[damn yankee]

OK . There's this 80lb chocolate Lab next door that absolutely hates anyone in my yard. Up until yesterday, he's only come after me. Not just barking, but snarling, very threatening, nipping you at your every move. Now, I've been around dogs all my life, so I've learned at an early age not to move a muscle when a dog has you cornered. Over the last 1 1/2 years I've had some BAD (4)encounters with this animal, 2wice the owner had to come running over to literally drag him away from me. Once in MY garage, another in MY driveway. Always in MY yard. I've called the Sherriff 2 different times to complain. He's always tied up, but evertime I go out in my yard he goes beserk, and he's only held back by the rope he's tied to.

Now last night, my door bell rings, I look out the window and it's this high schooler that looks like he wants to sell me something. Before I can get to the door the dog comes into view at a full run and does the same routine to this young guy. The young guy makes it to the middle of my driveway when the dog catches up and the kid freezes in terror. His eyes are the size of dinner plates!! He's sure that he's gonna get mauled. I run for my back door into the garage and grab the nearset thing I could find, a 3 foot long, round, solid 1" aluminum bar and hit the door opener. I walk out swinging the bar and yelling at the dog to get his attention. I do, and he leaves the kid alone and makes a bee line for me. Well, I can protect myself now and do not have to stand there and take it. I am PISSED!! This is my yard, my piece of the planet and I will not allow this. As he gets in range I do a reasonable impression of Sammy Sousa and whack him right across the front of the snout. The dog yelps incredably loudly. Now he's pissed, and finding that he can't get to me, turns for the kid. But I had motioned to the guy to get behind me...

It's a standoff, and I tell the kid to start walking away, and I hold the dog at bay until the kid dissappears around the corner. I back off, walk back up my driveway and as I get to my garage, another neighbor (the dog's owner isn't home) comes over and gets on my case for threatening and hitting the dog.

2 questions:

#1. Did I do the right thing when I struck the dog?
#2. Should I call the cops again? Talking to the owner has not done any good in the past, and apparently the Animal Control division of the Sheriff dept. hasn't helped either. <_<

 

[Snowbi-Wan]

Is that the dog that was being mentioned last night?

 

[damn yankee]

Yeah, and as you can see I'm still pretty riled about it!

 

[boatmonkey]

You absolutely did the right thing!

If I were you, I would tell the owner the next time the dog was aggressive with me and came after me, I plan on killing it. Then I would prepare to do that and if the dog tried to attack me again, I would shoot it or hit it so hard between the eyes with an axe that there would be no more issue.

I had a friend years ago with this exact problem. Neighbor down the street had a doberman that chased him home more than once. He also tried talking to the owner but the a**holes who own these aggressive animals don't get it. When it chased his kids home it was the last straw - he shot the dog, drug it down the street and threw it through the owner's picture window. It's amazing there was no lawsuit but there wasn't - I think the neighbor became convinced this crazy son-of-a- bitch might come after him next if he pursued it!

This lab is going to end up attacking a kid and needs to be removed. Period.

 

[No More Mini]

QUOTE(boatmonkey @ Oct 22 2003, 05:19 PM)he shot the dog, drug it down the street and threw it through the owner's picture window. It's amazing there was no lawsuit but there wasn't - I think the neighbor became convinced this crazy son-of-a- bitch might come after him next if he pursued it!
Now that might be creul to some, but it solved the problem.

I dont think you were in the wrong at all Yankee....if the owner wont take care of the problem you do it. I would get video of the dog (numerous versions first to prove your innocence) and claim it as self defense.....

Mini

 

[Boss]

<_< Being an animal lover I would have to say I don't like the idea of you hitting the dog. BUT, it sounds like you had no other alternative and it doesn't sound like you randomly beat on animals.

Chocolate labs are the most caring dogs, it amazes me that it has that attitude....Maybe it goes to show that it is the way it was raised? Who knows.

 

[damn yankee]

Boat Monkey, that thought has crossed my mind. I did tell the owner that if he ever did attack me I'd kill him right there and then with my bare hands!! And I know I would, it would be a reflex action to save my own hide.

But, there's more to this story. This neighbor is the ex-wife of a senior Vice President at the company that I work for. They gotta a little girl and "share" both parental duties and taking care of the dog. I could be walking a fine line here, and I don't want 16 years with this company to go down the drain...

 

[No More Mini]

QUOTE(damn yankee @ Oct 22 2003, 05:28 PM)Boat Monkey, that thought has crossed my mind. I did tell the owner that if he ever did attack me I'd kill him right there and then with my bare hands!! And I know I would, it would be a reflex action to save my own hide.

But, there's more to this story. This neighbor is the ex-wife of a senior Vice President at the company that I work for. They gotta a little girl and "share" both parental duties and taking care of the dog. I could be walking a fine line here, and I don't want 16 years with this company to go down the drain...
Now that is a different story....

Talk about being caught between a dog and work place....

