[IloveMyDobie31]

So yesterday afternoon I heard a lot of commotion in the hallway. I thought it was odd because I have the entire floor to myself, and no one ever goes on my floor. Upon looking out into the hallway, I realized Apollo and I are no longer alone. We now have neighbors who live across the hall. I always leave the door to my apartment open when I'm home and I let Apollo venture out into the hallway and lobby. Our favorite thing to do is to play hide-and-seek. He'll run into the hallway while I hide inside the apartment, and then I call his name. He usually ends up running back at top speed, sounds like a stampeed of elephants, and he's so excited when he finds me But, I guess our hide-and-seek days are over We're on the second floor, but the first floor is under ground, so we're actually at ground level, and now that there are people going in and out I wouldn't want to risk having him run outside if the door is opened. I'm also not sure my new neighbors will appreciate a big silly doberman puppy (with no respect for people's three feet of personal space mind you) romping around in the lobby.

Another thing is that they have a pit. Now, I absolutely love pits. I think they're adorable, and I'm definitely not one to buy into stereotypes...but this one scares me. I opened the door to take Apollo out for his walk after dinner and my neighbor was also going outside with his dog. The dog went CRAZY. He was barking, growling, and lunging at Apollo. I stopped in my doorway and asked Apollo to sit (which he actually did!!) and I told my neighbor he could go ahead. He kept apologizing for his dog's behavior and could barely get control of him as he tried pushing him out the door. And the entire time my lovey was just sitting there waiting patiently. He was wearing his prong colloar, but I was still soooooo incredibly proud of him...you don't even know. He definitely got some chicken (his favorite thing to eat) when we came back in after our walk. Well, I thought maybe the dog wasn't good with meeting new dogs, or maybe Apollo and I had startled him or something, but before I went to sleep last night I went outside to take the trash out and my neighbor was out back by the woods with the dog, which also happens to be where the dumpsters are. As I got closer I could see the dog get really stiff and he was just staring in my direction. As soon as my neighbor tried to pull him away he lunged forward and it was a repeat of what had happened earlier...only this time I didn't have Apollo with me. Again, he just kept saying, "I'm so sorry!" as he tried to get a better hold on the leash.

He should really put a muzzle on the dog, at least for his own sake cause I'd hate to see him sued if he bites someone...and considering the breed, I doubt anyone will show him any sympathy. I also hope he's doing something to try to correct that behavior...

 

[Lexus]

Oh boy, sounds like an accident in the making.... Be careful. Hopefully he keeps this dog under better control in the future before someone gets hurt. Can you express concern to the superintendant, and maybe they can relay some warnings onto the owner possibly? That way your name can stay out of it for the time being, since you have to live across from him.

 

[IloveMyDobie31]

what worries me most is that it doesn't seem like he has the dog under control at all. He may have just gotten the dog though because it's not a puppy so you'd think he'd be used to this behavior, and perhaps better prepared for it. I wouldn't worry so much, except it's like you said, he's directly across the hall from me and that hallway between us isn't that wide. This is a very pet-friendly complex so there are so many dogs hanging around all the time (most not on a leash when they're out back or in the courtyard), but all the dogs are really well socialized so we've never had problems. I don't think anyone else has realized there's a new dog yet though...