Very MAD!!

[Cami]

I got a phone call yesterday from a neighbor/friend.
She said she had been walking her dogs the night before (around 8pm) and when she hit the corner of our street she saw two boys, approx. 12-13 years old that were in front of my house....AT MY WINDOW......TEASING RAINE!!
I live two houses from the end of my street. At least 1000 ft from the corner she was at. She said she could hear Raine barking (and going crazy) as soon as she turned the corner.
She said she (the neighbor) was freaking out wondering what was going on.
She said it took her a second or two to realize that there were kids at the front of my house.
As she continued to walk and got closer to my house she said she screamed at them to get away from the window and to leave the dog alone (she loves Raine).
They walked away.
Raine was in "distress" (her words not mine). I doubt Raine was in distress but I know what she would have been doing (I think but have never had anyone tease her AT the window before).
She was probably jumping up and down hitting the glass (neighbor confirmed this).... since this is what she does *sometimes* when she sees people walking dogs it doesn't surprise me. She also sounds quite vicious.
What does surprise me is that they had to walk in my yard and up to my window. I have about 3 feet of flower beds from the house to the lawn.
WHO DOES THAT?

Neighbor said she had seen these boys "in the neighborhood" recently (since school let out last week). They do not live IN our neighborhood and she said her hubby had seen them as well and mentioned he thought they were "shopping" as in up to no good and looking to get into trouble (mess with dogs, steal something, etc...) HIS words not mine!

I was in a store with DH when I got the call. He could tell in a nano-second that I was upset and stepped away from the sales guy to inquire as to what was going on. So we leave and are both completely infuriated!

I have three large windows at the front of my house. I always leave the middle window blinds open so that she can see the world while we are gone as she hangs out in her chair directly in front of the window. Well now that option is off the table. God forbid they come back and she goes berserk, breaks the glass and hurts herself (goes after the kids, gets lost, etc....). My mind shudders!!

If I catch these kids out (got a good description from neighbor) there will be hell to pay.
No one messes Raine and lives to tell about it.
***I am not threatening harm to these kids but I will certainly make them and their parents aware of my displeasure.

[SnowDove]

Kids can be so precious...

Before I had Daisy, I had an awesome three-legged rottweiler named "Jade". Jade was pretty fierce looking and sounding, considering her breed, but in fact she was a complete marshmallow! Well, I have a neighbor girl who owns pit bulls and has always tried to encourage aggressive behavior in them. Well, I caught her on MULTIPLE occasions standing in my driveway at the side gate with her pit bulls, trying to get them to snarl/growl/bark at my sweet baby Jade... and she was trying to get Jade to snarl back! I was SO livid. I told her numerous times to get the *^&! off my property, but she didn't listen. Finally, I waited for her outside one day with a metal baseball bat; I told her that if her dog ever stepped on my property again, it would be the last time. (Of course I would never have hurt the dog, but she didn't know that!)

After Jade passed, this same girl got a german shepherd puppy and had the nerve to come knock on my door and ask me how to make her puppy less submissive... Seriously?!?!? Arghhhhh!!!!

Recently, my next door neighbor has taken in a foster son who has some serious issues that need to be worked through. A couple of weeks ago, I saw large chunks of concrete flying over the fence into my backyard! If that hit Daisy in the head, it could easily KILL her! I was LIVID... So, I went to speak with the mother - and she basically called me a liar! She said there was no way that this boy was throwing concrete over the fence, she just didn't believe it. Then, her own son came over and admitted that the other boy had in fact been doing just that! Grrrrr...

Generally, the more I'm around people, the more I like animals.

Kisses to Raine - Poor girl deserves to be able to look out her window in peace! Best of luck in finding these kids and resolving the issue.

[rrboxer]

That makes me extremely angry that other people would mess with someone else's pet. It really bothers me that people just have no respect! Cami, I hope you run into those kids parents to keep them informed about 'teasing animals' & give them a piece of your mind.


@SnowDove - glad to hear Daisy did not get hurt from those chunks of flying concrete. As I was reading your post I was dreading the ending thinking your baby was hurt but glad she isn't.

[LILYLARUE]

I'd be making a report to the police. These kids were trespassing and there was a witness. They are up to no good and the parents should be responsible for what and where their kids are at all times. I can guarentee there will be some criminal activity in your neighborhood soon and can guess who the criminals will be.

Definitely call the police, and your friend to file a report.

[Demismom]

Originally Posted by LILYLARUE

I'd be making a report to the police. These kids were trespassing and there was a witness. They are up to no good and the parents should be responsible for what and where their kids are at all times. I can guarentee there will be some criminal activity in your neighborhood soon and can guess who the criminals will be.

Definitely call the police, and your friend to file a report.

Completely concur if no other reason than there is a record of the activity with authorities.

[Gatorblu]

I was thinking you should contact the police as well. I don't know that they will take a formal report from you because you were not the one who who witnessed the tresspassing. However it would be a good idea to give them a heads up especially since more than one person has seen them. Maybe they can do a couple of extra drive throughs.

