zachary hannah
Junior Member
Massachusetts
I have NEVER done anything to this dog. I've probably pet it once or twice. That's it.
Around 5 years ago, the dog ran onto my property and bit my friend in the back of the leg leaving a large contusion. His family wanted to sue, but as they were my neighbors, he didn't.
Beginning in late 2009, I began to hang out with my neighbor more often. During this time, the dog stormed up to me and bit me more than half a dozen times, once in the face. After these occurences, they finally made it a priority to lock the dog up when they invited me over. They knew the dog's intention was to maul me. Whenever I'd be over there, it would howl aggresively and be visibly agitated. On a couple of those occasions, they said they locked the dog up but actually didn't. The dog had actually bitten other people as well, so they had to keep it inside.
From 2010 to 2012 I lived in a different location. In September of 2012, they invited me over. I kept asking them if the dog was kept in a room where it could not escape. Even
though they knew the dog was vicious and that they had to keep it locked up when I was around, they had been negligent in the past and are generally intoxicated on a variety of substances, so naturally I was wary.We were all outside on the back deck and his friend went upstairs to the room where the dog was kept to grab a beer. I stood by the door ready to watch the dog march down after being let out and, surprise, it was let out. It darted towards me snarling and I closed the door just in time. It slammed into the door and was barking at me. The funny thing is the owner's friend who went to get the beer had actually trained the dog. After me begging for him not to open the door until he brought the dog upstairs, he did. He said the dog's neck was stiff the entire time and it was growling. He had never seen the dog so mad. Not sure why it never came up between them that the dog and I had a history, especially since they were talking about how well he had trained it. I stopped talking with
them.
There were no encounters from then until this month because I went to school. Tonight, I went out to my car to grab something, and as I approached my car, heard a bark, heard my neighbor call out it's name, and jumped into my backseat just as I heard the dog sprinting towards me. When I got in the car obviously my momentum was going away from the door, so that second it took me to reach out and slam the door felt like ages. I thought for sure the dog would get me. I closed the door the moment before the dog could reach me. I waited in my backseat until it went home. The owner went inside nonchalantly; pretending as if nothing happened just as he has done countless times in the past.
I wanted to call the police tonight because there have been countless occassions like this but I couldn't because my parents said they were going to talk with his dad and the owner of the house (relative) over the weekend. What annoys me is the double standard-you don't sue your neighbors (something we've had to discuss,) but when they keep doing something they should be sued over, they don't take responsibilty for it. They know the dog wants to kill me. The only reason it hasn't is because I've managed to save myself at the last second. Why do I have to wait to get mauled? It's inevitable that it will one day get me. It should have been put down years ago. I'm sure its also relevant to say that he is a druggy in his mid 30s that lives with his parents. What can I do?
I have NEVER done anything to this dog. I've probably pet it once or twice. That's it.
Around 5 years ago, the dog ran onto my property and bit my friend in the back of the leg leaving a large contusion. His family wanted to sue, but as they were my neighbors, he didn't.
Beginning in late 2009, I began to hang out with my neighbor more often. During this time, the dog stormed up to me and bit me more than half a dozen times, once in the face. After these occurences, they finally made it a priority to lock the dog up when they invited me over. They knew the dog's intention was to maul me. Whenever I'd be over there, it would howl aggresively and be visibly agitated. On a couple of those occasions, they said they locked the dog up but actually didn't. The dog had actually bitten other people as well, so they had to keep it inside.
From 2010 to 2012 I lived in a different location. In September of 2012, they invited me over. I kept asking them if the dog was kept in a room where it could not escape. Even
though they knew the dog was vicious and that they had to keep it locked up when I was around, they had been negligent in the past and are generally intoxicated on a variety of substances, so naturally I was wary.We were all outside on the back deck and his friend went upstairs to the room where the dog was kept to grab a beer. I stood by the door ready to watch the dog march down after being let out and, surprise, it was let out. It darted towards me snarling and I closed the door just in time. It slammed into the door and was barking at me. The funny thing is the owner's friend who went to get the beer had actually trained the dog. After me begging for him not to open the door until he brought the dog upstairs, he did. He said the dog's neck was stiff the entire time and it was growling. He had never seen the dog so mad. Not sure why it never came up between them that the dog and I had a history, especially since they were talking about how well he had trained it. I stopped talking with
them.
There were no encounters from then until this month because I went to school. Tonight, I went out to my car to grab something, and as I approached my car, heard a bark, heard my neighbor call out it's name, and jumped into my backseat just as I heard the dog sprinting towards me. When I got in the car obviously my momentum was going away from the door, so that second it took me to reach out and slam the door felt like ages. I thought for sure the dog would get me. I closed the door the moment before the dog could reach me. I waited in my backseat until it went home. The owner went inside nonchalantly; pretending as if nothing happened just as he has done countless times in the past.
I wanted to call the police tonight because there have been countless occassions like this but I couldn't because my parents said they were going to talk with his dad and the owner of the house (relative) over the weekend. What annoys me is the double standard-you don't sue your neighbors (something we've had to discuss,) but when they keep doing something they should be sued over, they don't take responsibilty for it. They know the dog wants to kill me. The only reason it hasn't is because I've managed to save myself at the last second. Why do I have to wait to get mauled? It's inevitable that it will one day get me. It should have been put down years ago. I'm sure its also relevant to say that he is a druggy in his mid 30s that lives with his parents. What can I do?
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