Neighbour HATES my dog!

[Canecorsomummy]

Hi everyone!

I’ve lived in my house for over 9 years now, have owned a poodle cross for 8 of those years. April last year I got a Cane Corso puppy, spoke to this certain neighbour informing her, gave her my number and told her if there was any problems with barking etc, especially if I’m not home, then go please let me know so I can resolve it but she has done nothing but cause me problems ever since.

Last year I was taking rubbish to the bins and the CC followed me out and was being fussed over by my neighbour on the other side of my house. 24 hours later the other neighbour put a computer typed letter through my letterbox stating the car park is not a place to walk a dog, it is illegal for her not to be on a lead and if she sees it happening again she is going to report me for having a out of control dog and her being a dangerous breed!! I sent her a text message explaining the law very basically for her and explaining under no circumstances will she be putting notes through my letterbox over something which could be dealt with by an adult conversation.

Well, since April this year she has made numerous reports to RSPCA claiming I’m neglecting her, abusing her and now a report to Social Services claiming I’m not only neglecting my CC, but she is a dangerous breed and I have a young child in my home!

I have absolutely had enough now!! My back door is normally open 24 hours as I have an enclosed garden but I’m petrified to allow the dog to be able to go in and out at her free will because of this neighbour, petrified I’m going to be approached by rspca/police when I’m out walking her ….

I just don’t know what to do now.

But if this is a neighbour’s dog there is no reason to ever interact with it, hence the terror being completely irrational in this case.

Dogs often escape though. There's a trending story on here about an XL bully that just got out and ripped both back legs of an elderly ladies dachsund, who was passing by. I can totally understand someone not being overjoyed knowing certain breeds live in such close proximity.

You're allowing your love of dogs to cloud your judgement.

It is not irrational to be scared that an animal capability of inflicting these injuries (including a fatality) is now living next door to you.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/dog-bite-same-force-lion-7098437.amp

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2024-01-09/two-people-charged-after-cane-corso-dog-attack-that-injured-four

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/victim-dragged-from-car-after-man-ordered-cane-corso-dog-to-attack-him-in-east-dunbartonshire

https://www.newsweek.com/cane-corso-mauls-baby-police-issue-innate-instinct-warning-1837788

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/dog-owner-jailed-after-cane-28570795#googlevignette

Edit: These were just the first five articles that appeared. There were more.

If it lives next door to you, then it's pretty much guaranteed you'll interact with it, unless either you or the dog never go outside.

From what I've read OP trains dogs & understands them - but does she understand people? - or even care?

@Mischance
You probably should read the thread.

Tbh this thread is about

As the responsible owner of a legally allowed animal, what should OP do about being harassed?

There is much hysteria around this question.

It's become should we allow her dog ?

This is another question which interestingly seems to make posters incapable of answering the first one.

If it lives next door to you, then it's pretty much guaranteed you'll interact with it, unless either you or the dog never go outside.

Tbf OP and her dog have not seen the neighbour in public for 15 months.

@Scirocco

I really feel for the OP; she does sound like a responsible owner, has previous experience of large dogs and has clearly done her research into the Cane Corso. The problem is, unfortunately for that breed, it is becoming the macho dog of the moment. There will always be macho men who want ferocious dogs. When I was a kid in the 70's, the hard mans dog was the GSD then it was the Doberman followed by Rottweiler, Pitbull, Bully, now the Cane Corso. If the CC is banned these people will just switch to the Caucasian, Central Asian or Kangal dog and the problems will go on... Unless every dog over a certain size and weight is banned there will always be issues. My own breed, which I have lived with for 47 years, is itself a guarding breed but fortunately it doesn't seem to appeal to the macho types and is generally viewed as "a gentle giant". It is, nonetheless, immensely powerful, with strong protective instincts and a big bark; to turn it into the proverbial gentle giant takes months of work on lead training and socialisation during puppyhood and adolescence. So, all of us with giant breeds/guarding dogs look at the comments here and feel that trepidation that one day it could be our breed being singled out for abuse just because the wrong owners got hold of it. I will admit that I'm scared of dogs and I do cross the road to avoid certain types (Bully and CC included) but I don't think a ban is the answer. In fact, my most feared dog is probably the black Labrador because I've had three bad experiences with them (umpteen years apart) but I'm not screaming for a ban on Labradors or threatening to move house just because a lady two doors up from us has one. So I can see both sides of the argument with the Cane Corso, I fully understand the fear that is generated by the stories we see in the media but the real problems lie with those who are encouraging machismo and breeding for aggression, not with the responsible owners like the OP who are doing their utmost to rear sociable, well-adjusted dogs. Please cut her some slack...

This feels like a particularly naive point of view.

Multiple breeds of dogs are capable of getting over six foot fences (retrievers, spaniels, GSDs, Collies can all jump them if they wish) or through them (XL bullies, Cane Corsos, most guarding breed i.e. Caucasian Shepherds, Turkish Kangals etc) or even under them (JRTs, most of the terrier group etc).

