loose neighbor dog & morning walks

[Lou's mom]

Precis: loose neighbor dog taunts my doberman while we are out walking. Dober slips his collar & gets one bite in. No visible damage to either dog, but what do ya'll suggest so I can continue to walk my dog on-leash in the mornings? :confused:



Long version:

There is a Rhodesian Ridgeback who has lived in my rural (2 acre lots) neighborhood for 3 or 4 years now. The owners let him roam, and my ol coot neighbors feed him in the winter.

The first summer he was there I'd shout at him to go home, cuz he'd walk my fence line & my dobers would run the fence & bark at him for being loose. The owners also had a fluffy dog who would forget how to get home, and they'd come looking for fluffy a couple times a month. For a few months I tried talking to them about containing Zorro, the RR, and got nothing but flack, so I quit. [Nyx & Logan were my dobers at the time, RIP.]

2nd summer the ol coot neighbors asked why I didn't like Z, and told me they didn't mind my dogs barking at him. So I tried making friends w/him, left food out in the winter, and got so far as to be able to pet him after a few minutes of coaxing. [Logan & Will lived w/me then.]

3rd summer I found where some of Z's food went - the mufflers on my motorcycle. Still on good terms w/him, but my current dobers [Will & Bella live w/me now] just can't stand him, so I don't try petting him anymore. Took him home one time when one of the owners was mowing their pasture, everybody civil and polite.

Now it's winter, and I've been walking myWill on lead to the end of the road on the mornings before I go to work. (A habit developed after Logan passed). Zorro isn't normally out that early, so I didn't think too much about it, until last week. Z was standing in the road in front of his driveway, and I realized we wouldn't be taking the normal walk that morning. I told Z to go home, turned my unwilling still-on-leash dober around and started going home. Z followed us, and after about 1/10th of a mile Will decided to do something about it by turning around and launching to the end of his Flexi, which spun him around & stripped his collar off over his head. Now Will is free to get a piece of Z, but I was able to call him off after one snap at Z's haunch, and we all went home.

I checked out Will, no blood, and went on my way to work, grumbling about not being able to walk him legally in my neighborhood due to illegal loose dog. Next evening I noticed a s****e on my guys leg, but he'll be okay.

I think Zorro was trying to make friends & play, but Will & Bella ain't having nuna that. I'd call Animal Humane, but they don't care, it would piss off the ol coots, and my dog did get a bite in, after slipping the leash.

What ideas do you have so that I can continue to legally walk my dog in my neighborhood any damn time I feel like it? :mad:


ps: Why is Zorro still around causing problems when Nyx & Logan are overtheBridge? :(

[katdobemom]

I would def call AC if nothing else but to begin a record of whats going on/report. A paper trail.
Continue to call (or even go into AC and speak with someone) about what is going on.
I would def call the owners, or visit, and discuss with them this latest incident as well. May fall on deaf ears, but at least you have done what you had to do to alert them once again to the issue. Maybe now with a connection actually happened with the two dogs they will do better?
Any chance you can get a photo of the dog on your property/wandering to give to AC as well?
Good luck.

[Kissntell]

If my hands were better, I'd carry a baseball bat along with the leash. But that is the idea floating around in my head right now. I live in a lawless clueless town.

It sounds like these people have no clue; nor do they value dogs.

So I too would be on the phone with animal reg. They are paid to enforce the law. Against that you have no recourse. They will not listen to you. They will listen to their checkbook when they pay fines.

Now, I have more pit bulls in another yard, who have taken the boards out of the bottom of the fence. So now my directions to walk are quite limited. And, Macy is dumb as a puppy is as to what other dogs may do to her. Although, she is verbally "choosing them out."

I hate people who have dogs who should not. Most people, in my findings, don't deserve dogs.

[dobesign]

When I lived up there, there was a pair of marauding flat coated retrievers. I found that animal control will loan you a giant havahart trap. A little hot smelly shrimp scampi goes a long way. When you have you quarry, ac comes back to scoop him up.

[doberdogsfd]

Bob and I moved into our current house about 7 1/2 yrs ago. It is a private dirt road on a creek with 6 houses set back into the woods. Very pleasant, very quiet, accept for the couple of dogs that seem to enjoy my property.

The folks around here believe they too can turn their dogs loose and everyone is going to get along. I truly believe they have delusions of living in Montana and setting their dogs out to run the lower 40 or some such nonsense. Instead it is Collegeville and we have strict leach laws here.

It is just a complete pain in the ass with an intact male and 1 of the dogs is an intact Sammy!

I am sure you have tried chatting with them to explain the "not all dogs like each other " deal and they need to keep their dogs contained on their property. I gave that 3 shots before I acted.

Now, Bob is a much nicer person then I am (he was like "be nice"), I do not want to know their dogs nor do I want to know them. So I made it pretty clear about how it would go after the 3rd "chat".
On the 4th visit, it was on a weekend and my dogs had been harrassed by their dog all morning. I kept the dog, put him in a spare crate outside and called the PD. The dog had no tags or ID, and we have no AC on the weekends here. When you call, you get the PD. They do come out and collect the dogs...they also hand you your ass if it isn't ID'd properly. The owners were fined and the dog now is on their property.

How you want to handle it is your thing, I give them a chance to understand there is no harrassing my guys, EVER and they need to keep their pooch on their "lower 40" or they get a visit from "The Man".
It worked for me.

My bitch(Deca) was assualted by the neighbor's crazy cute sheltie about 3 yrs ago on my driveway. I was loading her into my truck, one well placed bite from dober girl kept the sheltie from running through 2 yards to grab her hock. I also was comfortable with that because I knew my bitch so well and she would correct the little fur ball fast and with a good bite that would leave no open wounds.
Not always the suggestion if the dog goes over the curve fast or won't come off a bite.

Again...I agree with Kissentell...not everyone deserves the gift of a dog. I would be a mess if my dogs were cruising the neighborhood!

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Cheryl

[Kissntell]

A big difference in Montana.

They will leave you alone with your dogs. But...

If your dog is caught running loose and even near cattle or livestock, they are shot no questions asked. This is a firm rule up there. So as a result, there are seldom dogs running loose. A different type of rule which is enforced and followed. Cattle are king in those regions.