To report my neighbours XL bully, it is ruining my life

[TheLangyers]

I’m 14 weeks pregnant. Me and my partner currently live on quite a rough council estate as we are saving up for a house deposit. Won’t be able to move for another couple of years.

Our next door neighbour has an XL bully. I am usually a dog lover but feel really uneasy about these dogs. My mum was a dog walker for a few years and I got bit by a pit-bull and repeatedly witnessed incidents involving them. My childhood best friend was left with lifelong facial scares after her rescue pitbull randomly decided to bite her face off during a game of fetch.

The XL bully hasn’t personally attacked us yet but it’s been involved in several incidents. It’s been known to get in fights on the local field with other dogs on the estate but owner insists it’s always the other dog’s fault. She leaves it unattended in the front garden, gate is usually closed but it could easily jump over. My partner doesn’t understand the danger that these dogs present and often encourages it to come over to stroke it when we go out. Our walls are very thin and I know from overhearing domestic arguments that it’s bitten the owners autistic grandson before when they’ve been playing.

She often walks 2 minutes the road to another friend’s house and doesn’t bother muzzling or leashing it for this as it’s a short walk. It just runs down the road in front of her. For proper walks it’s on a leash but no muzzle as it “doesn’t like a muzzle.” She often moans to be that she’s suspicious that people on the estate will “snitch” on her so she tries to walk early morning or late at night.

Being pregnant I’ve been a lot more cautious and try to only go out when my partner can give me a lift - I can’t drive. However an incident today has left me terrified. I was on the road in front of our house at lunchtime cleaning the car and they come out to walk to the friend’s house. It jumps on my back trying to be friendly and lick me - this dog weighs 70kg. I froze and was terrified and she didn’t pull him off, she just kept shouting its name until it ran to her and they left.

It’s really starting to ruin my life and my partner doesn’t care as he just thinks it’s a funny, goofy big dog. He always brings up my parent’s cockerpoo as an example as occasionally nips at people when it is guarding food but the difference is that a cockerpoo isn’t capable of killing a healthy adult, and a cockerpoo usually will bite once then back off. XL bullies generally are genetically wired to try to kill and could turn at any moment.

I’ve now fallen out with my mum too as she’s very worried about mine and the baby’s safety and she says we should look at private renting somewhere else until we can afford to buy. This annoyed me as we only pay £500 a month rent at the moment and if we were to move to another private rental it’d be hundreds
more and we would lose a load to our savings to moving costs. I don’t see why we should have to do this. My mum says I’m putting money over my baby’s safety and has become angry at me. I feel like I can’t win.

I want to report as she’s breaking the law letting it out unleashed and unmuzzled but I’m concerned that the neighbour would know it’s me after the incident today and make my life hell. She is somewhat unhinged, nice enough on a shallow level, will invite you in for a cuppa and chat to you etc bit get on the wrong side of her and she’s as rough as a bears arse and will get family members to bang on your door etc. Police have been called before when she’s had disputes with another neighbour about rats in the garden. I hate confrontation and really don’t know what to do.

any advice appreciated

Can't you report it as someone who saw the incident?

Why is your husband taking her side? It’s incomprehensible. I’d be getting the ick right now, he sounds as thick as some of the X bully defenders on here.

Slagging off other people’s advice, when you don’t even know that you aren’t allowed to rehome XL bullies? 🙈

The people comparing cockapoos etc to Bully breeds cannot be serious.
No dog should be unattended around children/ a baby and OP clearly isn’t going to allow that. But ffs you all know there’s a huge fucking difference. And all this bollocks about dog vs owner is irrelevant. If we could trust the thick idiots that want these sorts of dogs to make sure they didn’t affect any other lives but their owners there would be no deaths/ injuries inflicted on non owners. They should all be banned. At the very very least, people should be vetted and have to attend classes and have checks done, licences paid for, for any dog over a certain size but particularly Staffies and the like. There are far too many shit owners who don’t care about rules or anyone else’s feelings. People do not want your dogs to sniff, lick, jump up at them or bark at them and they don’t want to stand in their shit either.

And, it would be lovely if there were somewhere all banned dogs could go and peacefully live out the rest of their lives with fields and tennis balls. Unfortunately, no such place exists so they get put to sleep.

People should be able to walk to the shop without being scared that a dog could be roaming the streets after escaping a garden. I lived in a shitty area where this was a regular occurrence. It really isn’t fair.

If you can get a photo or video of it outside without a muzzle I deal without a lead to I would then go to a police station and talk to them and say you’re worried about being identified but you’ve got this evidence.

As usual I'm amazed that people put dogs over their own children or grandchildren, as OP's idiot neighbour saw it attack her grandson and is protecting the dog. I've read threads involving similar scenarios before (with different dog breeds) and the mind boggles.

Op I admire your robust handling of some of the posters on this thread !

@SapphireSeptember there must be something psychological in it

It's like handing children a hand gun to play with and keep saying it's safe , the lock is on
...

Why give them one of the first place ?

I am really sorry to say this but I do think your mum is right.

You won't get a day's peace living in your house and knowing that a dangerous dog is next door, even if you make a complaint and the neighbour reacts 'well' to it and muzzles/leashes the dog more. You'll be nervous every time the door or window is open and you'll worry when your baby is a toddler and reaching for everything in sight.

I do get why you were cross with your mum - it's really not fair that you are the ones that have to move when it's your neighbour's bad behaviour causing the issue - but it's not worth the stress and hassle thinking about the unfairness.

