Location: Florida, Orlando.
Hello, I have to spend the ugly reality of my dogs tearing apart a small Yorkshire Terrier. There was literally no dog left and it was the most disgusting scene.
Both my dogs are Mutts, with a lot of labrador onto them. They were hanging out in the back when suddenly, my neighbors Yorkshire dug a hole from THEIR side of the garden onto mine.
After my dogs saw the little dog emerging from the earth, they attacked. We were all at the front of the house and didnt hear anything until my dogs started barking at each other over who got to eat first.
I’m pissed. I feel bad for the small dog and his owner (it was a 17 year old who was terribly shaken by the fact). But at the same time, I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THE HOA NEEDS ME TO EUTHANIZE MY ANIMALS IF THEY WERE IN MY PROPERTY.
Sorry, but my dogs are the cornerstone of my
day to day life. The possibility of having to move forward without them is not viable to me. Pls help. I’m also trying to contact a lawyer right now.
Comments
Your property line and their encroachment. Unless it is the covenants. You are not legally required to do much.
The HOA is full of shit.
Neither you not your dogs did anything wrong. This problem was entirely the fault of the neighbor.
Ignore the letter from the HOA. Consulting a lawyer is a good idea.
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You live in florida. I would tell the HOA that you are consulting an attorney on the matter and that any attempt in the meantime to possess or harm your dogs will be defended with the fullest force allowed by the laws of the state.
Let them stew on what that may mean.
But really, call a lawyer as they might suggest filing a police report against the other owner for their dog entering your property. It could be a helpful thing to set up in this situation.
Something about this feels like rage bait or attention seeking.
“There was literally no dog left and it was the most disgusting scene” and “They saw him lift up the (at the time dying) dog’s body” Which was it?
Either the dogs “followed their instincts” or they’re the least aggressive pups ever.
*EDIT* “The one that i see in the video just hanging around his sister is the one that is partially pit bull. He only got near the body after she let him btw.” I’m sorry… now there’s VIDEO?????
Ask if the Stand you Ground laws apply to dogs?
Take a 17 yr old Yorkie a lot of effort to dig under a fence
Stand your ground or castle doctrine does apply to dogs?
Def consult a lawyer. I don’t think the HOA can make you euthanize your dogs. But they could certainly contact the police, or the owners of the Yorkie could sue you. NAL but I used to work for a law firm that represented a lot of defendants on dog bite cases where they were sued under their homeowner’s policy for damages. So maybe reach out to your insurance company to see if they have an attorney you can speak to?
Call an attorney. But don’t be surprised if your HOA has a meeting about this and amends the rules to include stipulations like this.
Unless pet behavior and/or “punishment” is addressed in your HOA documents, they can get fucked.
I would be more concerned about the local animal control agency and/or a civil suit from the neighbor.
What happens when a baby or toddler happens to stumble into your yard? How will your dogs react?
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I’d be kinda concerned about these dogs NGL
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Nah man. Your dogs are clearly aggressive and need to be put down. Who’s to say they wont kill again?
Bullshit ass post
Nah fuck em they weren’t any where they shouldn’t have been.
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Your dogs are aggressive and you need to accept that and deal with it accordingly. How they acted is not “protective” it is not “them following their instincts” it is aggression plain a simple. A <20lb yorkie coming into your backyard is not a threat nor is responding to it like a threat protective. At best it’s unchecked prey drive turning into aggression but it’s still absolutely aggression. If you want to keep your dogs you should do everything you can to prevent anything like this from happening again, since your dogs have a history of being aggressive now you can and absolutely should be found liable if it happens again. This isn’t a situation where a livestock dog was protecting its livestock or anything, this was absolutely unchecked aggression and based on your other comments you seem to justify it based on your incredibly flawed logic on how big dogs should act.
This is not normal nor reasonable behavior for dogs. There is more to this story that you are not telling us. This is a sign of dog’s with severe behavior problems that have gone unaddressed, and I suspect this is not the first time your dogs have behaved in a violent, dangerous manner, hense the letter from the HOA. I highly suggest you consult with an attorney because I suspect your legal liability is bigger than this one incident.
