So… I’m not trying to be the neighborhood weirdo, but I may have created a four legged betrayal and now I’m catching heat.
I (29F) live in a duplex with thin fences and thinner patience. My next-door neighbor, we “Gary” (50sM), has this HUGE German Shepherd named Brutus, he literally hated me. Like, full on Cujo energy, every time I’d step outside, he’d throw himself at the fence barking like I stole his bone in a past life, I don’t even blame him I think Gary trained him to be aggressive, dude yells at delivery people like it’s a sport, anyway, after a few months of Brutus threatening to eat my face, I had an idea, I started tossing him tiny bits of steak over the fence, not often just whenever I grilled, or had scraps and within a week, he stopped barking, a month later, he’d wag when he saw me.
fast forward six months, Brutus loves me, He’ll whimper and scratch at the fence if I don’t come out and one time, I heard Gary yelling at him and Brutus ran over to my side and sat at the fence, like he was asking me for help.
Then last week, Gary knocked on my door, he was livid and said I turned his dog against him, that Brutus won’t listen anymore, and “won’t even eat unless it’s from the fence lady, ”He said I “emotionally hijacked” his dog and demanded I stop interacting with him entirely.
I told him I’d stop giving him food, but Brutus still watches me through the fence like I’m the only one who understands him and he doesn’t bark he just… stares. I swear he looks sad.
Now the whole neighborhood is kind of split. Some people think it’s hilarious and others (including Gary’s sister) who by the way also lives in the same neighborhood think I’m the “canine homewrecker” and should’ve minded my business.
So you guys tell me AITAH for steak seducing my neighbor’s dog?
Comments
Maybe a little bit AH for feeding the dog without permission, I’d apologize. Tell the truth, you where scared of his dog because he bark at you, so you shared snacks with till he liked you. Apologize for feeding without permission and try and think of a compromise so that you can stay friends with Brutus, maybe offer Gary a beer when you walk past his place… seemed to work with the dog now try offering beer to the owner.
Let me get this out of the way first, this is freaking hilarious. My “guard dog” would bump me under a bus to save his new best friend, my contractor, who gives him treats when he comes. He’s a traitor just like Brutus.
Now, your question, you are NTA. Gary has a responsibility as a pet owner and a neighbor to train his dog not to constantly bark and be aggressive with you. He failed in his duty and you took the matter into your own hands. BTW I seriously doubt Brutus stopped eating all together. He may be picky now, but stopped eating other than the occasional bits of meat from you, Brutus would be so weak it would be noticeable.
Tell Gary he needs to start being a more responsible pet owner and to let Brutus come over and see you every now and then. But to you, yea stop feeding Brutus steak, maybe slip him an occasional milk bone and boop his nose through the fence.
You meant well, but feeding someone else’s dog without permission isn’t the best move. You went a bit too far, but you’re not a monster
That was a great idea!
Now the dog owner needs also to change and we will finally have a happy dog.
I love this…. smart.
Yes, feeding another’s dog is a risk, but it was a brilliant solution
NTA
I mean, who can resist steak? Not even dogs! You’ve basically become Brutus’s personal chef and therapist. Just remember, if you ever start wearing an apron while grilling, you might officially be his favorite human.
LOL Fucking brilliant!!
Ignore all those people saying you shouldn’t feed someone else’s dog. You identified a problem and came up with a common sense solution that harmed no one.
Nicely played OP. NTA — AT ALL!
NTA. You treated him humanely and trained him to be sweet. Your neighbor is an idiot. He’s lucky no one poisoned his dog because it was so anti social
Offer to adopt Brutus and rename him “Baby.”
NTA. Can you feed me steak though? 🙂
I mean.. dude seems to want his dog to he an asshole to you. You circumvented that. So like.. bravo
NTA
Dogs are empaths. He probably picked up on the owner’s energy from shouting at pedestrians, and it caused him to be fear aggressive. You feeding him taught that strangers aren’t bad, so now he likes you.
Try offering the owner human treats each time you see them. Maybe it’ll work the same, and they’ll also start to like you too.
I mean technically yes feeding someone else’s dog is an asshole thing to do but I think training your animal to be aggressive is more of an asshole move. No I don’t think your an asshole, I wouldn’t want a dog trying to murder me.
Free Brutus
The number of you who can’t see how clearly AI-generated this is is concerning. I really hope most of you are kids getting ready for school, not adults who vote.
