Neighbor is afraid of dogs and scaring my kids and dogs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people have a genuine phobia of dogs. It may not seem rational to you, but it's very real to them.

Try to start looking at this with a little compassion. If you can't do that, then just obey the leash law.

But, if this family has a dog phobia, maybe they shouldn't come down into the woods. The first time is excusable since both sides didn't know the situation was going to happen, but going forward the anxious mother and her kids should stay away. Non-dog people also have to have a little compassion for the fact that we don't all have the ability to drive to a dog park and our dogs still need recreation on a daily basis.

When you move into a new neighborhood, you need to take a step back and figure out how you are going to fit into the culture. The culture is not going to change totally to fit you.

Excuse me? They shouldn't go into the woods because you want to break the law there?

Walk the damn dogs. On a leash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our new neighbor has two kids the same age as mine - 4 and almost 7. I take my kids and our dogs down to a cleared area in the woods behind the house every afternoon to throw balls for our dogs. We all have a great time. Other kids also come down and play and there are some days where there will be a couple of moms, three or four dogs and a pack of kids playing and throwing balls and running around. It is one of the things that I love about the neighborhood. Yesterday the new kids came down (think they moved in at the winter break) to play and things were fine until one of my dogs tried to bring a ball to the new 7 year old. The little girl screamed and the Mom, who was just coming down the path, went NUTS. Started yelling about the leash law and calling the police and vicious animals. My kids started crying, our dogs started barking and hiding behind my kids, and I just stood there kind of apologizing and trying to get everyone to calm down. I know that we are technically "breaking the law" by letting the dogs get the balls, but it's become such a nice meeting and playing time for the rest of the neighbors that I can't help but be upset with her. I'm still upset about this because I feel guilty, but I also feel she overreacted because she doesn't understand dogs.

You are not technically breaking the law. You are breaking the law.

We have a dog, and a neighbor who for reasons I'll never understand never keeps her dog on-leash. Her (unleashed) dog has bit my (leashed) dog and another neighbor's (leashed) dog and I have NO patience with her blatant disregard of the law. I call Animal Control - which I have on speed-dial - each and every time I see her freaking dog off-leash, and I will continue to do so forever. I am out for blood.

Leash your dog, and if you want to play with the dog off-leash, then find a fenced yard or dog park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people have a genuine phobia of dogs. It may not seem rational to you, but it's very real to them.

Try to start looking at this with a little compassion. If you can't do that, then just obey the leash law.

But, if this family has a dog phobia, maybe they shouldn't come down into the woods. The first time is excusable since both sides didn't know the situation was going to happen, but going forward the anxious mother and her kids should stay away. Non-dog people also have to have a little compassion for the fact that we don't all have the ability to drive to a dog park and our dogs still need recreation on a daily basis.

When you move into a new neighborhood, you need to take a step back and figure out how you are going to fit into the culture. The culture is not going to change totally to fit you.

Excuse me? She shouldn't go to a certain public place, because you want to engage in illegal behavior there?

"Culture"? What do you mean by that? Do you mean, "culture of illegal behavior"? Because no one needs to "figure out how to fit" into that culture.

I have a dog and if I were your neighbor, I'd be calling in a report on you and your off-leash dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up with dogs, I LOVE dogs. I do not love people that insist they have a right to let their dogs off-leash in public spaces. If your dogs NEED recreation and you don't have a yard, you need to take them somewhere for recreation where you can legally have them off-leash....or don't have dogs if you don't have the space for them. Everyone thinks their dog is "well-behaved" and yet, accidents do happen, especially with small children around. I hate it when I see people letting their dogs off-leash in my neighborhood's common areas. Those spaces are for people, some of whom may not like dogs, have little experience with dogs, or be genuinely afraid of dogs.

Who owns the property where you were all hanging out? The county or your HOA? Maybe they can build a dog park for you.

