How to handle crazy neighbor?

manchvegas · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:16 pm Post subject: How to handle crazy neighbor?

Maybe somebody has experienced this and can help? I have a neighbor who ties her young Puggle pup out in her front yard (ties her to the porch with a short lead and then goes in the house...). This neighbor happens to live right next door to one of my good friends. While I was standing in the driveway chatting with my friend, my well behaved weim sat, smiling and tail wagging, in their driveway. Of course, the Puggle was going off the wall barking, jumping, anxious to get to my dog and play. When the neighbor looked out to see what her dog was barking at, I smiled and explained that her dog seemed to want to play. This odd woman cowered behind the door and said that HER dog got very ANXIOUS whenever MY dog was around. As if I had no right to be standing in my friend's driveway with my dog. I was really annoyed but just walked away without saying a thing.

Anyhow, I could understand her reaction had my dog been anything but well behaved. I suspect the woman is fearful of Daisy because of her size, but she is absolutely not dog aggressive. In fact, she seems to back away from the small dogs if they are yappers. And, being a typical Weimaraner, she just wiggles and smiles when she sees people. I don't understand how any of this could be interpreted as threatening?

Any tips on how to handle this woman in the future? I am annoyed that she is (a) tying her dog out without supervision and (b) expecting the outside world to conform to her rather than teaching her dog how to behave. The Puggle is actually a nice dog but I think the owner's fears will end up making her a very unsocialized dog.

I'm thinking about printing out some articles and leaving them on her porch. I'm not going to stop visiting my friend and her dog due to this wackadoo....

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

Pam

weimdogmom · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:51 pm Post subject:

How long does the neighbor leave the dog tied outside? You can check your city ordinances, perhaps there is something that covers this. If there is, you can call Animal Control and have them speak with the woman -- and/or they make take the dog from her.

Or, you could send her a nice letter and some articles with the concerns and issues of tethering a dog outside and leaving it there alone.

If she is fearful of large dogs, maybe she has a very good reason. Reason or not, if she is fearful, that does not make her crazy. I have a friend who is fearful of large dogs. Our dog, Jazz, is a good sized dog and extremely friendly and gentle. This neighbor still does not want to get to close to Jazz. That is her right. As a responsible owner, I don't want to impose my dog on someone who is uncomfortable with her. My friend is not crazy, either.

manchvegas · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject: Thank you

Thanks for your response Weimdogmom. I should clarify. I do not think the neighbor is crazy for being fearful of my dog. I am very respectful of people who are afraid of dogs and always make sure that I keep her on a short leash or even cross the street if a person seems uncomfortable. I would never, ever want to impose my dog on someone who does not want her around, as I would not want that done to me.

I do feel she is a bit unbalanced with how she treats her dog (scoops it up and never lets it interact with other dogs) and seems to treat the dog like a baby that needs to be protected rather than a dog that needs to at least see and sniff other dogs. Yet, on the other hand, the dog spends a good amount of time on a tether on the front porch and could get into many different kinds of trouble, yet the owner expects everyone to walk on eggshells when her dog is outside. She gets upset when kids play on the sidewalk, and obviously the presence of other dogs bothers her as well. She recently thought another neighbor's Great Dane puppy (who is big and goofy but not at all mean) was going to "eat" her dog. It is as if she is blaming all the outside stimulus for the dog's barking and jumping, instead of creating a situation where her dog can be more calm.

I cannot find anything specific on the city ordinances, and I think any printed articles would upset her more than help. I will probably just have to grin and bear it, but when my dog is doing nothing wrong, I kinda hate being made to feel like a jerk!

weimdogmom · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:53 pm Post subject:

Perhaps this little dog is the woman's main companion? She may have the dog outside because she feels the dog likes to be outside -- and the woman may not understand the issues and frustration tethering can cause for her dog. At the same time she leaves the dog out and alone, in some ways she is being very protective of the dog.

I don't think you should feel like a jerk at all, or take any of her actions personally. From what you have said, it does not sound like you or your dog have done anything wrong toward the neighbor or her dog. In fact, you would like to help them.

Does your friend know her neighbor at all? Maybe she could help you find a way to get some information to this woman?

manchvegas · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject:

I think that is probably the case. Unfortunately, my friend has had mixed results with this neighbor, but I could possibly try that. Unfortunately, you just never know whether this woman is going to be nice or angry.
One of these folks who doesn't want anybody parking in "her" space (public street!), has issues with where the neighbors put their snow (in their own driveway), doesn't like it when kids are playing during the daytime, etc., etc. So I guess none of this should come as a big surprise.

And sadly, this is a fairly young woman. But I do feel badly for the dog and I imagine if the little dog keeps barking uncontrollably, it may eventually end up in a shelter.

ZaneTheBrain · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:03 am Post subject:

I know exactly what I would do...

Stand in my friend's driveway with my weim and any others I could find, as often as I could for as long as I could. Wink

Just joking, a little. But I would go out of my way to do it when that little dog was outside.

manchvegas · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:10 pm Post subject:

Yup...that's what my husband threatened to do. Half kidding...half serious Very Happy

waitingonmyweim · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:20 pm Post subject:

NenaGunther · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:17 pm Post subject:

Is there a place where your dog and her dog could play outside unleashed? Maybe invite her and her dog... if she saw that your Weim was great with her dog, maybe she would become a more involved dog owner and less anxious about all the outside things that seem to annoy her.

Some people just don't get it though... Rolling Eyes

Django · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:31 am Post subject:

manchvegas · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 12:28 pm Post subject:

We'll see...don't think she would like the way Daisy "boxes" when she plays. Would probably add to her negative mindset about larger dogs!

Wrench · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 5:01 pm Post subject:

Seriously the lady needs to put the dog in her enclosed backyard instead of out in the world if she doens't want her dog exposed....it's not your problem but hers so...just keep going to your friends with your dog and pretty much ignore her or if she really approuches you then suggest that she not leave her dog where any stray could also walk up and kill the dog.

manchvegas · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:41 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I think she falls under the category of people who don't "get it". To illustrate: today, a worker doing construction at a neighboring home parked in "her" space in front of her apartment. Even there was a space available right in front of the space where she likes to park, she actually asked the worker to move his truck. Thankfully, he refused to move. As soon as the worker finished for the day and left, she backed her car up into her favorite space so nobody else could use it. How crazy is that? We're not talking New York City here...this is New Hampshire.

JacksMommy · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:14 am Post subject: