Dog at large

[Equla]

Rant time!

So I just put the dogs out back after their nap. I was heading into the garage with my laptop to have a smoke when I hear Mansa snarl. He has 3 barks. One means he's talking and playing, the second one means, "You are near my house and I don't know you," and the third (and worst) is reserved for one particular dog... a boxer that runs loose in our neighborhood.

We have very strict leash rules in my neighborhood after the grandmother of one of the members of the HOA was attacked last year by an off leash dog. They take leashes very seriously around here.

Yet this one boxer gets to run around and cause problems everywhere in the neighborhood. When I got outside to chase the boxer away, she and Mansa were fighting through the gate so ferociously neither of them noticed I had come out of the house. I really worry that if we encounter this dog while we're on a walk that she and Mansa will go for blood.

Anyway, I ran up to the dog and yelled, "Get out of here!" Then, the boxer charged me! I took a step forward and growled, "Back off!" and she took off for a second, then circled around again!

I looked over at the house she lives at and no one was home. Usually, they let her run around the neighborhood when the kids are playing in the front yard or the family is in the garage for some reason. I usually always see adults outside, but never a leash and they are rarely looking at where the dog is. She almost gets hit by cars all the time and stirs up so much trouble with the neighborhood dogs.... grrrr!

So, I gave up and called AC. I was going to go over and talk to them and let them know the situation, but no one was home. I understand if your dog gets out occassionally, but this is 2-4 times per week!

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Equla

I understand if your dog gets out occassionally, but this is 2-4 times per week!

I don't ! No dogs should be roaming free , period. For the safety of the dog and other pets and people. You did a good thing calling the animal control ! Hope they get a warning and change their ways !

[hazelrunpack]

Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who won't change their ways until they get that call from AC. It was a good decision, Equla. And I agree with Frenchy...allowing a dog to roam free is a tragedy waiting to happen.

[Equla]

The main reason I waited so long to call AC was because I didn't want to cause neighbor issues and I didn't want the dog taken away.

Thank you for reading the rant.

I guess the final straw was when the dog charged me. At that point I had had enough, I guess.

[hazelrunpack]

Man, if that dog was charging, those people should be grateful to you for calling AC. If it charges someone and has the opportunity to bite, both it and the owners are in for a world of hurt :sad:

[ownedbycats]

Worse, you said there are kids in the neighborhood who were out playing. What if the boxer charged one of them? What if they weren't big enough or dominant to make her back off and got bit, badly?
I understand about not wanting bad feelings between neighbors, but when an animal is potentially endangering children and the owners aren't responding to complaints, then enough is enough. That is why we have AC in the first place, because unfortunately some owners can't or won't do the right thing without intervention by authorities.

[My Lodi Girl]

Originally Posted by Equla

The main reason I waited so long to call AC was because I didn't want to cause neighbor issues and I didn't want the dog taken away.

Thank you for reading the rant.

I guess the final straw was when the dog charged me. At that point I had had enough, I guess.

I have been through this sort of thing. It is SO irritating to have your dogs under control (leashed, fenced, etc) and have other dogs loose. My town has laws concerning loose dogs too but if you call AC, the owners put their dogs up for a few days then it continues. I have started carrying pepper spray with me when I take my *leashed* dogs for a walk because there have been several times loose dogs have come up to us and threatened us. I do NOT want to hurt another dog but I WILL if they threaten to harm my babies. One *lady* had a cocker spaniel that would come racing across her yard and the street to bark, snap and growl at my dogs - viciously. I swear she kept an eye out to see when we were coming then let the cocker out (whose name, ironically, was Precious - not precious at all!) After I sprayed the dog once and it still kept coming after us, I called AC. Guess what they told me? Don't walk by her house. That was their solution. I have gotten into "discussions" with people who have their dogs loose and their dogs come after mine. Pi**es me off!

[Bear_Down]

Befriend the dog....Make friends and feed it EXLAX...the owner can deal with his mess.

[Equla]

Really? Seriously!

The darn boxer is out again!

I just put Miko and Mansa out back and it was literally less than 5 minutes later I heard Mansa snarl again.

I ran to the front door yelling, "I'm gonna kill that dog!"

I got outside and my gate was open! The gate has a latch that secures it closed pretty well. It has never "just come open" before. We want to put a lock on it, but we haven't been able to find one that will fit the latch (I'm thinking bike lock now). To add to the security of the gate, we have mesh on the lower 3 feet of the gate to prevent Miko from squeezing through the bars... Plus two large maybe 30 pound rocks in front of the gate just in case.

When I got out there, the gate was unlatched and the rocks were shoved out about 2 feet (probably by the force of the gate being slammed into them by an 80 pound Mansa). I have no idea how the gate got unlatched though. I don't think the owners of the boxer know it was me that called AC, but... I've lived here a year and my dogs have never once broken out of the yard. I don't know what to think now.

Luckily, Mansa was still in the back yard when I got outside, but the gate was shoved open enough to allow Miko to get out. I'm glad I ran out front to chase the boxer away. Miko wouldn't have gone far. He would have come to the front door and barked. The bug man accidentally left the gate open once and Miko was too scared to leave the front porch.

[rainbow]

So if AC took their dog wouldn't they have to pay a fine to get it back? And then they let it run loose again right away?

What happens the second time the dog is picked up by AC? Keep your phone handy.

[Equla]

I don't think they took the dog. By the time AC got there, the dog was back inside. If AC saw that all the paperwork was in order (rabies, license...) they would have just talked to them about it. The talk didn't seem to help, though.

We've started keeping a log of when we see the dog out so we can see if there is a pattern (when the kids get home, or when dad is home, etc.). That way we can give that info to AC so they can catch them in the act.

Since it was the first complaint and just from me, it's unlikely they would even cite the owners. The nuisance laws out here are screwy, but I agree with them. If my dog is barking and my neighbor who doesn't like me complains, AC will just come talk to me about it. If the neighbor keeps complaining, AC will suggest mediation. If other neighbors start calling, THEN I get a citation. Has to come from multiple sources. Sucks, sucks, sucks. But, it does protect people from nasty neighbors making false claims.

[NoahGrey]

I would also take pictures of the dog, when off his property. Keeping a log is good, but anyone can fudge and make dates and times up. (not saying you would do that, however a judge might see it different. With pictures, you have proof that the dog was off his property. Get it so it show the date when the picture was taken.

ACO22

[rainbow]

Yes, if you have a video cam that would be the best way to catch him when he's loose. Has he been out again since Tuesday?

[Marcha]

Logs DO help, IF they are in a bound notebook. If it's on loose-leaf style paper, the order can be changed. If it's in a bound notebook, you can't add and remove paper to fudge. So keep a notebook, with short entries and multiple dates/times on each page, and if you can, refer to any communications you've had with the owner of the other dog, along with dates and times, and insert photos that are preferably time-stamped to coincide with the data entries. That way your written log will have more weight if it is ever necessary to submit it. And of course the video cam if possible. Renting one for a week isn't that expensive either - but you'd have to keep your fingers crossed that the dog would get out of the yard that week.

[Equla]

We've been keeping the log just so we can hopefully see a pattern. For instance, if the boxer is out when dad gets off of work or the kids get off the bus. If we can establish a pattern, we may be able to get AC to catch them in the act.

I haven't seen the dog at all this weekend. We have been keeping the dogs inside more, so I don't know if the boxer is still out but we don't notice. Our only indication that the boxer was out was that Mansa would freak.

Who knows, maybe they are starting to learn.

But then again, I said that and I will probably see the boxer later this evening.