Is it worth phoning the dog warden?

[Taz1212]

A neighbour owns a black lab who is very aggressive with other dogs. She is a rescue who had a very bad start to life and they do seem to be doing their best to help her- I've seen a behaviourist's van outside their house and she often wears one of those vests to help calm down nervous dogs (can't remember what they are called -thunder vests?).

However, she attacks other dogs. She attacked my puppy a few months ago when DH was taking him out for a walk. He was very little and DH managed to grab him and hold up ip high, but she kept at him, ripping chunks of fur out of his ear. I know two other owners who also had a dog attacked by her and then on Friday evening, she attacked another dog I know. She had been on lead outside her house when she spotted the other dog and went after him so quickly that she pulled the lead out of her owner's hand and got free. Fortunately the other dog managed to get away and has just been left with a large scratch.

I really feel for the owners. They are very apologetic and, as I said, they are trying to do their best. However, they are now starting to let her off lead on walks. I was coming out of the woods not long ago and heard dogs barking. I put my dog on lead because I didn't know what was going on. It was this dog playing (a bit skittish but doing OK) with a husky. As soon as the owner saw us, he put her on lead and as soon as the dog spotted us, she went mental, trying to get at my dog. Fortunately he had a good grip on her.

She seems to be better with larger dogs, but does not like smaller dogs.

So- a long post to ask whether it is worth phoning the dog warden about this dog? It's the fact that they are starting to let her off lead that makes me very very nervous. If her owners have her off lead and we run into them before they spot us, she'll go right for my dog. Would a dog warden be able to do anything or is it pointless since she is fine with people?

Dog warden. Definitely.
Can't believe the stupidity of some people.

We walk my puppy in local woods. Yesterday I was walking with my 7 year old and a dog came rushing up to us - this was a lab or lab cross I think. The owner, from a distance, called at it "don't jump". Of course, it did - at me and my son as well as being pretty rough with my puppy, who luckily is very confident with other dogs. The owner was too far away to control the dog and when she caught up, she couldn't catch it and it continued to jump at me and my son and to chase after dpup. The owner walked away up the path, I think to get the dog to follow, but it didn't and I had to call after her and ask her to put it on a lead because it was frightening us.

Longish answer, sorry, but my point is, if the dog is unpredictable and off lead, the owner may not always be close enough to immediately put it on a lead. And once they have lost control, the dog could do some real damage before they do get them back under control again. I would definitely ring the dog warden.

Must be very hard for the owners, but equally they have to be sensible, would be horrible for everyone if their dog caused harm, so keeping on a lead seems sensible for them too.

Yes, Dog Warden and let them decide whether it's one for them, or not.

My neighbours also have a vile black lab that snarls and growls at us through the fence if we have the temerity to use our own garden. It is never walked or played with and clearly untrained. I am still dithering about ringing the Dog Warden as it is thin but not starved, and although vicious they never walk it anywhere, anyway. I have an adorable, rather timid staff cross puppy and we have had to make all the fences higher to keep her safe from this poor, neglected dog. Seems to be a thing with black labs. I've lost count of the number of times my dogs have been attacked by them, on walks.

There are 2 black labs round the corner from me and one of them has attacked my friend's dog twice in the woods. Completely unprovoked, just appeared from nowhere and went for him and had him pinned to the floor causing injuries to his ears. Me and my friend have both reported the owner to the rangers but don't know if they have caught up with her yet. On speaking to others in the local park, this lab has attacked quite a few other dogs and I saw a young boy out with them both last week so fuck knows how he could control it if it went for another dog. I have a black lab myself but he is the soppiest thing ever and he also has a blue collar like the nasty one so I hope people don't think' there's that vicious dog!' when they see me!