I Call It Dog Harrassment!

(Last Updated On: July 10, 2019)

*warning: very wordy and kind of angry post ahead

I have been startled by people’s lack of tact or sensitivity when it comes to dogs. I have mentioned it a couple of times now on Facebook and it happened yet again this weekend.

Perhaps it’s my husband’s exceedingly friendly and laid back demeanour that make these people (mainly his mates and our neighbour) think that it is appropriate to say such things about our dogs.

Perhaps my dogs really look and behave silly to warrant such remarks. At the end of the day though, I am less than impressed with these people’s failure to recognise and remember that these dogs are still my pets and they still command some basic form of respect.

See, I know people argue that you can’t equate dogs (or other animals for that matter) with humans. But you can’t deny that dogs still have emotions and they can be sensitive to people bearing bad intentions towards them.

See, if you speak like that about my dog or speak like that directly to my dog, I get really really offended.

“So how is your retarded white dog?” and “Tell your dog to shut up or I will shoot it” used to be an occasional so-called casual quip by my husband’s mates when they came over. I tried to turn deaf for a brief second and disappear indoors to breathe and count to ten. I tried to tell myself that they all have huge hunting dogs and hence, think it’s funny to poke fun at our smaller dogs. That’s excusable, well, narrowly excusable, I made myself think. Just dumb blokes being dumb.

Now though, it has progressed into an almost daily thing with my neighbour who happens to not have a job and walk around his yard all day, peeping (or more specifically, leaning) over people’s fences and antagonising my dogs.

My dogs are not noisy dogs at all. Sure, they bark a little to alert us when strangers approach the house but that is about it.

This neighbour though loves antagonising my dogs and yelling at them, stirring them to dislike and bark at him often,

What I tried to ignore as ‘harmless’, casual quips has progressed into more serious statements such as  “I am going to pour hot water over that dog.”

And another “Lucky that dog is not mine or she will have a bullet through her head right now.”

Can I call the cops already regarding threats and harassment?

Last week, my husband put him in place after he shook the fence to scare my dogs and in the process, dislodging a part of the wooden fence which fell and actually hit my dog. My husband confronted him about wrecking the fence which he has to now fix.

I cannot even put into words how my blood is boiling with so much anger this very instant. And to think all these extremely disrespectful statements have not been made by just one or two but quite a few now. Some might say it’s because I live in the country and people go hunting and dogs really are just some wretched animal. I say it’s a plain lack of respect, especially to say it in front of the owner.

See, if you say things like “Tell your kid to shut up or I will shoot it”. It is very bad. It is illegal and it is very bad. If you won’t say something so utterly disgusting to someone, don’t say it about their dogs. On the surface, dogs and kids are different. But in reality, it is not all that different when it comes to insulting a life that someone else is in charge of.

Or if you won’t say disgusting things like “I am going to pour hot water over that kid right now.”, don’t say it about someone’s dogs as well.

I really did not want to type those sentences. It made me sick.
Am I an extreme dedicated dog lover to be typing up a post entirely on the topic? I actually am not. I like dogs, I do, but I am not particularly a huge dog lover as I know some others to be. In fact, it was my husband who wanted to get the dogs to begin with. What I am is an owner or even a parent if you will to 2 dogs who depend on me for their food, survival and happiness. I have taken on the responsibility of providing for these 2 dogs who trust me with their lives. This gives me the right to be protective and angry when people threaten or harass them.
Dogs deserve to be treated properly too.
Rant over.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for an anger-charged IBOT that I have been withholding for months!

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16 Comments

  • I absolutely agree with you! My family have hunting dog and I often get told my dog is not a ‘real dog’ and ‘how funny would it be if we sent Teddy pigging?’.

    Not funny and so, so disrespectful.

    • Hey Rhiannon! Yeah you have mentioned it to me before. It is really not funny hey!! Maybe I could handle just a little one-off joke and tell myself not to be petty but I definitely get offended when people just don’t know when to stop and cross the line!

  • I think that animals should be treated with the same respect that people are treated with and maybe that is how those people treat other humans ? While I am not an animal lover, I would certainly not go out of my way to harm or antagonise an animal – it’s just cruel and mean and nasty. Is there an another authority you can report them to ?
    I hope you can get this to stop soon.
    Me

    • I agree! Even if one is not an animal lover, to go our of your way to antagonise an animal is just crossing the line. I’m not sure who I can report to but luckily, he’s taken a step back now after my husband got up him about wrecking the fence which actually hit the dog.

  • Oh Mandy 🙁 What is it with some people?

    Living in the country and most people owning hunting dogs, IS NOT a valid excuse to be a horrific human being and say and do the things you have described. There is NO excuse. I live in the country – I used to live in the bush – and I have never had anyone say anything like that about our little dogs ever. If anything they were/are protective of them.

    I don’t know who you could report it to, but I think I would give the council a go and the local police, just so it’s on record in case anything was to happen.

    As for your husbands friends, I honestly see their comments as very disrespectful to you, your husband, and your home. Being me I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth closed, I would pull them up on it.

    I hope you can get it sorted out, it sounds like a terrible (and scary) situation to be in.

    MC x
    #teamIBOT

    • Sigh yes what is with some people! I’m the sort who will just be quiet for a while, tolerate it, give some chances but when I get pushed beyond the line, I’ll get really angry! lol. Lucky the neighbour’s backed off a little bit now after my husband got up him about wrecking the fence…

  • holy moly.
    i cannot believe they actually say those things. i am very appalled right now at these people’s behavior. those are actual threats and should not be taken lightly.
    i hope that this gets sorted out soon for you mandy.

    • Thanks Helen. Luckily he’s backed off a little bit now and his wife (who is really nice) has actually realised what’s going on and I think she has told him to take it down a notch as well.

  • Hi Mandy! Thanks for the follow on twitter….it led me to your lovely blog and this post. I totally agree, people have no right to say such cruel things about other people OR animals. Unfortunately some people don’t view pets to be what they should be- a part of the family.
    There is one thing I would check though (putting my ‘vet’ hat on)- are the dogs barking a lot when you and the husband are out? Some dogs have seperation anxiety and will bark continuously when they are left at home- still no excuse to say such nasty things but if this is the case, it may be a source of frustration for your neighbours. You may not have realised it since it only happens when you are out. There is behavioural therapy and anti-anxiety medication that is available if this is the case. Not making any assumptions, just trying to help.

    • Hi lovely, thanks for your comment and thanks for stopping by! I am one of those people who include my dogs when I sign off greeting cards etc lol. I don’t expect everyone to treat dogs as part of the family but I’m just surprised people who even verbalize such nasty statements about another fellow living thing!

      As for the barking, I’m actually home all day (I work from home) and they actually don’t bark much. This neighbour has just moved in a few weeks ago so the dogs would bark when they are out in the yard because they weren’t used to them. The neighbour’s wife is really really nice and my dogs have since gotten used to her. The problem is her husband was antagonising my dogs, yelling at them, threatening them and more recently with the fence hitting my dog – it’s just made the dogs really hate him now! He’s also always bending over the fence which just agitates them even more.. so oh well! It’s better now because I think his wife told him to back off a little and now we don’t even see him lingering around in the yard looking for trouble lol

  • What a horrible person. My dog is a part of my family!
    You know its now been proven that dogs have the sentience and intelligence level of 2 year olds? They have similar emotions and feelings of love and fear and the rest. When you take that into account how could you ever ever be cruel to a dog?

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