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

Putting yourself aside, if you don’t report it and it kills a passing child, how will you feel? It’s the right thing to do, but I wouldn’t tell your partner. Sounds like you’re the last people she’d suspect. If your walls are that thin I’d be careful about what you say about it to anyone!

You know bloody damn well and don’t pretend you don’t. If you don’t know then you’ve clearly never lived on one. The close proximity of houses, the prevalence of some rough families who’ve lived there for generations being intimating towards newcomers etc can make for quite an unpleasant environment. I’ve grown up in council housing and am well allowed my opinion

Wait a week or two and then report. Don’t tell anyone at all you’ve done it.

Please don’t do this.

@TheLangyers I would report, I don’t think you have a choice. A dog near me (bull breed but not an XL) was very dog reactive, crappy owners didn’t keep her under control, killed another dog and maimed the owner. Maybe leave a couple of weeks if you think it will make a difference. But either way if the dog is taken away it will be a nightmare with her accusing all and sundry I’d guess. I sympathise, it’s horrible feeling trapped with crappy neighbours.

I am an absolute dog lover but I'd definitely report this. I like the idea someone suggested of reporting as if you are someone else who saw it jump on you.

However that being said, I think you should look at moving, maybe an exchange?

I wouldn't wait a week or two, I'd do it tomorrow so that the dog warden can't fob you off by saying you can't have been that worried if you've waited several weeks to report it.

And, if you don't have one already, get a Ring doorbell so that you can back up any future incidents with video evidence.

I beg your pardon?! No I genuinely don’t! Are you implying that only council estates have XL bully dogs? Because I can assure you they don’t! They may be prevalent on them but they’re alllllll over unfortunately. I live in a very, very nice area and someone a few streets over has one. You typecasting council estates is not “an opinion” it’s typecasting.

Wow, you want the dog to be destroyed. Totally lost any sympathy from me so not going to say any of the sensible stuff I had lined up. Whatever you think it is the scummy owner that is the problem, not the dog. Best make your mind up and move and start saving your pennies again.

Fair enough and sorry for snapping but it’s about the prevalence. I wish I only had one a “few streets away”. This estate is genuinely teeming with them. I’ve got loads on my road.

I’m sure the posh town a 15 minutes drive away still has them but not to the same degree, they tend to have sausage dogs.

Do this and DON'T TELL YOUR PARTNER. He sounds like the sort of prat that would blurt it out.

Report.

Yes I do want the dog to be destroyed given it bites its owners 4 year old autistic grandson. She doesn’t tell anyone about this. The walls are thin and I’ve heard the child screaming in pain and her scolding the dog afterwards, and then seen them walking out of the house to go to A&E with the child bleeding.

Just noticed you call it an Am Bull here which (I think?) are not banned. If you’re sure it’s an XL report but if not maybe need to get some advice first, otherwise nothing can happen.

😱

How barbaric to the 'person' who thinks it's ok to go around k1lking dogs!!

I understand that the OP is scared and the neighbour is absolutely in the wrong but to wish a dog to eat rat poison is just psychotic

It’s an American XL bully and she described it as such. She was contacted by the police when the ban came into force

Oh.

OP go and tell this to your baby health person (sorry, I can’t remember the name of the community midwife people who come and check on you and fill out the little red book). It’s absolutely bananas that she’s walking around with a volatile living weapon as a pet.

I don't agree at all. All XL bullies in the UK are from a vicious and dangerous bloodline. The dog has bitten the owners grandchild in the house FFS. The owner is scummy, but the dog itself is also a problem.

I’m in California.

Every now and then we hear about a toddler being mauled to death by a bully - owned by their grandparents or babysitter or close friends.

And I wonder how those grandparents and babysitters and close friends ever ever EVER forgive themselves.
And I wonder how that toddler’s parents ever forgive themselves.

They probably don’t. Ever.

I do agree about the XL Bullies though, they absolutely should be banned 100% without exception. I’m not suggesting culling the existing ones but making it an automatic 5 year sentence for breeding or obtaining one from a certain date. It’s the only way lives are going to be saved.

You've fallen out with your poor worried mum but not with your stupid naive and ridiculous partner over dogs illegal and trained to kill and not let go??

Does she think your scared of the dog ?
What happened after today.
I was just thinking your partners happy dog petting maybe good cover for you reporting it
..id wait a short while !
Report it anonymously.
And apologies and make up to your poor mum who must be sick with worry

I have done an anonymous safeguarding reporting about the grandson before, I have other concerns beyond the dog in regards to that child. I was on pins but AFAIK nothing has come from it.

Hahahahahaa. “Normal rent”. Are you stupid? Have you never heard of right to buy and council housing being sold off to private land lords?

who the hell are you tell me what I heard through the wall? I saw the child bleeding outside 2 minutes later.

stop wasting space on my thread

Obviously the dogs are all over and being a shitty owner knows no class boundary. However, a very rough council estate with high levels of social deprivation is statistically more likely to have a concentration of overlapping social problems. This will include chaotic people leading chaotic lives who either don't fully comprehend or who don't care because their day to day is so unstable. Responsible dog ownership then takes a low priority.

Credentials: grew up on a very rough inner city council estate and, though I moved away to a proverbial green and leafy area, I still have family members living there.