+1

I am also a dog lover who grew up with dogs. My kids, for some reason completely unknown to me, are really afraid of dogs. No matter how often I have tried to introduce them to friendly dogs or help them get over their fear, they just don't like dogs. I hate when we go to the playground and someone has let their dog off leash and it is just running around. Eventually, it will come over to my kids and my kids will flip out and start to scream and yell trying to get away from the dog which usually just makes the dog want to "play" with them more. It doesn't matter if the dog is friendly or not, they don't want it near them. I usually end up feeling bad because the owner sort of sighs and reluctantly pulls out the leash for the dog. I know it is the law, but it often seems like my kids are the only ones who don't want the dog near them.

[Anonymous]

Just to be anal about terminology, "leash laws" are actually ordinances in most jurisdictions, like parking laws or littering laws. You can be ticketed for breaking them but they do not carry any greater penalty and you must be "caught in the act," as it were.

OP, do you might the slim chance that you will get a ticket occasionally if the neighbor calls at the exact time that you are playing and the police arrive before you are done? If not, you don't really have a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, your neighbor is batshit crazy and is scaring her family. You might want to keep your distance and ignore her!

OP here, my neighbor is not batshit crazy. She was scared and she had a point. What all of us (five houses around the clearing) have been doing is technically against the leash law. All of our homes have steep slopes in the back yards, so we really don't have backyards, just California type slopes - hers does too. You have to take your kids down into the clearing to find some flat land. Because the closest neighbors have, up till now, sort of designated it as informal play and run area, we didn't really consider that someone would be afraid and go all legal on us.

Of course we'll try to work it out with her, but if she is truly afraid, then the good times will just be over. I'm upset, and I have to be careful to not allow my children, or the other "dog" friendly children blame her kids for it.

How I wish they hadn't moved in.

No, not "technically" against the leash law. Against the leash law. Period.

[Anonymous]

I don't their has been nearly enough yelling and finger wagging on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to be anal about terminology, "leash laws" are actually ordinances in most jurisdictions, like parking laws or littering laws. You can be ticketed for breaking them but they do not carry any greater penalty and you must be "caught in the act," as it were.

OP, do you might the slim chance that you will get a ticket occasionally if the neighbor calls at the exact time that you are playing and the police arrive before you are done? If not, you don't really have a problem.

OP here, I wouldn't mind the occasional ticket, but that's not the point. What I mind is that the friendly gathering place has turned into conflict. As her neighbors we can't let a situation continue that scares her children or causes her to go nuts. That's not fair to her. I am just totally sad that five families that really enjoyed an area (exclusive really to just our homes) are going to have to quit meeting with our dogs because of one family. Like I said, we will try and work it out with her, but I kind of resent that some of you posters are assuming that we don't care about our neighbor's feelings.

My four year old cried before he went to bed because he was convinced she was going to kill our dogs. I don't understand why people can't work things out instead of threatening to call the police and scaring my kids.

[Anonymous]

OP, please be sensitive to the fact that not everyone likes dogs for a variety of reasons. This is a perfectly legitimate opinion that is not necessarily symptomatic of any kind of mental deficiency (as you suggest by calling it a phobia).

It's your legal and ethical responsibility to have your animal under firm control in public places so you can guarantee other people won't have to have any kind of physical contact with it if they don't want this.

Just because no one objected before doesn't mean the occasional objector is out of line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a dog that I would love to let off leash, but I don't. I think that the neighbor's reaction is extreme, but she is in the right here. There is a law, and it is there for a reason. I'm sure that your dog really is friendly and well behaved, but several of my neighbors would say the same thing about their dogs, 2 of whom have run into the street to attack my leashed dog. I love dogs, but I now get quite paranoid to see one off leash, because I don't know if it is friendly until too late.

+1. Well put.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to be anal about terminology, "leash laws" are actually ordinances in most jurisdictions, like parking laws or littering laws. You can be ticketed for breaking them but they do not carry any greater penalty and you must be "caught in the act," as it were.

OP, do you might the slim chance that you will get a ticket occasionally if the neighbor calls at the exact time that you are playing and the police arrive before you are done? If not, you don't really have a problem.

