OP said they are not allowed to have frontyard fences in their HOA. |
So play in the backyard. At least until this buddy has had time to settle in. It’s a neighborhood, not just for her family. |
My ex dogsat someone's 'sweet' pit. The dog went crazy when it saw our cat. Imagine if it had lost it on a person. We had no idea we brought a killer into our home. I had never seen the animal. I don't think they are allowed in the old country.
I grew up on a farm and have seen dogs attack other animals, but nothing like a pit (more like a bear attack). Just hope it loses its top on an animal rather than a person. |
I’m confuse. Went crazy meaning attacked or barked? |
Sorry … a dog so dangerous that kids cannot play in the front yard should not be let out of the house. |
I wonder if much of the OP is exaggerated. Pits are not 80lb dogs unless they are extremely overweight. |
I mean I don't like pit bulls either, but my dog, a derpy yellow lab, has growled at people before. Once at me when he had an ear infection and once at a strange man that just appeared out of nowhere on our normal walk (we've never seen him before or since...I think he sensed danger).
Just keep your kids away from the dog. |
They weren’t let out of the house they were on a leash. And they’ve lived with their new family for a few days. OP is being overly dramatic and over responding before knowing about the situation. |
If anything you can ask your neighbors about their rehab/training plans. The 3-3-3 rule is very real. Our rescue pup (not a pit - larger breed) is still getting used to living with us a year plus in. He barks far less now but training is ongoing. |
My neighbor was attacked by a pit bull being walked by a young woman on a leash when she was walking around the neighborhood with her baby. The neighbor’s baby started crying and the dog bolted across the street and went for the baby. The young woman was horrified but could not hang onto the leash because the dog was so strong and took her by surprise. My neighbor lifted her baby up and managed to keep it from the dog but was badly mauled on her arms and legs. Fortunately, a retired military officer lived at the house and shot the dog. |
That's a sad story, but I don't get what it has to do with the OP. Are you suggesting she go to her neighbor and share this story? |
OP here. I can assure everyone that I did not aggrandize or exaggerate anything -- I simply relayed what happened. I did not assign any intent to the dog's behavior.
I think I'll have a family talk with the kids tonight. Will instruct them not to approach or play with the dog if it's being taken for a walk in the neighborhood, and not to invite the dog into our yard. I'll tell them that if a teenager is walking the dog, my kids should move toward the door until the dog has passed by. I'll ensure they know not to run around the dog. And I'll instruct them to cover their faces and necks if attacked. There's definitely a risk that any dog could bite. However, the damage that this dog could do is extreme, with its massive jaw strength and bulldog instincts. Whereas a Yorkie might bite and run away, a pitbull tends to behave very persistently in wanting to bite, clamp, and rip at their prey, and can be extremely difficult to dislodge. |
My 20 lb rescue pup growls at children also. They make him super anxious, as we’ve learned. We’ve spent thousands on training and now know what to do - but our kids are never allowed to walk him and we cross the street as soon as we see kids on the sidewalk ahead. This is with a small dog who couldn’t do much damage in the first place, but I would NEVER want a neighbor to be uncomfortable by being growled at or lunged at.
I would make sure to stay outside with your kids when they play, and bring them inside as soon as you see the dog. Do not invite the dog over to pet. If you want to talk to the neighbor, just tell them your kids are scared and request a heads up when the dog usually will get a walk (or maybe they can take a different route). |
Clowny, I've been training dogs for decades. While a growl is a last-resort communication, it's never the first signal, and only necessary when the human responsible for the animal doesn't know what they're doing. Well-trained dogs don't growl at people, largely because their well-educate handlers never put them in situations where the dog feels compelled to growl. Pain and resource guarding also have primary and secondary signals, long before it gets to growling. A growling animal is either in truly dire circumstances, or poorly trained/handled. Period. |
You brought an unknown animal into your home and allowed it access to your cat? Handler issue. |