Off Leash in your own yard ...rude?

[gramma dishes]

Just out of curiosity, did any of the other neighbors sign that petition?

I think that if I were the first person asked to sign, I'd have gotten on my phone and called all the rest of my neighbors to inform them about what to expect if someone rings their doorbell in the next few minutes. 

[pinkiu]

Where we lived many subdivisions had rules that prohibited fences. Most people with dogs installed invisible fences. I'm guessing the are ignorant of them.

[mmswm]

I own a Big Scary Looking Dog.  He's under my control at all times.  I currently live with my parents and the first thing I did was walk the border of their property and close the gaps in the fences (it's several acres...this was a big job).  The only time I tie up the dog is when somebody's mowing the lawn.  Baxter is under the impression that the lawnmower will eat his people and therefore the lawnmower Must Die.  Also, if somebody who doesn't visit regularly comes by, I do make sure he's either inside or leashed, since he will not let visitors out of their cars and hasn't quite gotten to the point of a verbal call-off yet. 

Anyway, my point is that as long as the dog is fenced or otherwise under the owner's control, there's no need to tie him up.  The new neighbors are being rude.  I would also be concerned about retaliatory behavior, as they don't sound like they're quite in their right minds.

[Donovan]

As long as a dog stays in it's own yard, why would it matter if there is a fence - invisible or actual?

[CaffeineKatie]

In our town, it is against the law to tether your dog out in your yard, except for very short periods when you are out there as well (i.e. so you can leave the gate open while you mow).  The local Health Department and Animal Control staff are the ones who pushed for this law--nothing makes a dog go mean faster than being tethered and ignored or teased, and then they have to deal with it.

To start off immediately hating on a well-behaved and fenced-in dog makes me wonder what is wrong with the new neighbors.  I also wonder what their next "problem" will be. Maybe the OP could start a politely worded petition to ban them from the neighborhood (ok--that was just wishful thinking)  I would keep a close eye on the dog but I would also do a google/legal search on the new neighbors--are they in the habit of filing nuisance lawsuits at their former address?

[bansidhe]

In our town, it is against the law to tether your dog out in your yard, except for very short periods when you are out there as well (i.e. so you can leave the gate open while you mow).  The local Health Department and Animal Control staff are the ones who pushed for this law--nothing makes a dog go mean faster than being tethered and ignored or teased, and then they have to deal with it.

You beat me to it. Chaining/tethering dogs is flat-out illegal in a lot of places, so that might be something for Trixie's owners to look into. And add me to the posters who are worried that the SS neighbors might do something awful to Trixie. 

[LeveeWoman]

Do the new neighbors know there is an invisible fence? I can see being upset if I thought that a dog had the run of the neighborhood (but I wouldn't flip out and start a petition).

[TootsNYC]

I own a Big Scary Looking Dog.  He's under my control at all times. I currently live with my parents and the first thing I did was walk the border of their property and close the gaps in the fences (it's several acres...this was a big job).  The only time I tie up the dog is when somebody's mowing the lawn.  Baxter is under the impression that the lawnmower will eat his people and therefore the lawnmower Must Die.  Also, if somebody who doesn't visit regularly comes by, I do make sure he's either inside or leashed, since he will not let visitors out of their cars and hasn't quite gotten to the point of a verbal call-off yet. 

I wouldn't quite call that "under my control at all times."

[Firecat]

I own a Big Scary Looking Dog.  He's under my control at all times. I currently live with my parents and the first thing I did was walk the border of their property and close the gaps in the fences (it's several acres...this was a big job).  The only time I tie up the dog is when somebody's mowing the lawn.  Baxter is under the impression that the lawnmower will eat his people and therefore the lawnmower Must Die.  Also, if somebody who doesn't visit regularly comes by, I do make sure he's either inside or leashed, since he will not let visitors out of their cars and hasn't quite gotten to the point of a verbal call-off yet. 

I wouldn't quite call that "under my control at all times."

Actually, I would. The OP knows she can't fully control Baxter verbally, so she uses other means to make sure he is under control.

I'm also PODding the advice to let Trixie's people know about the petition so they can keep her safe. Because I really wouldn't put it past the Nutbar Neighbors to do something to her.

