Can you point me in the right direction please.
A friend rang earlier to see if I could help with this. She lives on an estate nearby and some people living there have just aquired a very large adult dog (apparently it was a stray before they rescued it - literally, no rescue centre, it was straying for ages and they caught it. Nobody came forward so they kept it). Anyway, this dog is often allowed on the front lawn of their house if the owners are pottering about outside, with the car etc. On three occasions now it seems that this dog has barked at people walking by and has even run across the road towards a small child (there is a fenced in play area) and scratched him. My friend said that today she was driving by and she saw it run across the road towards a man who was walking by and was barking up at him. She had to stop the car to prevent hitting it. She didn't wait to see what happened but it was obvious that the man was very angry and was shouting at the owner.
Anyway, later on in the day she had to walk by (there is no other way - it's the house at the end of a cul-de-sac) and could see the owner outside. Before continuing she asked the man if his dog was outside. He said it was but she wasn't to worry, she was a gentle dog and wouldn't hurt anybody and that it's just frightened of people. Again, when my friend walked by, although the man held it, it barked immediately.
I must add - four years ago these people had an elderly German Shepherd. One night when my husband was walking by the dog ran out (the lady there had let it out to have a quick wee) and it attacked our dog who was on a lead. The owner was very upset, paid our vets bills (appointment and antibiotics).
I'm sure the owners have good intentions and feel sorry for the dog, but my friend is worried that it is an accident waiting to happen. I have to say that I agree with her. These people have no idea of its history.
Who can she contact ?. She really just wants the new owners to act responsibly and keep it under control. Nobody should have to fear walking past a house to get to their own home. Does she need to contact the dog warden or is there somebody else first ?.
Personally, I'd probably write a polite note to them asking that they keep an eye on it and maybe suggesting that if they don't then it would be reported to the police.
What should she do though please ?.

I wouldn't be overtly concerned about the dog's history as most rescue dogs do not come with a history.

I think your friend should have a word with them telling them she is concerned that she had her heart in her mouth when the car near hit the dog saying she wouldn't like to see the dog being run over, mention how the dog has had a hard life, talk about dog training classes or even offer to show them tips in how to stop the dog trying to run across the road but always talking to them in a very friendly way.

By what you have written it does sound to me the dog just wants to meet and greet people and the barking is it's way of greeting, and the child getting scratched sounds a accident to me, I think every dog or cat owner at sometime in the animal's life has accidentally been scratched.
The dog sounds like it may just love people; I would rather have a dog that is over friendly than frightened, some training with this dog may make a wonderful companion dog.

Thanks Katt

I think it's that the owner told her that it's frightened of people is what concerned me most. Being frightened and hiding is one thing - to run up to people barking is another, more like a warning and one day it might be more. I guess that if it had come from a rescue centre it would have been assessed, as it is, they adopted it directly as a stray.
I agree, a scratch is nothing really, but this is a huge dog, and to allow it to run at a small child who was just entering a childrens play area is wrong.
The owners really do need to be made aware that they need full control don't they.
I think a letter is maybe the place to start.

I agree with you.   These people are irresponsible of letting their dog run up and bark at people, friendly or not, it is just wrong and a child will be scared and can be scarred  mentally for life.   They have to restrain their dog from doing so and that can't be that difficult.

> These people are irresponsible of letting their dog run up and bark at people, friendly or not, it is just wrong and a child will be scared and can be scarred  mentally for life.   They have to restrain their dog from doing so and that can't be that difficult.

Tottaly agree with this.

My pup is very friendly and loves to meet people, due to his size he really intimidates people and that is while his tail is wagging like mad (he is kept on a long-line while walking & brought in to 'sit' to greet people). I'm used to large dogs, but would not appreciate a large loose dog running up to me & barking, even if it was a 'greeting' bark (I wouldn't appreciate any dog running up to me & barking, I put great effort into being a responsible dog owner and get pretty cheesed off with dog owners who can't be bothered).
It is irresponsible to allow any dog to do this, especially a large dog. My OH would have an asthma attack if he was greeted by that dog barking, he is terrified of big dogs that he doesn't know (was bitten by a loose GSD when he was a child).
If you can't approach them with your concerns then maybe the local dog warden could help? I'm sure for any dog to be loose & frightening people is in breach of the DDA (the dog doesn't have to have done anything, just caused people to be in fear of thier safety)??

I totally agree that the dog should not be let loose and the owners should be more responsible.

I'm trying to be positive as someone that takes in a dog of the street and pays medical bills must have a kind heart, you never know maybe watching the dog get near run over they may keep it on a long lead and start training it now, if not then they need serious help.

when I wrote the above last night I just thought since your friend was the one that near run the dog over and the poor woman must have been very frightened by explaining to the owner a quiet word from her may plant a seed and the new owner of the dog may be more responsible if they do not then your friend only other option could be is contacting the dog warden of that area, if owner will not listen to her then hope they listen to the dog warden.

I hope your friend is ok now after the shock she had :)

> I'm trying to be positive as someone that takes in a dog of the street and pays medical bills must have a kind heart

sounds like they maybe just don't know how to deal with the issue, if they;ve never learned how to train a dog taking in a stray has got to be pretty overwhelming. they might really appreciate a bit of help, get them a bit more confident then perhaps they can move on to a training class.

> taking in a stray has got to be pretty overwhelming

very true, good on them for that :) but you don't need to know how to train a dog to have the common sense not to let one loose that will run & bark at people :(

well yes, but maybe they just haven't thought about it (though that seems a bit dim to me...roads+dog= bad is not a complex thought process), and the intervention of someone who can actually help, not just talk at them, might be of benefit

they sound quite kind hearted...so there is hope

Hello again !

I rang my friend this morning. She has decided to pop a note through their door initially, saying that she and others in the area are worried about the dog and ask that they keep a closer eye on it.
I actually walked past this morning with my dog. I saw the man and he kept the dog by his side although it was loose - it didn't bark. He was putting stuff into his car but I heard him tell the dog to 'stay' so maybe he is already taking more care.

Wow, that is fantastic :) :)
Astarte - you're right - it obviously never occured to them that they shouldn't be letting the dog run loose!!!

they should not be allowing it to leave their property without being with them on lead.  I suggest you contact the Dog Warden to have a friendly word with them.