Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Flip

Original poster

Annoying neighbour ingratiating himself with my dogs

23 replies

RedwingWinter · 08/02/2012 18:49

I have a really annoying neighbour who has developed an interest in my dogs. Sorry, this is long, but I need to get it off my chest.

A couple of times he turned up at the house with meat or bones for them. It was a bit strange as he came uninvited. After that we asked him not to feed them any more. One of our dogs is on a special diet and the other has a sensitive tummy that is easily upset. Since then, a couple of times he has fed them without asking permission - for example, once I left the dogs in a friend's fenced garden while I popped inside, and he came by and fed them some meatloaf, which I only found out when I left and he was trying to retrieve the meatloaf tin from where they had pushed it under the car. He did it another time too when DH was out walking the dogs and he threw some sausage for them. I was furious with the guy and since then he hasn't fed them, but almost every time I see him he asks if he can bring them some sausage or liver or whatever the next day.

I suspect that this is out-of-date meat from a friend who has a food shop.

Most days I walk my dogs with my neighbours dogs, and this guy sometimes comes too. My husky is always on a leash, but I usually let Dog2 off. The guy has taken to throwing sticks for him and the other dogs - but mainly for Dog2 who gets very excited about sticks. Today there was a small tree down at the side of the road and he pulled it into the road and encouraged Dog2 to try and run off with it. He was actually going to leave the tree in the road until I pointed out that it wasn't fair on any drivers who might come by.

Later, I called Dog2 to me, and instead he ran up to the other guy, licked him on the hand and then ran off. It may seem small, but this is the thing that has really upset me this morning.

What can I do, apart from stop walking with everyone else because of this guy? I can't compete for my dog's attention by pulling whole trees into the road because I'm not an idiot. I can't keep Dog2 on a lead the whole time because this guy deliberately tries to wind him up, and Dog2 is very strong and becomes impossible.

This guy is actually creeping me out because I don't understand why he is trying so hard to ingratiate himself with my dogs. How can I teach Dog2 to ignore him?

OP posts:

oldqueenie · 08/02/2012 18:56

Can't help with the dog training aspect! Who invites this guy to come on walks with you? does he have his own dog(s)? Is he friends with your other dogwalking companion? I think you have two choices really... if he is unavoidable then I think you have to talk to him seriously and clearly each time he does something you don't like... "please don't throw sticks for dog 2 they could injure him" etc. or if more rudeness is an option then perhaps you need to tell him he's not welcome on your dogwalks! does he have special needs / is he very lonely or depressed? is he just a pain in the arse?

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 08/02/2012 19:12

He is just a pain in the arse! He does have his own dog but she is now too old and sick to come on the walks. He is friends with the others and was walking with them before I joined in. I am sick of telling him 'don't do that', he stops at that moment but then just does it again later. I just found out from one of the others that someone else used to walk with them but stopped because of this guy, so I wouldn't be the first if that's what I do. I think he concentrates on Dog2 because he is so exciteable anyway.

OP posts:

Labradorlover · 08/02/2012 20:30

Are your dogs entire? Is he making friends with them with a view to nicking them?
Could you put lovely smelling treats in your pockets?
Personally, I'd tell anyone who was winding my dogs up to back off. Sometimes saying please is too nice.

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 08/02/2012 20:56

Thanks for your replies, Oldqueenie and Labradorlover.
The dogs are not entire but I did wonder if he wants to nick them.
I have told him to back off many times. He is the kind of person who does not take no for an answer. For some reason at the moment he is very interested in my dogs. I think I'm just going to have to stop walking with everyone else.
In the meantime I have to train Dog2 to have recall past a sausage and a lunatic leaping about with a stick.

OP posts:

feesh · 09/02/2012 05:42

Oh goodness I really feel for you on this. Your story has made me SO mad at that man, I can't stand it when people interfere with my dog. Every item of food they are given is potentially conditioning them to something, so the amount of (behavioural) damage that could potentially be done by someone who regularly gives them food is worrying.

He sounds like he is very needy and he is subconsciously trying to bond with your dogs to make up for his own one being towards the end of her life

mrsjay · 09/02/2012 15:09

Is the man elderly and lonley ? especially if his dog is old he may miss having a dog to play with or connect too , I know it doesnt help and he shouldnt be feeding your dogs , at all I think you should tell him that *something has made 1 of your dogs ill and please do not feed them AGAIN , On the walking thing well I guess thats just weird tagging along , Go another route ignore him , sorry not much help

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 09/02/2012 16:04

MrsJay, you could be right that he is missing having his own dog to play with. He is not elderly though - middle-aged with a wife and kids. I am furious today because Dog2 had a runny bottom in the morning and I suspect that he fed him something yesterday when I wasn't looking - that would explain why Dog2 licked his hand. I am completely avoiding him now and if ever I see him in the street I will just have to put Dog2 on a lead right away so that he can't give him anything without me seeing.

Why would you secretly give another person's dog sausage?

