Seriously... this story keeps getting worse

John got home from work today and our neighbor (we'll call him hubby and the woman wifey).... anyway, hubby walked over and shook John's hand, and John goes, "Hey man! What's up?" and he goes, "Hi boss. Just wanted to let you know that your dogs are not welcome near our family or our property and if anything like this happens again, you better watch out." and then he storms off.

Well... I had yet to give them the brownies and donation (I was waiting for the memorial card to come in the mail, but it hadn't), so I decide that that was probably a good time to go talk. I get over there and no one answers the doorbell. Both their cars are there though. So after I ring twice, I knocked on the door and I guess it was open a crack because all of a sudden it slams in my face. Two seconds later wifey comes out.. clearly in a bit more rational mood than hubby.

We talk... all I could do was continue to apologize. Here are the highlights:
-They are upset because they feel our dogs are dangerous because this could happen again and maybe next time it will be their dog or their kids...
-They feel like we shouldn't have left the cat where it was. We should have tried to pick it up and rescue it (addressed below).
-They are upset that the cat had to die that way alone (I think we all are).
-Bottom line is that they need time. Hubby hasn't been this upset in the 11 years they've been together and they think that we need to confine our dogs better because they now feel trapped in their own home.

So... while I understand all this and agree that I should have gone back to check on the cat again myself, let's say that this uncollared cat that was hissing and not letting anyone near is WAS a stray... most people would probably say it's unsafe to push the issue and make the cat feel more scared and vulnerable. There was NO blood, NO collar, and no way of knowing whether this cat was safe or not and one of us had already been badly bit. We left the cat in a safe place and went the next morning to check on it... we went to six of the surrounding houses and not a single person had ever remembered seeing a gray cat in the neighborhood. All of these things pointed to no owners.

I tried to explain that to Koda, there is a big difference between a child and a cat. I didn't have much of a response for the small dog comment because I know Koda would try to play rough (as all huskies do) and there's just no way to explain that.

Basically- our wonderful relationship with our neighbors is now shot. We are hosting a neighborhood BBQ on Friday and they are not coming. They said they needed time which I 100% understand, but I am just petrified for Koda now. Our neighbors think he is dangerous... and I don't know what to do I keep looking at him and thinking to myself that I would never forgive myself if this situation ends with his death :'(

Starting tomorrow, Amy and I are picking up with Koda's emergency recall/down/stay training and I have to figure out SOMETHING to teach him not to jump or get too excited around kids. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

oh Tori im SOOOO SORRY, BIG HUGS from me. i hope they calm down some. have you spoke to any of your other neighbors about this? not much to add as you have done all the right and nice things you could have done with the info at the time and the info gathered after wards.

I am so sorry you are going through this. How awful. We had very strict dangerous dog laws here in FL, so I could imagine your worry. First, it's not your fault! I have huge issues with outdoor cats, especially ones who are declawed. I don't understand why it's ok for cats to roam neighborhoods. My neighbors cats, who torment my dogs, kill birds and lizards and leave it in my yard but I guess that's ok. Grrrrrr, makes me so mad.
Anyway. Other than you, has anyone looked for the cat? See if it was picked up by animal control or something? I would just double check.
Do you think Koda could pass the CGC soon. It would be good to have that under his belt if any issues were made. It's really not to hard and you could set him up for success by making sure he is nice and tired and he tests alone.
If you are worried about your neighbors filing a complaint, you may want to consult with an animal law attorney just to be safe and be sure Koda is safe. There were several cases in FL where dogs were sentenced to death for incidents similiar to this, but they were overturned. Don't quote me, but I believe one case included a cat that was never found. Here is a link to a FB page, but there is also a website on there with more detailed info.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dangerous-Dog-Law/128964757127250?ref=ts

I am so sorry. You are a WONDERFUL husky owner and don't ever think otherwise. You have provided great advice and support to others. This was just a horrible accident and it is not your fault.

Oh Tori, that really sucks! I don't even know what to tell you except that I don't think your neighbors will push it any further to get Koda into trouble. I just have that gut feeling that everything will be ok girl. Try not to stress yourself out. It's already been a few days and they haven't gone to the authorities or anything so that makes me think that they won't. Plus "hubby" said that if anything like this happens AGAIN to watch out. I think that means they won't take action now. You just need to be extremely careful now to make sure that Koda never gets out again. If I were you and I have visitors over I would put the doggies in their crates or locked up in a room just to be extra safe and for you to be able to have a good time without being paranoid the entire time that Koda will get out.

I can't believe that they had THEIR cat loose with no collar. I know it's a bit different with cats, but I don't think that I would have my cat loose like that.

Did you end up giving them the brownies and the donation when you went to talk?

Don't worry Tori...it will be fine. I would be freaking out if I were you too!

