to continue to abuse my neighbour's dog?

[iProcrastinate]

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?

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the RSPCA office when he phones them :o

I would phone 101 or the dog warden to log this too.
Do you or your DD play a musical instrument? If so march up and down the garden playing it.
If not, buy one

I would call 101 too, for advice, as I think he issued you a clear threat.
What an arsehole - he wouldn't get anywhere with me using those tactics.
I'd send the cops round to shut the loser up.

I love dogs.

Your neighbor is a loon and your DD has every right to play outside!

Am at your loony neighbor. I didn't think I would ever tell anyone to carry on abusing an animal, but in your case........well, carry on :)

Personally, and particularly as the OP is not living by herself, I'd quietly check him out before doing anything overtly antagonistic. He's a clear nutter and I'd like, myself, to be sure that that's all he is and that he hasn't got form for taking things further.

I'd contact 101 and the dog people.

He is barking.

The threat of the dog getting in your garden would worry me.

Abuse away!

It is worrying that he sees the dog potentially attacking your child as your problem not a dog-training issue. And that was a threat.

I agree with phoning the dog warden or RSPCA or 101, not sure which is more appropriate just to get it on file, if nothing else.

My neighbour used her dog as excuses for irrational demands including us not using our garden, and kept breaking the fences and claiming I?d done it.
One day she thrust the poor terrified thing up at me and threatened it would bite me.
I reported it as no action required, but please note, just because I was fed up.

She later accused me of having poisoned and killed it!
It turned out poor thing had died through her stupidity and she knew this, but the record of how she previously used it to try and get her own way and create confrontation points, served me well in how I was treated during the investigation.

I would be very angry about the veiled threat and would likely reply with something to the effect of "if that dog ever gets into our garden, I will fucking kill it."

But, I try to bite my tongue a lot because that sort of response is really not helpful when dealing with loonies.

I wouldn't even begin to engage in a conversation about it.
He's bonkers. As soon as he threatened you, it became a matter for the police. I would've said 'ok then...see you later' gone inside and dialled 101...no fucking about, no discussion, no mercy.

Who cares, it's a dog not a person. If he's concerned that dogs need freedom to go outside when they want ask him why he owns one.

Yanbu, i'm an avid animal lover, but your neighbour has clearly lost the plot im afraid. Maybe he has dementia or some mental illness.

I told DP about this and he says you could get the po-po involved as, strictly speaking, this is assault. If you felt threatened or worried that violence might occur, it's assault (I questioned this and he said, "of course I'm sure, I'm a fucking policeman!").

The bit about the dog getting through the fence would really frighten me.

He sounds mentally ill actually. Not rational behaviour at all.

Just ignore him.

And make sure your fencing is very secure.

If a dog is well trained, you can have an army of small children doing all sorts outside without it making a peep.

It's his job to train his dog to ignore neighboring gardens and people walking past. He clearly hasn't done this effectively.

He may not wish to, fuzzy. Some people let animals (usually dogs) act out in the way they would really like to do themselves.

Was just coming on to say the thecraicdealer said, I asked OH a copper, and he laughed and then asked if I was serious? He said he'd take it as a threat. . .

My dog (Cavalier, King Charles) occasionally barks at the neighbour's children. I say: 'One, two, three' and the girls say 'Be quiet, Dawn's dog'.
It's definitely your neighbour that has a problem. I too would be reporting him. I'd also take some pictures of your side of the fence, and keep checking it for damage for a while.

Wtf? What a prick!! We've got 2 dogs and I'm not being funny, but if ANYONE has a right to be in the garden it's your child!! If he frikkin walked it, I'm sure would be quite happy to just go out occasionally. What a complete and utter twat!
My ds goes mental when he's stuck in, so on sunny days it's a godsend when he can go out.
And with regards the comment about it getting into your garden, well, you don't want to know where I would have gone with that one! But that was a threat to your child.

It is you neighbour who is doing that abusing. He is clearly at least socially unstable, believes his dog is aggressive and finds the fact that his dog would likely attack your daughter entertaining. I would take that threat extremely seriously. He is NOT a responsible dog owner and by the sounds if it views this animal as an extension to his in personal aggressiveness. It would not be unreasonable for you to speak to the police and I would also be inclined to record the dog - and his owner if possible - behaving aggressively.

What a arsehole.

Do call the police OP. I had a similar problem with my downstairs neighbour and their dog - said dog barks incessantly if we're in our garden and he's in theirs, also barks madly if anyone walks past their front door to get to ours.

My charmer of a neighbour started effing and blinding at me one day because my then-1yo DS was "too noisy" and making his dog scared. He said almost the exact same thing yours said to you - "better hope he doesn't get into your garden" - and I would not have put it past him to accidentally-on-purpose let the dog out. I felt threatened, I was shaky all day, and I still purposely avoid him because I am scared.

The police took me really seriously, they were great. They told me that what my neighbour (and by extention yours) did is actually illegal and should always be reported.

Definitely report him. He threatened your child - this is serious and he's crazy. Not funny. If the police don't do anything and you rent and can afford to move, I'd move. Better to overreact than under react as he clearly can't control his dog and is refusing to take responsibility. An angry and determined dog can eventually work their way through most fences in time. How strong is that fence again?

My neighbour asked me not to hang my washing out on the line as it upset her dog