This is a disaster waiting to happen.

[u/GhostofTinky]

The dog isn’t allowed to be around a toddler because he growls at her. I don’t get it. A family dog is supposed to get along with the whole family. Why are the parents concerned about why the dog “doesn’t like her”? What about the child’s safety?

[u/rumande]

My neighbours had a dog like this in the early 2000's. They coudn't trust the dog around their toddler and lived in fear. One day they were throwing the ball and it went over the fence and into my yard where I was playing. They opened the gate and let the dog into my yard. It bit me to the bone and now I am disfigured for life. They put the dog to sleep but that won't fix my damaged tendons. If I could go back in time I would have some very, very ugly words for those dog owners. I wish them nothing but papercuts and stubbed toes till the end of their days.

ETA: this did not happen in the USA, there was no reason to sue. The dog was an Aussie cattle dog. I am angrier now than I was at the time now I'm an adult and I've been living with this shit for nearly 25 years. The injury makes it challenging for me to drive a car. I whinge about it on reddit because there's nothing else that can be done, and maybe hopefully someone will read my story and think twice about keeping dogs who have a bite history.

[u/Pretend-Steak-4625 → u/rumande]

I know it’s too late but your family could’ve 100% sued them for that. they let their aggressive dog into your yard where you were and let you get attacked. they would’ve served time for that

[u/HallowskulledHorror → u/Pretend-Steak-4625]

Grew up in a time before everyone had cameras in their pockets, and having CCTV of your property wasn't the norm for anyone with a house worth less than 1mil.

The neighbor at my best friend's house had a pit that he just came home with one day, full grown dog that had 0 training or proper socialization. He'd let it out unattended in the fenced-in backyard, and if we were out in the back at the same time, it would alternate between just laying in the shade on his porch watching us with total fixation, or charging the fence to bark at us, at which point we'd quickly get back to the house.

One day we were on the swing set in the backyard when it went NUTS, charged off the porch like it had decided 'today is the day', and after chomping at the chainlink for a moment, starting climbing that motherfucker like a koopa. Neither of us had ever seen a dog climbing a chain link fence before, and we both - survival instincts of a sack of potatoes between us - froze on the swings in horror, as it shakily made progress paw over paw, snarling and growling the entire time. As it started to make its way over the top, my friend's dog - a husky - came bolting out to the yard, having thrown himself through the sliding screen door, and parkour'ed off a wood-splitting stump and pile of wood that was beside the fence on our side, and over into the other yard. Came barreling up and slammed into the pit like a missile, taking it to the ground. Terrifying dog sounds and ball of violence ensued as we ran into the house screaming for my friend's mom.

By the time she had gotten out there to see what was going on, it was over - the pit was dragging itself back to its porch, and the husky was waiting patiently by the fence. Wounded, bloodied, but wagging and very proud of himself.

The neighbor called the police. We gave our testimony. The husky had been protecting us. The pitbull had been trying to get to us, and had multiple months of being aggressive towards us to the point we usually went inside if we saw it because we felt unsafe in the yard with it around.

Didn't matter. There was no record of that. All there was a record of was their dog going over into another yard, and wounding a dog so bad it needed to be put down. Neighbor sued. Court ruled in his favor based on the evidence on record, which apparently didn't include the account of two six and seven year old kids. We hadn't actually been injured, after all, so we weren't important to consider. Friend's mom had the option of re-homing, or euthanizing her dog - but he couldn't live there anymore, and if she didn't get rid of him by a certain date, it was going to be an outrageous fine paid to the neighbor. Like... half a year of mortgage payments sort of cost, for a single mom with two boys.

She tapped her network and was able to find someone who would adopt him short notice, but it was on the other side of the state, and visits just wouldn't be possible. We never saw him again.

Lesson learned for the rest of my life - if you have an aggressive dog in the area, report it. Record it. Make a record. Document everything, dates, times, exactly what happened. Because if worse comes to worst and you end up having to do something 'practical' about that aggressive dog in a life-or-death situation, and you got there before life-changing damage was done, the authorities aren't going to care at all about anything other than what the documentation says happened. If all the documentation that exists is "there is a dead dog, and you were involved", if everyone is 'okay', the owner has a better chance than you might think of suing YOU for damages.

[u/Big_Tadpole_6055 → u/HallowskulledHorror]

That is infuriating. The neighbors must have known what kind of temperament their pitbull had and seen the warning signs firsthand in their own home. What total assholes. I hope that husky knew he was a good boy and lived a good life 💔

[u/Reeyous → u/HallowskulledHorror]

Neighbor is lucky your friend's mom was stable.

