I (39FM) have a dog who I absolutely adore and love. I live in a neighborhood where our yards are not fenced in so my dog is never outside without a leash. My city also has a leash law.
A lady who lives a few houses down has been allowing her two small dogs to roam the neighborhood freely all day. While my dog is extremely people friendly, he’s not dog friendly. Thus I’m having to step between my dog and hers because her dogs want to approach my dog and aren’t restrained. I’ve started checking to see if they’re out before I take my dog out to avoid this, but sometimes her dogs come from nowhere.
I approached her yesterday and politely explained our city has a leash law and that she can’t not keep letting her dogs roam the neighborhood freely. She got upset and said it’s because she has 5 kids and they keep letting them out. I again politely said I understand that, but not only are you risking someone hitting your dogs or taking them, but your dogs are also pottying in my yard and you’re not the one who has to clean it up, my husband and I are (I know it’s her dogs doing it because mine only potty’s in the backyard and her dogs are the only free roaming ones in the neighborhood). I also explained that other neighbors are upset about having to clean up after her dogs as well and that my dog is not dog friendly and that she was putting mine and her dogs at risk by doing this.
She then said there was nothing she could do and that if my dogs not dog friendly then I shouldn’t have him and that my dog better not hurt her dog. So I told her I really didn’t want to, but if this continued I would be calling animal control. She got mad and shut the door in my face and I left.
Today I came home from work and went to take my dog out and low and behold her dogs were roaming and trying to approach my dog yet again. At this point I was fed up and I called animal control. They came out and gave her a fine and told her the dogs had to be leashed when outside.
She made a sceptical when they came out and was screaming at me from her yard about how she knew it was me who called and how I was cruel and upset her kids. For the record I never denied it was me. I had already warned her I would call them if it continued so I didn’t care that she knew it was me.
However now I now feel bad because maybe I overreacted and now this mom of 5 has to pay a fine with money that could probably be of better use.
AITA here?
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I (39FM) have a dog who I absolutely adore and love. I live in a neighborhood where our yards are not fenced in so my dog is never outside without a leash. My city also has a leash law.
A lady who lives a few houses down has been allowing her two small dogs to roam the neighborhood freely all day. While my dog is extremely people friendly, he’s not dog friendly. Thus I’m having to step between my dog and hers because her dogs want to approach my dog and aren’t restrained. I’ve started checking to see if they’re out before I take my dog out to avoid this, but sometimes her dogs come from nowhere.
I approached her yesterday and politely explained our city has a leash law and that she can’t not keep letting her dogs roam the neighborhood freely. She got upset and said it’s because she has 5 kids and they keep letting them out. I again politely said I understand that, but not only are you risking someone hitting your dogs or taking them, but your dogs are also pottying in my yard and you’re not the one who has to clean it up, my husband and I are (I know it’s her dogs doing it because mine only potty’s in the backyard and her dogs are the only free roaming ones in the neighborhood). I also explained that other neighbors are upset about having to clean up after her dogs as well and that my dog is not dog friendly and that she was putting mine and her dogs at risk by doing this.
She then said there was nothing she could do and that if my dogs not dog friendly then I shouldn’t have him and that my dog better not hurt her dog. So I told her I really didn’t want to, but if this continued I would be calling animal control. She got mad and shut the door in my face and I left.
Today I came home from work and went to take my dog out and low and behold her dogs were roaming and trying to approach my dog yet again. At this point I was fed up and I called animal control. They came out and gave her a fine and told her the dogs had to be leashed when outside.
She made a sceptical when they came out and was screaming at me from her yard about how she knew it was me who called and how I was cruel and upset her kids. For the record I never denied it was me. I had already warned her I would call them if it continued so I didn’t care that she knew it was me.
However now I now feel bad because maybe I overreacted and now this mom of 5 has to pay a fine with money that could probably be of better use.
AITA here?
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> The action I took was I called Animal Control due to the roaming dogs.
I could BTAH because I caused her to receive a fine.
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
NTA
You were left with no other options.
NTA
> allowing her two small dogs to roam the neighborhood freely all day.
Eww.
> She got upset and said it’s because she has 5 kids and they keep letting them out.
I mean, that’s objectively too many children. The fuck does she also need pets to take care of ON TOP of that?
> now this mom of 5 has to pay a fine with money that could probably be of better use.
Well, maybe it will convince her to finally re-home the animals she’s neglecting
NTA! People like your neighbor are why I couldn’t walk my Pit Bull mix and Shiba Inu around my neighborhood for years, because they were both dog-reactive and too many people let their dogs roam loose.
