this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2023
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Hi!

I have a very well behaved german shepherd that's never agressive towards anyone or anything. My neighbor has a yorkie that is a rescue from a hoarding situation. The yorkie is extremely agressive towards me and my dog. Every time he catches a glimpse of us he runs right up to my dog and starts barking in her face and snapping at her feet. I don't think there has been any biting yet but it's only a matter of time.

This has happened on four separate occassions. At first I tried to be understanding - he was a rescue dog and needed time for training and rehabilitation. But I get the distinct impression this dog is not being trained, or at least not by a professional.

The thing that fucking blows my mind is that she lets the dog off leash when she thinks she is alone. Normally if her dog was friendly I wouldn't give a shit, but this is an extremely aggressive dog. Twice now her dog has been off leash and completely out of control and we've both walked around a corner and into each other. This is fucking infuriating to me, and I was sure to let the owner know. I told her that if I see her dog off leash one single more time I'm calling animal control.

My big fear is that one day my dog is going to have had enough and stand up for herself and fucking eviscerate that little shit, and I'm going to have to have my dog put down for being "aggressive" even though she has never once instigated an attack.

Did I do the right thing here? I don't want her to get rid of her dog just because of me, but my dog was here first and is never the aggressor. I feel like I've been very patient, but it's been a year and a half and I'm at my wits end.

Thanks!

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[–] TheSporkBomber 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

First off there have been mentioned of documenting it, and you should definitely do so. I would include calling animal control in this so there is a trend if something does happen.

In terms of protection though, there is something called pet corrector spray. It's the equivalent of an air horn for dogs, and is directional. Humans only hear a hiss. Might be worth an investment there.

When I've encountered off leash dogs I put myself between the dog and my dog. Between that and the corrector spray it should be a pretty convincing argument to the little shit to stay away.