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

Report. The only people who own XL bullies are thick lunatics who think it makes them look hard, or thick bleeding heart types who think not liking their revolting dog is akin to racism.

I’d report it as a ‘concerned neighbour who witnessed it assaulting the pregnant neighbour next door’ then if you’re asked you have to be honest and can be pretend sympathetic to the neighbour.

This is exactly why you need to move OP
Id be looking tomorrow and prioritise yours and your un-born baby’s safety

why you wouldn’t just do this is beyond me so what if it would cost you more money what
if the dogs attacks you or goes for the pram???? You’ll wish you had then!

My daughter had an XL bully. He was soft as. However, she couldn't walk him because of the sheer weight he could pull, and she can bench press tons herself.

I think you know yourself that there's just going to be grief with this neighbour and, unfortunately, you probably have to move. The stress isn't any good for you or the baby.

This sounds absolutely terrifying. Of course you should report it. Maybe even consider moving if you can.

1. Don't even hesitate to report the neighbour for: not muzzling the dog, not putting it on a lead, biting her grandson & drawing blood, jumping on you (if you have any redness, bruising or scratches, please photograph this as evidence).
2. Your mother is right, you do need to move away from there, for yours and your baby's safety. Imagine that dog had knocked you over today and you miscarried your precious baby, it's not worth the risk.
3. Probably unwelcome advice, but your partner sounds like a complete fucking idiot, doesn't sound like he has the making of a protective father or partner, he'll probably be inviting the fucking dog to come up to your baby. I'd actually consider moving out and in with your mum, and rethinking the future of your relationship with this idiot.

Sorry, but I wouldn't trust him to be able to safely care for and protect a baby when he's that fucking stupid.

You're not being unreasonable and you should report that a potentially dangerous dog is off-lead and clearly doesn't have very good recall.
But I do also think that, depending on the outcome of the reporting process, you should consider moving. I know it might dent your saving plan, but I'd rather rent somewhere nicer/safer and take a bit longer to buy than stay if the situation is really quite scary.
I know it must be so hard to make that leap when you have very reasonable rent at the moment, but perhaps have a look and see what is out there. Even a smaller property for a short while might be a bit better. You don't want to be worrying about that dog when you have a pushchair etc.

If she is housing association would it be worth reporting the issue to them? Can’t be a part of the tenancy agreement to keep a dangerous dog surely.

I live near to where a young girl at my DS school was mauled to death by dogs, it was horrific and left such a scar on the community. Please report your neighbour, and keep yourself safe x

Wait a week or so so you not remembered by owner for today...keep low profile then report report report. Can you stay at your mum for a week

I did.

I'm glad you've taken your mum's advice on board. There's no win here. It's not worth being in such a stressful situation in pregnancy and the start of your baby's life for the sake of buying a home a bit sooner

Don’t give it a couple of weeks. Report it now. I was speaking with a police dog handler last week about someone they were dealing with whose XL was registered but they weren’t complying with the criteria. They were taking it very seriously. Don’t wait, call them or report it online to your local force or anonymously via crimestoppers.

@BenedictsButton the point of waiting a bit is so the neighbour doesn't suspect her

I have so much sympathy for for you, this sounds bloody awful and I’d feel exactly the same way as you OP. I think the only solution is for you to move, it isn’t fair or ideal but it’s the only safe solution unfortunately.

You could report without telling your partner or your mum. The owner is unlikely to realise it’s you if your partner likes the dog

Wait a week or two, report it. it sounds like she is breaking the rules for keeping that kind of dog all day, every day - absolutely anyone could report her at any time. Your partner being pally with her and the dog works in you favour, you're the last person she will suspect.

There's no point fretting about what the police will or won't do - you just report it, and their job is to look into it. There's probably some admin requirement that she hasn't complied with, let alone allowing it to rampage around the neighbourhood without a lead or muzzle. I know of someone locally who had their XL bully taken away and destroyed because they hadn't got a license, because "they couldn't get through on the phone" - but it could be done online? I assume someone reported them, and all it took was the police checking the paperwork. Some forces will care more than others, they might even care more or less depending on what else is going on locally - I expect if, for example, someone has recently been mauled, they are more proactive about looking at reports of dodgy dogs. If she decides it was you who reported her and starts hassling you, report her for that.

The dog sounds like a menace and even if doesn't ever attack a human, it could kill someone else's dog, or hurt someone who is trying to fend it off to protect their dog.

It's a shame but the dog would just get euthanised, not burned at the stake or catapulted into the sea.

TBH I don’t think the police will do anything…they don’t seem to care about XLs

Poor you, mustve been terrifying.
if there has been other incidents where the dog has attacked other dogs in the area, it could be anyone of those owners who has reported this girls negligence.
My neighbour used to leave his xl bully in the narrow stairwell between his flat and mine, and i was terrified coming in and out of the building, it was never on lead and attacked lots of other people and dogs in my area.
My neighbour (a nasty piece of work himself) had numerous warnings from the police, but ignored them all, until one officer finally called time on it one day, took the dog immediately into custody and had it destroyed that day (I know this officer personally).
My point is that not only should you report the dog jumping up at you, you also need to report it everytime you spot the dog unmuzzled and unleashed in the street.
Find out who your local dog warden is, I think their info can be found on your local council website, and they also liase with the police.
I know thar fear you feel and its very real, you really shouldn't be going through this kind of stress especially whilst pregnant.

I'd move if you possibly can and then report it so someone else isn't harmed. Don't take any chances with these dogs.

Don’t tell your partner. In fact dial down your venting to him. He sounds like someone who would blab.

“Oh no my favourite big doggy has gone, well @TheLangyers never liked him so she’ll be pleased.”

You owe it to yourself and your unborn child to report this dog. I would report as someone witnessing it jumping up, being in the front garden, biting child. The fact the owner hasn’t recognised these incidents for the seriousness they represent speaks volumes. Another tragedy waiting to happen. If after reporting, the neighbour becomes hostile, ignores, I think you need to move in with your mum until an alternative solution can be found. The owner clearly has no awareness/ doesn’t care about the threat her dog represents. I would also collate all incidents involving this breed in the past 5 years and give it to your partner and ask him again if he’s comfortable subjecting his unborn son or daughter to this level of risk.

You are definitely going into protection mode because you are pregnant.

I couldn’t imagine having to be forced to have my dog PTS. It would be heart breaking. The police are already aware of the dog. If the child was bit and went to hospital it would also have been reported.

It is also exactly the same that your parents dog bites. People think because they are small it’s okay but it’s not. It’s not trained properly if it bites to protect food/toys.

I had a bull/greyhound cross. He was the most gentle dog. He was scared to walk in the park because of the amount of times he had been attacked by small “friendly” dogs.

Is it an American bulldog or an xl bully?

When you talked about put bulls in the initial post, did you mean staffies?

I don't understand why your partner encourages the dog to come over if you are so frightened of it. Does he actually know how you feel about it?