Dangerous dog

[Catsansan]

My 5-year-old and I were walking when he noticed a garden statue in the neighbour’s unfenced front yard and stopped. That’s when the neighbour’s dog came running out through the door and growled. It was one of those short-haired, muscular breeds. The owner’s teenager came out and called it back, but the dog didn’t listen until an adult appeared. It all lasted only seconds but felt like forever. I was a few steps ahead and rushed back — I think seeing an adult might have stopped the dog. My DC who adores dogs was terrified and obviously so was I of what could have had happened. Is that dog dangerous?

Oh come on. This is peak drama. Absolutely nothing happened and yet, you have to ask if this dog was dangerous?

we need to wait until something happens? Asking if this is a normal dog behaviour? Was it just the breed of the dog and its appearance that possibly made it look more dangerous than it was? Just looked up and it is considered that a dog is out of control if it makes someone worried it might injure them and that includes in the owners home

🙄 A complete nonevent…if every single dog who barked or growled at someone passing by was reported as dangerous, there would be no dogs left!

Thanks for your comments! The dog looked aggressive!

OP, You’re right about the dangerous dog act legislation. It includes dogs that can reasonably be said to be causing alarm. If it was behind a secure fence it would’ve been another matter but the fact is it could easily have attacked you.

Your neighbours are asking for trouble letting a dog have free access to a front garden that is unfenced. I’d call the local dog warden or council to have a word with them rather than wait to get bitten tbh. They either keep it indoors at all times or get a fence that is secure enough to contain it.

Why must people inflict their nasty dogs on others? Get a secure garden where if you must own a stupid dog.

it is not a nonevent if someone was scared. Large muscular dogs have the potential to be dangerous. I’d report it but I doubt anything would happen. I hate people that let their dogs growl or bark at passers by. We all have the right to feel safe.

Yes its normal dog behaviour.
Humans acting strange in front of its home so it needs to warn them to keep away.

Why would you wait for something to happen?

Because every single dog would then be considered dangerous using that logic

Report it. It’s the only thing we can do in the hope that eventually there’ll be checks and licenses for all dog owners of certain breeds. People ignore this shit too often.

That makes no sense. No one should be allowing their dogs to intimidate people. It doesn’t sound like it was a secure garden that it couldn’t escape from if it tried. It was large and muscular. Sounds dangerous enough for me. Entitled dog owners get away with too much.

Quite. I am sick of it. So many dog attacks involve dogs escaping and attacking people in their neighbourhoods/ block of flats.

I was abroad recently in a small Mediterranean village and we went out for a walk. Some daft person had put up a
“ warning : beware of the dog” sign, and we only noticed it after we saw this fierce looking dog just staring at us. But there was no fence or anything and the owner was nowhere to be seen. And the dog was just… there! I was like wtf?! You’re warning us to beware of your dog and yet it has free access to us. We managed to walk away but it was really unsettling.

I saw the owner a few days later in the village with the dog, still unleashed, but at least he was there.

Thank you @Greeniemean and @Purplerubberduckythose are my thoughts too. I’m not seeking for something to be done immediately but more as a precaution. If that happened to others and they reported too then that would mean it is dangerous and hopefully if that is the case something might be done about it

They weren't allowing their dog to intimidate anyone.
They saw the dog outside and recalled, end of story. No one was hurt. No was even potentially hurt. A dog existing is not dangerous.

Exactly. This happened a while ago but reading the article on bbc about dog attacks still rising reminded me of this and whether I should have reported it

Definitely report it. You have nothing to lose. Maybe it was just a one off and they don’t usually let their dog out like that so it’s not an issue anymore, but maybe it still is.

So it’s worth saying something IMO.

Even if the authorities don’t take it seriously at least you’ve tried.

If the adult didn’t come out in time then we don’t know what would have happened. The dog simply existing and being able to potentially escape the garden is a potential danger and should be reported. Why should people have to put up with dogs scaring them as they walk past? If you choose to have a big dog or a breed known to be potentially dangerous, it is your responsibility to make sure it is not able to escape or impact anyone else’s life.

That is totally normal dog behaviour. The vast majority of dogs will alert to “stranger in vicinity”. If you walked past my garden, it would sound like I had a pack of feral wolves. I do not, and providing I was there, you’d be perfectly safe. If you tried to enter my property and I wasn’t there? I think you probably would not get a warm welcome. Would they bite? They never have but I am always aware that they could, hence, my property is totally secure and I have gates and fences.
In your situation op the dog didn’t do anything wrong and recalled on command. It’s a non issue.
The vast majority of dogs (even the “aggressive looking” ones) will alert, but do nothing. There is one at my office, huge, huge dog. She frequently barks at the window and looks extremely menacing. She’s actually a total sweetheart and totally placid.

Chances are it was a teenager issue rather than a dog issue. Teenagers can be quite dopey and may have broken a rule by letting the dog out the front.

“The dog simply existing and being able to potentially escape the garden is a potential danger and should be reported”

Agreed @Purplerubberducky but I’d say this applies to every breed and size of dog.

There was a thread the other day about someone’s off-leash chihuahua that randomly bit an old woman who was just minding her own business. It had no prior bite history.

There was a woman with a Jack Russell sat next to her on train. Didnt like it but dogs are allowed on trains so I didn’t say anything. Later she let it roam on the long leash, absolutely ridiculous and everyone looked uncomfortable when it came up and sniffed them. I told her to get her dog away from me when it came into my seating area and she had the nerve to look surprised . As if everyone is meant to love her dog 😑

Had I, for example, moved my leg in a certain way and “surprised” it then it attacked me, I’m sure dog owners like her would be quick to blame me for the dog bite. “You scared it”.
So I just wanted it away from me altogether.

At one point I dropped my bottle of water while it was in the aisle next to me and it looked like it was going to go for it just as I reached for it, but luckily I was quicker.

But I should be able to sit on a train in peace ffs and not worry about being sniffed or bit by a random dog. I ended up moving carriages the second time she let her dog bother me. Thankfully there were seats in other carriages available.

Sure it was on a leash but it was useless as it was still allowed to roam half the carriage and she was on her phone not paying attention. It just takes a second for a dog to bite. It annoys me that they don’t have pet free carriages on trains.

I had similar OP, two dogs rushed at me, they took no notice of owner. Owner was full of pathetic excuses “they didn’t bite you did they” and “ they’re only puppies”. I kept repeating that they needed to be under control, that is the law not my opinion.

Interestingly I was in the area again this week and there is now a sturdy dog proof gate at the end of her drive. So looks like something penetrated her thick skull after all.

When will owners get that it doesn’t matter what they think their placid furbabies wouldn’t do, plenty of them end up doing it.

A dog out of control is always a threat, because the threat is perceived by the innocent party, it is not in the gift of the dog owner.

Yes, I’m sick of bloody dogs.

But it wasn't an attack. Absolutely nothing happened.
I don't think "I saw a dog ages ago and it looked scary" counts as an attack.

Was the dog safely fenced in with no way of getting out? If so, leave it be. Lots of dogs would probably bark and growl at someone near their property, it’s quite normal dog behaviour. Not ideal, but you’ve no idea about the dog or the family. Could be a newly rescued dog that’s anxious, could be a dog who is recovering from an operation and so is extra protective and fearful. Literally nothing happened and everyone is safe so just leave it

No, Op clearly stated it wasn’t safely fenced in.

“…in the neighbour’s unfenced front yard”

The dog was in its own garden and it growled at strangers. The owner called it in and it went in. And this was a one off. So what would you be reporting, and why?