Concerned about my neighbours dog and small baby

[Wurie]

My neighbour has very recently had a baby. She also has a small, anxious, reactive rescue dog; which she took on a few months before she was pregnant. It's one of those dogs that looks highly stressed all the time, and you tend to steer well clear of. I'd not seen her in a while, so we were just chatting outside, she had the dog on a lead and the baby in a buggy. A jogger ran past and the dog literally lunged at the jogger with its teeth bared, barking like crazy. It didn't make contact thank goodness, but she made some comment along the lines of it was stupid for a jogger to run so near a dog that was clearly anxious.

This set alarm bells running for me, I'm so worried about the baby if the dog's behaviour is being excused rather than addressed. I know she's had a tough time recently, and I don't want to be the local busy body, but she adores this dog, and I've realised she's always made excuses for its aggressive and antisocial behaviour (I actually love dogs, so we've talked about her rescue a fair bit in the past.) It has left me really unsettled that this dog is living in a household with a tiny child. Is there something I should be doing?

I'd mind your own business

When people are concerned about potentially bad things happening they're told to mind their own business.

When bad things happen everyone asks why no one did anything to prevent it from happening.

Presumably the neighbour knows how to manage the dog.

Absolutely none of your business.

None of your business. We have dogs and one is an absolute nightmare in a walk but at home he’s curled up with the kids absolutely fine and been the same way for the last 6years.

Absolutely your business! But not my h you can do. I would a ss y something but I am anti social. I would say, directly, “your rescue dog is a danger to an infant. I think you should rehome him.” But she won’t because she is, literally and figuratively, the dog’s rescuer and the whole world and you are their collective persecutors

Lots of dogs may do this, a stranger running towards them at speed would be perceived as a threat, it’s likely protecting its family. I’m sure neighbour would be aware of how to manage dog and baby if she is caring for the dog well and taking it out. Baby lives in household with it so would be used to it … as long as she’s not leaving them alone together. Doubt anyone would do anything anyway … won’t be interested unless someone has been bitten.

I’m not sure you can really do much unless you know her well enough to chat about it relatively casually!

Also - a leash reactive dog out the house isn’t a good reflection of how they are at home. My giant scaredy-cat mutt looks like he’s about to murder a passing jack russel or runner if he’s on the lead.

Off lead in the woods? Sniffs + moves on. At home? Gentlest, calmest pup.

I’d never let my children hurt him, or leave him unattended in a room with them - but I’m as confident as it’s possible to be with any animal that he’d never intentionally harm them.

If you have a genuine fear for the child's life, call social services.

I have a dog that would react the same to a jogger/stranger but is perfectly fine with my children, but also child and dog are never left in a position where there could be an issue.

honestly Id call social services on this one.

I've been the runner that's been attacked by an out of control dog totally un provoked, accompanied by the owners standard response of 'I don't know why that happened, he's normally so friendly, it's the first time it's happened'. If it had been an elderly person or child they'd have been very seriously injured. There's always a first time that it happens, the dog should be under control at all times. If it's so anxious near other people it goes for them it shouldn't be out if it's not under total control. I like to think of it in terms of children- would I let my kids shit on the pavement outside your house- no, so it's not ok for your dog to, would I let my children run up and jump on you- no- so it's not ok for a dog to...Would it be ok for my kids to try to bite you as you ran past- no so it's not ok for your dog to... Your local council will have a dog warden that you can report dangerous behaviour to, they'll log it and take action if it happens repeatedly/they deem it sufficiently high risk.

I don't think you can compare how the dog is outside to how it is at home. I have a lease reactive, fear aggressive border collie, but at home she's a different dog and great with the kids.

🎯

Lord you don't live there so you don't know what goes on behind closed doors. i had a dog who had to be kept in quite places walking outside. he was a badly abused dog. but inside in his safe place he was a Teddy bear. and he was so good with children. you don't know anything so butt out

Obviously not, considering the way she allowed it to have a go at a passer-by.

Dogs that show any kind of viciousness should never be in the same vicinity as a baby. I sincerely hope she adores her baby more than she adores the dog, or we'll be reading about another tragedy.

A dog that lunges with teeth bared and snaps at a person jogging past should be muzzled in public. End of. If you're worried op you should report it as aggressive in public then presumably the dog warden/council will do an assessment and at the very least advocate a muzzle in public and dog always on the lead?

Personally I don't agree with dogs around babies and small children at all. Hate dogs.

Me too.

A dog feeling anxious and lunging whilst on a lead (restricted) when a stranger runs toward/ passed the dog cannot be compared to a baby who doesn’t even crawl yet. She may need to manage the situation better with baby gates etc when baby is mobile and I am sure she is supervising them together. An anxious dog is likely to lunge when they feel restricted/ cornered but quickly retract so it creates space. You see it often where dogs will run and bark at someone but if that person stays still or walks towards them they run off in fear.

The health visitor will note there is a dog in the home, provide advice if necessary and will refer to social services if they feel the dog is a safeguarding issue.

I don’t think mentioning it to her at this point would be helpful.

Mine will bark and lunge at male joggers if they come too close - a man running at speed towards us can be scary, and he uses his bark to tell them to give us distance. It can be embarrassing but it's also been very useful on occasion - some blokes don't seem to engage their brains and realise that running towards or very close to a woman on a deserted lane or street, esp at night, can be intimidating.

Just because the dog is nervous out of the home doesn't mean it presents a risk - I'm sure she'll be aware of its limitations and the need to keep her baby safe. Just keep out of it.

Next time you’re casually chatting a mini Cujo lunges at someone. Perhaps you could work it into the conversation how protective mini cujo must be of the baby. She will either strut off in a huff or she’ll say oh yes little cujo is lovely with the kids.

mind at ease.

Mind your own business.

We have a reactive rescue and a baby. Our dog is reactive to people she doesn’t know and she very much knows that our baby is part of the family. In fact baby is asleep on me right now and our dog curled up next to me with her head resting on baby’s leg.

Another one here who has a reactive rescue dog who is literally the softest and calmest dog I have ever owned in the home.

Pretty much all reactive dogs have triggers such as other dogs coming towards them, people moving too quickly near them (cyclists, runners etc), large vehicles driving past.... This reactivity and behaviour in public is NOT the same as how they are in the home. It's literally a reaction to something that makes them feel afraid.

What do you want to happen? The dog get taken away and put down? Or rehomed? When it's probably had a pretty rough start to life already (most reactive dogs have). Sorry but yes, agree with others who say mind your own business.

Oh I don’t know….maybe she just doesn’t want a tiny baby to be harmed? Maybe she is thinking along the lines of er…putting the baby first? I know it’s a novel concept for some.

Just because your dog is like that doesn’t mean the neighbours dog is. Even if OP is totally off the mark and the dog is harmless indoors, surely her heart is in the right place to be a bit concerned when she has seen the dog behaving dangerously?

OP I agree with others who have suggested trying to get to know this neighbour better. Can you pop round with a gift for baby? Just ask her next time you see her, how is Fido managing having a new baby in the house? Incorporate it into the conversation. Chances are she’ll answer something that reassures you.

An on-lead dog that lunges at a jogger coming very close to them isn’t behaving dangerously - it’s reacting to a situation that it perceives as threatening. We know it’s a man out running for exercise - the dog doesn’t. He sees a large person running towards them and he has no way of knowing why they’re doing that. It can’t run away because it’s on-lead so it stands its ground and ‘shouts’ to get the man the hell away from him and the people he’s guarding. Imagine you were tied up and a strange bloke was running at you - you’d feel scared and may shout to get him away, to try and intimidate him and to get others attention.