My Neighbors Hate Rotties and are Making Me Crazy!!!

[SuziHeaton]

Ugh!! I have to vent!

My neighbors are elderly and hate rottweilers. Now, I wasn't aware of this before I brought Sadie (12 months) home, but I honestly don't know if that would have deterred me anyway. That's really hard for me to fairly consider to be honest--I thought I was simply bringing a family pet home and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd love her, or her breed, as much as I do. I truly don't think I'll ever own a different breed again.

Anyway, back to my problem. From day one these people have voiced their concerns about living next to "such a huge animal." The first time they met
Sadie they asked if I was crazy bringing a rottweiller into a home with children. I went into the whole schpeel about how the vet said rotties are one of the top 3 dogs she'd recommend for familes, etc. but that had no effect. After listening to this woman, I concluded that she had a rotty confused with a pit bull. I tried clarifying for her, and she said she understood, but, she still hasn't shut up!

Her new complaint is that every day my "huge dog" stares at her in a frightening way through the fence! Okay, A) my "huge dog" weighs 74 pounds at 12 months, and every ounce of it is muscle--she looks like she is actually much smaller becaus she's so fit. B) you all know what a rotty's face looks like!! She's not staring at this woman to intimidate her--she's looking at her because she wants her to pet her!

So, fast forward to this week. I had surgery on Tuesday, and when I came home from the hospital, my husband had to run to the store, which lies one block from the entrance to my neighborhood, to pick some soup up for me. While he was gone, he put Sadie in the backyard so she didn't jump on me. She's not really a jumper anymore, but he didn't want to take chances with a fresh incision combined with the effects of anesthesia.

Anyway, it was cool outside (60 degrees) and within 10 minutes this woman came banging on my door to complain that the dog was barking and didn't have water. Now, I told my husband he was an idiot for this when he came home, but I could honestly see his point. He was only to be gone for a few minutes, and my mother was home to keep checking out on Sadie. My mother said she never heard the dog bark but would go out and check on her and bring her water. My neighbor offered to bring it out for her, so my mother thanked her and took her up on the offer as I was pretty ill at that point.

So yesterday, my neighbor called me and completely reversed this story. She told me she came over and told my mom about the barking and the water, and that my mother slammed the door on her face! Now, I was awake for this, and drugged or not I can remember my mother thanking her for her graciousness and laughing with her when she said goodbye! So, that was a blatant lie. Then, she said we put her in a position where she could have been eaten alive going into our backyard with a rottweiller!! She said Sadie was looking at her like she wanted to kill her. My husband's response:

A) She didn't have to go back there--she offered after my mother said she'd take care of it.
B) If the dog wanted to kill her, a perfect time would have been when she entered our gated backyard without one of us.
C) The dog has never hurt anybody, or even tried to for that matter!

Oh wait I forgot the best one! This woman allows her cats to roam freely, and, on occasion, they wander under/over my fence and into my yard. She had the nerve to say to me, "Those cats have wondered around here for years, and I have to tell you I will kill that dog if anything happens to them. Hello!!! I have a fence, she doesn't--how does that make sense?

Short of filing a harassment complaint with the township, I don't know what to do. I know this is long, and I apologize, but the summary is that my neighbor is just hell-bent on complaining about having a rotty living next door. Nothing I've done has helped, and I don't know what to do anymore.

How can I convince this woman that the dog is safe and friendly? It's so bad that we're replacing our chain-link fence with a stockade fence so she can't look in our yard anymore. I hate the thought of that as I love looking at the woods that surround our property, but I can't stand dealing with this woman anymore and want to minimize all interactions with her.

Thank you for your help,
Suzi

[sekhmetsat]

we had that problem with our first rottie, saxon, but we rented back then... sounds like you just have a dog-hater, and an irresponsible cat owner at that. i'm not sure what to tell you. my older dog, who is only a 55 pound whippet/gsd mix is considered "large " by our neighbors, but he knows agility, so they like him..."hey, look at this dog jump through a hoop!!!" maybe teach your dog some cute tricks to calm your neighbor down. we don't have a completely fenced yard, so i am ALWAYS out with the dogs... maybe the neighbor might calm her paranoia if she saw you working with your dog. vendetta, our new rottie, is only 11 weeks, so he's still little. no complaints, yet. but i'm sure they will come. we have an irresponsible cat owner, too. she quit saying the "my cats have always been outdoor" crap when i explained my cat used to be, but now is strictly indoors. it's not hard. and the cat lives longer.

[dmoniz]

I would also look into a cat fence. It attaches to the top of a regular fence and it keeps cats from coming in or out. I would hate to see your dog listed as dangerous because it killed a cat on your property. Or, heaven forbid your neighbor poison's her or something...