PP, just out of curiousity: Do you drive a BMW?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up with dogs, I LOVE dogs. I do not love people that insist they have a right to let their dogs off-leash in public spaces. If your dogs NEED recreation and you don't have a yard, you need to take them somewhere for recreation where you can legally have them off-leash....or don't have dogs if you don't have the space for them. Everyone thinks their dog is "well-behaved" and yet, accidents do happen, especially with small children around. I hate it when I see people letting their dogs off-leash in my neighborhood's common areas. Those spaces are for people, some of whom may not like dogs, have little experience with dogs, or be genuinely afraid of dogs.

Who owns the property where you were all hanging out? The county or your HOA? Maybe they can build a dog park for you.

+1

I am also a dog lover who grew up with dogs. My kids, for some reason completely unknown to me, are really afraid of dogs. No matter how often I have tried to introduce them to friendly dogs or help them get over their fear, they just don't like dogs. I hate when we go to the playground and someone has let their dog off leash and it is just running around. Eventually, it will come over to my kids and my kids will flip out and start to scream and yell trying to get away from the dog which usually just makes the dog want to "play" with them more. It doesn't matter if the dog is friendly or not, they don't want it near them. I usually end up feeling bad because the owner sort of sighs and reluctantly pulls out the leash for the dog. I know it is the law, but it often seems like my kids are the only ones who don't want the dog near them.

I'd hate to be your kid. Feeling bad for an unlawful dog owner and not supporting your kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be anal about terminology, "leash laws" are actually ordinances in most jurisdictions, like parking laws or littering laws. You can be ticketed for breaking them but they do not carry any greater penalty and you must be "caught in the act," as it were.

OP, do you might the slim chance that you will get a ticket occasionally if the neighbor calls at the exact time that you are playing and the police arrive before you are done? If not, you don't really have a problem.

OP here, I wouldn't mind the occasional ticket, but that's not the point. What I mind is that the friendly gathering place has turned into conflict. As her neighbors we can't let a situation continue that scares her children or causes her to go nuts. That's not fair to her. I am just totally sad that five families that really enjoyed an area (exclusive really to just our homes) are going to have to quit meeting with our dogs because of one family. Like I said, we will try and work it out with her, but I kind of resent that some of you posters are assuming that we don't care about our neighbor's feelings.

My four year old cried before he went to bed because he was convinced she was going to kill our dogs. I don't understand why people can't work things out instead of threatening to call the police and scaring my kids.

Poor you.....You just don't get it, read all the threads again. You came here to get sympathy, didn't you.

[Anonymous]

I had a neighbor who thought our dog was the devil (literally). It was hilarous to see her go running into her house terrified when our dog was in the backyard, even though there was a fence separating. My dog caught onto her fear and he began to bark vicious at her. Not my problem, hers, she needs a shrink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up with dogs, I LOVE dogs. I do not love people that insist they have a right to let their dogs off-leash in public spaces. If your dogs NEED recreation and you don't have a yard, you need to take them somewhere for recreation where you can legally have them off-leash....or don't have dogs if you don't have the space for them. Everyone thinks their dog is "well-behaved" and yet, accidents do happen, especially with small children around. I hate it when I see people letting their dogs off-leash in my neighborhood's common areas. Those spaces are for people, some of whom may not like dogs, have little experience with dogs, or be genuinely afraid of dogs.

Who owns the property where you were all hanging out? The county or your HOA? Maybe they can build a dog park for you.

+1

I am also a dog lover who grew up with dogs. My kids, for some reason completely unknown to me, are really afraid of dogs. No matter how often I have tried to introduce them to friendly dogs or help them get over their fear, they just don't like dogs. I hate when we go to the playground and someone has let their dog off leash and it is just running around. Eventually, it will come over to my kids and my kids will flip out and start to scream and yell trying to get away from the dog which usually just makes the dog want to "play" with them more. It doesn't matter if the dog is friendly or not, they don't want it near them. I usually end up feeling bad because the owner sort of sighs and reluctantly pulls out the leash for the dog. I know it is the law, but it often seems like my kids are the only ones who don't want the dog near them.

I'd hate to be your kid. Feeling bad for an unlawful dog owner and not supporting your kids?

Wow, I feel for those kids to have a parent like that.