Darth Ruger
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2005
- Messages
- 525
Several months ago, my daughter (17) was chased by a neighbor's dog. Pretty sure it was a Rottweiler. She was working in the yard out front when it chased her. She screamed and it stopped. My sister-in-law was here at the time and they went to talk to the owner. They got a lukewarm response to say the least. The lady was unresponsive and didn't seem to care much about what they were telling her.
This morning I and my two sons and my niece were attacked by this dog and another one. I got a good look at the closest one, obviously, and it was a Rott. Not sure about the other one, I was a little busy dealing with the closest one, but it looked very similar. I was going to see the doctor, about my ongoing back problem (injured my back on the job a year ago, still doing physical therapy and now getting spinal injections). When I go to the doctor for this reason, I don't have my carry gun on me, because the doctor will be examining my back. So I have it in the holster (SmartCarry) in a book bag/day pack over my shoulder. The zipper on this bag is a little hard to work, and would be even more difficult if under attack. I was getting the three kids in the car when I heard barking. I looked up and these two dogs were running straight at us from across the street, snarling and barking. They had to come through that house's back yard, then the front yard to come that way, because their owner lives in the house behind it on the other side of the block. I knew instantly it was the dog that chased my daughter several months ago, accompanied by another one.
I said to the kids "Get in the car! Get in the car!" I didn't have a chance to get to my gun, I was too busy trying to get my kids in the car. I thought my niece was all the way in so I slammed the door behind her, but her foot was in the way and it wedged her foot under the side of the seat, stopping me from closing the door at all. My boys barely got inside in time. My gun was not an option at this point. I figured I would be taking on both of these dogs single-handed at any moment. I looked up again and the Rott (closest to me) had stopped about two feet from me and was barking and snarling. The other one was a little farther away. I finally got the door closed. Then my next reaction was to raise my arms and yell at the Rott. This made him jump back, and it would have taken too long to fiddle with my day pack, so I did it again and walked around to the other side of the car to get in. Then he started to run around to come after me again, but I yelled again and that stopped him. I got in the car and we left.
If I had quicker access to my gun, I would have shot the Rott. It was charging straight at me and I had the kids to worry about. I suppose both I and the dogs are lucky they stopped. If they didn't stop, they would have torn me up, but I would have killed them.
After I was driving a bit, I was thinking about this, and that's when my heart started to beat faster (funny how that happens, after the fact). It made me nervous that I knew I would have shot them if I could have, although I know I would have been justified.
Wait, it gets worse. After I got home from my appointment, I went over there to talk to the owner. She was in her front yard with one of her dogs. It wasn't a Rott, but nearly as big and was the same black/brown. I thought it must have been the one farther from me, as my attention was focused on the one two feet from me. I started to walk up their driveway, but the woman stopped me. She said "Stop! Don't come at me or he'll attack." I knew this was the dog. So I stopped and talked to the lady from a distance of about 30 feet as she held her dog. I told her that her two dogs attacked me and my kids earlier. She immediately started denying that they would ever do that. "They aren't those kind of dogs. They're just puppies." I said "Puppies that are this big?" as I put my hand above my knee. She said "Well, yeah, they're big dogs."
I tried to tell her what happened, but it was difficult. She kept interrupting me and denying her dogs would do something like that. But then she would flip-flop and apologize for it.
I tired to tell her that they charged us and only stopped when I yelled at them. She said "That's not possible. Yelling at them is what makes them charge. They'll leave you alone unless you come at them." I told her "That's exactly the opposite of what they did. I was getting my kids in the car when your dogs came charging at us from the neighbor's yard across the street. I did nothing to provoke them. They were so far away when they started charging that I didn't even see them at first. And yelling at them made them stop, not charge." Then she said "Well, I'm sorry they did that, sir."
She kept contradicting herself. She would say they wouldn't do something like that, then apologize for them doing it, like she was admitting they really would do it.
I told her this wasn't the first time. I told her about my daughter. She remembered her from when they went to talk to her about that incident. She tried to tell me that her dog chased my daughter because she yelled at the dog. Sorry, but my daughter isn't in the habit of going around yelling at strange dogs. She yelled because the dog was chasing her. Besides, she was in our front yard when this happened, and the dog's owner was nowhere to be seen, so how does she know what happened?
She admitted the dogs get out sometimes. I told her she needed to do whatever it takes to contain them, higher fence, stonger chain, whatever. By this point my voice was getting higher until I was almost yelling at her. I couldn't help it. I was calm at first, but I was getting pissed because she kept denying everything and then apologizing for everything, contradicting herself, and every time I tried to tell her something, I had to try three or four times to finish what I was saying because she kept interrupting me and either denying what I was saying or trying to justify the dogs' actions.
At one point I told her I almost shot her dogs because they charged us and I was afraid for my kids' lives. And I said next time I might. I know I shouldn't have said that, but you had to be there. I thought that I and maybe my kids could have been torn to pieces, and I was pissed that this woman didn't seem to give a damn. Just like when my daughter tried to talk to her before. I threatened to call animal control if she doesn't do something about those dogs. What happens when they get out again? Next time they might kill someone. I finally gave up and just walked away. I knew nothing was going to change, except that now I've probably started a feud.
