Sorry for the dramatic title, but that is what I am being accused of doing!
The sun has finally come out here, so I've let DD (4) play out in the garden, in her sandpit, tent and with a bucket of water etc. She isn't a loud, screamy child but does chat away to herself constantly.
My neighbours have a dog, not sure what breed, it's quite small in stature but has a massive head and broad shoulders. I've already had problems as this dog barks its bollocks off everytime we walk past the house (hard to avoid as we are at the end of a cul de sac) and the neighbour doesn't like us doing this as it upsets his dog.
DD was happily playing in the garden, I was in the kitchen with the patio open (she wasn't being noisy, I could hardly hear her through the open doors) and I hear neighbour shouting "Excuse me! Excuse me!" over the fence (7ft fence so we can't see into each others gardens etc)
I answer to him and he asks if I can keep DD inside the house as his dog doesn't like DD playing outside, I can hear dog panting and making sort of growly snarly noises behind the fence. I'd heard it barking earlier but it barks most of the time in my experience so I didn't think anything of it! I asked if he could keep his dog inside if it was so upset by a child playing quietly. He said it would be against his dogs rights to be kept in when it's warm he leaves his back doors open and dog likes to come in and out as it pleases.
I said DD is just playing quietly in our own garden, he said it didn't matter, his dog knew she was there and didn't like it. He was being quite arsey short with me so I just said back that its not our problem if his dog didn't like children, and we are allowed to use our garden (heaven knows we pay enough rent to use it!)
He snaps back "I'll report you to the RSPCA! You are causing unnecessary distress to my dog! You are abusing an animal" - I hear him storm back into the house, the he shouts back "Just you hope he doesn't work out how to get through the fence!"
If DD was being noisy, I'd ask her to be quiet and see his point, or if she was playing right next to the fence, but she's not, she's at the other end of the garden and I can hardly hear her 8 feet away. I've continued to let her play out but am sitting in the garden with her now, and can hear the dog pacing on the other side of the fence, breathing noisily.
I'm not a dog person and I don't know much about them - AIBU?
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
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AIBU?
to continue to abuse my neighbour's dog?
104 replies
iProcrastinate · 26/05/2013 11:21
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