I agree with the previous poster who recommended that you move into a good school catchment area so you won't have to move again. Location and community is so important, and peace of mind over where you live is well worth a bit of extra rental money even if it means you need to wait longer before buying.

Your Dc won't ever ever be able to go into the garden !

100% report it.

But do you not understand the effect of the ban is effectively the same as a ‘kill them all’ action? No more will be born, they cannot be imported. The breed will not exist in this country in ten years or so.

you've reported, which is the right thing to do. But I suspect it is unlikely to be seized and destroyed as you want. Perhaps a dog management order can be issued. You should check with council environmental health team. They can help the owner understand how to make muzzle wearing fun for the dog.

it sounds importantly partly compliant- in that it is neutered, that removes a lot of behavioural risk. Your partner petting it also helps, the dog knows him as a nice factor in his environment.

These dogs are not predominantly or prevalently attacking people as a common course of action, nor as a breed are they unpredictable compared to other breeds. There are many many more in the country at the time of the ban vs attacks- all of which make national news it seems. So I understand you’re scared, that’s what the media seeks to whip up. you are right that the consequences given their size is the issue.

Save hard, keep a distance given your nerves and move when you can- and hope there are no dogs to make you anxious at your next home.

So I understand you’re scared, that’s what the media seeks to whip up.
She's scared because the fucking dog jumped on her, not because she's been watching too much telly.

And do you also not understand the difference between 'now' and 'ten years or so'?

But do you not understand the effect of the ban is effectively the same as a ‘kill them all’ action? No more will be born, they cannot be imported. The breed will not exist in this country in ten years or so.

also assuming that the knuckle draggers who think this sort of animal is a lovely family pet will comply with the law.

Not quite, she’s scared because a XL bully jumped on her, and it will therefore definitely kill her as a result. Because that’s what this breed always does. Because whipped up scare stories in the Daily Heil tell us all so. She wouldn’t have reacted the same way if a say, deerhound did the same- or rather, a lot of people would have a different emotional response to those different breeds.

And if I didnt appreciate that distinction I wouldn’t have expounded that point, would I? Your last sentence is idiotic at worst, tautologous at best. Irrelevant definitely!

Your last sentence is idiotic at worst, tautologous at best. Irrelevant definitely!
No it's not. I addressed, for the first time, a specific point you made. That is that neither tautology nor irrelevant. And the difference is, in one case there are no more such dogs, in the other there are dogs for ten more years.

Your first point, news reports of 'xl bully attacks on people' vs 'news reports of deerhound attacks on people' will show the imbalance. They report it because of the rate it happens.

Your partner sounds like a fucking idiot. Has he seen the reports of the deaths from these dogs? Does he know about the genetic trait to kill?

Has nothing been done by social services to follow up the a&e report - or do you assume she lies about the injuries?

I’d much rather a deerhound jump on me rather than an XL bully. Easy choice.

There is a big difference in all of the dogs being gone now vs in 10 years. How many more people will be mauled, disfigured or killed before they die out? How many more normal people pets will be killed in that time? Unfortunately we have to wait, but it would be much better and safer if they were all destroyed now.

The major difference is what each dog was bred to do. Retrievers are good at retrieving and do it naturally. Collies are herders and again do it naturally. Pitbulls were bred to fight and have the capability so when triggered whether deliberately or accidentally… tend to fight.

You can see it at dog parks. If labradors or similar do get in a fight the damage may be a torn ear. If a pitbull or other bull breed attacks or gets in a fight the other dog is likely to be severely injured or killed and it is difficult to stop.

Take a photo, keep a record, report report report!

Things have gotten worse for me today, I’m really getting incredibly stressed now.

The XL bully I spoke about in this post lives on our right. With it being sunny today I was sat in my garden and my neighbours on each side both had the same idea. There was a lot of very loud, aggressive barking from dogs coming from 3 different directions so I went inside as it was driving me insane.

I had a look out of my window and can see that my neighbour’s on the left also have a pitbull type dog. We had heard their dog barking before but had never seen it as they are antisocial and don’t go out, this is the first time I’ve seen their dog. It doesn’t appear to be XL but a regular American pitbull type.

We also have another XL bully in the garden behind us. I’ve known about this previously but haven’t seen it over the Winter and had hoped they’d gotten rid of it but clearly not. All 3 dogs were barking aggressively and pawing at their respective fences trying to get to each other. My garden is what separates the 3, all 3 of those gardens are joined up to my garden. We have tall fences but not particularly strong and it’s worrying when they are all pawing at the fence.

I could fucking cry. My partner still isn’t taking me seriously.

Now I can’t even enjoy my own garden with my baby

You need to move, I’m so sorry you are surrounded by all this shite and don’t feel safe in your own house or garden. It’s not fair but you can’t stay there.

I know it’s important to save for a house and own a place of your own but is it really worth your mental health, yours and babies safety etc to risk staying here? I do feel for you, it’s so frustrating when you want to save but I just don’t see how you can stay there now, this should be an exciting time with baby on the way, not a time where you’re full of fear and anxiety.

What actually are your options? Can you get anything better and still put a little bit of money away? Can anyone act as a guarantor on a mortgage for you? I’m not sure your mums financial situation, but given she sees the risk, is she able to help you with a deposit? Or any grandparents, or anyone else who may be happy and able to help you?

It really is shit, you shouldn’t have to move but I just feel for you so much as this would be my worst nightmare.

Your update makes your decision easier, I guess. You need to move.