Labs mixed into what?
Sorry …an animal that kills another animal cannot be assured to maintain is domesticated status.
This is a serious concern, health and safety wise. What if it was a small child?
Understood that animals are territorial but they are also animals and you cannot completely eradicate this from an animal.
Your pets, are now a serious danger to the community; children , humans and other small pets. We are not even discussing the possibility of rabies here. Your HOA , as much as I dislike HOA’s probably has measures to address this.
You might not like the option, but you might need to abide by the rules of your community for your safety and the safety of all in the community.
This is likely rage bait… but also if you live within an HOA with aggressive dogs.. then you are asking for trouble… I also hope you’ve got it on camera because you could still be held responsible for the dog if your stories conflict.
This is likely rage bait… but also if you live within an HOA with aggressive dogs.. then you are asking for trouble… I also hope you’ve got it on camera because you could still be held responsible for the dog if your stories conflict.
Isn’t the purpose of dogs, not only companionship, but protection? If they see a threat, are they not supposed to react? Maybe the neighbor should have taken measures to keep his dog in his own yard. This is called natural selection, the circle of life, the food chain, what have you. You can’t punish and kill an animal for reacting based on instinct.
You don’t have to euthanize the dogs, but they are killers. These dogs are dangerous and are a risk to the community. What if a child wondered into your back yard? I think forcing you to remove the dogs from the neighborhood is very appropriate here. Euthanizing them absolutely not. But they can’t be living at your property any more.
File an appeal.
If that doesn’t work, file another appeal.
Keep doing it until your dog passes.
Animals raising animals XD
Unpopular opinion maybe, but I wouldn’t feel safe living near your dogs.
Let me guess… it’s a lab mixed with a pit? Must be the Labrador in them…
Just say you did and then adopted identical pets after. Done and done.
The dog came into your yard and your dogs were only protecting their property. Your dogs are not at fault. If a neighbor’s dog has come on your property and killed one of your dogs you could sue the neighbor. Get a lawyer or contact Animal Control and see what they say. AC may be helpful because they can explain the leash law and apply proper direction in this matter.
Ex-Animal Control Officer here.
Only a judge can order the destruction of property (which dogs are considered).
In most cases, a dog entering the property of another dog, the property owner is considered not at fault. But, what your dogs did is a lot more than just say, attack it…they killed this dog outright and sounds like they may have eviscerated it.
Again, I’m not sure this is actually in the HOAs jurisdiction to regulate. I guess that depends on the HOA. But, an animal control officer or a police officer in your jurisdiction could probably lobby a court for dangerous dog designation. Idk if they’d get, because again your dogs didn’t leave your property, but it’s possible.
Animal aggression doesnt mean dogs are aggressive to people. It is normal for animals to attack other animals depending on the breeds it’s literally built in. I had a staffy who was iffy around other animals but absolutely adored every human baby and adults alike. In fact I’ve never met another dog who was better with people. The dog entered his yard. Yes it sucks and it’s terrible. But his dogs didn’t technically do anything wrong. All he can do is work on their training.
NAL, but a Florida Resident. Two things: Read your HOA papers to the letter. They may have rules regarding animals. They probably can’t force you to euthanize, but they may be able to force the dogs off of your property, via rehoming, euthanasia, surrender, etc. They may also have breed restrictions that your dogs may fall into, and this incident simply alerted them to that fact. I would enlist an attorney’s help with this part, and also for drafting a letter to them stating your opposition to euthanizing your pets.
Second, on the chance Animal Control gets involved- and your HOA very well may involve them- you should be aware of Florida’s “Dangerous Dog Law” You’re PROBABLY protected because Animal Control would only be able to mark your dog as a “Dangerous” dog if “Has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal while off the owner’s property“- which is mostly in place to protect livestock animals. Because this happened on your own property they likely can’t designate your dogs as Dangerous- but if there’s some loophole or if others come forward regarding feeling scared of or having been harassed by your dogs, it’s very possible they could be designated as dangerous. If they are, then you’re basically on a one-strike system. If another incident occurs your dogs will be impounded and euthanized.