OP posts:

mrsjay · 09/02/2012 16:46

oh if he is middle aged then i dont think you can excuse him sometimes old people get a bit over friendly with other animals IS dog 2 a pedigree do you think they might be trying to steal him ? there is a lot of it going on , you need to tell him that he cant feed him maybe he thinks your dogs are half straved , an old neighbour of mines used to give my cat stew and chicken and i wondered why cat was throwing up everywhere , I think you are best avoiding him and keep dog 2 on lead , and if he comes to the garden you are going to have to be vocal about it ,

OldBagWantsNewBag · 09/02/2012 16:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 09/02/2012 18:26

Last time I caught him feeding him I shouted at him and told him that he could clean Dog2's bottom next time. So he really knows that he shouldn't. He's not normal.

DH thought he was trying to make Dog2 like him so that I would like him (ugh!) but that doesn't explain why he is still feeding Dog2 now.

I am wondering if you are right about planned theft. Both dogs are rescues and neutered, and Dog2 is a common breed, but our husky cross is stunning - people stop their cars to ask about him. Dog2 is a good watchdog and no one could take the husky without him alerting us. So maybe he is trying to make friends with Dog2 in order to be able to take the husky?

(I love Dog2 but I honestly don't see someone stealing him when there are lots of other dogs like him - it would be easy to get your own).

OP posts:

mrsjay · 09/02/2012 18:31

red i just think its weird he isnt stopping I would be slighlty freaked out by it all cant you get your dh to say something too , Watch your husky though as they are beautiful and seem to be the in dog at the moment

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 09/02/2012 19:42

Thanks MrsJay I think it is weird too. It would be a waste of police time to say this man keeps poisoning my dogs with out-of-date sausage (and poisoning is a bit strong because I don't think he means to make the dog ill). At least we know every time he's done it because the dog gets a runny bottom every time.

I spoke to one of the other people I walk with in the mornings and she is going to come and walk with me at a different time of day when we know this guy is at work.

It's a good idea to get DH to speak to him again.

OP posts:

mrsjay · 10/02/2012 08:57

sausage has additives that can upset a dog when out dog was with us she couldnt eat anything other than her food because it just caused her to get the runs , she had a really sensitve tum , If your getting your dh to talk to him get him to embilish say the vest said the dog has an allergy to something and is on an expensive special diet and please dont feed the dog , enjoy your walk in the other direction , at first reading i thought the person was over friendly now its just plain weird ,

mrsjay · 10/02/2012 08:57

our dog*

ChickensGoMeh · 10/02/2012 09:50

This is very weird. Who carries on feeding a dog when they have specifically been asked to stop by the owner? Surely the normal reaction would be to apologise and feel embarassed, not step up the stealth snackage. I suppose you just have to avoid him, but how sad that you have to stop walking with the others because this dingbat doesn't understand a basic request.

gothicangel · 10/02/2012 15:59

i had some one looking into my garden at my dogs and was worried they were going to steal them,

i phoned the police and they were lovely, told me if i was worried again to ring again and they really put me at ease, if your worried ring the non-emergancy number and have a chat with them,

he does sound really really odd!

xxx

JaxTellerIsMyFriend · 10/02/2012 16:23

I would stop walking with the group for a while and work on your dogs training.

This man would freak me out. I much prefer to walk my dogs alone or with a couple of friends who know my dogs and I well.

He needs to stop feeding your dog/s.

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 10/02/2012 16:26

I didn't know that about the additives, MrsJay. That is probably what gives him the runs then. But I suspect the meat is also out of date because he gets it from a friend with a shop, and if it was in its date I think he would eat it himself.

Chickens, it is so weird I think he must have an ulterior motive. At least now I have an alternative time to walk with a couple of the other people - not that I wanted to set up a rival group walk, but it's nice to walk with friends and their dogs too.

Gothicangel, that is really useful to know, thank you. I will bear that in mind if avoiding him doesn't work.

OP posts:

PlumpDogPillionaire · 10/02/2012 17:52

How about adding "It's cruel" when explaining to him that he shouldn't feed your dogs?
It sounds as if he's not the sharpest blade in the box and doesn't understand that a runny arse isn't just inconvenient for the dog. As mrsjay says a bit of embellishing wouldn't go amiss. Tell him your dog ends up in real pain from that sort of food.

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 10/02/2012 18:08

That's a good idea. I could pretend not to know about the secret feedings and go on and on about the agony the dog is in and the vet bills and we can't work out what is causing it ...

OP posts:

Labradorlover · 10/02/2012 18:46

And if you've got a garden and let the dogs out on their own, I'd make sure it was human proof.......

JaxTellerIsMyFriend · 10/02/2012 19:05

Isnt there something about pork that upsets a dogs tum? Cant quite remember what I read/heard but pretty sure there was a good reason about it.

Original poster

RedwingWinter · 10/02/2012 20:33

Now that you mention it I vaguely remember that from another thread too. No idea what kind of sausage it is, sometimes it is meat loaf that he has given them.

OP posts:

Flip