Neighbor's dog attacked mine

[Shiaway]

I have two dogs. An old, 55 pound street dog and a 2 year old 20pound hoarder dog.

My elderly but very spry mom was walking them while I was at work. Apparently, a neighbor’s dog came racing out of its yard and attacked my big senior dog. Mom said the dog jumped on my older dog’s back and bit her. The skin was not broken thank goodness. She has a thick coat so that probably helped.

I guess my little dog then went after the neighbors dog and made it run back to its yard. This dog tends to come running out and barking at you when you walk by but this is the first time it’s attacked that I know of. The attack was on the street not on its property just to be clear.

what is the best coarse of action? I told my mom not to walk the dogs on that street any more of course. Mom said the neighbor was in their garage and just ineffectually yelled at the dog but otherwise didn’t do anything.

Naturally I’m angry about it. I wish I had been there. But I don’t want my emotions to make bad decisions for me. Since my dog wasn’t actually physically hurt am I over reacting? Should I just let it go and avoid that street? Or is it worth confronting the neighbors (I know nothing about them except that they apparently don’t care if their dog runs out at people and other dogs)?

[Sswor]

Call the police and report the incident. It will happen again. You are not overreacting, this is a dangerous situation for your mother and your dogs.

If she hasn’t already made the decision herself, advise your mom to avoid this house/street on future walks. Glad everyone is ok.

[JanM]

Report this to police or animal control. You want a paper trail started, so when this happens again, and it will, action is taken by the authorities.

[rockonxox]

Report dog ASAP to AC and PD. It will end up hurting someone and there is absolutely NO reason to not have a dog secured behind a fence (physical or underground) or on leash. Sounds like these owners were just sitting in a garage letting their dog wander about and that this is a common occurrence from your post… absolutely ridiculous. I guarantee your city/county has leash laws and that this is breaking an ordinance.

[XXS]

Check, how this is covered by law. Make sure your own dogs are leashed if this is the law in your area.

[Shiaway]

Thank you. I will check the law and report it. I don’t want to be a dick neighbor but I also don’t want my or other dogs attacked. This dog has rushed out like that when I’ve walked the dogs up the street but it has usually chickened out before it gets to us.

[DoubleClick]

Yes, report it. You should be able to safely leash walk your dogs anywhere you want in your neighborhood. Infuriates me that irresponsible dog owners make it difficult to complete a simple and “should be” enjoyable activity like walking your dog.

[Sswor]

@Shiaway

Thank you. I will check the law and report it. I don’t want to be a dick neighbor but I also don’t want my or other dogs attacked. This dog has rushed out like that when I’ve walked the dogs up the street but it has usually chickened out before it gets to us.

That ship has sailed as your neighbor is already the dick.

I mean I get it, I do, but it bothers me that people live in fear–too afraid to walk the dog because their neighbor is a dick and their dog is likely to be loose and (now) likely to attack…but we are too afraid to “be a dick” and call the police. Ridiculous. Your neighbor is breaking the law and his behavior is putting you and your loved ones at risk. HE’S the dick. Call the police. You’ve bent over backwards for this dick and it’s time to stop.

I too have a neighbor with problem dogs. I told him I was calling the police. He was like OH WELL so now you’re going to be a problem neighbor??? I said–um, YOU are the problem neighbor. He said WHAT!!! all incredulous like. I said, yup, YOU have the loose aggressive dog. YOU are the PROBLEM. PD showed up. No more problems. Of course he doesn’t speak to me anymore but trust me–zero loss.

Call the police, OP, and hold your head high.

[horsenut_8700]

I have a no tolerance policy for people like that- report it! I had a neighbor with a 100# Old English sheepdog puppy they allowed to run loose. Super friendly exuberant ball of fluff. I have an anxious dog who is terrified of life in general and after an incident where said OES puppy ran up to my on leash dogs I reported to the ACO. I also told her to relay to the neighbors that next time I would be carrying defense spray and would not hesitate to use it. Miraculously the puppy was never loose again before they moved.

[CanteringCarrot]

Just think about it this way if you have doubts about reporting; what if the dog attacks again,(someone else’s dog or even a person) and this time it’s serious. But you never reported anything. Your report could have prevented this, or shown a trend that leads to the euthanasia of a dangerous animal.

I know it’s a “what if” thing, but something to consider.

Even when no blood is drawn, a dog attack is not ok. It is very rare that a dog attack is “ok” especially if the neighbor was complacent about the whole thing.

[stargzng386]

The “what if scenario” happened to me. There was a dog who I knew for awhile and he knew my dog and saw her on a regular basis just snapped one day and attacked her. Flipped her over put a few punctures right by her eyes. The owner apologized profusely paid my vet bill was very very nice. I didn’t report it because I don’t like conflict.

