Just wondering what I should be doing as far as documentation or anything. My upstairs neighbor in my apartment building (privately owned 3 story) has a very aggressive pit bull (or similar breed. Very stocky). Every time this dog sees me, I’m instantly his target. He is almost never leashed. Whichever family member has him outside to do his business has to physically restrain him. I have been lunged at and nearly bitten on multiple occasions. The neighbors have admittted to having a collar and leash but they only use it for their loud block parties. I have done nothing to antagonize the dog.
I have begun considering means to defend myself physically if need be. I’m pausing at getting authorities involved only because the downstairs neighbors and neighbors from another house are all family, and I would prefer avoiding cornering myself in a he-said, she-said battle.
My fiancee and I are very much considering moving as it’s just a bad neighborhood to begin with.
Any thoughts?
(I apologize for grammar and spelling. Typing from phone)
Do you ever yell at the dog or act aggressively at it, or do you always act pretty scared and submissive with it?
If you’re always feeling and acting scared, try asserting yourself and yelling in your loudest, deepest, yellingist voice.
You can also consider carrying a stick (like a short broom handle or a paint roller extender) to protect yourself if you’re being lunged at. Hold it in both hands and basically clothesline the dog if it invades your space. You can also always knee it too, if it gets that close and jumps. I’'ll do that to my own dog (knee) when she is being wound up and agressive…it won’t hurt them.
I’m not advocating that you reach out to the dog and poke it with a stick, swat it with a stick or antagonize the dog with a stick. Just defend yourself with it if it comes close enough.
I’m sure there are better answers about how to control your neighbors or how to fix the situation as a whole, but trying to get the dog to stop harassing you (by yelling) and keeping yourself from being mauled is something you can do too.
Have you notified your landlord about this? I’m sure they don’t want any problems with tenants not restraining an aggressive animal.
I would not hesitate to get your local animal control authorities involved. I assume your community has leash laws. If their dog is unleashed and attacks you, your neighbors are setting themselves up for severe criminal and civil penalties. I’m sure a fine for not restraining their dog would be preferable to criminal charges, having their dog removed, paying your medical bills, or a lawsuit. You are entitled to be safe from their dog and they must meet their legal responsibilities.
Get a small bag of cheap kibble - the kind of practically-candy stuff you would never feed as daily sustenance - and keep a few pieces in your pocket. Whenever you see the dog tell him calmly to “sit” and if he does, give him a treat. If he doesn’t respond to “sit” see if you can catch him following any spoken order and use that one. Anything he knows will do. The point is to re-brand yourself as an authority with treats.
Do the neighbors seem to be bothered by his behavior, or are they covertly encouraging/enjoying the behavior? If they are really bothered but just not taking care of it, you might consider springing for a trainer and joining the sessions. 2-3 sessions should do it, and that’s probably cheaper than moving. . .
The neighbors couldn’t care less. I’ve actually heard them in the yard once talking about it as such. Getting them a trainer would just be enabling their complete and utter laziness. Every one of them doesn’t work. They just collect from the state. Well, with the exception for one who works 15ish hour days if you include his commute.
Maybe talk to the neighbors. Tell them that you love dogs but it makes you nervous that Fluffy doesn’t seem to like you. See if they’ll give you a chance to let the dog get to know you while under their control.
Yup, you need to come across as in charge and an authority figure to the dog. Unless it’s actually insane, it should respond to this. People think I’m some sort of wizard because I can make even the most wild acting dog sit down and shut up-- it’s not magic, just how you carry yourself.
I’d get a friend to video-record a few instances of this, with some extensive recording time before and after the actual encounter, to establish context. (To remove the possibility in anyone’s mind that you had first antagonized the dog.)
Have that ready, in case you need it for a lawsuit, but, also, to take to the police to establish your complaint.
Canvass the neighborhood for other witnesses or victims. If it’s happened to you, it’s probably happened to others. Ask if they’ll write affidavits (affy-davies, as tomorrow is talk-like-a-pirate day) that you can use, either in court of when talking to the police.
Try a few more times to talk to the dog owner. See if you can get that conversation recorded.
This dog needs to be put down before someone gets hurt. I say this as a lifelong dog owner and lover. (pits included)
There is no way in hell an apartment complex would allow a dog like that to stay on property. You say the complex is privately owned, so if the owner seems to be complacent about it, Google “Tenants Rights” in your area and start calling the right people. (I don’t think calling the cops is going to help all that much)
The sad thing about all this is, it’s not even the dogs fault he’s like that, it’s the owners. God! People suck sometimes.
Perhaps I was being a bit hyperbolic, but I speak from experience. My mother runs a rescue shelter. By law she’s only allowed to hold X amount of pit bulls at the same time.
She had one pit that was particularly aggressive towards everyone. My mother, after much effort, was finally able to bond with the dog. Knowing, there was no way in hell she would be able to find a home for this dog, she went ahead and adopted him. (On top of the umpteen dogs she already has.)
After months of work, she was even able to get the dog to quit being a dick to guests that would come by her home. Hell, he’d even let strangers pet him as long as Mom was in the room.
Everything was going fine and dandy for a few months until the dog snapped at her while she was trying to feed him. Thinking this was somehow her fault, she chalked it up to “lesson learned”.
FF a couple of weeks later, the dog, tore my 60+ yo mother to shit after my mom tried to tell the dog “NO!” for doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. My mother wound up in the hospital for a nights stay. Thank god my dad was there to thwart the attack, or it could have easily been much worse.
At her wits end, my mother took the dog to the vet hoping there was something he could do to chill the dog out. His opinion was to put the dog down, because, in his experience, once they get like that, there’s no going back.
Again, I love dogs, but people are more important. It’s not worth the gamble in my opinion.
I normally shoot aggressive stray dogs that wander on to my property. Considering it sounds like you’re in a more urban environment, I wouldn’t recommend that strategy.
The “retrain it with treats” idea would be good if it weren’t for how nefarious these neighbors can get. The only thing I’d get out of it would be all the vet bills every time he throws up because they’ll just accuse me of poisoning him.
That’s too bad, as it would also be my first approach. Well, it would have been my first approach as an owner, have the dog get to know the neighbor, have him restrained while neighbor gives treats and makes “friends” and then also gives him commands like “sit” and “down” so the neighbor becomes an authoritative “friend” with treats.
My second choice would be to carry kibble. Delicious, delicious junk food kibble in a baggie. When he starts approaching, toss some in his direction. If it gives him pause and he snarfs it up, you may be able to work with him on your own. If your neighbors don’t like you giving him food, they can rectify that by putting him on a leash. Too bad. Don’t worry, they won’t take him to the vet. That costs money.