Oh- the cat was found. The place we left it started smelling something and a gray cat was found under their porch. However, the neighbors haven't looked at it (they don't want to) so there's no way to know for sure if it was their cat and there's ANOTHER gray cat missing in the neighborhood. This one WAS a stray but there was a neighbor feeding it. But it was gray with white paws. So... who knows... maybe it wasn't even their cat.

But-- in the court of law, I don't think they have a case anyway... cat had no collar and had an out-of-date rabies certificate. I still am worried because of the idiot laws out there, but NY state isn't as strict as FL. I know about your laws down there from forums and it's not pretty. Neighbors already said they didn't want to get us in trouble, but they are worried and don't want it to happen again because they have a small dog an other outdoor cats....

CGC training is a great call and thanks for the suggestion. I should probably work hard to make Koda pass.

Melissa- yes, I gave them and she tried to refuse them, saying they weren't needed and I said they absolutely were and to please take them. She appreciated the donation gesture, but seemed to be mostly scared/worried about my dogs and the future.

Koda totally knows something's wrong... he's been bothering me all night

I also think that while your doing the training, either by yourself or with a trainer, that you should be sure to do some of it outside where your neighbors may see it. This way they will know that you take this seriously and are working on it. And when then see how awesome Koda is doing they could be put at ease and see that he really isn't anything to worry about.

They can see us in our backyard from theirs... so any training in the yard we do, they'll know about...

I'm so sorry to hear all this! That's a horrible situation, but I would have done the same. Stray cats are a problem here too and I think if a person is going to let their cat be an outdoor cat they must be responsible for all the dangers associated with it. But people who complain about their cat getting attacked by a dog are probably the same ones who would yell at a person for hitting their cat with a car even though it wasn't the person's fault. Really no way of talking sense into them. I think time is the only thing that's going to help.

So sorry Tori for everyone having to go through this...especially you and John since it wasn't really even your fault. I agree 100% with Sara. Give them time and do the best that you have the power to do and control. Maybe next time you have people over keep the dogs on leads or confined to a room/section of the house so that this does not happen again with guests over? I'm all for recall training, however no amount of recall training is going to help in a situation where no one is there to issue a recall command. This situation really stinks all around and I sympathize with both you and your neighbors but I do agree that they seem to have gone a little overboard. I truly do hope that time will heal the wounds and your neighborly relationship.

Wow, Tori!

As I read your story, I know that it could be any of our stories as well. And, frankly, that's scary!! I wonder if in addition to recall training we should work on waiting by the door for permission to exit the house. An older gentleman in our puppy class with a tiny little rescue dog was doing that and showed us his progress. It was impressive and may work for our ADHD huskies. If Koda had waited for permission to go outside from the drunk friend, he may have not received that permission then the story ends... or never begins...

Just a thought!!! Hang in there...

I think they are being absolutely outrageous. Koda has killed 2 cats in cold blood and will kill squirrels, bunnies, cats, birds, in an instant. It's an instinct, there is no way around it. However, Koda can be left with a 3 month old baby and will just sit there and lick it's feet and watch it. He spent every Sunday glued to my nephew who would pull his ears and tail and wap his head and would kiss him right after. He lived with 3 chihuahuas, including a tea cup, and was left every day unattended with them and he would have never dreamed of touching them. Killing a cat does NOT apply he will hurt a human or a dog. That is a joke.

Heatherlee wrote:

I think they are being absolutely outrageous. Koda has killed 2 cats in cold blood and will kill squirrels, bunnies, cats, birds, in an instant. It's an instinct, there is no way around it. However, Koda can be left with a 3 month old baby and will just sit there and lick it's feet and watch it. He spent every Sunday glued to my nephew who would pull his ears and tail and wap his head and would kiss him right after. He lived with 3 chihuahuas, including a tea cup, and was left every day unattended with them and he would have never dreamed of touching them. Killing a cat does NOT apply he will hurt a human or a dog. That is a joke.

I'M TOTALLY WITH HEATHER!!! Mya will go nuts to try and catch a cat or a squirrel, but completely melts with kids...ESPECIALLY BABIES! Ears back, tail wagging, gentle licks. She loves them! She's even laid next to my friends baby's stroller while he was sleeping and did not move. When anybody (other then me or his mommy) would come hear the stroller she would stand up and block them. She was totally protecting him!

Koda likes children but he doesn't understand how to behave around them. He licks them, but doesn't understand what goes too far. So he'll lick, then try to play. He needs a lot of training when it comes to them, so little kids, who love him and want nothing but to cuddle him, he tries to jump on and lick/knock over... and well... you can understand how people don't quite take to that.

I'm working on it... but in order to desensitize him from cats and kids, I need people willing to volunteer their pets or children... and you can see the inherent flaws in that scenario.

Kody is the same Tori. Maybe it's a boy thing! Mya is awesome and Kody is NOT..lol

Same... Hailey is wonderful with children. Stupid boys!

I am really very shocked that the neighbors aren't taking ANY responsibility for their cat - outside, declawed cat with no collar? I don't understand how they would think that's all good to keep the cat safe from harm without supervision and how they would think you should know it was their cat!