[mmswm]

I own a Big Scary Looking Dog.  He's under my control at all times. I currently live with my parents and the first thing I did was walk the border of their property and close the gaps in the fences (it's several acres...this was a big job).  The only time I tie up the dog is when somebody's mowing the lawn.  Baxter is under the impression that the lawnmower will eat his people and therefore the lawnmower Must Die.  Also, if somebody who doesn't visit regularly comes by, I do make sure he's either inside or leashed, since he will not let visitors out of their cars and hasn't quite gotten to the point of a verbal call-off yet. 

I wouldn't quite call that "under my control at all times."

Since I know what skills he hasn't learned and take measures to counteract that, he is under my control.  I know he's not reliable with a verbal call off, so he's on a leash when the situation necessitates it.  That means he's in my control.  I didn't say he was under my verbal control at all times, though I suppose I should have worded that more clearly.  I've only had the dog since Christmas.  These things take time to learn.  His breed is notoriously over-protective, so the verbal call-off is taking more time than I'd like.

ETA: Firecat posted while I was typing and worded that much more succinctly than I did.

[StillandSilent]

As long as the dog stays in it's yard, the dog is fine.  I have no fence, but my dog is under verbal control at all times.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's scared of everyone, so seeing people sends him scuttling back to the door at top speed.

I would be very concerned about the dog being left unattended outside, though.  There's too many things that can go wrong very quickly, and without the owner being a witness to exactly what happened, things can go ugly.

[Firecat]

But then again, I have run into dogs that have not liked men at all.  SOme might even behave in a frightening way towards a man they saw in the dog park.  I do not see that as a reason for men to stay out.

Did you mean to put this in the Dog Park/Toddlers thread, maybe?

[andi]

I don't see that Trixies people are doing anything wrong.  Why cant she be unleaded I her own yard?  In fact - I was going to post a similar question because I let my Yorki out in the front yard with no leash to potty. I am either outside with him or at the door watching out the window so I can call him back if he starts to wander out of the yard or across the sidewalk (towards the street) to bother anyone.

My issue is with my across the street neighbor who let's their dog out with no leash and "supervised" by their 5 and 7 year old kids so there is no control. Their dog is 4times the size of mine and rushes into our yard sending Jack into protective fits. To me THAT is rude - not having control of your dog period. Wherever it is.

[Sharnita]

But then again, I have run into dogs that have not liked men at all.  SOme might even behave in a frightening way towards a man they saw in the dog park.  I do not see that as a reason for men to stay out.

Did you mean to put this in the Dog Park/Toddlers thread, maybe?

Yeah, sorry

[kherbert05]

I think you have a moral obligation to tell Trixie's family about the petition. They need to know that they have your support and that the crazy people are ramping things up.


They need to protect Trixie. If legal they probably should build a complete physical fence to keep the crazies out. They also need to start a legal paper trail documenting the things these people do and barring them from Trixie's family's property.   As others have mentioned nuts on holy crusades can do horrible things like poisoning dogs just because they are RIGHT and everyone else is WRONG. I would also worry about them coming on the property and provoking or trying to provoke the dog into biting or nipping them.


I would probably write a letter to the landlord complaining about the tenets harassing neighbors trying to get an already properly restrained dog cruelly tied up. Some friends live near each other in another neighborhood. One of them has a pit bull that is properly trained, never abused, well treated, and they had a double fence (wood fence on the outside with a chain link fence inside the yard) They had a similar situtation where someone who was in neighboring apartments was trying to "prove" the dog was dangerous by teasing or baiting it. They tried to ralley the neighbors to "the cause". The neighbors all documented things. Kept an eye on the family's house. I think they were able to get a no tresspass order to keep the harrassers off their property. The neighbors also all wrote letters to the landlord complaining about the harrassment (with specific examples of them trying to provoke the dog.) The family moved out shortly after that. Ironically just before they moved there was a series of dog attacks on other dogs. The family called the cops on my friend accusing the pit bull of the attacks.  - and the cops and animal control practically died laughing. There was NO way the attacking dog was a pit bull - the wrong size and type of bite. Turned out to be a poodle that was running loose.


Edited to complete a sentence.