Mini

 

[rerun]

Get some stew meat and cook it up a bit. Than put the meat in a bowl of anti freeze over night. Sometime during the next day feed the dog the meat.

I know someone that did this....needless to say the 2 aggressive dogs stoped threating his kids pretty fast.

 

[Advantage_Rob]

Mace works really good on dogs, just ask any mail carrier. Stops them, and ceases thier agression immediately. I'd also call the police every time, eventually it will be considered a threat to safety and be removed. If you dont the other guy might call on you, just watch out for animal creulty tree huggers, they are the allmighty in the court systems. But I'm on your side, I'd have taken a bite or two just to strangle this thing to death with my hands.

My sister & bro in law have a chocolate lab too, they are so gentle, and perfect mannered, no concerns at all around her kids that are 1 and 5 yrs old.

 

[DMisaras]

Yankee,

You were absolutely within your rights in my opinion AND on your own property. The dog was the trespasser. If the kid was injured he could (probably would) have sued you as well as the dogs owner.

Had that been my driveway, the loudest sound would have been the discharge of a 12 gauge, not the yelp of the dog.

I have a yellow lab that I believe would never turn on a person, judging on the terribly painful treatments we've had to perform on her for her medical conditions. She just takes it, the poor thing. There is definitely something wrong with your neighborhood menace. Like Mini said, get video and hold onto it for when you need it.

Best of luck,

Dave

 

[boatmonkey]

Well, then you have to revert to a sneaky approach. A well placed bowl of antifreeze should take care of him. If you can do it without leaving eviden, like the bowl in his doghouse, no one will ever be able to prove you poisoned him instead of him just lapping it up off the ground where some radiator leaked.

I know this sounds hardhearted but let me tell you a little story. I work for a company that, among other things, adjusts insurance claims. We have a claim for a ten year old kid who was walking down the street to visit his buddy when a neighborhood dog who had done nothing worse than kill a cat before attacked him, mauled his face horribly, and ripped off his scalp. Looking at pictures of this little guy after he has already gone through a number of surguries and still looks like his head went through a meat grinder makes it very clear to me that a mean aggressive dog has no place living around people. Not only will he always have terrible scares but he will never grow hair on his head and will have to wear wigs - that should do wonders for his love life!

 

[Boater2be]

If the cops where too busy to come to you should have gone to them and filed the report. Take the kid to sign as a witness or any other neighborhood witnesses. Also file a follow up to every encounter so there is a record.

At the point that you where truly threatened I would have shot it and left it on its owners porch. I would rather deal with the paperwork later then a dog bite or worse now.

Before I get called a rotten SOB, you should know that I love dogs. I have 2 chocolate labs myself that wouldn't hurt anybody.

When a dog is aggressive, on your property and threatening, you don't have much choice.

 

[No More Mini]

But what about his job??

Mini

 

[Dookie]

I absolutely do not condone injuring any animal unless it is a threat to you. Sadly this poor dog may be a victim of it's surroundings. That doesn't change anything when it comes to it harming you or worse.
People get their dogs taken away for barking too much, i'm surprised your having such problems. Hopefully you are making reports. Keep a log and record its actions. I'd bypass the police and contact Macomb County Animal Control directly for now, they do have limited hours. I'm in the vet tech program at MCC and i'll ask for you tomorrow what steps you can take to maybe help remedy this problem. They will have some input for me.
Keep in mind, the steps you take will probably get this dog euthanized but i really dont see an alternative if it is this aggressive and the owners will not take the proper precautions to restrain it.
In fact, i just remembered, my parents had a neighbor with a dog in just this type of situation. The constant complaints eventually forced them to remove this dog from its home. I think they actually had to do some sort of complaint to the city.
If you still need the advise tomorrow, i'll let you know what i find out

 

[damn yankee]

John, I might not loose my job, but my career could be at a dead end, if you know what I mean...

 

[Adios]

aggressive dogs suck, and should be treated in a manner to wich they will respect you, the non owner.

and aggressive dogs just suck

 

[rerun]

Ok....just move and find out if the new home has any dogs around it.

 

[damn yankee]

Thanks Dookie, and all who have responded. I'm not a violent person and don't want to hurt any animal (except the occasional fish or deer, which I don't take if I'm not gonna put it in my freezer)

Actually, I'm thinking that I should seek this guy out and have a 1 on 1 with him. He may not be aware of what's been going on. <_<

 

[Dookie]

QUOTE(rerun @ Oct 22 2003, 04:32 PM)Get some stew meat and cook it up a bit. Than put the meat in a bowl of anti freeze over night. Sometime during the next day feed the dog the meat.

I know someone that did this....needless to say the 2 aggressive dogs stoped threating his kids pretty fast.
God i hope your joking. Poisoning an animal is NOT the answer. this is the fault & responsibility of the owner.

If your going to go to that extreme, and i dont support this, at least coax the dog into a crate and take it to be euthanized.

Keep in mind BOTH of these suggestions are ILLEGAL!!!!