I echo Val's words...

Huskyluv wrote:

So sorry Tori for everyone having to go through this...especially you and John since it wasn't really even your fault. I agree 100% with Sara. Give them time and do the best that you have the power to do and control. Maybe next time you have people over keep the dogs on leads or confined to a room/section of the house so that this does not happen again with guests over? I'm all for recall training, however no amount of recall training is going to help in a situation where no one is there to issue a recall command. This situation really stinks all around and I sympathize with both you and your neighbors but I do agree that they seem to have gone a little overboard. I truly do hope that time will heal the wounds and your neighborly relationship.

I do hope with time, they come around....
*hugs to you and John*

Hey hey, Koda feels like you guys are demasculating him Tori and Mel! I'll send my nephew your way for lessons Tori! He may cry when knocked over but you can just tell him to suck it up and not be a baby;)

We live at the beach and this suggestion might give you peace of mind. Our house is elevated 15 feet off the ground. We have a deck which is fenced with wooden rails and a wooden gate. Our door opens on to the deck. Sooooo if one of the dogs gets out he still can't away because he is on the deck enclosure. For your house you could maybe have decorative fencing with an arbor or gateway leading to your door. That way if the dog gets out he is still restrained in the small gated area. Has helped with Braiden who has slipped out when my hands are full of of grocery bags etc. Easy to catch him and put him back in the house. Actually my dogs don't really try to dart out very often because they know that there is still an enclosed area and out the door does not mean instant freedom. Since I have gotten Huskies no matter where I live I will always have protected outside doors. Sorry this has happened to you and wishing you the best!!!

beck3465 wrote:

We live at the beach and this suggestion might give you peace of mind. Our house is elevated 15 feet off the ground. We have a deck which is fenced with wooden rails and a wooden gate. Our door opens on to the deck. Sooooo if one of the dogs gets out he still can't away because he is on the deck enclosure. For your house you could maybe have decorative fencing with an arbor or gateway leading to your door. That way if the dog gets out he is still restrained in the small gated area. Has helped with Braiden who has slipped out when my hands are full of of grocery bags etc. Easy to catch him and put him back in the house. Actually my dogs don't really try to dart out very often because they know that there is still an enclosed area and out the door does not mean instant freedom. Since I have gotten Huskies no matter where I live I will always have protected outside doors. Sorry this has happened to you and wishing you the best!!!

It is definitely something I have thought of. For now, we're keeping them in the basement for the neighborhood party on Friday and then when friends are over there will be baby gates barring off the front door (there is a small foyer so that we can put a gate in front of the door. This way people will a) not go through that door (we never use it anyway) and b) if someone tries to come in for some reason (it's usually locked) then there is a gate keeping the dogs away.


Further update: We got a call from the dog warden today. The report was we "had two huskies roaming the streets at night last week terrorizing cats." He was very nice and wanted my side to the story and I explained the situation. He said he wasn't worried- that our dogs have no history of aggression and this seemed like an innocent and unfortunate accident. He clearly asked to try and make sure it doesn't happen often, but even said "You're not in trouble and won't be unless you and I are having this conversation for like the fifth time. Accidents happen." I'm glad he was so understanding, but I HATE that Koda now has an unofficial record. Although, he didn't take either dog's names or license information. So I think it's just a "strike" against our home. *sigh*

Koda wrote:

Further update: We got a call from the dog warden today. The report was we "had two huskies roaming the streets at night last week terrorizing cats." He was very nice and wanted my side to the story and I explained the situation. He said he wasn't worried- that our dogs have no history of aggression and this seemed like an innocent and unfortunate accident. He clearly asked to try and make sure it doesn't happen often, but even said "You're not in trouble and won't be unless you and I are having this conversation for like the fifth time. Accidents happen." I'm glad he was so understanding, but I HATE that Koda now has an unofficial record. Although, he didn't take either dog's names or license information. So I think it's just a "strike" against our home. *sigh*

I'm so glad that he was so understanding!! I'm sure that you feel very relieved Even though it sucks that you don't have a good relation ship with your neighbors at the moment at least you know Koda is safe. Who cares about the stupid neighbors..LOL

It's bittersweet. I would have rather had no call and no report made on us. But if I had to, I'm glad he was understanding.

Tori, i agree that no call would have been better but i would have taken a call over the home visit we had last year cause of Sierra, we now have a record
at least the dog warden was understanding, i hope your neighbors calm down and realize they are overreacting. if not its not the end of the world, you still have plenty of other "friends" on the block!

Jenn, what happened with Sierra?

long story, i think i removed the post because the lady was crazy and found me anyways.
sierra attacked a small dog at the dogpark because i did not see them when we entered the park. the dog was ok missing some fur but the lady took my license plate # off my car and turned me in.
http://www.doggoes.com/parks/colorado/denver-area/green-valley-ranch-east-park-off-leash-dog-area
my post is dated 4-22-2010

her post is 3-29-2010