To expect my neighbour to put her dog on a lead before leaving the house

[3catsnokids]

I live in a large house that has been split into flats. We share a communal hallway and communal back yard.

My husband and I have 3 cats. A lot of the time they are indoors but they do go out of our living room window into the street in front which is a private road and very quiet. One of the 3 hates litter trays so we do put her out more often and the other 2 go out to drink from muddy puddles, have a little wander, etc.

The family in the next door flat has a dog. The dog is allowed into the back yard for the toilet. I have no problem with that or with the dog. If our neighbours are out all day we have a key to get into their flat to let the dog out etc.

When going through the communal hallway to get to the back yard the dogs whines at our door to get to our cats. I once let a cat in through the main front door just as the dog was let into the hallway and the dog immediately lunged at and caught the cat. Fortunately the cat was ok.

My neighbour knows the dog will attack the cats but a few minutes ago she and her child left the house out of the front and the dog went with them. The dog was not on a lead. 5 minutes previously one of my cats was out there and she isn't very fast so if the dog had chased her the dog would have won. She was once chased by a different dog and managed to haul herself through the window to escape but bumped and bloodied her nose and tore a claw doing it.

AIBU to expect my neighbour to put her dog on a lead when leaving the house? It seems like common sense and thoughtfulness to me but I've never owned a dog so don't know if it's unrealistic to expect it to be on a lead every time it leaves the house?

I think dogs should be on leads everywhere except park spaces dedicated for roaming dog use!

Have you mentioned it to your neighbour?

I have a dog who I admit, is almost never on a lead. However, he is more like a rug and needs persuading to move anywhere. We also love in the middle of nowhere so no neighbours to annoy. When we lived in a city centre with lots of neighbours with small children, cats etc he was always on a lead, and I think in the situation you describe it would only be good manners for her to keep her dog on a lead, especially given that it had antsy chased and caught one of your cats. What if a small child or elderly person got in the way of it's charge? In a living arrangement with communal areas everyone should make allowances for everyone else's safely, and dogs should definitely be on a lead.

Please pardon spelling/grammar errors, poorly toddler asleep (finally!) on my arm :-)

Not yet diddl. When the dog caught my cat in the hallway she apologised and said the other day the dog had chased another cat when walking off the lead. That was at least a couple of months ago now so I assumed since those 2 incidents she would put the dog on a lead.

I don't normally see her leaving the house but happened to be sitting by my living room window today so saw her going out.

I thought I better check if I was being unreasonable before speaking to her about it.

We wouldn't put our dog on a lead when leaving the house but she is also trained not to go for cats.

It is very cute because she cries when she passes cats as she desperately wants to chase them but knows she is not allowed

For me, it depends. Personally I would just not let the cats out during the presumably 25 seconds it takes her to pass your door. Because she sounds like a good neighbour in other ways. Also she is not responsible for your cat's other near miss.

But if it is really bugging you, say something. She can put the dog on the lead till it's away from the flats, perhaps.

I don't think dogs should be on leads all the time in quiet streets and parks. I do think they should be trained to heel.

I only let my dog off where it's safe tbh.

We have a cat but I wouldn't trust him not to chase others.

I think given that the dog has already attacked your cat once then it would be perfectly reasonable to ask her to keep it on a lead while she passes you.

Just ask her and explain why. I have two dogs and never put them on a lead to walk out to the car, but if a neighbour asked me to and gave me a rational reason for why, then I would be only too happy to help.

Hi Revolting. The cats aren't generally in the communal hallway (although if one has been out when I am getting home they will try to follow me through the main front door which is how the incident happened). The issue is if they're out in the street when the dog goes out into the street. If the dog is off the lead she will be able to chase them up the road. 2 of them would probably be ok but one would either dive into a bush that's opposite our house (where I saw the dog having a good sniff this morning so may be able to catch the cat in there) or would try and make it back through the living room window and I don't know if she would get there in time.

Obviously if I see the dog going out I won't let the cats out but if they're out there first I won't be able to do anything.

When the dog went for the cat in the hall she did not listen to the neighbour at all and both of us had to physically heave her off the cat. She is quite a hefty staffy.

the laws are changing soon all dog owners need to read them

If you know your dog chases cats and you share a hallway with someone who owns cats... Of course your dog should be on a lead.

It's not at all unreasonable to ask.

Yes, I think dogs should be on a lead or at the very least under close control at all times but I also think it's v unreasonable to let cats out to go and use other people's gardens as toilets.

I am dog owner and agree dogs should be on lead at all times when out in public.

I'm glad the majority don't think I'm unreasonable. I'll have a word with my neighbour and ask her politely to put the dog on a lead when going out.

Marathon - we don't have many gardens near us so we don't have the issue of our cat using them as a toilet. just have a lot of bushes all the way along the other side of the road, against a wall. I think one cat goes in the bushes opposite us. The other 2 insist on coming back inside to use the litter tray.

www.nawt.org.uk/advice/changes-dangerous-dogs-act-advice-owners