There’s now a lady who drives her little dog away from her fenced in yard to various places around the neighborhood, lets the dog out, and just watches it from her vehicle. She mosies slowly behind the dog as it trots through people’s front yards and poops on their lawns. It’s absurd! Fortunately my new Pitty isn’t dog-reactive, because we’ve encountered that little dog while on walks. So unbelievably irresponsible, entitled, dangerous, and rude.
NTA. I hope your neighbor learns her lesson and keeps the dogs contained.)
(Edit: added last sentence.)
NTA. She is being an irresponsible dog owner. You were polite, and you warned her what would happen.
It’s a part of being a dog owner, and some dogs will have fights even if they are usually good with other dogs and animals even people. Fines are how humans try to keep things fair and orderly, you at least warned her ahead of time giving her a chance to correct an issue before another person did it or the small dogs can cause an accident besides possibly not return for multiple reasons. How will she learn if her dogs aren’t caught in the act and where their pets owner lives, owners don’t always have vet, tags, medical info or who owns them on their collar even chipped but not registered to avoid accountability. You did the right thing since there is rules for the city for the very reason the city agreed to have fines for the rules of having dogs. Either try to maintain your pets for having them or don’t get them at all.
Absolutely not the AH. You have animals you take responsibility for them for life. As for her bratty kids. You don’t take care of the dogs you don’t get to have one. What is she teaching them.
Nta. If she can’t train/control her dogs she is the one that shouldn’t have them.
NTA. She could have easily avoided that fine. She called your bluff, but you weren’t bluffing.
NTA and you’re my hero!
NTA
NTA!! You could be potentially saving these little dogs lives, they could be run over or eaten by something (we have Coyotes & Bobcats here where I live) Those kids need a hard pat on the ass for letting them out!!
If it continues call Animal Control again!!!
Not even close to being TA.
You did the entire neighborhood and anyone driving through the neighborhood a huge favor. She was warned, she FAFO.
NTA I am the biggest animal lover on the planet. My dogs are my babies. And many years ago, I had my pup on a leash when an unfriendly dog ran up and hurt her badly. Then hurt me when I tried to pull him off her. My pup was only 7 lbs. Seven. Just a tiny little Chihuahua. And the aggressive dog was over 70 lbs and nearly killed her. The only thing that stopped it was me using a taser and then getting attacked by the dog myself. I wound up with stitches up my arm and on my side. The dog that attacked us was euthanized, and I will NEVER get over feeling responsible for that dog dying, but the owner had been told repeatedly, and it wasn’t the dog’s first attack on another animal. My little dog barely survived, but she somehow made it for another 11 years with us. But she was always terrified to go on walks, so we had to stop, and she just used puppy pads from then on out. Even taking her outside would cause her to shake uncontrollably. I miss my little Sprite.
NTA. She was warned.
NTA. She fucked around, and now she’s finding out. If she continues to fuck around, PLEASE make sure that she also continues to find out – i.e. continue to report her every time you find her dogs in your yard where they shouldn’t be. If you’re able to install cameras that record your yard so you have evidence, I suggest you do so. Don’t let her try and make you feel guilty for how much money she is being fined, or if her dogs end up getting taken away – she could easily prevent that by doing the right thing as a pet owner and neighbour and restraining her dogs properly, as per the law. Anything that happens to her dogs as a result of them being free roaming is ENTIRELY her own fault.
Nope, she was warned. Her excuse is ridiculous. She could train her dogs and her kids, but she’s too lazy and inconsiderate. The rules apply to everyone, she’s not special. NTA
NTA She could literally set up a child gate / enclosure that covers the back door so the kids can’t let the dogs out by mistake, although I doubt that is what is happening.
Nta. Also, for your dog’s safety, perhaps consider carrying bear spray. In case you encounter any wild bears roaming your neighborhood who wanna get too close to your dog. Mine is also dog reactive and tbh my biggest fear is a big loose dog running up before I have a chance to scoop her up. Some people are just so inconsiderate
NTA you tried to settle this between you and she refused.
NTA. She made her dogs and yours unsafe. There’s a reason what she was doing warrants a fine, and you did try to talk to her first.
If she thinks the kids were traumatized by her getting a fine, think of how they’d feel seeing their dogs dead because they were hit by a car, or bleeding and ripped from a fight. If she can’t afford a fine, how would she afford vet bills? Whether she likes it or not, you did the right thing for her dogs, her kids, yourself, your dog, and the neighborhood.