The whole neighbourhood hey…sheesh these stories are bad
This brought a smile to my face
So funny your situation reminds me of my grandfather’s dog. He was so loyal he would only eat from grandpa nobody else even when my grandfather passed away, he still wouldn’t eat from anyone…
hahahahha you are awesome
Hilarious you home wrecker. Steak sl@t.
Keep on being you
NTA That’s a smart GSD! Brutus knows who has the good food, and if your neighbor wants to win his affection back, he should start by treating his dog better.
Sweet seduction! If the way to a male’s heart is through his stomach, you found it! I had a similar situation, years ago, minus the neighbour being an AH. Moved into a new rental house. Back neighbours warned me that their dog could be vicious and not to try to pet him. Now, the back fence was not much over waist high and I was worried that my young daughter might get hurt. My solution was bacon rinds. Fed to him by either or both of us, every morning. Within a fortnight, this “vicious” dog was waiting at the back fence for his treat. Then, we’d lean over and pet him, eventually escalating to giving him a belly rub. Neighbour caught us mid belly rub one day and was stunned! We all ended up friends.
NTA. If you can’t control your own dog, you don’t deserve a dog. My dogs (Dane sisters) initially reacted the same way to people. So I gave my neighbors treats to give them. And I made it a point to talk to my neighbors while they were out. My dogs are reflexive barkers until they know who you are…
My dogs love my neighbors. They happily bark hello to them. Strangers, they bark differently.
In this case, your neighbor was creating a nuisance, and well… generally being a jerk.
You solved the nuisance in a way that doesn’t involve lawsuits, animal control, or danger.
So in this case, neighbor-dude was inadequate and can’t compensate. Not your problem.
I hope he isn’t more of a jerk to the dog though. So many people have no idea the emotional depth that dogs, cats, and other pets have and it’s heartbreaking.
Good luck. Pretty sure most of us side with you.
Anyone with an aggressive dog is a garbage human being. You feeding steaks to the pup is the sweetest thing ever.
Nta. Literally that’s what we teach humans about how to interact with dogs. Food is a universal language and that’s how you build a relationship
Okay, seriously, fuck Gary.
Fuck. Gary.
DM your address I will send you dog treats 🙂
J/K I am internet weirdo, do not send me your address.
You did the right thing. This story is utterly absurd, and that’s a good thing. Frankly, training your dog to be aggressive (in other words anxious) all the time is kind of abusive in my opinion. The fact that all it took was a little bit of steak and kindness to turn Brutus into a sweetheart tells me Gary is shitty owner and probably a shitty guy. You shouldn’t have to deal with an unruly aggressive dog threatening you every day. And now you don’t. NTA.
Time to cook Gary a steak.
Of course he likes you and not his owner. Poor Brutus grew up in an abusive home. All he knew was hatred and being shouted at. That’s why he shouted (barked) at everyone too. Then you showed him kindness. You showed him that people can be safe, that they can interact with him without shouting and being scary. And he wants that. He wants to live a life where he’s not scared, where he’s not being shouted at all the time. He wants to live in a home where he’s loved and cherished, and spoken to in calm tones. But unless you can persuade your neighbour to sell him to you, he can’t have that. So those moments by the fence are his safe moments, his happy moments.
Ok, so while it’s funny, I think ESH is the best response. Except Brutus.
While there appears to be no harm done here, many dogs have dietary restrictions for reasons that won’t be apparent by looking at them: diabetes, liver problems, mobility issues. Feeding a dog a snack is probably no big deal, as long as it’s an episode. You made a habit of it, and that’s dangerous to the dog if you’re not informed about possible issues. So YTA for that.
It’s also akin to letting the neighbor kids use your PlayStation when their parents won’t let them have one. They bring that home – that expanded possibility – and Gary may not be able to provide an equivalent. YTA for that too.
Gary sucks because of his dog loves a neighbor more than its parent/owner, that’s a testament to home life. Do better Gary.
Next time get an ultrasonic anti bark device. An annoying sound that the dog doesn’t like, used as a correction when Brutus goes bonkers. They fit in your pocket and Gary will just think Brutus thinks you’re his alpha.
Nobody ? Okay then i guess it’s on me to say that Gary probably felt like “Et tu, Brutus ?”
🤣🤣🤣
NTAH you’ve turned him into a people dog.
If this man’s hasn’t taken the time to teach him to not be aggressive to you while you’re on your own property that’s intimidation and harassment.
You solved the problem. Maybe he should be more caring toward his own pet and being less of a dick, maybe his dog would like him more. His sister is an asshole too.
NTA
Maybe the dog’s owner also needs to be bribed with steaks :O
NTAH. Gary is douche.