Please consider better training, though. German Pointers and Pitbulls both can be LOVELY dogs, but they can also be bloodthirsty. If they’re so aggressive/reactive and poorly trained/socialized that they’re KILLING and eating another dog encroaching on their territory, they’re not safe dogs. Not for other dogs, not for small animals in your neighborhood, not for children. I shudder to think of the stray cats and squirrels they’ve attacked, and I sincerely hope they’re up to date on rabies shots and de-wormers. Consider muzzles, constant supervision, or leashed walks instead of unsupervised backyard time, and some significant training if you don’t want this to happen again.
You need to read the rules of your HOA and see what they say regarding this situation.
I don’t think any HOA has the right to demand you euthanize your pets but they may have verbiage on if you can keep your dog on the property.
You may need to consult with a lawyer to find out what rights you have and how to respond appropriately to the demand.
I’m having a hard time with you defending these dogs after they killed another dog. What if they get out of your yard and attack a toddler or baby, or even an adult?
Say it with me:
HOA is not law.
HOA don’t make law.
I’m fairly certain that there are laws that put the onus on the dog owner to keep dangerous dogs secure. You might not have to euthanize your dogs, but you will likely be required to take additional measures to make sure that they are secure, such as keeping them in a kennel when unsupervised. I don’t know how much it matters that this happened on your property. I think an argument could be made that a dog that would do this to another dog in your backyard, would do it elsewhere. As such, the onus would be on you to take extra precautions to prevent this from happening again, or your dogs getting out and killing someone’s pet/child/etc. You can google dangerous dog laws in your area to be sure. I would be concerned about safety primarily, but also a lawsuit.
Could have been a small child. Your dogs are killers and will attack again. Fuck what’s legal or what you want, do what’s right to keep your family and others safe.
Reading between the lines, the HOA did not say he needs to euthanize his dogs for the attack. They said his dogs are pitbull breeds, which aren’t allowed, and he must get rid of them. He can surrender them to a shelter, possibly. That would be my interpretation of the story OP told.
yeah you should be concerned about your aggressive dogs my guy, that’s a problem
If there’s camera footage, pull it. Prove location of all animals involved.
Has the neighbors dog gotten into your yard before? Have you had to address this? Repeatedly trespassing onto another property is an issue, and would establish a pattern of behavior and negligence.
Was there a weak point on the fence, and was it your fence or the neighbors fence? If there is a weak point and the owner failed to correct that, then part of the fault lies there as well.
Keep your dogs inside when you are not home. This will prevent them from being harassed when you’re not there and prevent them from injuring anyone else.
Consult a lawyer. Know that this will count as a bite, regardless of where it happened.
Know that this will cause issues for your insurance and possibly make you a case for being dropped or non-renewables. Explore other providers immediately and be prepared to pay more for coverage.
Consider a more durable fence.
It’s crazy how many people want to be in a HOA…like they enjoy being controlled and told how they can live…insane..sounds like prison
Your dogs have demonstrated aggression to the point of killing another dog.
The decent thing to do here is put them down. What if it was a neighbor kid that wandered into your backyard?
Are your dogs pit mixes barred by the HOA?
While heartbreaking for both parties, the terrier was where it ought not to have been. I doubt the HOA has a legal leg to stand on here.
A similar, tragic situation happened to me. The neighbor contacted the HOA and only told them that my dogs had killed their dogs. Then also contacted the county. Once everyone investigated, my neighbors were the ones that were cited for having their dog off leash in my yard. I was not at fault because my dogs were contained behind a fence on my property. Same with the HOA. You need to speak to the HOA and make sure they are aware that an uncontained dog was on your property with your contained dogs.
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