[Roge]

yes I agree with all of the above. I dont know about the states but here you can buy a small signe to put on your property stating " Tresspassers will be prosecuted " it covers the owner and the tresspasser has no excuse. as is the" beware of dog " signe if someone enters and gets a bite they have done so at their owne risk.
I would not let this issue lie , if the schools are out those boy have a long summer ahead to entertain themselves and just might use Raine as their form of entertainment.

[Cami]

I spoke with another neighbor last night who is a dispatcher for the police department. She is not an officer but did say in her opinion you can't file a report for trespassing when a 3rd party (the other neighbor) saw "trespassing after the fact". She was going to confirm her thoughts today when at work.
As far as teasing/taunting an animal, again without any "proof" (as in her word - neighbor- against theirs) it would be hard to do anything about and it wouldn't be a civil issue (police) but animal control would need to be contacted.
To further complicate things I spoke with my friend/neighbor last night. Originally she didn't mention her DH was on the walk with her when this all took place. She told me they were in my yard and up by the window. He said that while they were for sure teasing Raine and making gestures towards her they were on the sidewalk.....not trespassing. So now I have two "witnesses" with different stories (minus the teasing part).
In my area if you have a sign that resembles a "Beware of Dog" sign or "Enter at your own risk" (with respect to an animal) AND if the animal were to injure a human then you are still responsible since you assumed an issue ahead of time by "warning" (with a sign) that you knew the animal was aggressive or could cause harm.
Those are a big no-no around here so I have a Boxer X-ing sign just to allow people to know that a Boxer is in the vicinity!

I ended up closing the blinds when I left the house yesterday and Raine wasn't any worse for wear. How she reacted if she did hear anything she couldn't see is beyond me. I am sure it might be a bit frustrating to hear things going on outside that she can't watch but she is safer this way.

My guard is always up when it comes to her but now it has intensified.

[LILYLARUE]

In this land of the free - seems the only freedom is for the criminals!

And yes, if you post a warning sign, that has any wording that you knew your dog was aggressive and would attack, you are held liable for any injuries. If a burglar robs your house and gets chewed up by your dog, the burgler can sue you too. It's just crazy! Even those humorous signs that read "I can make it to the fence in 6 seconds, can you?" are also a liability.

I have a sign on my fence that says "WARNING: Property protected by a pack of bullies". Does not state that my dogs will attack or any danger is at large. But, it does say I have a couple dogs that are of bully breeds on the property. It's all in the wording. It's no different that a sign that says "Property protected by ADT Monitoring System".

It's such a shame that our dogs can't even do what their instinct is to do - protect their home and their people. Things have just gotten too far as laws go to protect those innocent, but the law also protects those not so innocent too.

If you do not have a physical fence, and another dog comes onto your property and attacks your dog.......the fight ensues onto the neighbors property.....YOUR DOG is at fault! He did not stay on your property. How ridiculous is that line of thinking? No different than if you have to chase a criminal out of your house and shoot him cause he comes back to attack, drag him inside then call the cops. Otherwise, there was no threat because you could have shut the door!

The older I get, the more I want a house out in the middle of nowhere, with a moat and a steel drawbridge.

[CoraBoxer]

Who knows this might just be a one time thing right... but i'd look into getting either a camera or one of those cheap dummy cameras that looks like the real thing but has no internals lol. Pretty sure even like a web cam would do it... placed in a visible location right next to the window. Stream to your computer, cell etc... I'm in an apartment now but its something i'd be seriously concidering if I was on ground level in a bigger place for a number of reasons not just this. Anyways, this sucks for sure.

[RoxiesEcho]

Definitely not condoning the incident but if they were looking for a place to rob, Raine certainly has deterred them from trying anything at her house which good be a good thing. I often worry about Bella and our picture window. Not because of strangers or people approaching the house but other animals wandering through when we aren't home. She will sometimes stand with her front feet on it when a squirrel has been spotted and just last week-end the neighbor acrossed the street St. Bernard was snooping around our house. I shutter to think what would happen if she broke through. We close the curtains when we are gone but they are typically wide open by the time we get home.

The fake camera idea is a good thought. Maybe even fake security signs, especially since the boys know that have been spotted.

[larrygs]

Originally Posted by Cami

I ended up closing the blinds when I left the house yesterday and Raine wasn't any worse for wear. How she reacted if she did hear anything she couldn't see is beyond me. I am sure it might be a bit frustrating to hear things going on outside that she can't watch but she is safer this way.

As irritating as it is, I think this is the best course. We don't have a fenced yard. Unknown kids cut through our yard at times, sometimes very late a night as they go from one neighborhood to another. Even had them ride bikes through. Their path is through our landscaping and sometimes there is damage. Really irritates me. However, the last thing I want to do is start a battle with some deliquents who will can be at our house during times we are away.

A couple of weeks ago Jack and Layla were on our deck while we were inside. We have a gate at the stairs to the yard so they don't roam. It was about midnight. A kid was cutting through and they went ballistic barking to scare the intruder away. Let me tell you, a pair of boxers going ballistic in the middle of the night sounds pretty intimidating. Plus intruder would know they are outside yet can't easily see the gate. I bet that kid won't be back again.

Eventually kids grow up and do something else. Of course, they get replaced by the next batch.