Yep, I'm with Will on this (gee, what a surprise...)

It would be one thing if the dogs were just loose, trotted up happily, and said hello.

I would give them a pass if I thought the neighbors nice, well-behaved dogs inadvertantly got out the front door during moving, or out a faulty gate that they haven't learned about yet.

But the aggression? Those dogs are dangerous.
What if a child had been outside?
The kid wouldn't get "first time courtesy". They'd get first time hurt.

My nice meter drops below zero when someone's dog shows aggression to me in my own damned yard.

I agree with Will here.

Same thing happened to me. This dog was not joking, and is the only dog I have ever been around that exuded, "I can kick you @$$." It is something that you can "feel" and not just see from a dog like that.

I went to the owners house after the situation was over, sure that they would be happy that I didn't kill their dog and thankful that animal control wasn't involved.

They were dumb. "Awwww....Fester wouldn't hurt a flea!"

"The hell he wouldn't. Lady you weren't there, I was. He will bite. I'm not going to give him ANY benefit of the doubt if there is a next time. I'M gonna' bite first. Keep him away from my wife, dogs, and I."

After bailing him out of the pound a few times they built a fence. I wonder who kept calling the dog in?

9 times out of 10 your concerns are going to fall on deaf ears talking with the offending owners. The authorities will listen the first time.

As others are saying, aggressive dogs *do not* get a pass in my world, and if they're truly threatening myself, my family, or my property, I'm going to put them down, one way or the other.

Many years ago, I had a nice mini-ranch with horses, etc. - and a neighbor who had several dogs that formed a pack and threatened both people and the surrounding livestock. She had received several warning but she was *STUPID*.

To make a long story short, her dogs dug under *my* fence and were attacking one of my horses. I stepped outside with one of my HK 91's and shot all three of them dead in about five seconds as she watched, and then I called the Sheriff.
She was hysterical by the time they got to my place but our local Law Enforcement folks could see the dug hole, my injured horse, etc....and they wrote her a nice citation over the event.
Problem solved, and it was only such a problem due to the stupidity and irresponsibility of a neighbor. Shame it had to come to that but it was *her* choice, not mine.

My neighbors dog got out of his fenced yard and was running around just yesterday, and was apparently out quite early becasue my hubby said he saw him at 5am MST, I saw him at about 3pm so who knows how long he was loose.

With all the snow we've had, there are lots of drifts and there's one in particular that is 6" from being at the top of my 6' wood fence. Cooper, the neighbors dog, was standing on the top of that drift while I was out giving my dogs a couple chicken legs for a snack. I about had a heart attack. He is intact and doesn't like Otto(who's also intact) and has tried to fight him before. My dogs weren't happy with his presence and I finally got him to get down from the drift and go away.

The next time he's out of his fence and near my dogs, he will get a face full of pepper spray. He ever tries to come after my dogs again, local PD will be the first to hear about it, not his owner.
Not the first dog to wander or try to wander into my yard, and won't be the last I'm sure. I'm lucky I was outside when he showed up, otherwise I'd have been running out into my yard in bare feet, no coat and try to break up a dog fight,

Thanks so much for all the informative replies. I've been without electricity due to a snow storm for the past 12 hours and have not been able to turn my computer on until now.

Because of the storm and power outage, I've not talked to the owners of the dogs yet but do want to give them a chance even though they are idiots.

My main question is about the reason for those dogs standing up to me. With the level of aggression and determination I showed going out after them to drive them off, they should have run. Did they stand up to me because it was 2 against one?