Neighbor's Dogs

After just reading a news story about a dog killing a smaller dog and biting that dog's owner in a park, I would not hesitate to call 911 if the dogs were acting like that. You have given the family enough chances. If a young neighborhood kid rides a bike past the house, the dogs have shown (in my eyes) that they wouldn't hesitate to chase or even attack. I wouldn't wait to call.

You have every right to call animal control about this. You've already talked to the owner about the pets.

You can probably call animal control and they will come out and talk to them about the leash laws, and possibly ticket them if the dogs are running loose at the time.

The dogs do not seem very friendly...... why are you waiting for someone to get bit?

I realize you don't want to create enemies with neighbors, (been in that situation, too... my son was riding his bike in the neighborhood and was bit... fortunately he had jeans on - this was by an acquaintance's dog ), but this is starting to be a bit extreme for you.

I would see if you can find an online copy of the leash laws and enforcement, print them out, and give them to her. If you prefer, just leave them in her door as a warning that you WILL call animal control.

I realize dogs do get loose from time to time, but it seems as if they really aren't being very careful, and the dogs do not seem to be friendly.

When I see dogs running loose, if they are friendly, I try to find the owner... we live on a busy street where people do not drive the speed limit.

Plano has leash laws.

I would file the report with animal control, and keep filing reports for every incident.

They are irresponsible pet owners and they are in violation of the leash laws of Plano, TX.

http://collincountymagazine.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/what...

How do I file a complaint about an animal issue or an irresponsible pet owner or otherwise request service?
To file a complaint or request service, please call ###-###-#### to speak with an Animal Services Officer. If an ASO is not available to personally answer your call, please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned as soon as possible. The ASO will need the exact physical address of the complaint, description of the animal (if known), owner’s address (if known), and nature of complaint. The request for service will be assigned to a field ASO who will investigate the complaint and take appropriate action. To learn more about filing complaints, including information about special complaints like nuisance noise issues, please click on the link below.
Visit our Reporting Animal Issues page

http://www.plano.gov/Faq.aspx?QID=71

Enough is enough. For the safety of your family, other members of the neighborhood, & the dogs themselves, they need to be contained. I am sure there are also ordinances stating such in your community.

You have talked to the mother on 2 different occasions, and she is obviously not taking this as seriously as you are.

911 would probably be escalating this too far, as the dogs are not posing a truly vicious threat. However, a call to animal control would be 100% appropriate. And no, you do not need to contact the mother again. She has been given her fair warning (twice).

Call now, & call again EVERY time the dogs get loose, whether the family comes to collect them or not. Make your own documentations of these occurrences as well.

If the family contacts you & asks why you are calling animal control on them, you can explain calmly that you had tried keeping the city out of it, but your dogs were continuing to run loose in the neighborhood & you were concerned for your son's safety, based on their behavior.

If they have a fenced in yard, it -shouldn't- be difficult for them to keep the dogs contained. And if they don't have a fenced in yard, I have a feeling one will be put up rather quickly. =-)

P.S. I say all of this as a dog owner myself. If I weren't being a responsible owner, I would expect & deserve to have animal control called on my dogs, & I would make darn sure that it only ever had to happen once.

Hopefully, once is all you'll need as well! T. =-)

Oh this is so frustrating. We went through this a couple of years ago. House two down from us had a Chow. Not the nicest of dogs! Would run after everyone. Then they bought a Doberman. Yeah. Right after my first back surgery, hubby and I we walking and the dog left its yard and charged us in the street. My husband stepped in front of me and yelled for the kid to come get his "damn" dog. Kid said the dog was friendly. Yeah, it looked like it was going to attack not play. Scared me to death. I talked to the Mother and she was like "oh Max is friendly". I told her "lady I just had back surgery and you dog charged us in the street three houses down from your house. That is NOT a friendly dog".

I called our HOA. We filed with them. A few weeks later, Max charged a Mother and grandmother pushing a stroller. I really thought the dog was going to go after the baby. I picked up a stick and yelled at the dog. I spoke with the ladies and told them we have had issues with this dog. They called the HOA as well. The family got rid of both dogs. I don't know what the HOA said but no more Chow and Doberman.

So, if you have an HOA call them as well. HOAs in Texas have teeth. (sorry pun included) =)

Agree 100 percent with the many posts about calling animal control EVERY time you see these dogs off their property. Every single time. Many "nice" folks hesitate to call the authorities, but please dont' be nice here....Do not worry about "bothering" animal control and do not tolerate it if someone at animal control is snarky with you and says "Yes, yes, you called yesterday, we know...." Be clear to them that you will be calling every single time until these dogs are under control or simply gone.

