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

Honestly I'd move.

Your partner sounds dangerously stupid on this issue.

I wouldn't trust him not to take the baby outside when the dog was there.

You feral human being.

Death by rat poisoning is agonising. Shame on you.

I agree with your mum that you need to move OP.

Report it absolutely but the dog isn’t going to be put down over this. We’ve had quite a few issues where we live with an XL Bully owner who thinks the rules don’t apply to them, they are well known, they have been reported, photos of the dog off lead and not muzzled, videos of it walking down the street by owners side, all sent to the police, the police and council have been round and sent warnings but the dog is still very much there and alive and nothing has changed. The owner has been very vocal about the fact they have been told until the dog attacks a person and that person reports it, the warnings are all that happens.

I’m sorry, @TheLangyers— this is stress you don’t need.
Of course you can report these people to the police - because it’s the PEOPLE AND NOT THE DOG who are responsible here.

I wonder if you’ve really thought this through — is the money worth all the additional stress you’re bound to go through if you continue to live here? Is it worth your nerves and energy and the stress of living next door to people who are bound to accuse you of getting their dog taken? And what if their dog isn’t taken? What then?
Is 500/month worth all that?

I think your mum might have a point. You might be poorer, and you might have wait to buy that house, but you’ll be safe and happy and so will your little family.
And that’s priceless.

Sending love from faraway. ❤️

That’s disgusting! It’s cruel and sick for a start and what about other animals that would pick them up? Or kids?

My partner loves the dog. It’s often left supervised in the front garden and when we go out partner will get excited and call it over to say hello and stroke it. That’s probably why it was so comfortable jumping on me today

Agree it’s not the same threat as the massive strength, instinct breeding and jaws of an XL Bully and your partner is wrong to compare. Your neighbour’s dog is very dangerous and your neighbour does not sound like a responsible owner. Your partner should be recognising this not dismissing your concerns. You sound very clued up on dogs but please don’t dismiss the danger your parents small dog could pose to a baby (granted not same as xl bully but still not good!)

Add that to the report that it’s left unattended in the garden with a fence it could jump over, that “you saw” it jump on your neighbour today off lead in public no muzzle.

It has been neutered. Not sure if it’s insured. Because my partner loves the dog she often vents to us about other neighbours criticising the dog and she vents to us about how annoying the ban has been for her. I think she probably assumes I like the dog as well. I do put on an act and a fake smile when my partner is stroking the dog. After today’s incident I acted like it was no big deal, because as I said, she is somewhat unhinged and I don’t want to be involved in a slanging match in the street.

She has mentioned she was struggling to find insurance as they were all refusing to insure an American Bully but unsure if it got sorted in the end.

This is why all these dogs should have been destroyed.

Realistically though, if you keep out of its way there’s no reason to think it will turn on you. Bolster you fence so it can’t jump in your garden. You know the times she takes it for walks so avoid going out at those times if you are worried.

Or move.

Are you in social housing? Could you put in for a transfer?

Given the aggressive interactions you describe, I’m surprised it hadn’t killed someone or some dog already. These dogs are not known for giving warning nips. I suppose that is a small indicator that it might not have as much of a killer instinct as some of these dogs.

The more you write about your partners behaviour the more I’m convinced you need to move. He isn’t protecting you by encouraging the dog to come over and he won’t be as protective of the baby as he clearly doesn’t see the danger

Plenty of people will be seeing her let it run ahead to the neighbours. No way for her to know it's you reporting her.

If she assumes you guys like the dog even easier for you to report it annon without fear.

Other neighbours are complaining.

she is breaking the law. What other crimes would you over look your neighbours doing that could impact your child.

I'd wait about a month then I'd report it anonymously as a dangerous, unmuzzled XL bully. I'd also report to ss regarding the grandson being bitten. Surely that in itself will sort the matter out.

I will say though that it may be worth looking at a housing exchange maybe? Sometimes that's an option even if you were on the same estate but the other side away from this dog I'd go for it but you never know you might find a swap in a better area comes up? It's worth looking into.

My gut is telling me to report and if she does start gunning for me then I’ll go and stay with my parents and let my partner deal with her. If it got really bad we’d have to suck it up and private rent a flat.

Don't be a wanker. Any animal could eat it.

Can you look for any mutual exchanges in your area?

What’s the priority yours and your future babies life or some law breakers dog…

Report it 100%

This is a fucking deplorable thing to say, and it is also illegal to kill someone else’s pet.

YADNBU but what on earth is the relevance of it being a “council estate?!”

Please don't take that poster up on her idea of poisoning the dog. That is an absolutely disgusting thing to say, and I don't think she's joking, either.

Deal with it properly, hopefully she will be told to muzzle the dog. If you kill it, and yes leaving rat poison IS killing it, do you think she's going to ever leave you alone? If she's that bad when someone reports a small issue, what will she become like if you kill her dog? And end of the day, it isn't the dog's fault.

You see stories like this in the papers, revenge ones, and if she's as rough as you say, she might even try and hurt your baby when born.

I hate the dog but this is no solution. I quite like my partner being around and not in prison for criminal damage/animal abuse. Also the estate is teeming with harmless family dogs and cats who could eat it.

I just want to see it taken away and humanely destroyed

Anonymously ring the dog warden tomorrow and tell them everything about the owners breaking the rules including that you saw it jump on the pregnant women at number 33 also that you saw it bite the owner's grandson and that the dogs behaviour has made you afraid for your safety. Very much stress the afraid part. Under the Dangerous Dogs Act a dog is classed as dangerously out of control if it makes you worry it might injured you, acts aggressively, or gives you reasonable grounds to feel like you're at risk. If they try fob you off, kick up a stink and get your local councillor to push a complaint on your behalf.

If she comes and knocks your door then you'll make a shocked face, you say how awful it is, agree with her that there a bunch of snakes living in your street, and tell her that you sincerely hope they don't come take the dog because he's such a sweetheart and clearly wouldn't hurt a fly.

As soon as she's gone, you ring the dog warden again and you report feeling intimidated again over the dog. Repeat as needed.

Also look into moving because when they do eventually take the XL Bully away, she will likely get a different variety of dickhead dog to replace it.

@VegBoxAnd kill all the other dogs & cats too? You vile human being… That would (quite rightly) land you in prison!