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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Reporting dangerous dogs?

435 replies

LondonLassi · 18/09/2020 22:26

Something has been on my mind for a few days after hearing about the poor 12 day old baby who died after being attacked by a dog.

My sister’s neighbour has a 16 year old son who is regularly in trouble with the police. I spend a lot of time there. The screaming and shouting that comes from next door is horrendous and the police are often called out to restrain him. He is not in school. Smokes weed all day. I’ve never seen his face because he wears a hoodie over a face covering (even pre-COVID) I’m just trying to paint a picture of the kind of troubled youth we’re dealing with here. If you make eye contact with him he will swear at you, call you names and threaten you. He is quite frankly a bit scary.

About a year ago they got two puppies from the same litter. They are fully grown now and they look like some sort of pit bull cross. Possibly pit bull/mastiff. They are huge. I’ll attach a pic of what I think they might be. When we sit out in the garden we can hear them next door fighting and growling, they barge my sisters fence to try to get to her small jack Russell terriers. They’ve had to repair the fence three times already after the dogs broke it.

This boy walks the dogs regularly. They are not muzzled. If we happen to leave the house at the same time the dogs go up on their hind legs and get very over excited. The boy has to pull them back to get them away. They try to break free to get to anyone walking near them if they’re out for a walk. Tonight we happened to be leaving as the boy was walking home. The dogs immediately started barking at us and were trying to run towards us and had to be restrained. We often hear people shouting when they walk by because of the dogs trying to get to them. It’s very scary when it happens because they are big and intimidating.

I am terrified of what would happen if these dogs managed to get loose. They have been raised by someone with a violent, anti social background. I can’t shake the image of them getting hold of a child. The boy has a little brother in the house, probably around 6 years old.

What would you do in this situation? I’m thinking of reporting them as potentially dangerous dogs. If IABU please tell me. It just seems like an awful attack waiting to happen.

OP posts:

Thread gallery

1Morewineplease · 18/09/2020 23:36

I'd report them.

Original poster

LondonLassi · 18/09/2020 23:38

@RaspberryToupee My sister lives in the council house next to his council house. I don’t see her going around breaking people’s noses or pulling knives on the police. What does a council house have to do with this anyway? I was just saying there is a housing association that can be contacted if necessary.

OP posts:

Clymene · 18/09/2020 23:41

But what are you reporting them for?

The dogs are walked, kept on leads and kept far enough away from people that if they lunge and bark (and many dogs do, particularly in the immediate vicinity of their home) they can't get to them so you don't know if they're going to jump up and kick them or bite them.

You can't report to the dog warden just because you don't like the look of them and their owner is a thug

ImANosyNeighbour · 18/09/2020 23:41

I think you would be right to report the dogs just to be safe, otherwise if something did happen you would regret it. If nothing else they might encourage them to put muzzles on the dogs when waking them which would be something.
I don’t see a problem with you saying this lad is a troubled youth, he clearly is.

SBTLove · 18/09/2020 23:44

I know you say it sounds like fighting but dogs can sound like that when they’re playing rough, if these dogs fought they’d have visible injuries.

SpecialWGM · 19/09/2020 00:13

@purpleme12

My German shepherd used to strain to get to people and bark. People were scared simply because she was a German shepherd and she barked and she wasn't a calm dog. She wasn't going to hurt anyone though she wanted attention. I had to hold her back from people though

While I appreciate your concerns with his character I can't see any evidence that the dogs are aggressive or violent from what's in your post?

Eyeroll Surprisingly as a dog owner you don't think your dog could be violent so neither could those dogs.

Redolent · 19/09/2020 00:13

Some people in this thread are bending over backwards in an attempt to be open-minded/non-judgemental/tolerant. They’ve clearly lost all common sense in the process.

I don’t know enough about the reporting process to know if it’s feasible, but I share your concern about the situation. It’s a tough one if you feel like you ‘should ’ have intervened in future, were something to go wrong.

purpleme12 · 19/09/2020 00:17

@SpecialWGM why are you insinuating my dog was violent?
She was never violent.
Please don't insinuate things like that when you've got nothing to base it on

SpecialWGM · 19/09/2020 00:20

[quote purpleme12]@SpecialWGM why are you insinuating my dog was violent?
She was never violent.
Please don't insinuate things like that when you've got nothing to base it on[/quote]
"She wasn't going to hurt anyone though she just wanted attention". How do you know she wasn't going to hurt anyone?

