Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's not about the breed, it's about the dog being loose which is a sign of a irresponsible owner. The pet being loose is dangerous to others AND the pet itself. An otherwise friendly dog (according to the owner) might not be so friendly when cars are zooming by and unknown people are walking around or it feels insecure.
Tell the neighbor zero freakin' tolerance. It's not fair to the neighbors OR the dog. Keep him in the yard ALWAYS or we call animal control.
Since you have to go to the post office I would mail the first one as above, but the second one I would just have hand cancelled to show the date if you want to save some $$.
Both get mailed and you are given a receipt for both. Chances are, the recipient will ignore and not accept the certified letter which will be returned back to sender. They'll claim they never received it. The second letter won't require a signature so it will be delivered regular mail. If need for court arises, the proof of mailing will be evidence that they did receive correspondence.
Proof of mailing is a couple of dollars at most. Don't skimp.
I tried the same route years back with neighbors, they decided not to do anything about it until after they were fined. Never saw that dog loose again. They also didnt talk to me for years, no big loss on my end.
I'm taking a different approach here on this topic as you mr bitterness the original poster should consider.
I am the owner of a pitbull and he is the sweetest dog I've ever owned. Any dog can bite and be vicious. Let's remember they ARE ALL animals, but that's besides the point.
I completely understand being upset about ANY dog roaming free in the street. This is one reason why I cannot walk my sweet dog in our neighborhood. There is one home with 3 little dogs, not sure of what kind, that are not friendly and have tried to attack MY PIT!! He was terrified. The neighbor didn't care and said, oh they are friendly. Well no they were not and they surrounded my dog and were growling and acting crazy.
It makes me upset when people judge my dog bc of his breed and I'm sure your neighbor feels the same way. She MAY actually be a crazy person, but she may also just want people to know how kind and sweet her pit is and is just going about it all wrong!
Maybe approach her nicely and try to get her to understand why having ANY BREED dog roaming the streets free is not ok! It makes is hard for anyone else to walk their dog comfortably and people don't want strange dogs approaching them. Makes sense. Calling the animal shelter and the police etc will only cause the dog to possibly be taken away, and that is not a positive outcome for him. Very unfair to the dog!
Sometimes in life our approach and delivery to others makes all the difference in the world.
Something to consider
I'm taking a different approach here on this topic as you mr bitterness the original poster should consider.
I am the owner of a pitbull and he is the sweetest dog I've ever owned. Any dog can bite and be vicious. Let's remember they ARE ALL animals, but that's besides the point.
I completely understand being upset about ANY dog roaming free in the street. This is one reason why I cannot walk my sweet dog in our neighborhood. There is one home with 3 little dogs, not sure of what kind, that are not friendly and have tried to attack MY PIT!! He was terrified. The neighbor didn't care and said, oh they are friendly. Well no they were not and they surrounded my dog and were growling and acting crazy.
It makes me upset when people judge my dog bc of his breed and I'm sure your neighbor feels the same way. She MAY actually be a crazy person, but she may also just want people to know how kind and sweet her pit is and is just going about it all wrong!
Maybe approach her nicely and try to get her to understand why having ANY BREED dog roaming the streets free is not ok! It makes is hard for anyone else to walk their dog comfortably and people don't want strange dogs approaching them. Makes sense. Calling the animal shelter and the police etc will only cause the dog to possibly be taken away, and that is not a positive outcome for him. Very unfair to the dog!
Sometimes in life our approach and delivery to others makes all the difference in the world.
Something to consider
If you read my post you will see that we tried on several occasions to tall to the owners about it nicely.
We have a neighbor who also has a dog that gets out sometimes. I think it's a type of retriever, she seems a bit older too. The dog came over to me a couple of weekends ago and just sat by me while I was in the front yard for a solid hour and a half (our cat was also very upset about the dog being in it's front yard, it kept hissing at it and the dog kept whining.) I think the family forgot about her (the poor thing was also begging for a belly rub and had a dry patch on her stomach, maybe psorasis). When the mother came home, the dog ran to her. I didn't know the dogs name and she told me it. She also said if she wanders on over again that I can walk her over (her kids must've forgot about her, she said).
And yesterday, when my fiance left for work, he said the dog came over again. He gave her a belly rub but he didn't have time to walk it over.
I don't know what my point is, but if the dog keeps getting out, I might do something about it myself.
You got off on the wrong foot with the neighbor because of "pitbull panic," and now you've placed her in a position of feeling defensive/hostile/unwilling to help you. It's ridiculous, because loose dog = problem (if nothing else, because it creates serious health & safety risks for the dogs, even assuming the dog is completely friendly and wouldn't hurt anyone under any circumstances), but she's likely dealt with piles of breed discrimination from a whole bunch of sources, and has now apparently decided that this is the hill she wants to die on over it.
Call the town/animal control every single time you see the dog, and carry a baseball bat when outside.
We have a neighbor who also has a dog that gets out sometimes. I think it's a type of retriever, she seems a bit older too. The dog came over to me a couple of weekends ago and just sat by me while I was in the front yard for a solid hour and a half (our cat was also very upset about the dog being in it's front yard, it kept hissing at it and the dog kept whining.) I think the family forgot about her (the poor thing was also begging for a belly rub and had a dry patch on her stomach, maybe psorasis). When the mother came home, the dog ran to her. I didn't know the dogs name and she told me it. She also said if she wanders on over again that I can walk her over (her kids must've forgot about her, she said).
And yesterday, when my fiance left for work, he said the dog came over again. He gave her a belly rub but he didn't have time to walk it over.
I don't know what my point is, but if the dog keeps getting out, I might do something about it myself.
Sounds like that dog is looking for attention, and is not getting it at home. Smart dog!
Is this dog fixed? Isn't it true that male dogs will tend to roam and want to get out if they are not neutered?
Regardless of the breed dogs are supposed to be leashed. I can understand a well trained dog off without a leash if the owner is the immediate area. Any responsible dog owner would take steps to control a dog or fix the fence if a neighbor complained about it getting out into the neighborhood.
The other posters are on the right track about calling animal control if it gets out again.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
