Bad neighbors

Hey everyone -

I have a 5 year old yellow lab & cocker spaniel mix named Jake. He is a very friendly dog who loves to jump on people. I got him for my son when he turned 13 and now even though my son no longer lives at home I still have Jake the dog.
The problem is I live close to a family that has 2 Rotweiller mix & 1 German Shepard that they allow to run all over. Yesterday I was out running errands and one of the neighbor dogs came in my yard & attacked Jake [B]AGAIN! This makes the 3rd time that their dogs have attacked him. About a month ago I had taken Jake out for a walk - we were about a block away from home when these dogs ran across the street and latched onto Jake's ear & neck. I ended up having to take him to the vet because the gash on his neck got infected. I was talking to some other neighbors the other night & they told me that the night before the dogs attacked Jake, a girl was walking her dog (a small dog) past the "neighbors from hell's" house and their dogs also attacked her dog. Three years ago they attacked and killed a pet rabbit, clear over in another part of town.
Yesterday the dog got ahold of Jake on the same spot on his neck - when I got home Jakes neck was bleeding and he was so scared. Last summer the dogs came right up on my porch and attacked Jake.
When Jake was still pretty much a puppy one of these neighbor's kids shot him with a beebee gun. Jake still has the mark on top of his head where he was hit.
All of my neighbors have had bad experiences with these people & their dogs. One family that lives across the street from the "neighbors from hell" have called & complained because the dogs bark all night.
To top it all off the female rotweiller mix keeps having litters of puppies. At one time this family actually had 15 dogs (including puppies) in their yard.
Their have been so many complaints and calls to the police department about this family and their dogs. I called yesterday after my neighbor told me that one of the dogs had attacked Jake again - when the police officer came to my house I told him that I had been gone when it happened, but my next door neighbor had seen it. He went over to talk to her - she told me that he said that their (the police dpt.) hands are tied for some reason - they can't do anything. This family has gotten fined for several times, but they are allowed to pay their fines off in a small amount each month.
Has anyone else ever had an experience like this & if so, how did you resolve it? My sister told me last night that I might be better off having Jake put to sleep than letting him be beat up by these viscious dogs. I can't do that though, and while I really can't imagine myself shooting a beebee gun, sometimes lately the thought is tempting.
:(
I know I probably shouldn't use the term "neighbors from hell". but couldn't think of anyother way to describe them.

You know, taking into consideration the fact that your dog has been attacked about 5 times & shot with an beebe gun the next time i saw one f those dogs trying to attack my dog i would shoot it with an beebe gun. But an more civilized form of defense would be to call animal control when one of their dogs attacks yours. AND you could sue the family for the vet bills.

Pepper spray? A good fence? I'd never think of putting my own dog to sleep because of a neighbor's dog not liking mine. I'd be appauled for somebody to suggest that to me. Not to mention there are kids around. You can't put a kid to sleep because of some inconvinient dogs. With this many bite complaints, the dogs should be seized. Make sure you call the police each and every time you see them running loose. The more bad marks against these people, the better.

When the laws don't work, work on the laws. Contact the city council rep for your district. Tell him / her what the police said -- they can't do much. WHAT?! WHY NOT? Get the city rep working on it!

Meanwhile, I agree with the prior comment to call each and every time their dogs are out.

Sandie

I would think you could file a civil lawsuit for damages (physical and emotional?) to pay all the vet bills their dogs have caused. Or maybe a neighborhood petition or some sort of action taken together? I'm really surprised at the casualness of the police - viscious dogs usually cause alarm bells to go off.

A civil lawsuit sounds like a great idea. And so does getting a petition signed by all the neighbors and anyone else who has had problems with the dogs, then march it up to your city council and demand that something be done. You pay your taxes which in turn pays their salary, they owe you protection from dangerous animals. Next time it could be a young child that gets bitten.

There is no reason at ALL to even think of putting your dog to sleep because of your neighbors dogs!!!
As stated above, a good fence would be a great place to start. I'm sure the first thing you would think of is the cost of putting up a fence. But take into consideration the cost of possible vets bills you would have in the future without the fence.
I have mean neighbors of my own, their dogs and mine have gotten into fights over and under my fence many times. Both of my dogs have been to the vets because of bites. My hubby and I have taken extra precautions to make sure the can't get to one another anymore.
I made calls to the dog warden and sheriff department, they received one warning from the dog warden then they started getting fines. After about a year of this they finally put up a fence!!

I agree with all the suggestions. File that civil suit; continue to report them to the police; call animal control; write a letter to the editor - and include pictures.

I think a fence would be a good idea. It needn't be a major expense if you use wire fencing and posts (unless your yard is huge. Maybe just fence part of your yard.

But the bigger issue is to stop the dogs from running the neighborhood. Check the laws in your community. If you have a law that states dogs will be under control at all times, call animal control EVERY TIME you see these dogs out.

And I would certainly be taking pictures of my dog's wounds, getting statements from the vet and taking these neighbors to court for damages. A petition from the other neighbors would help, too.

Be persistent. Eventually the law will have to do something about the problem.

I also believe that an fence would be an good idea. But, for any fence, you would have to make sure that the dogs could'nt dig underneath it. An nice wooden one perhaps? Or how about an chain - link one covered in greenery. Also an fence dosent have to be man-made. Perhaps an tall hedge? Just thrwing out ideas...

Just to let everyone know - I would not put Jake to sleep, because of the mean dogs. However, I feel bad for him, because he is so afraid of the other dogs.

Almost everyone in my neighborhood has complained about these dogs & their owners. Sometimes I feel sorry for them (the dogs) because they just don't get taken care of. I can hear them crying winter & summer becaue they are kept outdoors and are too hot / cold. Plus as I said they are constantly having puppies - this summer one of the little puppies came into my yard. My nephew was there and he was thinking about taking the puppy home with him, so he could have a better home.

The police have tried doing something about the dogs, and the neighbors have been fined several times, but pay $5.00 amonth on the fines.

This family has 3 small boys (all under 3 years of age) living with them. The night I had Jake out for a walk & their dogs attacked him, all 3 of the little boys were standing out in the street, probably not more than 4 feet away. It's just unbelievable to me that they would even want these dogs.

I try to keep Jake indoors as much as I can, but I do put him out on the porch when I leave, because he eats the cat food if I'm not there to catch him. He is a pretty good old dog & I have never seen a dog who's a bigger baby.

A petition is a good idea - I've wondered before if the neighbors couldn't do something like that. Thanks everyone.

I had several people tell me that I should have had the last vet bill sent directly to the dog owners. But it would not have accomplished anything, becasue they simply would not have paid it. And then they would have probably have damaged to my car or house. They are a wacky & dangerous family.

Try checking craigslist.com for cheap fencing, I see it quite often in our area

I would go to small claims court, honestly. Get a lawyer and sue them for medical bills and emotional distress. It is likely they would have to surrender the dogs hafter that.
If that's a no-go, I would get a neighborhood petition and take it directly to animal control and city council. They can't continue to dodge this forever. Yes, they might put the dogs down -- but it sounds as if the dogs are not having a good life and are keeping other dogs at risk for death too. You have to pick your battles. If you contact the SPCA and tell them about any inhumane conditions the dogs are being kept in, they should also be on it.
If none of that works and you want to keep your own dog from being at risk, you should just buy a nice dog run if he needs to be kept outside. Get one with a roof so no one can get in. It'd be safer than just installing a new fence. Or get your neighborhood to pitch in and purchase a wireless fence for the owners. Not that they deserve "gifts" but it might be worth it.