Also: Keep a camera and a pad of paper and pen by the door and record every single sighting, date and time; and take videos of the dogs whenever they are in your yard or on the street -- anywhere off their property. You might never need to use these but if one of their dogs bites you or a kid, you can tell your lawyer that you have reams of dated, timed photos and videos of these dogs loose. Be sure your camera or cell phone camera does date and time "stamps" on photos and videos. If you have any further discussions with the parent, I would say, "I want you to know that when your dog is on our property or the street, I am videotaping your dog in case anything happens."

Want to add: See if you can get an animal control officer to visit them in person ASAP. That might save you repeated calls. I would see if I could convince animal control that this family is going to need to see a uniformed officer at their front door to finally get them to take action. In our town, it would definitely be doable to ask animal control or even our police to come by in person and talk to homeowners--or dog owners.

The first thing you should've done was call the police. No, not 911, it's not an emergency - just the police station.

There are laws/ordinances governing letting your dogs out, unleashed, etc. You ought to file a report EVERY SINGLE TIME you see the dogs roaming free. Believe me, the cop will understand, and not only that, they'll get tired of responding to your calls and DO something about it.

Express clearly the aggressive behavior of the dogs each time you speak with the policeman who will come to your house to take a report. He will go talk to the owners each time.

Ask the police what you should do the next time the dog is aggressive. Perhaps he'll advise you to carry pepper spray.

This is one thing I have experience with and have NO TIME OF DAY for. If you have a dog, it needs to be controlled. Not everyone "loves your dog" and your dog is NOT "friendly" to everyone, dog owners!!! It's a potentially dangerous animal!

Please, call the police. Report it each and every time. I have seen some truly awful things happen to both adults and young children alike at the jaws of dogs that were "friendly." Believe me, it's not something to take lightly.

I'd call the non-emergency line and explain that these dogs are terrorizing your child. It's not just a barking dog, it's a dog that is chasing your child and menacing him. What if next time it bites him? I'm sure your town has a leash law (ours does). We have one neighbor who's dog is so well trained she walks it off leash, but it never goes further than 1 foot from her. If any other neighbor had a dog terrorizing my child like this, I wouldn't hesitate to call.

I live in the Plano/Allen area and we are policed by both Allen and Plano departments. I am a huge animal lover ( 2 dogs) but the law is to have them on a leash, up to date with shots and licensed with the city.

I have a huge back yard and my dogs are well behaved but my poodle will chase a coyote, bobcat, child or whatever he sees... That's normal. It's a wonder this poodle is alive due to his fearlessness at 9#.

If you call the shelter, they will visit the house in question. Keep in mind, if the house in question cannot provide documents for up to date shots and registration, they may remove the animal from the house which will cause a bigger issue. Be ready to deal with that.

People should be more responsible for their pets.

Just last week as I was leaving my house before door was closed, a runaway dog ran INTO my house scared out of its mind because he invaded my 2 dogs space. All the while in trying to get him out with my 2 barking and chasing him, he was pooping everywhere!!! Nervous gross poop. What a lively 15 minutes! Wow.

Call animal control. Plano is easy to deal with!!

Yup... animal control. Call them the next time you see the dogs out running loose.

If you want to leave a note on your neighbor's door as a warning, that's up to you... but it seems to me you've already given her a head's up to do something about the problem. She chose not to act in any meaningful way. So if the dogs are collected by animal control and she has to go pay to get them back, so be it. Maybe the hassle and cost will be enough to persuade her to actually DO something about it. Or, sad to say, perhaps she won't go pay and get the dogs back... which would also solve the problem.

grrrrrrr. i've got neighbors like this too. completely irresponsible.
next time the dogs come into your yard and are barking at you, video them. (obviously making sure your kids are safe first.) show the video to the mom and tell her that if it happens again you're going to take it to animal control. then do it.
i've got a huge black german shepherd on one side, who fortunately doesn't get loose often but when he does he's over here chasing aggressively, and the kids who live there are clearly scared to grab his collar. he almost got one of my cats one day, and my son got thoroughly bloodied getting her down from a tree. the yapping chihuahuas on the other side are more annoying than dangerous, but they used to piss on my horses' hay until one day (after an attack on a cat) they finally put up a fence. the pack across the lane is the worst- the big one savaged his owner's hand, causing her to have several surgeries, and she STILL lets them all roam.
i keep a BB rifle by the patio now, since our animal control is pretty meh about loose dogs in the country.
khairete
S.