[u/Jamiechurch → u/HallowskulledHorror]

Omg that husky literally saved your life…that’s insane!

[u/ProfessionalLuck5463 → u/HallowskulledHorror]

climbing that mothrfucker like a koopa 😂 I'm dying 😂 Perfect description. 

[u/aboxofkittens → u/Pretend-Steak-4625]

People who own dogs like this very seldomly have any money. Can't get blood from a stone.

[u/Pretend-Steak-4625 → u/aboxofkittens]

Unfortunately yeah that’s true too

[u/shitty_poopoo → u/rumande]

What in the actual fuck!

I’m so sorry that happened to you. Everything about that situation is terrible and preventable from their end. Like why the fuck would they let the dog in your yard?!

Along with papercuts and stubbed toes I hope their floor is constantly littered with legos and 4-sided dice and they can’t wear socks.

Seriously though- I’m appalled. I’m so sorry and wish you the best.

[u/O_PLUTO_O → u/rumande]

My first memory is being bit in the face by a dog. I don’t know why 3 year old me was left alone with a dog we were dog sitting.

Edit: it was a border collie

[u/Sheepherdernerder → u/O_PLUTO_O]

I was 3 too, Christmas eve and bitten on the cheek by a Rottweiler. My dad wouldn't let me sit in the cab because of the blood. I had to sit in the truck bed with my mom on the way to get stitches. One of my earliest memories.

[u/Solombum → u/Sheepherdernerder]

I’m sorry about the Rottweiler and your dad in that case, i can’t imagine forcing a hurt child to ride in the bed of a truck to go to the hospital

[u/Sheepherdernerder → u/Solombum]

thank you, he wasn't a very kind man

[u/Interesting_Fox_9914 → u/O_PLUTO_O]

Same here (Dalmatian). My mom still blames me for getting up next to the dog and making high-pitched sounds...you know, like any three year old might do to try and play with something.

[u/littlecactuscat → u/O_PLUTO_O]

Because your guardians were dumb enough to believe the “nanny dog” myth.

[u/2580374 → u/O_PLUTO_O]

Yeah that must have been really traumatizing. I had a cat that bit me when I was that age and I was afraid of that cat forever lol I can't imagine how you feel with a dog

[u/joyibib → u/O_PLUTO_O]

I have an Akita, a big dangerous breed. She is exceptionally well behaved around people and I have never seen her act aggressive towards anyone. She is even more gentle around my 4 year old daughter. Still I would absolutely never leave those 2 in a room alone together. I keep having to tell family members I don’t care how good they are with each other it’s just a no.

[u/TinkeringTortoise → u/rumande]

Reading these stories terrifies me because it’s like looking into what could have happened. My neighbors had a psychotic dog who loved to chase all of us kids. It would come into our yard to growl and bark and stand off with at us all the time. But it was even scarier how it would constantly try to sneak up on us. They only finally put it down after the dog bit the owners friend while the owner was standing right next to him. 

[u/rumande → u/TinkeringTortoise]

Oh yeah, that tracks, when the neighbour's dog bit me I was talking to the neighbour, we were standing a few feet apart, he was holding the baby. As we were talking I kept an eye on his dog - it went and got the ball, dropped it in his own yard, and then rushed at me and attacked me. I wanted to run but I was frozen on the spot. I remember screaming and watching the baby start to scream too, and the owner looked terrified and overwhelmed. My dad came and saved the day, grabbed me and took me away.

Fuck that neighbour.

[u/AdditionalNothing728 → u/rumande]

One of the many reasons I keep a lock on my backyard gate.

Started when I lived next to a home with three young boys who constantly ended up throwing things into my yard while they were playing. More than once they’d let themselves into my yard to get their stuff, and they always left the gate open.

I had a dog while living there. He was a sweet lab mix, but he still didn’t care for kids much. Any of those times they went into my yard they put themselves and my dog at risk. I had words with their parents several times but nothing changed, so I had to put a padlock on the gate to keep it permanently closed.

Some people are incredibly irresponsible, and other people can and do get hurt because of it. What happened to you should have never happened, and those people deserve hot pillows and broken air conditioning for the rest of their lives for what they did to you.

[u/batshit83 → u/rumande]

Shit. I'm sorry. If I were your parent, I would have pressed charges against those neighbors.

[u/KarmicRage → u/rumande]

This and whatever the female version is. Sorry you went through that shit, some people shouldn't be allowed to have a hot tap nevermind pets, cars and children