them and the family because it shouldn't be any of my business, but these dogs are really starting to casue problems. A portion of my house is connected to their backyard and if they can hear me or my son inside, they start throwing themselves against my house. Sometimes they come out at 3 and 4 in the morning and bark profusely nonstop right outside my bedroom. Tonight something happened, and it has to be the last straw. I am convinced that it is a very unsafe situation. I was taking out my trash and my back gate is just inches away from my neighbors fence. The two dogs came running when they heard me and started jumping to try and get over the gate and they were coming very close. Since their gate is so close to mine, when I ran back through my gate to go back inside, one of them jumped up and snapped at me and was less than an inch away from biting my hip. I really really hate to do this, but I am going to have to report the dogs. Which could really be bad for my neighbors because both my house and their house are owned by the same landlord, and when I moved in, he made it very clear that he had a strict "No Pet" policy on his properties. I havent said anything thus far, because it is none of my business. I didnt know if they had something worked out with the landlord. So the advice that I need is, how should I go about reporting? Should I talk to my neighbors about the issues? Or should I call the landlord? Should I call the police? Animal Control will be the last thing I do because I'm afraid off the action they might take.
Yes.. call the police, they will probably call animal control.
Landlord first. You've already spoken with the neighbors, and they even told you one was dangerous. But they've done nothing since you expressed that initial concern to fix the dog situation. Also, it sounds like the dogs are very capable of damaging the landlord's property, if they haven't already. When you talk to the landlord, don't whine and complain, dont' bring up the no pet policy, etc. Inform him that the dogs are aggressive and you would like a better fence to keep them in. That way you aren't coming across as a "tattletale" or "drama queen" if they do happen to have an agreement with him. You are simply asking for help.
Animal control probably wouldn't do much more than a warning UNLESS the neighbors and/or those dogs already had a "record."
Police won't be able to do much more than issue a noise complaint, unless a dog actually bites you. It could be worth a call to them if you want the neighbors to be more conscious of the dogs, but more than likely it will result in them letting the dogs in before a certain time at night.
You have a right to be safe on your property. This owner is being irresponsible and letting these dog act like this. In no way should you be afraid. Its not the dogs fault its their owners fault so don't beat yourself up. No matter the breed of dog ( I love pitties) but its my responsibility to make sure that she is safe around people and not be like that. It just makes me sad and angry because this is why the breed gets a bad rap is because of people like him. Pitties should not be people aggressive. So with that being said, call animal control and tell them that you hate to do this but you're afraid for you and your childs safety., Its not the dogs fault but their owners fault. The dog needs a behavior eval to see if he's really aggressive or its something else.. No matter what breed, a human aggressive dog needs to be humanely put down and maybe there is hope for the other dog.
Screw talking to the neighbor again! Sensible dog owners would have realized this is a dangerous situation and done something about it. Dogs have a pack mentality, if one of those dogs attacks you the other is going to follow. I would have talked to the landlord a long time ago. After you talk to the landlord, I would call Animal Control. I agree.. this is exactly why pitbulls get a bad rap!
im getting the urge again... (a little of a vent also)
- kateleefuller
on Mar. 3, 2013 at 8:45 PM