They're trashy people. They let their dogs run loose a lot, they've got garbage and rusted cars in the yard. A garbage can had been knocked over, spilling hundreds of empty Budweiser cans all over the ground. I can just see her husband pounding on my door tonight, yelling at me for yelling at his wife.
We also have a side yard that runs down the side of the house, where a fence divides it from the back yard. My son told me he has been in the backyard before and see one of those dogs there in the side yard, with just the fence between them.
I called the county animal control for advice. I explained everything and all they could tell me is that it's my decision if I want to file a complaint. They said someone would come out and get a statement from me, then go talk to the owners, give them a warning if it's a first offense.
That seemed like it would accomplish nothing and only worsen the situation. They obviously can't control their dogs in the first place, since they get out a lot. And I can just imagine how bad it would get, i.e., "us vs. them." The lady at animal control said "Yeah, there's always the possbility it will start a 'neighborhood war'. " I don't know what to do next.
There's one other caveat. The fence that divides the backyard from the side yard is a very fragile lattice design. It has gotten very brittle from all the exposure over the years and is literally falling apart. My own dogs have gotten out several times. One is a black lab that is so docile (and stupid) that she must have a heart made of silly putty. The other is a Brittany Spaniel. He barks at everything that moves, but isn't the type to attack. A few weeks ago he did get out and was barking at some little kids down the street, who were on the other side of the fence in their yard, and made them cry. But he's just a barker. I'm working on getting the fence fixed right now, but the problem is, how does that look if I file a complaint about a neighbor's dogs? Then again, this was down the street on my side of the block, no place 'that lady' would ever see, and I'm certain she doesn't know about it.
From now on, I'll be watching for those dogs everytime I step out the door and I will always have my carry gun easily accessible. A couple of concerns: 1) My daughter has to walk around the corner and go by their house every day to get to the school bus stop (the bus stop is right in front of their house). 2) I work a part-time job on the weekends. My wife is home with the kids then, and they often go out to the store or whatever. What if this happens then, when I'm not there? My wife won't carry. She's pro-gun, but too afraid to carry one herself. Besides, I doubt if she could deal with the situation anyway, if it should happen. 3) Will filing a complaint do any good? Or just make matters worse?
Maybe I should just wait and see if her husband does anything tonight, then decide tomorrow. I'm not afraid of him (I've never even met him), but there's a strong possibility that they're the type of people that might turn this into a feud. I worry about the kids' safety, but will a simple warning accomplish anything? Will it only make life in this neighborhood hell for us, and nothing helpful be done about the dogs until they've killed someone?
I don't know what to do. Any advise?
This morning I and my two sons and my niece were attacked by this dog and another one. I got a good look at the closest one, obviously, and it was a Rott. Not sure about the other one, I was a little busy dealing with the closest one, but it looked very similar. I was going to see the doctor, about my ongoing back problem (injured my back on the job a year ago, still doing physical therapy and now getting spinal injections). When I go to the doctor for this reason, I don't have my carry gun on me, because the doctor will be examining my back. So I have it in the holster (SmartCarry) in a book bag/day pack over my shoulder. The zipper on this bag is a little hard to work, and would be even more difficult if under attack. I was getting the three kids in the car when I heard barking. I looked up and these two dogs were running straight at us from across the street, snarling and barking. They had to come through that house's back yard, then the front yard to come that way, because their owner lives in the house behind it on the other side of the block. I knew instantly it was the dog that chased my daughter several months ago, accompanied by another one.
I said to the kids "Get in the car! Get in the car!" I didn't have a chance to get to my gun, I was too busy trying to get my kids in the car. I thought my niece was all the way in so I slammed the door behind her, but her foot was in the way and it wedged her foot under the side of the seat, stopping me from closing the door at all. My boys barely got inside in time. My gun was not an option at this point. I figured I would be taking on both of these dogs single-handed at any moment. I looked up again and the Rott (closest to me) had stopped about two feet from me and was barking and snarling. The other one was a little farther away. I finally got the door closed. Then my next reaction was to raise my arms and yell at the Rott. This made him jump back, and it would have taken too long to fiddle with my day pack, so I did it again and walked around to the other side of the car to get in. Then he started to run around to come after me again, but I yelled again and that stopped him. I got in the car and we left.
If I had quicker access to my gun, I would have shot the Rott. It was charging straight at me and I had the kids to worry about. I suppose both I and the dogs are lucky they stopped. If they didn't stop, they would have torn me up, but I would have killed them.
After I was driving a bit, I was thinking about this, and that's when my heart started to beat faster (funny how that happens, after the fact). It made me nervous that I knew I would have shot them if I could have, although I know I would have been justified.
Wait, it gets worse. After I got home from my appointment, I went over there to talk to the owner. She was in her front yard with one of her dogs. It wasn't a Rott, but nearly as big and was the same black/brown. I thought it must have been the one farther from me, as my attention was focused on the one two feet from me. I started to walk up their driveway, but the woman stopped me. She said "Stop! Don't come at me or he'll attack." I knew this was the dog. So I stopped and talked to the lady from a distance of about 30 feet as she held her dog. I told her that her two dogs attacked me and my kids earlier. She immediately started denying that they would ever do that. "They aren't those kind of dogs. They're just puppies." I said "Puppies that are this big?" as I put my hand above my knee. She said "Well, yeah, they're big dogs."
I tried to tell her what happened, but it was difficult. She kept interrupting me and denying her dogs would do something like that. But then she would flip-flop and apologize for it.
I tired to tell her that they charged us and only stopped when I yelled at them. She said "That's not possible. Yelling at them is what makes them charge. They'll leave you alone unless you come at them." I told her "That's exactly the opposite of what they did. I was getting my kids in the car when your dogs came charging at us from the neighbor's yard across the street. I did nothing to provoke them. They were so far away when they started charging that I didn't even see them at first. And yelling at them made them stop, not charge." Then she said "Well, I'm sorry they did that, sir."
She kept contradicting herself. She would say they wouldn't do something like that, then apologize for them doing it, like she was admitting they really would do it.
I told her this wasn't the first time. I told her about my daughter. She remembered her from when they went to talk to her about that incident. She tried to tell me that her dog chased my daughter because she yelled at the dog. Sorry, but my daughter isn't in the habit of going around yelling at strange dogs. She yelled because the dog was chasing her. Besides, she was in our front yard when this happened, and the dog's owner was nowhere to be seen, so how does she know what happened?
She admitted the dogs get out sometimes. I told her she needed to do whatever it takes to contain them, higher fence, stonger chain, whatever. By this point my voice was getting higher until I was almost yelling at her. I couldn't help it. I was calm at first, but I was getting pissed because she kept denying everything and then apologizing for everything, contradicting herself, and every time I tried to tell her something, I had to try three or four times to finish what I was saying because she kept interrupting me and either denying what I was saying or trying to justify the dogs' actions.
At one point I told her I almost shot her dogs because they charged us and I was afraid for my kids' lives. And I said next time I might. I know I shouldn't have said that, but you had to be there. I thought that I and maybe my kids could have been torn to pieces, and I was pissed that this woman didn't seem to give a damn. Just like when my daughter tried to talk to her before. I threatened to call animal control if she doesn't do something about those dogs. What happens when they get out again? Next time they might kill someone. I finally gave up and just walked away. I knew nothing was going to change, except that now I've probably started a feud.
They're trashy people. They let their dogs run loose a lot, they've got garbage and rusted cars in the yard. A garbage can had been knocked over, spilling hundreds of empty Budweiser cans all over the ground. I can just see her husband pounding on my door tonight, yelling at me for yelling at his wife.
We also have a side yard that runs down the side of the house, where a fence divides it from the back yard. My son told me he has been in the backyard before and see one of those dogs there in the side yard, with just the fence between them.
I called the county animal control for advice. I explained everything and all they could tell me is that it's my decision if I want to file a complaint. They said someone would come out and get a statement from me, then go talk to the owners, give them a warning if it's a first offense.
That seemed like it would accomplish nothing and only worsen the situation. They obviously can't control their dogs in the first place, since they get out a lot. And I can just imagine how bad it would get, i.e., "us vs. them." The lady at animal control said "Yeah, there's always the possbility it will start a 'neighborhood war'. " I don't know what to do next.
There's one other caveat. The fence that divides the backyard from the side yard is a very fragile lattice design. It has gotten very brittle from all the exposure over the years and is literally falling apart. My own dogs have gotten out several times. One is a black lab that is so docile (and stupid) that she must have a heart made of silly putty. The other is a Brittany Spaniel. He barks at everything that moves, but isn't the type to attack. A few weeks ago he did get out and was barking at some little kids down the street, who were on the other side of the fence in their yard, and made them cry. But he's just a barker. I'm working on getting the fence fixed right now, but the problem is, how does that look if I file a complaint about a neighbor's dogs? Then again, this was down the street on my side of the block, no place 'that lady' would ever see, and I'm certain she doesn't know about it.
From now on, I'll be watching for those dogs everytime I step out the door and I will always have my carry gun easily accessible. A couple of concerns: 1) My daughter has to walk around the corner and go by their house every day to get to the school bus stop (the bus stop is right in front of their house). 2) I work a part-time job on the weekends. My wife is home with the kids then, and they often go out to the store or whatever. What if this happens then, when I'm not there? My wife won't carry. She's pro-gun, but too afraid to carry one herself. Besides, I doubt if she could deal with the situation anyway, if it should happen. 3) Will filing a complaint do any good? Or just make matters worse?
Maybe I should just wait and see if her husband does anything tonight, then decide tomorrow. I'm not afraid of him (I've never even met him), but there's a strong possibility that they're the type of people that might turn this into a feud. I worry about the kids' safety, but will a simple warning accomplish anything? Will it only make life in this neighborhood hell for us, and nothing helpful be done about the dogs until they've killed someone?
I don't know what to do. Any advise?