[rottcrazed]

We all know someone with a 'crazy' neighbor.

One of my puppy people discovered they had one after they brought Dax home.

This person never threatened to kill Dax, however, has elluded to other things, so what dax's owners did was way too funny.

They built a 7 foot fence just on that neighbor's side of their yard (their other neighbors are great).

Now, if they are in their yard, they can't even see the neighbor to chat.

Worked perfectly for them.

Think about adjusting your fence in any way you can and if the neighbor becomes too much, build a dog run in on the other side of your yard from her house, so if you cannot be out in the yard with Sadie, she can be safely in her own area AWAY from threatening old lady ....

Kristi

[rottnkidd]

Suzi - I would be polite with the neighbor, but I would limit my 'friendliness' to a greeting only. I doubt she will discontinue allowing her cats to roam. If you cannot be outdoors interacting with your dog, keep the dog inside. especially if the troublesome neighbor is in her yard. Do not give this neighbor 'any' reason to complain about your dog. Train and train some more. Create a 'canine citizen' you will be proud of and one that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Put a padlock on your gate to keep the neighbor or anyone from entering your property. Also, if you or your husband are leaving the house, keep the dog indoors everytime!
Lastly, when push comes to shove with argumentative people, keep your cool. Do not transfer 'blame' to another breed, like the Pit, just because someone does not like 'our' breed of choice. If our dogs fail miserably it is because we as humans have failed them, no matter what the breed.
Best wishes-
kathy

[llwaxan]

Suzi- ignorance is one thing, but threatening is another thing entirely.

I tend to be overly cautious by nature :) but I would start documenting all these interactions. Document the threat to your "property" (that is what the legal system considers our beloved companions to be). Note the times, dates, statements, etc. Have your hubby and Mother do the same. Keep all training certifications, have your vet write recommendations as to Sadie's temperment and behavior. And as stated in the other replies, keep her with you and observe her and your yard at all times (I am sure you already do this).

I would additionally send them a certified letter, if they continue to persist, stating that you will no longer tolerate their behaviors and request that they keep their cat on their property and clearly ask for civility and respect among neighbors.

If it goes further, contact legal aid or an attorney, or the SPCA. People do not have the right to threaten, intimidate, and/or harrass their fellow citizens.

Maybe I am a nut (ask my husband for confirmation!), but as a Rottie owner I know that my dogs will be viewed as the bad ones, regardless of the circumstances.

Anyway, best of luck and I hope your feeling better following your surgery...

[chivas]

I think you are wasting your time trying to convince your neighbor your rottie is friendly. A LOT of people take your reassurances of how friendly your dog is to just the opposite. Ive dealt with the some thing you are going through and I have 3 rotties. I make sure my dogs are securely contained in my yard, make sure they are legal on whatever my city imposes and make sure they are propertly trained. Ive had rotties for 15 yrs, my dogs have NEVER threaten, killed or otherwise harmed anyone. I wish I could say that about my neighbor's IMO mentally unstable and extremely aggressive boxerX, that dog came on another's neighbor's property and killed his cat. Let your dogs actions speak for itself and ignore the wacky neighbors when it comes to your dog. And BTW - MANY counties have leash laws which apply to cats too.

[SuziHeaton]

Thank you all for your replies! I truly appreciate your support. I have talked to my friends and family members, but they simply know Sadie, and aren't too familiar with society's ignorance of the breed. I can't tell you how many of my friends/family members have offered to speak to the neighbors for me.

I wanted to follow-up to my original post. I would love to place a run on the other side of my yard, but, our pool is there, and it cannot be moved (not legally, anyway).

I also agree that I may be wasting my time trying to talk to my neighbors at this point. I tend to agree that actions will speak louder than words. I'd honestly love to train Sadie to jump through hoops and complete other types of obstacle courses. The thing is, I have no experience with this. I learned a lot through this site just to make Sadie an awesome pet--can you guys direct me to some good references for A) purchasing these obstacles and B) advice for how to train the dog to complete them? Please keep in mind that this is new for me, so I will need to look for the simplest way to begin! I am totally open to anything, so please pass all of your "show off" suggestions to me!!!

As far as being a good citizen, Sadie is that. The neighborhood children love her, and their parents have all become comfortable letting their children approach Sadie and pet her. Of course, I keep her on a very tight reign when other kids are petting her--I put her in a sit and grip the leash about 3-4 inches from the collar to remind her that I have total control. She wouldn't attack, but she would smother the children in kisses, and I know that can be frightening for some children.