My point is dog owners never think their dogs will hurt anyone until they do. Why do assume the dogs the OP are talking about havent been aggressive? It sounds to me like they are and have had very little training.

purpleme12 · 19/09/2020 00:25

Throughout her whole life she wanted to go to people so she could have a stroke and attention from them. I know this because I saw it with my own eyes when people were comfortable with her so I let her.

I'm not sure why my post has been picked up on here
I find it a bit insulting that you're still insinuating that I'm not a responsible dog owner and that my dog was possibly violent from my one post here

SpecialWGM · 19/09/2020 00:28

@purpleme12

I'm not insinuating your dog was violent but your response to the OP was very matter of fact, I'm guessing because you are a dog owner. Yes you know your dog but that doesn't mean you know the dogs the OP talks about yet you feel the need to tell her that you can see no aggressive behaviour from what she has said.

purpleme12 · 19/09/2020 00:34

Your responses certainly made it sound like you were insinuating that I'm afraid

I'm not really sure why it wouldn't be matter of fact? I'm not emotionally involved so my response would be matter of fact.
I simply have my opinion, just like you have yours. I might be wrong, just like you might be wrong

SpecialWGM · 19/09/2020 00:38

@purpleme12

Your responses certainly made it sound like you were insinuating that I'm afraid

And your response to the OP suggested that as a dog owner you knew better, I'm afraid.

purpleme12 · 19/09/2020 00:39

Ok. I'm not going to argue with you

SpecialWGM · 19/09/2020 00:40

@purpleme12

Ok. I'm not going to argue with you

If you think I was being rude I apologise, but that is how you came off hence my comment.

Nyclair · 19/09/2020 00:55

100% this.
OP, I think your projecting your judgement of him & stereotyping on the dogs.

nicky7654 · 19/09/2020 00:57

@purpleme12 My sister has always had German Shepherds. They are basically big babies in need of constant cuddles lol I have two Staffies, one which runs for his life when I plug the hoover in! When my two play it sounds really aggressive but it's just play fighting. Worst dog I ever knew was a jack russell and to this day don't like them.

SelkieQualia · 19/09/2020 01:13

@user127819

there is nothing to suggest they are definitely aggressive - the barging the fence to get at a small dog is typical of a large terrier (which pit bulls are) with a high prey drive

What is called when a dog with "high prey drive" barges at a small dog, if not aggression?

Two very different things. Prey drive is about food. Greyhounds are a good example - absolute sooks, but will eat your cat. Obviously both are dangerous to the small dog, however.

Barging at the fence could also be barrier frustration, which is very common.

Heffalooomia · 19/09/2020 02:01

@StylishMummy

I'd report and I wouldn't feel bad in the slightest. We all know the 'type' you're talking about... chavs with muscle dogs and hoodies. An absolute bane on society.

This^

mumof2exhausted · 19/09/2020 02:43

Please report! You’ll get loads of dog lovers on here saying that “oh they are lovely dogs etc”. But dogs need to be correctly trained and doesn’t sound like these are

Sasuma · 19/09/2020 05:18

Honestly, I don’t think the dog warden or police would be interested. From what you’ve said, there’s no evidence of them actually being aggressive. Dogs pulling/barking doesn’t equate to aggression.

In my experience, dog wardens won’t just check in on a dog unless there’s clear evidence of a problem, and even then it can be difficult to get them to take notice. I’ve got a small dog who was attached by a mastiff (off lead, no collar, couldn’t be controlled by the owner) and despite getting their details the police and dog warden didn’t do anything.

I think the main problem is the damaging of fences etc which you could report to their landlord if they are social tenants.

Sasuma · 19/09/2020 05:22

Although. I would add to that if you think they are a banned breed the warden might be more likely to look into it. I’m not sure they are given your description. If they are deemed a banned breed they might be put down - worth looking into if you’re going down that route as there’s a lot of issues around the DDA.

Imworthit · 19/09/2020 05:37

Report the dog owner not the dogs. They may be perfectly OK in a kind loving home

Straven123 · 19/09/2020 05:55

Are the jack russells in an enclosed space? If not Any dog could get in if on the loose. I would think the risk of the dogs getting loose is high in such a volatile home.

Straven123 · 19/09/2020 05:57

A 12 day old baby dies - but everyone is sure the dogs are safe, the owner is the problem

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