NTA. If she was genuinely trying her best to prevent this issue, and it happened maybe say once a month or something, maybe it’d be different. Most of us can relate to escape artist dogs and/or little kids who don’t pay attention. But the fact that she reacted the way she did and continues to let it happen on a regular basis shows she just straight up doesn’t care.
NTA. You were polite with her and she was rude to you. You warned her that you would call animal control if it happened again. It did and you did what you said you would do. You were true to your word.
NTA. You tried the kind and polite route, that didn’t work. Maybe she needs to train her kids better to not let the dogs out. 🤷🏽♀️
NTAH her dogs could have bitten someone and then as a punishment they would be put down. It’s not fair even to the dogs. If she wants pets then she had to take responsibility for their and others well being. Don’t feel bad you probably even saved the dogs.
NTA. Not a dog owner (and thus, not a dog walker) myself, but I was once attacked by an 80 pound pitbull being walked by two small children that could not properly control the animal. I wound up with 3 massive puncture wounds in my thigh and I was scared of dogs for a long time following that. This was in 2020.
Kudos to understanding your dog’s limits and being a responsible owner, unlike this woman. She would be 100% responsible if her dogs attacked another dog or a person, and she’d have no recourse to blame someone if either of them got caught up under a moving vehicle.
NTA I work in a veterinary ER. If I told you the horrible things I’ve seen from dog fights here, I would get banned for how violent and graphic it is. A large amount of these clients tell us that the other dog belonged to a neighbor or family member who let them off leash when they shouldn’t have.
Off leash dogs x Leashed dogs are a bad mix. It often leads to increased anxiety and reactivity in the leashed dog, and they are unable to move freely to protect themselves.
Your neighbor is irresponsible and, quite frankly, stupid if she thinks her two small dogs are safe wandering about. Maybe the fine will force her to see sense, but I doubt it.
You are NTA. I recently read an article where a 72-year-old woman was working in her garden and was attacked by her neighbors two dogs that were off leash. She didn’t make it. You are doing the whole neighborhood a favor.
NTA – I also have a less-than-dog-friendly-dog & wish more people realised that anxious and reactive dogs need love & exercise and safe socialisation too. She’s risking her dogs & everyone else too.
As a side note, I think she made a spectacle rather than a sceptical.
NTA. Her kids will be more upset when the dogs are found squashed on the side of the road or not found at all. She’s being neglectful and the animal will end up paying the price.
In the future, maybe ask animal control to set traps in your yard for ‘nuisance strays’.
NTA, you could bet your last dollar that she’d come after you (or try to) if one of her dogs was injured by your dog. If the kids keep letting the dogs out, then she needs to have a long talk with them. However, I doubt that’s what always happens.
When an uncontrolled dog wonders into your yard, put it in your car and take it to the animal shelter. She will have to pay money to reclaim her dog and will probably be more aware of it when it’s costing her money. Do it 2 ot 3 times, and she will either fix the problem or give up the dog. Either way, problem solved.
NTA these dogs honestly deserve a more attentive owner. She’s endangering them by letting them roam freely. It is her responsibility to properly care for them and she’s not. She is inconveniencing the entire neighborhood and is being a poor neighbor. You did what needed to be done. Continue to report her if it continues to happen.
NTA
Don’t think of this as hurting her, think of this as protecting your dog. Your dog relies on you to make sure it doesn’t get itself into a bad situation that it lacks the understanding to avoid. Reactive and aggressive dogs do not understand that they can be killed for attacking another dog, so it falls to you to make sure that a situation like that never happens. You did what you needed to do and if something does happen now, you have a paper trail to help show that this is on her. Keep calling the city if you have to, it’s your responsibility to your dog to keep it safe in a world it doesn’t understand. People like her don’t deserve pets if they refuse to take responsibility for their safety.
NTA. She is not obeying the law, putting your dogs at risk, not cleaning up after her dog, teaching her kids they can do what they like. Feel free to also return her dog turds.
You gave a courtesy of a warning. Having five kids doesn’t make her exempt from the law. NTA
NTA. Where I am and where I am from both have laws stating that if there is a fight between an on leash dog and an off leash dog, the off leash dog is deemed at fault regardless of which one was the aggressive dog. Purely because they aren’t in control.
NTA
You are your pup’s best defence. She was breaking the law and received the consequences of that.
NTA. People who don’t properly control their dogs are a real pain in the ass and they deserve to be fined. You have her every chance to fix the situation. If she can’t control the dogs, she shouldn’t have them.
NTA. I’m about to call animal control on my own mother in law for bullshit like this. Keep calling each tome the dogs are out. Check your local laws too