What can we do (if anything)? Regarding neighbor's unleashed dog....

This morning, we were on our way out to see my parents and my husband (Tom) took Lily out to the car while I finished getting some stuff together inside.
All of a sudden, I heard yelling outside, so I looked out the front door and saw my husband holding Lily and screaming at our neighbor from across the street.
Apparently, Tom and Lily were on the front lawn and she was wandering around like she usually does, when the dog from across the street ran to our yard and charged at Lily.
Tom scooped Lily up, so the dog never touched her, and the neighbor came over after his dog, but never apologized, and Tom immediately started screaming at him about his crazy dog.
This dog is never on a leash. Not when it gets taken for a walk, not when it's out on their front yard (unfenced), not when it's wandering across the street to go to the bathroom on our property......
And the people across the street are trash. They have big blow out fights with each other and their children on their front lawn, call the cops on one another, hit each other in the driveway....you name it! And they have several dogs, and all of the dogs seem to be afraid of them.

I'm grateful that nothing bad happened today...but what about the future? What's to say that this dog won't do this again, and maybe we won't be able to react so quickly?
Is there anything we can do to compel them to control their dogs better? Talking to them is not an option, since this guy's reaction to the situation was to challenge my husband to a fight. They're just not reasonable!
Can we call the town on them?
Can we do anything?

Re: What can we do (if anything)? Regarding neighbor's unleashed dog....

that is terrible. and very scary.

definitely call the town and/or police. it is against the law (at least in my incorporated village) to let a dog unleashed on your front lawn. they may only be unleashed in a fenced in yard. the owners will get a ticket each time it happens if you report them. i got this directly from my town's police department because we have a dog owner on my block who was doing the same thing.

you need to protect your child and yourselves. not to mention other children, elderly people and animals. please call your town and see what the rules are and what you can do about this. there has to be something you can do. call animal control even.

Re: What can we do (if anything)? Regarding neighbor's unleashed dog....

That's horrible. The only thing I would worry about is retribution if they know Tom just had this encounter, so if the town comes knocking they will know who turned them in. They know your comings and goings, and I just wouldn't want things to get messy if this starts a war. Our neighbors also have dogs off leashes and claim they have invisible fences, but the dogs have ran across the road.

Re: What can we do (if anything)? Regarding neighbor's unleashed dog....

I used to run by this house that had unleashed dogs on their front lawn. I used to run with my dog and every time without fail both dogs would run out into the street to chase after us. My dog could totally kick their azzes so nothing ever happened. But they would always come very close to getting hit by cars.

I stopped by and told the owners the situation in a nice way, like maybe their dogs would get hit or something, and they were basically like "oh well."

I don't get how people do this!!!

I would wait until you see the dog out and unleashed and then I would call animal control.

Re: What can we do (if anything)? Regarding neighbor's unleashed dog....

Posted by nov04libride

That's horrible. The only thing I would worry about is retribution if they know Tom just had this encounter, so if the town comes knocking they will know who turned them in. They know your comings and goings, and I just wouldn't want things to get messy if this starts a war. Our neighbors also have dogs off leashes and claim they have invisible fences, but the dogs have ran across the road.