Yesterday evening we got a visit from some new neighbors. It was not a pleasant experience. They just bought a house down the street and moved in a short while ago. They've got a fenced back yard where they keep two dogs.
Nine-eye, our much loved neighborhood dog, went visiting. Although he is very timid with people he is very social with other dogs. Being a large boy and an experienced fence jumper he has no difficulty getting into their back yard. Our new neighbors are not pleased with his actions.
Perhaps "not pleased" is a bit of an understatement. What they are is angry enough that they threatened to kill Nine-eye if he goes into their yard again.
Yes, the mister said flat out that if we didn't keep Nine-eye out of his yard he would kill the dog.
This upset me greatly, but wasn't what brought me within inches of my first adult fist fight. What pissed me off even more than his threat was his qualifier, which he kept mouthing as if it absolved him of any consequence of his actions.
"I don't mean to be hateful, but..."
"I don't want to sound hateful, but..."
"I'm not trying to be hateful, but..."
Finally I couldn't hear that any more. My blood was boiling and I was about to pop. I looked him straight in the eye and said "I cannot imagine anything more hateful than that". Proud of me? I sure am. What I really wanted to say included colorful expressions about his person and a goodly dose of vitriol.
As it was, my simple words calling him on the carpet difused what was becoming a very bad situation. After I said that he got quiet for a few moments and when he spoke again the belligerence was gone. I got him to agree to call us if he saw Nine-eye in his yard again. Hopefully if we scold Nine-eye it will be more effective than him chasing the dog out of his yard.
It will not be a permanent solution. Nine-eye is very canine social. He wants to be with other dogs. He will return there eventually. Although we were able to reason with these new neighbors I do not think they will remain reasonable for very long. A person who'll come up to your house and tell you he is going to kill your dog is not the kind of person who strikes me as being reasonable for any length of time.
So what can we do? The best long-term solution is to get him out of his dangerous environment. Lovely Wife has started looking for a permanent home for him. He's a wonderfully friendly dog, very gentle and easy to handle. Once he's comfortable with a person, that is. He is very timid with most folk but recognizes "dog people" pretty quickly. He is quite smart and very social. I think he would be an excellent house dog after some patient training. He would also do very well as a yard dog but the fences need to be jumper-proof and he would absolutely need other dogs around him.
If you're in the Atlanta Metro area and would like to own a wonderful animal, please let me know. Heck, if you're outside of the Atlanta Metro area but would like to own a wonderful animal this is the perfect excuse to come see the delights of the area and pick up a pet while you're here. If you know anybody who might be interested please point them to this entry.
Update: Lovely Wife took some new pictures of Nine-eye. They're at the post linked above. Damn, that's one handsome dog! Here's one of them. He's tied up so he won't go into that backyard. This makes him very sad.
I think Nine-Eye smells that something is going on.I tied him up today and he was all mellow with it.He does cry a bit but takes it well at the moment.But I hate it...god damnit.....I hate chained up dogs,thats NO LIFE.
Also,he has gotten so much better with people.My neighbors to the left can pet him now and to the right,the folks who fix up the house,he walks right up for some love.
Gosh.why the fuck would someone want to kill this dog???
I bet I am going to have another sleepless night about this....I wish I could do SOMETHING.
I want your dog.
Badly.
THat whole "6 months in quarantine" makes it impossible.
I do, however, want to beat the snot out of your neighbor. Killing dogs just 'cause? What a fucking sad waste of human refuse that guy is.
Not sure how but I'll pay for your plane ticket to come here and kick some ass!Trust me....when I am on edge I would do a thing like that..LOL
People are such assholes, aren't they?
I have a very social dog, too, and some lady that bought the house next door said that he was "annoying" some of her workers fixing up the place with his barking. (Note: he was mostly barking at his favorite rock. Yes, you heard me: his favorite rock.) She came to our house threatening LEGAL ACTION if we didn't keep our dog inside (he only comes inside at night), or get him a bark collar (HELL NO!!!) Talk about getting off on the wrong foot with your neighbors! To make matters worse, we have some unsavory types down the street whose pit bulls keep getting loose. Now THERE'S one breed I absolutely don't trust...
Sorry to ramble, but I feel for your situation. I'd consider taking Nine-Eye, since I live just across town from you, but we can barely afford the dog we already have. I'll put the word out amongst people I know that Nine-Eye needs a new home. If all else fails, look around for animal rescue groups.
That reminds me of what the vet lady at Petco told me last weekend when I asked her about the microchip we had implanted in our little run-away Nicky.She said she had it done to her cat,whom she keeps outside during the day.One day she got a call from the shelter to come get her cat because the NEIGHBOR who hates cats had caught the cat,boxed it up and brought it for destruction to Animal Control.The law says,microchipped pets can NOT be destroyed.SO,I got my answer,yes,the chip works and yet another story about ASSHOLE neighbors!
We can barely afford our dogs either.....but I guess Walmarts cheap food (their version of Kibbles and Bits)and PETCO vets are a lifesaver,one just has to hope nothing BAD ever happends because then the only thing I can afford will be the 50 bucks to put them down.
:-(((((((((((((((((
Thank you for your help,btw!
You might also consider looking into the legalities involved if someone kills your dog. That is, if you can prove Nine-Eye is truly yours. Be nice if you can end up owning your neighbor's home and telling them to pack their shit up and get the fuck out of your neighborhood. Probably would be more complicated than that, but just a thought.
Once again, I ask: why are people such assholes?
Ah hell... if the neighbor kills your dog, kill his back. Kill both of them.
You really need to be careful of someone like me... I have no dogs so if I kill your dog you can't retaliate in kind. Didn't think of that, did you?
Muhahahaha!
(Note: I'm only kidding. If you need this parenthetical note to realize that, you need more help than I can provide in an aside).
do you have a home for nine-eyes? he looks like part collie. they are very social and caring of other animals.
we have a collie that has markings like nine-eye.
No, not yet. We tried keeping him in the back yard but the only way we could get him to stay was by chaining him up and he got so depressed we had to stop. He seems to be staying away from the threatening neighbors for now. Hopefully he'll keep avoiding them until we can get him a safe home.