Neighbor with possibly dangerous dog (Howe: how much, fence, train)

[TexasHorseLady]

I have no problem, as indicated, with taking precautions and even with putting down a dog that is a danger to itself or others. (Same thing with horses, come to that.)

I DO have a problem with coming on a public forum and advocating beating animals to death or knifing them to death. It's also scary to think that you studied veterinary science and have this attitude towards animals.

If an animal attacks me, I'll defend myself (but hopefully will have been paying enough attention to its body language that that won't become necessary - yes, I do live with animals and work with them on a daily basis). But I won't beat it to death unless that is the ONLY option available, and if I have half a brain in my head, that shouldn't become necessary.

As for the animal in the original post, there are many ways short of a baseball bat for dealing with that situation, several of which were recommended by other posters.

[dfarmer002]

Thanks for agreeing.. you just exactly what I said originally.

And I have a problem with ignorant animal lovers thinking their beloved fifi would never do anything wrong or that in some fashion this animals "rights" trump that to the rest of society. The point you keep missing. folks.. ITS a gdog ... A DANGEROUS IT SEEMS DOG

[dfarmer002]

Im simply stating the obvious in a somewhat graphic fashion.. deal with the dog. Dont carry pepper spray...dont run down the street hoping he bitessomeone else or you escape..dont call pita..dont wait for animal control.. TELL the owner if I see your dangerous animal near me or anyone else in a threatening manner again I will eliminate him with whatever means needed to eliminate that threat. The owner then is on notice to the consequences of his potentially dangerous decision.

And np one has answered the question yet which was have you seen the face of a young child mauled by an animal. My guess is no.. I have and rest assured your noble ideas would vanish rapidly abouth teh beloved animal if you had.

Oh and as to a baseball bat. I was attacked by a doberman and the only thing that saved my life was a baseball bat.. call it cruel..realistic.or whatever you like.

Oh and it is a public forum so lets say something real so the public can get a grasp of reality and stop waiting to be a statistic.

[dfarmer002]

Oh and last I checked.. when our poster was walking down the street with the dangerous animal she didn have the local vet there to "put it down"// I mean get real. We are talking her and others being at risk in an apt complex, not the public animal shelter.

[dfarmer002]

So.. Ive said all I can.. lets be friends

Clearly I tapped a nerve with the animal lovers in the group....

[Catherinelady]

Report to the apartment complex. It won't ban large dogs, it will only ban that one. I lived in austin apartments before and had the same situation.

Do it for the safety of you and your neighbors.

[capcat]

I love dogs, but the whole time I've been reading this thread, I was thinking back to the mother of one of my classmates who was killed 2 years ago by a pack of dogs. Maybe I mentioned it, I can't remember and haven't looked. From that tragedy and the article below, it appears Marilyn has become active in helping people who live near a menacing dog. As I said, my mother-in-law does, and that concerns me. Nice to know there may be something to back her up for this threat she lives with daily. The only part that concerns me is "if a person feels threatened". I'd hope authorities would be careful to rule out unfounded fears. But, if the threat appears to be real, that's another story and people need to know their legal rights.
The article below possibly isn't relevant to the dilemma of the OP, but rather to the direction the thread headed towards the end.

Texas now has one of the toughest dangerous dog laws in the nation, says Marilyn Stiles Shoemaker, executive director of Texas Families Against Dangerous Dogs. Under Lillian’s Law (2007), owners of vicious dogs can be charged with a third-degree felony if their dog leaves their property and attacks and seriously injures a person, says Shoemaker, whose mother, Lillian, was killed by a pack of dogs that had escaped from their yard. If the attack results in death, the owner of the dog can be charged with a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, says Shoemaker. Shoemaker says the law is especially important for people who have small children or live near children, because statistics show that dogs attack children more frequently due to their size. She also notes that a dog does not have to actually bite a person to be declared dangerous. If a person feels threatened by a dog, she can petition local authorities to declare it dangerous.

[dkhuffman]

I feel your pain. I had a neighbors dog chase my 12 year old son up my driveway. Talking to the owner was useless. talking with animal control was a dead end. I even took pictures of the dog in my yard right after it has attacked a small puppy. They just look at it as if two neighbors fighting. I'm with you, I don't know what else to do.

[BentBow]

If the neighbors won't control their dog, and all efforts are useless, do what you have to do. It is sad, but sometimes you have to take control of the situation. My father-in-laws neighbors dogs chasing the cows and taking down calves, and killing chickens.... Bow and arrow works great.

[loves2read]

my sister lives north of San Antonio on rural property and has killed dogs that are basically running wild there--within her rights to do so==they kill her chickens and ravage her sheep at times so she feels no compunction about putting them down IF she catches them...

I had to beat a dog off a young boy in my yard--the dog was off the lease/out of his own yard and just attacked the boy for no reason--had to beat the dog with my husband's golf club before the police got there...not pretty

my sister's situation is very different situation from this one in the apt complex...and the other one is potentiall what could happen with that dog...
THAT dog has either been trained or UN-trained to be very agressive --overly so--and it is large/strong enough to be as dangerous as a loaded gun in the hands of a small child...

1--you need to get your apt complex involved if only from the perspective of its own liability--
belive me if that dog attacks someone else's dog or child ON property--the apt complex is going to be viewed as complicit because the renter lives there WITH the dog--the property owners' assume liability by allowing that dog legally on its grounds...
other people whose dogs are not dangerous or threatening would not necessarily have to be worried

2--document any instances of the dog's aggression and times when it was and was not muzzled...the fact that the owners have a muzzle and use it shows that THEY know this dog is dangerous--and have taken steps on certain occasions to limit the dog's ability to bite/attack other dogs/people...
you need to take that to the apt people and to the police dept--
maybe call the tv stations in Austin if the police/apt mgmt won't do anything--

3--the dog's owners are NOT going to be receptive to hearing that their dog is a threat--so they will not be willing to move --that is the only way to guarantee that the dog is not a danger in the future