How can I approach this situation- dog and baby

[PoppingTomorrow]

I have a 3 month old baby. Our living room opens onto a communal garden.

A neighbour in one of the other flats, whom I don't really know but have said hello to has an American bulldog. During the day he's at work so it is taken out by his partner who has a physical disability meaning she is unable to restrain the dog. It is not on a lead.

From my observation the dog is pretty calm so I assume he (it is a he) gets long walks at other times. However he doesn't consistently obey her - I've seen him barrel away from her, chase a ball kids were playing with and deflate it, etc. He sniffs around my door which opens onto the garden and often stares. I took care not to meet his gaze.

I am really nervous about taking the baby out into the garden in case the dog arrives. And indeed would feel unsure about inviting round other mums and babies for the same reason. We live in an urban area, few of us have our own private outside space.

Do you have any suggestions about how to approach - I was thinking of asking to discuss how we make sure we can use the garden safely, but I don't want to rile him (he seems like a reasonable man eg he went back out to pick up dog mess that his partner had not been able to).

I don't blame you at all. They should have respect for others (which they clearly don't) and appreciate that this breed can be very intimidating. It shouldn't be roaming about freely.

Do you own or rent? Who owns the communal garden?

I own. All the properties that share the garden are leasehold and the garden is the property of the freeholder. Original the leases said no pets. That's no longer enforceable buy the clauses around nuisance and quiet enjoyment are still relevant.

Obviously I'd prefer not to have to appeal to the freeholder or management company to enforce

I had a really similar issue with my upstairs neighbour and I rent but I contacted the landlord and they said I could put a temporary fence up on mu boundaries, with you owning would it be possible to do this ? X

Unfortunately not - my boundary is my wall! I have patio-style doors opening onto the communal area.

Personally I'd write a letter explaining the situation.

I'd say your preference is not to escalate this to freeholder/management company but to work together to find an approach that works for you both.

The reality is the dog is not compatible with their housing/situation. The fact he picks up the mess "later" is still not acceptable. The dog shouldn't be using a communal space as a toilet. Just because the poo is picked up doesn't mean the grass is not contaminated if children want to play.

If his partner is unable to take the dog on walks/toilet elsewhere then they need to find someone else to do that.

Are you aware of what the owners of the other flats feel about the situation? It may be worth sounding them out.

@BreadInCaptivity this is one of many dogs who are exercised/toilet in this space and I don't like it but (partly because the area isn't gated) it's impossible to enforce.

My concern is about the size of this dog (and breed) and the fact it's being supervised by someone who can't restrain it or recall it.