If I shot the neighbor's dog, does that make me a bad person?

OK! I didn't REALLY shoot the dog!


I could never actually do that. Unless I was in fear of life or limb or something equally as scary. But anyway, I DID shoot AT it.

With a BB gun.

Twice.

Right behind its butt.

Little bits of dirt pelted it right in the rear.

(There were three of them, but I only had time to reprimand one, before they ran away.)

So, I'm sure you're wondering what these neighborly pooches did to send me into such an evil rage.

Did they growl or bark at me?
No.

Did they intimidate me in any way?
No.

Did they destroy my property?
Well, not destroy really. But they have left their calling card several times before.

So what were they doing?
THEY! WERE! LAYING! IN! MY FLOWER! BED!!!!

After my early spring back injury that left me unable to do anything of substance for several weeks, I have been working overtime on getting my house in back in order. The inside and outside.  Especially the flowers and landscaping!  It doesn't take long for things to get out of control in the early part of growing season, and it has just about worked me to death trying to make up for it.

So, back to the dog incident......

I pulled into my driveway yesterday evening (after an excruciatingly stressful day at work) and see THREE, not one, but THREE dogs stretched out in my new mulch, SQUASHING MY HOSTAS!

OH THE RAGE!!!

Keep in mind that these are not your typical lap size dogs either. Two of the perpetrators are average size dogs, maybe about 35 pounds, the third however is quite large. Not mastiff large, but pretty dang big.  I guess-timate about 85-90 pounds, and she (he maybe, I dunno) looks like a huskie or at least what I think a huskie should look like.

As soon as I got out of the car, I walked to the front yard and tried to run them off.  I stomped my feet repeatedly, clapped my hands and yelled "Get! Get out of here!"

(That is the universal language for running dogs off isn't it?  Yes, I know it is because I have been using it for years. It always works, just like "Scat" works for cats.)

Well, this time it didn't work! Do you know what that big, fat, lazy dog actually had the gall to DO? 

It, ever so barely, raised its head up off of my freshly laid mulch, slightly tilted its head in my direction, huffed (YES, it HUFFED!), turned its head back and let it plop right back down!

I was FURIOUS! How DARE that dog blow me off like that!

I stalked off into the house all the while mumbling that I would certainly show THAT dog who was boss around here.  I was gonna shoot it!

Well, of course I could never really shoot it. Its not the dogs fault really. Blaming the dog would be like blaming a child who has never been taught not to be rude.  It's the owners fault.

What I wanted to do was march right over to the neighbors house, knock on his door and remind him that I don't allow my son to play in his yard and poop on his steps and that I would greatly appreciate the same from his dogs.

Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure whose dogs they are. I have a pretty good idea, but I'm not positive. I see them going to and fro from one particular house more than any others. It is also the direction that I hear barking at night.

(I also remembered that I was moving soon, and it would be wise just not to rock the boat. Unfortuantely, I didn't remember that until after I had already scared the bejeezus out of the dog.)

 

These dogs do not have a collar (including flea collars), which tells me that they are most likely not vaccinated, or wormed, or even loved. I do not know their temperament. (Although, they may understandably become more aggressive towards me since this BB event.) I simply do not know these dogs, and I do not want them around my house.

Pets are a RESPONSIBILITY and that responsibility includes more than putting some food and water in a bowl everyday. It's so sad that we have to have a license for almost everything, except any jerk can be a pet owner or a parent.

Just FYI:  I am not an animal hater.  I love dogs, but I am also a germ-a-phobe, so I don't like strange dogs.  During my life I have had 4 of the best dogs ever. (OK one was actually a terror. He was like a kid who was always getting into trouble, but could give you one look with his big blue eyes and you were so over it.) I loved them and I still miss them terribly, especially when I'm sitting still.  I miss hearing their breathing and reaching down to pat their head while I'm reading or watching TV. It always comforted me to know they were there.  :(   But I was responsible for them.  They received regular vet care, were well groomed, and were constantly lavished with love.  They were NEVER allowed into other people's yards. In fact they were never outside without my direct supervision, except for a few rare occasions when  they were in a fenced in area.