I would just get a report filed, and keep filing them. When we had our dog, she knew how to climb the fence (not jump but climb). She got out one day. neighbor who hates dogs called the cops. We were out there trying to catch her. She had a collar but no leash and she was fast. The cop called animal control and he tried to catch her. They were not worried as they could tell she was just excited. But it was not crouching and barking. We were warned that the next time, they may cite us and take her. This was the first time she ever got out. I would think that you may get the same result.

You feel threatened by the animals behaviors. The adults in the house are unable to manage the dogs and cannot get their kids to understand the fact that the dogs are a menace to the neighborhood.

I'd call after video taping the dogs. That way you have proof of how they act. While getting kids out of the way simply have your phone on and tape them snapping or trying to bite the kids.

Call 911. You have already given the neighbors 2 (or more) chances to remedy the situation. Now it's time to take things into you own hands before someone gets hurt.

Call animal control, file reports. If they are running loose when animal control gets there, they'll probably pick them up. The owners may be fined for violating the leash law. If all else fails, tell the owners that if their dogs come on your property again and act aggressively, you'll shoot them...May be a total lie, but that could do the trick!

I definitely agree with calling Animal Control every time about a loose or uncontrolled dog. Often times they try to work with the family to resolve the issue, not just issue fines.

I would also suggest pepper spray as long as it's legal in your state. Generally easy to purchase at a sporting goods or firearms store. When the dog is on your property, spray the heck out of him. It will either keep him from messing with you and your kids, or annoy the neighbors enough (they will have to bathe him) so that they keep him away. It will not seriously hurt the dog, but is a valid method of defense on your part.

And great job talking with the family first. You're doing what you have to do! Best of luck to you!

I wouldn't call 911 but I would file a complaint since it is an ongoing problem.

I'm not sure how it works in Plano or if you are actually in the city limits, but a few years ago, I lived outside of the city limits and I saw (through my front window), two dogs do what you are talking about to a couple that was strolling with a baby in a baby carriage. They were big dogs and honestly, I was very scared for the couple and baby. So, I did call 911 and they sent a Sheriff out. The Sheriff went and talked to everyone (the couple and the people who owned the dog). I think just having "the law" come out and talk helped the situation. Since we were OUTSIDE of the city limits, the Sheriff also said I could feel free to shoot the dogs in that situation (just FYI). You don't have to call 911, you could just look up the number to your local police station and explain the situation to them and maybe they could send someone out to talk to the neighbors. I'm assuming Plano has a leash law, so they are breaking the law. You might want to get a clear understanding of the law. It might be worth your while to file the reports because maybe they will get fined - which might motivate them to keep the dogs in the back.

Good luck!
L.

Do you have a leash law in your area? Find out what the actual laws are and call everytime they are outside without a leash. Everytime they come after you or your son, call 911 and tell them that the dog acts like it will bite you.

If the people next door are renting, send the owner of the rental a letter telling him that if you or anyone in your family is harmed by the neighbors dogs, you will sue him. I will bet THAT will make him think hard about allowing animals on his property.

If they own, perhaps you can find out somewhere, down at the court house maybe, who their homeowner insurance company is and discuss their liability concerning these dogs. Maybe your neighbors won't like the idea of paying more insurance coverage for their dogs...

In Wisconsin a dog must be on a leash when outside. If the dog bites or attacks the owner is responsible for any damages, up to an including ambulance, emergency room visit, wrongful death and funeral costs.

Do not hesitate call the police and humane society. I would call them everytime I see the dogs out without a leash. Even if the dogs don't bite they are causing a hazzard. A driver trying to avoid hitting the dogs could easily hit a bicyclist, or motorist.

My dogs go out several times a day always on a leash. I have had leashes break but I run get them right away and bring the dog back in. My dogs bark at everything and sometimes sound vicious but most of the time they just want to play. But I am smart enough to not completely trust any dog with strangers or children.

If after calling the police and/or the humane society and it does no good, see if you can get a live trap. Put the trap in your yard if one of the dogs gets trapped take it right to the police department and turn it in. The owner will have to pay to get the dog back. If it happens more than once they may not get the dog back.

I would definitely make a complaint with Animal Control, but wouldn't bother with 911. I doubt that the dog is going to attack - if it were inclined to attack, it probably would have already done so.

I suggest you keep a spray bottle in the car and by the front door to use to spray the dog when you leave/come home. If that doesn't work, use the hose the next time. If that doesn't work, I'd get pepper spray. There is nothing worse than having to be in fear every time you walk out your front door!

After thinking about it, you might also sprinkle cayenne pepper around your yard. I think that would be the first thing to do and I bet that dog won't come back in your yard. Sprinkle all around the perimeter.