As for the documentation--that is an awesome idea!!! I honestly only keep her immunization record at my house. My vet knows me well--she has a rotty breeder employed on-site, and I've contacted her on many occasions for training guidance, and she's often told me how impressed she is with the progress we've made as rookies. Is it crazy if I call the vet and ask her to simply evalute Sadie's demeanor and request documentation that states she is well behaved?

As for training certificates, I don't have any. We had a private trainer come to the house, so we never graduated from a class setting. I think I will enroll Sadie in a class--it can't hurt, even though I've evaluated local classes and think they're way behind her already. Still, it will prove I'm being as responsible as possible. I'll also contact her personal trainer to see if she can give me some type of reference. I'm confident she'd be happy to as she has often told me Sadie is the smartest dog she's worked with in ages (in fact, she tried to buy her from me)!!! Of course I said no, but I did at least get a great dog-sitter out of it for vacations, etc.!

Please let me know what info you can share on the obstacles!! I think that sounds like great fun for Sadie and our whole family to be honest with you! I'm sure my children would get a kick out of such training.

Thank you all again!! You are the greatest!!!
Suzi

[llwaxan]

Alright Suzi!
And yes, get all the evals and recommendations you care to from trainers, vets, postman, any professional will do. It goes a long way in my experiences.
It goes like this; "You don't allow/like/whatever, Rotties to ____ fill in the blank?" "Well I have this and this and this and this...how do ya like me now!?!!" LOL!

[StephanieandToby]

I had a problem with a neighbour who would drive by the fence and yell at us every chance he got...Toby never barked before he started his ranting....

I had the Police go talk to him (although legally they didn't have to....but they offered to keep the peace)Things were fine after that.

I think you need to keep conversations with your neighbour to a friendly "hello" and that's it..
Keep your dog indoors unless you are outside with it.

Basically, don't give her any fuel for the fire...the new fence sounds like a great idea.

Good luck!

[chivas]

Your trainer should know where to get aglility tools. If not, most pet catalogs sell them, Jeffers, Drs Foster and Smith, etc. Or do a search on here for dog agility courses.

[frontierrots]

Don't REPLACE the chainlink, do what I did and put the stockade up too! In your case (unless you own a couple feet beyond the chainlink) put the stockade inside the chainlink. Mine is on the outside but inside will work too. This will keep the cats from going UNDER the stockade fence and keep the dog from digging under too (a common problem with stockade fencing)

THEN on the chainlink fence install the cat barrier along the top angling away from your yard. Acat barrier is a piece of fencing installed at an aprox 45 degree angle towards the area cats are likely to jump. It keeps them from being able to jump onto the top of the fence (they hit the barrier instead)

Padlock all gates also.I had neighbors like that and you just have to stop talking with them and install a stockade fence to protect the dog and yourself

[rdawg]

I would be very cautious about accepting the offer of a dog-hating neighbor (who has threatened to "kill" my dog!) to give my dog a drink of water.

It sounds like you are steering clear of that neighbor now, so good luck!

[TouregV8]

I'd be doing the legal charges thing when someone threatened to kill my dogs. A Peace Order is usually not difficult to obtain, and will let this crazy woman know you mean business.

How can I convince this woman that the dog is safe and friendly?

In my view, the dog is just an excuse for her to be abusive towards her neighbors. The only way to deal with threats against loved ones is NOT placating the individual. It's finding a legal means of letting them to know they must cease and desist from harassment. Your state probably has a civil peace order protection order process that's available for anyone 24/7/365. A constable or administrator will usually issue the first order, make sure the offender is served notice and then a hearing is scheduled. Either or both parties bring a lawyer. The judge basically hears the testimony and I strongly urge you to bring witnesses to her abusiveness and threats. My guess is, judges err on the side of the complaining witness and issue these orders to protect you and the property '[dog].

Trying to placate this woman is a waste of time. She's primed and ready to do your dog harm, reason in itself to consult for a protective or peace order. It's not a criminal hearing, but a civil order with criminal penalties should she violate it.

I'd document all the contacts, words and actions so far and then go file the order. I've done this once and honestly, I'm sorry I waited as long as I did, in hindsight. It was much better to just let the offender know that the authorities were waiting for any violations and that the offender must obey the law and leave us alone. Us and our dogs.

Good luck.

[SABELLESMOM]

Another suggestion is to arrange for classes and earn your dog "at the very least" a CGC and or TT. A CGC, in particular would be written proof that your dog is considered a well behaved canine. And perhaps, just for effect, I'd consider hanging a framed copy of the certificate on my front porch!

www.akc.org/events/cgc/index.cfm