Six foot fences or stone walls are really not secure. Walls can crumble and fences can collapse or be gotten over/under/through. That is why no one likes to I've next door to a dog with the sort of characteristics that are inherent in XL Bullies or Cane Corsos of the 'shepherds'.'

At least if a golden retriever jumps a six foot fence, chances are you're being licked to death or it's chasing game. If a Cane Corso smashes through it or gets over it, it's usually for one reason

Perhaps OP could start by thinking from the perspective of her neighbour.

Plenty of people on this thread have agreed that we would not be happy if a neighbour to chose to adopt such an animal. All she has done is tell us why we are wrong.

Exactly.

There's a good reason why so many people are scared of certain breeds - because they can (and do) kill people. When was the last time you heard of a golden retriever mauling a child to death, or a spaniel escaping a house and ripping the legs off another dog?

All the comments about "deed not breed" or "it's all down to the owner" are spectacularly missing the point. Breed traits are a real thing, otherwise you'd see chihuahuas herding sheep and cocker spaniels working as guide dogs.

She clearly didn't do that much research as she didn't know or believe they were originally bred to hunt bears amongst other large beasts. Add to that the guardian aspect and it's a recipe for disaster.

Surely if you're bringing a dog into your house with a young child, the first thing you do is research what it was bred for? Because that's the thing no amount of training is ever going to totally eradicate.

You’d be moving then and not where you’d want but to jail if you did that

and it isn’t a dangerous dog only to you

This is incorrect. The dogs in question are dangerous dogs. They are not suited to being kept as pets and certainly should not be in a household with children.

Any dog if it wanted to get over a 6ft fence would do so

now for saying a retriever not biting if it scaled a fence is bullshit as some do as not all are friendly.

Now for a cane corso it isn’t climbing or scaling that 6ft fence they are not built that way now a Great Dane would and I’ve witnessed it as it was mine and her pal a Cane Corso looked on. She was quickly rounded up and we’d to sort out something for the top of the fence on all sides.

most large breed dogs where in the past used for boar and bear hunting now, most are companion dogs.

training is key and that’s what @Canecorsomummy has done but most of you have got your knickers in a knot over the breed and are wrongly stating they are banned when they are in fact not and if that’s snotty tough, or that they are dangerous or worse reporting her maliciously for just having a large breed dog.

plus the facts stated by OP is this
she hasn’t met the dog since May and still keeps reporting her.
Thats malicious and harassment.
she’s got form for this with the other neighbours too

cameras inside and out for peace of mind

Say who? Show me legislation on that please

You are correct, good fencing is essential but it is perfectly possible to securely fence any breed including the ones you list here. We live in a suburban end of terrace house, we have concrete posts and chain link fencing a foot inside the 6 foot wooden panel fence that stands between us and our neighbour with trees planted on the inside of the whole fence. There is more chain link and a tall hedge with a 6 foot locked metal gate on the opposite side and warning signs up. Two of our males were very large and we have never had an escapee. If the OP states that her garden is dog proof then we should not doubt it. A Cane Corso or a large Caucasian would not be able to get out of our garden.

As for the Golden Retriever - vets refer to them as "Golden Deceivers" for a reason. Even a Retriever or Labrador would be perfectly capable of killing a child.

So, I presume you'd feel the same way if she was talking about any hound breed? All of them were bred to hunt. So, in your view nobody with a child should own an Irish Wolfhound because it is bred to kill wolves?

*Perhaps OP could start by thinking from the perspective of her neighbour.

Plenty of people on this thread have agreed that we would not be happy if a neighbour to chose to adopt such an animal. All she has done is tell us why we are wrong.*

So Have you made a suggestion as to what the OP should do?

This a legally, responsibly owned dog.

All you need to do is this. @ThatsNotVeryRainbowRhythms

Cane Corsos are banned in multiple countries.

Irish Wolfhounds are not.

She clearly didn't do that much research as she didn't know or believe they were originally bred to hunt bears amongst other large beasts. Add to that the guardian aspect and it's a recipe for disaster.

Once again you make presumptions @CellophaneFlower

She clearly this. She obviously that.
And you wonder why you get people's backs up.

YOU HAVE NO REAL IDEA.

Do you want OP to have her dog euthanised @CellophaneFlower

Do you think she should move house to appease her harassing neighbour @CellophaneFlower

Do you think you should be allowed to harass someone who is doing nothing illegal, in a responsible manner?

And we've seen that on our streets lately.

as she didn't know or believe they were originally bred to hunt bears amongst other large beasts.

And remember she muddled Range Rover/Land Rover!

Absolutley conclusive!

I told her, she laughed at me and said there were no bears in Sicily (she knows this as she has a car there). I presume nothing... I go by what she said.

And you know what? Some people have presumed she's a decent dog owner and a good trainer... but nobody actually knows that either. They're going by what she says, as do I.