Some of you may recall Dorothy, a beautiful Siamese mix who belonged to a family four doors down from me. They left her to run loose all day long -- even though the poor kitty was declawed!
Long story short, I made a safe(r) place for Dorothy in our fenced yard, fed her and played with her... and when she'd chosen to stay there for a month, I finally just got her rehomed. She now lives in a fabulous downtown condo with a wealthy middle-aged woman and an orange tabby named Murray.
Anyway, that same family also had a small white dog who ran loose as well. I nearly ran over him in the street once, and my mom had to drive right into our fence one day to keep from hitting him in our driveway. I went over and told them about it, but it didn't seem to faze them. They just don't get it about being responsible with their animals. Several months later, the little white dog disappeared, and of course I fear the worst... though I'd like to think somebody took him in, the way I did Dorothy.
Well, that family just got a new dog: a Rottweiler. Now before you castigate me for being afraid of Rottweilers, let me say that I do understand how bad owners create dangerous dogs through cruelty or through deliberate training. I recognize that a Rottweiler can be a perfectly lovely animal.
But dogs (and cats as well) can "turn" for no apparent reason, and they can get confused or frightened and react in unpredictable ways. When a Chihuahua suddenly has a vicious moment, nobody's life is in danger -- but in that same moment, a Rottweiler can kill a person.
We've all heard stories about vicious dog attacks. Around here, hardly a week goes by without such an incident. And the scariest example I know of happened right in front of a friend of our family: he carried something in from the car for an older woman in his neighborhood, and when they walked in the front door, her Rottweiler just leaped up and ripped her throat out. Her own dog! She bled to death before help even got there.
It's just plain foolish not to be extremely cautious with Rottweilers and other dogs who are capable of killing so quickly. That's not prejudice -- it's just common sense.
So back to these neighbors: the dog has scared me silly twice now with threatening behaviors, ignoring his family's efforts to control him, chasing after me, growling while shoving his face against the backs of my legs as I was walking away. (It was all I could do not to break and run, but I knew that would be a mistake. When I got inside the house, I sat and shook for ten minutes.)
I've been doing so well with walking every day, getting so much stronger and losing weight... but now I'm afraid to go out! Even if I go the opposite way and stay off of my own street, it's still not safe, because the dog runs all over the neighborhood, with and without his people.
We've been very fortunate here: other people in this neighborhood consistently keep their dogs behind fences or on leashes at all times. And it doesn't have to be a hardship for the dogs, because there's a huge fenced dog park just a mile or so down the walking trail behind our house. If they want to let their dog off the leash, that's the place to do it!
So I'm torn between two courses of action:
1. Write the family a friendly letter explaining about the city's animal ordinance and how it's for the dog's safety as well, telling them about the dog park in case they aren't aware of it, etc.
2. Call Animal Control and see if they'll go have a talk with the family.
Which approach would be less likely to make them angry? Which approach would be more likely to get them to comply with the ordinance?
Even if I remain anonymous, they're going to suspect it was me, after these two scary incidents. I really don't want to upset them!
Any suggestions?
Anyway, that same family also had a small white dog who ran loose as well. I nearly ran over him in the street once, and my mom had to drive right into our fence one day to keep from hitting him in our driveway. I went over and told them about it, but it didn't seem to faze them. They just don't get it about being responsible with their animals. Several months later, the little white dog disappeared, and of course I fear the worst... though I'd like to think somebody took him in, the way I did Dorothy.
Well, that family just got a new dog: a Rottweiler. Now before you castigate me for being afraid of Rottweilers, let me say that I do understand how bad owners create dangerous dogs through cruelty or through deliberate training. I recognize that a Rottweiler can be a perfectly lovely animal.
But dogs (and cats as well) can "turn" for no apparent reason, and they can get confused or frightened and react in unpredictable ways. When a Chihuahua suddenly has a vicious moment, nobody's life is in danger -- but in that same moment, a Rottweiler can kill a person.
We've all heard stories about vicious dog attacks. Around here, hardly a week goes by without such an incident. And the scariest example I know of happened right in front of a friend of our family: he carried something in from the car for an older woman in his neighborhood, and when they walked in the front door, her Rottweiler just leaped up and ripped her throat out. Her own dog! She bled to death before help even got there.
It's just plain foolish not to be extremely cautious with Rottweilers and other dogs who are capable of killing so quickly. That's not prejudice -- it's just common sense.
So back to these neighbors: the dog has scared me silly twice now with threatening behaviors, ignoring his family's efforts to control him, chasing after me, growling while shoving his face against the backs of my legs as I was walking away. (It was all I could do not to break and run, but I knew that would be a mistake. When I got inside the house, I sat and shook for ten minutes.)
I've been doing so well with walking every day, getting so much stronger and losing weight... but now I'm afraid to go out! Even if I go the opposite way and stay off of my own street, it's still not safe, because the dog runs all over the neighborhood, with and without his people.
We've been very fortunate here: other people in this neighborhood consistently keep their dogs behind fences or on leashes at all times. And it doesn't have to be a hardship for the dogs, because there's a huge fenced dog park just a mile or so down the walking trail behind our house. If they want to let their dog off the leash, that's the place to do it!
So I'm torn between two courses of action:
1. Write the family a friendly letter explaining about the city's animal ordinance and how it's for the dog's safety as well, telling them about the dog park in case they aren't aware of it, etc.
2. Call Animal Control and see if they'll go have a talk with the family.
Which approach would be less likely to make them angry? Which approach would be more likely to get them to comply with the ordinance?
Even if I remain anonymous, they're going to suspect it was me, after these two scary incidents. I really don't want to upset them!
Any suggestions?