A few weeks later I heard the dog attacked another dog and actually had a history of attacking smaller dogs even if he seemed ok for awhile.

A few months later the dog went after a jogger and took a chunk out of her calf. It was a huge deal, everyone in the neighborhood became super paranoid about dogs. The dog was euthanized.

I REALLY regret not reporting and swore from that point on that any dog altercation involving me or my dogs I would report it. If I had reported it maybe that woman wouldn’t have been bitten.

[XXS]

I don’t get why some people don’t use a leash and/or a muzzle.

[SonnysMom]

@Salo

I don’t get why some people don’t use a leash and/or a muzzle.

In the US it would be extremely rare to see a muzzled dog in public. Heck many Americans are resistant to having the vet muzzle their dog even if the dog is known to be snappy. Most Americans would think that muzzling is extremely cruel. I am 50 years old. I have only ever seen 1 dog in public with a muzzle. He was a retired greyhound that had escaped his foster family’s yard. Since greyhounds are used to being in basket muzzles and because her population of dogs changed regularly when the dogs were in the fenced yard she had muzzles on all of them.

For many American dog owners they don’t want to leash their dogs because they want them to be FREEEeeee… Free to run around, free to be obnoxious to people/dog/cats.

A friend of mine takes her dogs to the local park and lets them off leash all the time. “But they would be so sad if they are leashed and can’t run around.” Park has leash requirements. But the rules don’t apply to her. She also used to take her dogs trail riding with her- off leash. She would put bells on them so she could hear them while they ran around. It wasn’t like they stayed with her. She has 6 acres that is invisible fenced but apparently that isn’t good enough.

I have a decent sized fenced yard so my dogs get to be unleashed there. In public they are leashed.

I used to have a labrador that when I took him to a particular park I would take him off leash. But that was only when he was in the lake swimming. I used to have him on a long clothesline to swim until the line snagged on a rock and pulled him under. I had to swim out to him and save him. It just wasn’t safe to let him swim with a leash.

[JanM]

When Animal Planet had the Animal Cops/Animal Precinct shows I watched the New York one, and Detroit. Some cities simply have no enforcement or laws to stop aggressive animals, and fine the owners.

I stopped watching the Miami ones after a man who beat a kitten almost to death received a ridiculously light sentence. Then there was a Rottweiler that bit an animal control officer twice (it was obviously the AC officer’s fault), and the animal was going to be sent to a trainer again, and then adopted out.

Then the San Francisco edition seemed much better at first, with a vicious and dangerous dog court, and seemed to have real enforcement. But I stopped watching it after an animal that had attacked passersby on two occasions was rehomed with the owner’s son in another city. In my opinion should have been put down the way the companion dog had been. Then when an animal broke through a fence and killed some guinea pigs on the back porch, and the animal control people said they could do nothing about the dog being at large, because it was still private property, and no citation because killing an animal wasn’t a crime. That did it for me.

[Shiaway]

I don’t mind if your dog is off leash actually. I just don’t want it attacking my dog.

[XXS]

Did you check if there are any leash laws/rules in your area? If yes, it is easier to report e.g. if your dog is on leash and the other person ignores the law. If the dog runs out of a yard, is there a law that says how dogs have to be kept safe (proper fencing?)?

[ThreeTerriers]

Several years ago I was at a soccer practice with my dog. There was also another person that brought their dog and had it on a leash. During the water break the other people let their dog off of a leash to play fetch, and as one person threw the ball, the dog started running after it. It then turned and started running after my dog, still on a leash, and started fighting. The other dog was a bit bigger than mine but definitely had more weight and muscle to it. My dog was fine, but I was very upset and worried for my dog.

If I remember correctly, we reported it. I agree with the point that without reporting the instances, they might repeat themselves. It’s definitely possible. Some people never learn and continue to make ignorant decisions, like letting an unfriendly dog off leash, taking their dogs around other dogs, seeing aggressive behavior and not doing anything (like training).

Even if you check the laws and there’s not much about it, you should report it anyways. Police and/or animal control might not care now, but they will if the dog goes after a child. I’m sure it won’t, but then again, I don’t know the dog.

And yes - off leash isn’t bad. Plenty of dogs who are off leash are well-behaved and friendly (my dogs are very… vocal on their walks, and when they see another dog they go crazy. If it happens that the other dog is off leash, they’ll usually just sit there or walk over to the owner. Once the dog just walked inside the house). Personally, my problem is with the people who assume their dog will be fine off of a leash when really, it isn’t.

[XXS]

If you want to report something, it helps, if you have the law on your side. So if there is a leash law it’s good to know.