To be getting sick of my next door neighbour?

[lineylane]

NDN moved in 6 weeks ago. We have only been here approx 4 months ourselves.

We have three dogs- 2 Rottweilers (honestly the softest, most dopey dogs you will meet- all the children on our close adore them and will come up and pet them etc) and a very old, feeble staffie who couldn’t even catch a fly if he tried.

Rotties are walked three times a day- once by DH in the morning, dog walker in the afternoon and me of an evening. Our staffie cannot walk long distances so either both me and DH go on a walk and one of us turns back with our staffie or he doesn’t come out with us.

Aside from this, they get let out in the garden for a play/pee a couple times a day by me (work from home) fully supervised as it’s my time to enjoy a smoke and a quick brew.

Approx a week after NDN moved in, we got a knock on the door at 8am- hysterically screaming at us that are “dogs are out of control” and are dangerous and may attack their DC if they are playing in the garden.

I insisted they were all incredibly friendly, well trained and while like rough and tumble with each other- are impeccably behaved around humans and suggested NDN brought her DC round to meet them which made her even more hysterical. I ended up shutting the door in her face, resulting her banging on the door for 20 minutes screaming through the letterbox while I was on a conference call. I will admit, I ended up losing my temper and ended up opening the front room window and asking her what the fuck she thought she was doing and to get off my property. Looked very taken aback and sulked off.

Anyway- two weeks ago, NDN brought two kittens. Got a knock on the door saying we would have to either keep the dogs indoors, or get rid “because no doubt our dogs would choose to savage them”. Of course no dog can be 100% trusted, but I can say with 95% confidence that if said cats came in the garden the dogs would come to me if recalled.

This wasn’t good enough for said neighbour. I suggested my DH put barbed wire on top of our shared fence so cats wouldn’t be able to jump over. Apparently we are now cruel to animals

Anyway things have come to a head this morning. Another neighbour has come and knocked to say NDN has started a petition for us to get rid of our dogs because they are all of “dangerous breed”. Most people have told her to fuck off, one or two others have sided with her.

I’m close to ringing the police for harassment.

AIBU?

These threads always have the same tone. I'm an animal lover, but why the need to be so bolshy and aggressive to the non-dog lovers?

All this competitive 'you'd swear mine were killing each other' ......with maniacal grins.

And what's all this 'luffs' nonsense? Is it some kind of 'cool kids' chav speak?

Report her for harassment and aggressive behaviour.
CCTV for the garden and front of house in case she comes back to scream at you again or worse.
Call letting agent and ask if she is allowed pets.
And put catproofing on your fence to keep her kittens out, and her children who may be as mad as she is and try to get into your garden.

Very curious that DarlingNikita and Apehouse have arrived at the same time, with the same very bizarre opinion.

If you're suggesting sock-puppetry please desist. Or report and let MNHQ discover that your theory is untrue.

No, I didn't say dogs can't be admired or viewed pleasurably. I think you misread or misunderstood me. My point is that people are not obliged to have dogs that people like keyboardkate find cute (her words are 'I wish dog lovers would get more of these types of dogs'). People can have whatever kind of dog they like.

I hope that's clearer.

I categorically disapprove of keeping breeds like rottweilers as pets.

Genuine question: why?

Who is responsible for the fence between you? If it's you - upgrade it to a 6 footer, if it's her - suggest she upgrades to a 6 footer.

She can't do anything about you owning dogs unless they're mistreated or a nuisance.

Their mere presence is not an offence.

I'd flag to plod & then ignore the idiot. May be worth keeping a log of any behaviour that could be considered harassing - taking photos, petitions etc...

Yes, much clearer thanks Darling, but do take that stiff broom from your arsenal dear.

No broom here, aunt, stiff or otherwise. I just don't appreciate being exclaimed at and having suggestions of sock-puppetry chucked at me because people have struggled to comprehend what I say.

If NDN came over and explained she was afraid of dogs and could I please keep them on lead around them and avoid putting them in the garden when they were outside as much as possible- I would of been very understanding and accommodating as possible. But she didn’t- she immediately went on the attack.

Op does this me mean you walk your dogs on the street without being on leads? I agree your neighbour seem unhinged but I would be very unhappy and frightened if I was your neighbours and your dogs were off lead in the street. If your dogs are safely contained within your garden and you walk them on a lead under control it would be none of my business but if they are let lose then it would be my business regardless of what breed of dog you have.

Are the dogs completely safe in your garden? Can they get out?

OP, any update yet? Some of us peasants are revolting whilst we wait?

im not a dog person, but i did grow up with a doberman as a family pet, he used to steal the neighbors kittens, yes steal them, we would come home and he would be curled up around a kitten keeping it warm, he would hear then mewing and race up on the balcony and whine back at them, he would then go to the gate and whine till they came to him where he would grab them and bring them up to the back stairs where he would cuddle them ( the neighbor would get kittens often and then ignore them and leave them outside)

our cats could climb him and then latch on to his face and kick the shit out of him and all he would do is run to us, with cat attached to his face, crying for help... never once did he act threatening to them,

he was once tried up while i went into the dairy and he was attacked by two unleashed dogs, he didnt attack back ( i did but he didnt)

so sometimes when people say their dog is a softy sometimes they are right

Your neighbor is a loon and you need to make a call to the police and let them know she is harassing you and get it on record as she sounds like she could be far far more trouble then she is now

I have seen a dog kill a cat, a dalmation caught the neighbours black cat and ripped it to shreds. Its seared into my memory forever.

