I let the dogs out in our back yard last night and when I went to get them, only Jake was out back. I could hear Max and Cody, barking and growling in the side yard. Jake was just sniffing bushes and not paying them any attention at all. That in itself was strange, so I walked around to the side to see what was going on. Cody was literally bouncing his front paws off of the chain link fence, growling, barking and snarling at the fence. Max was on his hind legs, front paws on the fence, woofing and growling. I have never seen Max growl and ran down the side of the house to see what on earth was going on. The neighbors son was poking and hitting my dogs with a long pole, poked through the fence. When I yelled at him, he dropped it and ran in his house. I put the dogs up and went over to their house. When his mom opened the door, he was standing beside her. I leaned in the door, right in his face and said "You know exactly why I am here. Don't you?" He backed up and she started asking "What did he do now?" I have never gone over there to complain about this kid before. Apparently, someone has. I told her what he did and told her that if I ever caught him messing with my dogs again, I will wear his butt out so bad he won't be able to sit down for a month. I also explained to her that Cody came from an abusive situation, before he went into rescue and we got him last year. It took us months to get him to the point that he would even approach us, let alone let us pet him. He still startles if we move to pet him too quickly. And now her kid is poking and hitting him through the fence. I told her that this is how come kids get attacked and bitten by dogs. In a lot of cases, they have been teased and taunted by kids. I explained to her, if my dogs got ahold of her son and wanted to, they could tear him apart. They are not vicious dogs and I don't ever want them to be, but you cannot taunt and tease dogs without it affecting them. They cannot logically decide, okay if I back up he can't reach me and it will be okay. They only know to react and eliminate whatever is bothering them. I don't want my dogs to hate kids and truly believe that this is not the first time he has done it to them. Max is not a vicious dog and has never growled at anything or anyone, in the year we have had him. I want to beat her and her husband for not having enough sense to raise a kid and having one anyway. I put up a fence today so the dogs cannot go down the side of the house at all, but I am pissed off that my dogs cannot enjoy their own yard without me having to confine them to only half of it. Okay. Done. Sorry, but I'm upset. My hubby heard her yelling at her son later on last night and telling him that he has to leave us and the dogs alone. "Don't you understand. Those people have guns. I've seen them, when he gets out of his truck." My husband carries a gun and has a permit for it. I guess she thinks that is supposed to scare him into behaving. Great parenting.
Kathy