Need advice from dog people re: scary neighbor dog - Page 2

[mammastar2]

I'm not a dog person at all, so I'm not really who you wanted to hear from here-but I do agree that you need to address this asap.

Just generally, I know that you like your neighbour and feel she's a very nice woman, but to me it's quite inconsiderate for a dog owner to simply assume that his or her dogs are welcome in all situations by all people. If she's letting them roam up and down the street, where they might intimidate other people, and poop in your yard (you said she doesn't notice, but really, she'd have to know it's a possibility!), she's just not being considerate. I have friends who are great, considerate dog owners, and they would never just assume it's ok to let them roam even if they 'know' their dog.

[shannon0218]

mammastar makes a very good point, I too go out of my way to ensure my dog's do not bother anyone--if someone is afraid of dogs, it's my responsibility to ensure my dog's don't go near them. dog owners who do not do this, impact all dog owners negatively. The only person who has to love a dog is it's owner, otherwise it's the owners responsibity to ensure NOBODY is bothered by her dog.

[DarkHorseMama]

Ditto to what shannon said. OESDs do have a herding background, but it specifically leaning toward the "driving" side. Drover (driving) dogs are part herders and part guard dogs and are quite capable of driving by force if need be (growling, biting, etc). Rottweilers are also driving dogs, for what that is worth.

My local yarn store has a big border collie that tries to herd children. He gets *very* antsy around a baby/toddler in arms because he can't "get" to them. Quite a sweet guy, but my DS accidently fell over him one day and got a growl and snarl out of him. Totally DS's fault, honestly, but it was a really good reminder for me that all of the "Oh, he's a big softy, would hurt a fly!" verbage in the world isn't going to stop a dog from possibly harming my child. It can truthfully be *nobody's* fault, but still happen.

FWIW, I consider it my responsibility to maintain my child's safety. I would HOPE that others in the world would act responsibly for their own children (human or animal), but that isn't always the case. I don't think, however, that you should be made to feel unsafe or threatened in your own yard.

[shannon0218]

Words to live by Dark Horse Mama!!! Now if we can get all the parents to behave like you and convince all the dog owners it is equally their responsibility, we may just have a shot at drastically decreasing the #'s of tragic dog bites in North America.

Bravo!

[Dechen]

I am going to talk to my neighbor, but right now my mind is filled with the fact that we're going to give up my male dog, Ivan. I don't want to be a post-hog, but I may start a post about it because it is breaking my heart in a million and some pieces, and I don't know how I'm going to get through.