A neighbor has an 8 month old Rot that is terrorizing the neighborhood. What should I do?

Question

I have a situation with a neighbor and a Rottweiler. They got the dog when it was about 8 weeks old, and from the very beginning, it has shown aggression towards first other dogs, and then people.

At approximately 2 months old, this puppy would growl and show it's teeth and lunge at other dogs, even dogs that were quite large. This happened EVERY time the dog came in contact with another dog or person.

The owner didn't seem to see a problem with this. Next, the puppy started doing the same thing with people. With the dog on a leash, even walking by it, the dog would show it's teeth, growl and lunge towards the person.

These people sometimes let the dog out without a leash, and the dog has several times went to attack other dogs, until the owner was able to grab the dog.

I am afraid that the dog will attack a child and will seriously injure or kill the child. The dog is now about 8 months old, and also is abused by the owner. The police have been called to their house several times because neighbors have heard/seen the man beating the dog.

The dog has been like this from the very beginning and it just seems to be getting worse. The owners are very defensive, and think there is nothing wrong with their dog. They have small children. I realize the chance of their children getting mauled is very high, or worse yet someone else's child. Is there anything I can do?

The police say because this dog has not actually bit someone, they cannot do anything. We live in an apartment, and there is no yard or anything to keep the dog in. Just a few days ago, the dog got loose and chased a small boy. The owner is obviously afraid of the dog, because of his actions when he tried to stop the dog from chasing the boy. The dog was caught before any damage was done to the child that I am aware of.

I realize this dog is going to maul someone, its just a matter of time. What can I do in the meantime?

Accepted Answer

Training could probably fix this problem, as could a fenced yard and the owner becoming a responsible pet owner. Obviously none of that is going to happen with a person like this. So the only solution is to convince him to get rid of the dog or in the worst case scenario, see to it that he is prosecuted if the dog attacks a child.

For this to happen it is important to establish a history with the police on this dog. You must organize with other neighbors about this concern. When you see it off leash you must call the police. When they come you must detail what the problem is and ask for their incident number. This is important. They must pull an incident number on the call. If they will not give it to you, call and ask to talk to the supervisor. If he will not cooperate, then call the Chief or the District Attorney.

The reason an incident number is important is because in most police departments the officers then have to write a report. This establishes a history of problems with the dog. Then when you see the dog act aggressively to people (even on leash) you call the police. Sooner or later either the owner will find a new home for the dog or when an accident happens you will have established a paper trail to prosecute the owner.

You may want to print out the articles from my web site on the Sabina Davidson case and give them to the owner. If you don't want to get in a fight with him, just mail them to him.