I am a big cat lover, I am scared of dogs.

After all that, your neighbour is being ridiculous and aggressive and obsessed. Report her behaviour as it sounds like it will esculate. Also her doing a petition is horrible and it has now soured relations for you and your other neighbours being suspicious of who wants your dogs gone. I hope you get it sorted

Sorry everyone! Went out for dinner last night and been busy this morning.

Called 101, dog warden, local shelters and RSPCA. All have assured me i am doing nothing wrong. Yet another neighbour stopped me walking back from the shop this morning to tell me about what NDN had done- she is renting from the same letting agent as her, so has passed on the details and will be calling them this afternoon.

Our dog walker also posted a note through her door informing her she didn’t have her permission to be taking photographs of her and will be reported for that as well if it happens again. Perhaps passive aggressive but she felt unnerved by it.

Good on your Dog Walker .

Oh thats good. I dont understand her mentality. I buy cats so you need to get rid if your dogs.. er...No.

What planet do some folk live on?Id love a rottie myself.

I love how some PPs are asking you why you feel the need to have 3 dogs !!!! Presumably because you're an adult and can do what you want ! Newsflash. ..I also have 3 dogs....2 of which are the most scariest breed ever....apparently. I have them because I am also an adult and can do what I like !! Also, because they keep me safe, and in todays world, it is my god given right to protect myself and my kids in the best way that I see fit. OP....youve dont the right thing by informing the relevant people and ur NDN is bloody batshit

Good stuff, OP.

Whywontthey- what's the scariest breed ever. Dying to know

I have seen a dog kill a cat, a dalmation caught the neighbours black cat and ripped it to shreds. Its seared into my memory forever.

I am a big cat lover, I am scared of dogs.

A horrible experience, to be sure. But it's worth pointing out that lots of cats do similar to birds and other wildlife every day. My FB feed often sees pics from half-proud/half-disgusted cat owners showing their feline friend's latest 'present' in form of a broken bird, mouse, etc. It's sad that people's desire to own a pet means that such things are considered acceptable collateral damage.

I don't like cats as pets for this reason and the fact they shit in my garden and jump on my plants.

[I know not all cats are hunters, btw].

I love your goofy Rotties, and your neighbour sounds totally histrionic, btw.... Just letting you know that I have a 43kg (I think 6.7 stones - I'm in Australia - we speak metric) Shepherd/Moose mutt combo. She is a nervous wreck and on doggie Prozac because she has been repeatedly attacked by a couple of pitbull/staffie sorts of things and by DACHSHUNDS!!! (Bitey little buggers!). Dogs are reactive animals - If your neighbour's behaviour hasn't set your dogs off, they must be virtually bomb-proof.

Chipshopninja According to non dog lovers, anything with a tail that barks

@justilou1 has a good point there actually.

OP - what were your "terribly dangerous" dogs doing while she was shouting through the letterbox? A dangerous dog would have been going apeshit at the door, growling and snarling at the "intruder".

I bet yours were staring at the door with that head tilt of confusion before wandering off for a kip.

All of the loveliest, soppiest dogs I've ever known have been bigger breeds - rotties, GSDs, labs, etc. On the other hand, the ones I've nearly been bitten by have been Jack Russells and Poodles.

The play fighting does sound worrying to people that don't know dogs, but for someone to react as the NNDN (nutty NDN) has shown she's clearly not going to listen to reason.

Do you have any friends or family children you could invite round and use as "guinea pigs" for her to show that they're fine if she's not willing to sacrifice let her own children?

Those asking why we have three- our staffie was DHs that he got when he was a teen but was a family dog so when he went off to university etc he stayed with DHs parents, then DHs parents moved abroad so he came to stay with us after we already had our rotties.

We’ve got both rotties because they were the only two left and couldn’t pick between them (they are sisters) and even the breeder said they seemed to stick together and are very much still best friends. All 3 of them are.

I just hope she fucks off now.

I absolutely adore rotties and staffies.

When I was growing up a neighbor had 2 rotties, she used to ask us not to walk out terriers mongrel at the same time as they were terrified of her, if she managed to slip her leash she'd shoulder charge them in the legs and make them fall over the little shit.

My brother had a staffie who was the softest lump you've met. She used to climb my brother and make him carry her if another dog so much as yapped at her. There was an awful woman and her little Yorkie who made her life miserable, my brother has scars on his ankle where the little mut bit him as he was carrying bonbon.

And yes OP, you can't talk about your dog's without pictures.

Good point Daisy and Justilou, about the dogs not going barmy at the NDN's performance at the door. Can't believe she was taking pictures of someone walking dogs! I wonder what she hoped to achieve by that? Weird. Hope she calms down a bit now and realises the futility of her daft petition OP.

Has anyone ever actually seen a dog catch a cat? I never have!

No, but if next door's ginger cat's tail was an inch or two longer, he'd have had my lakeland terrier hanging from the end of it!

He stopped sauntering across my garden after that narrow escape.

She's a baggage though, and when young would chase anything that ran, except for cows (she runs away from them) and horses, which I socialised her with from the day I brought her home.

I know someone who claims her dog killed her neighbour's cat, but she's a bit weird and I'm not sure I believe her.