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the_honeyman t1_jb1f4qi wrote

I have a neighbor who lives on a corner and let's his dogs put into his unfenced yard every morning. I was out walking a foster I had at the time and they let the dogs out as we were walking past, they made a beeline for me and my dog. I started yelling for him to get his dogs, and put myself between his dog and the one I was walking. Dude picks up a piece of firewood and runs up threatening me for "kicking his dog," yelling about how "he doesn't have to have them on a leash or have a fence," and how his dogs were friendly and just wanted to play.

I pointed out the nose-leash I had on the foster and said "sure, but my dog wants nothing more than to rip yours apart." He then had the audacity to tell me never to walk down that sidewalk again.

Irresponsible dog owners are the literal fucking worst.

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LeeOblivious t1_jb1kiga wrote

Refer them to city code:

Sec. 18-53. - Running at large prohibited; minimum fine.

(a)It shall be unlawful for any person owning, controlling, harboring, possessing, or having the management or care of any dog to permit such dog to run at large.

https://library.municode.com/mo/springfield/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH18AN_ARTIIDOCAFE_DIV1GE_S18-53RULAPRMIFI

And if he comes at you again call the cops

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the_honeyman t1_jb1n7c5 wrote

I was seriously tempted to print out the code, highlight the relevant parts, and plaster it to his door, but I don't plan on moving any time soon and don't want a blood feud. Plus I haven't seen his dogs recently, so maybe he got the message.

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NotBatman81 t1_jb3hwdf wrote

Call animal control and they can give him a warning. I've talked to them when they were looking for a loose pit in my neighborhood and they seemed pretty easy to work with.

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XzallionTheRed t1_jb22r7a wrote

Pepper spray them and him.

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the_honeyman t1_jb26948 wrote

I'm gonna go ahead and pass on the assault charges, thanks.

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Saltpork545 t1_jb445bv wrote

Nope, this is actually a valid answer. The moment he picks up a blunt object and starts running at you purposefully threatening you, you are completely clear to bust out the pepper spray. That is not an assault charge and pepper spray done correctly typically doesn't actually harm dogs.

It can make them go more fight-or-flight, so once you spray them, get out of the situation and call the police. Some dogs will whine and cry, some run away, some get more aggressive.

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LeeOblivious t1_jb5oo9g wrote

While they probably might win in court, the question is will it be worth the time and expense. Because the probability of them being cited and having to go to court is better than 50%. It would be a he said they said type conflict and most police I've delt with tend to refer that to the prosecutor to deal with. So then you need to get a lawyer and spend time going to court.

I'd still call animal control and submit a report, so they have a record in case this has occurred before and they have a nuisance dog file open.

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the_honeyman t1_jb448ff wrote

And then I have a pissed off neighbor looking for revenge.

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Saltpork545 t1_jb44lh0 wrote

Yep, because of his temper and lack of responsibility.

It doesn't change the facts of the situation as you have laid them out. Letting dogs out without a leash and you getting between your dog and their dogs could have ended really badly for you. You just became the barrier that gets bit.

Him grabbing a blunt object and threatening you with it is grounds for self defense, particularly the closer he gets. If he was hurling insults from the porch and being an asshole but not being threatening, you can't walk up and pepper spray him. That's not the situation you laid out above.

So you can choose to not go that option, but understand what you did is not recommended. If your neighbor is a shitbird and it sounds like he is, treat him like one. If he did something that was a genuine threat against you, make him not do it again.

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the_honeyman t1_jb44zci wrote

Doesn't change the situation that escalating the problem does nothing but cause more problems. Wasn't asking anybody for advice on how to handle asshats, thanks tho.

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XzallionTheRed t1_jb2rll4 wrote

Suit yourself, both a dog attack and a beating with a stick would be solved with that and going away. Love victims thinking that they can't defend themselves and just bitching.

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the_honeyman t1_jb2t5oc wrote

I did just fine avoiding both without escalating the situation unnecessarily. Love assholes making assumptions about others who don't resort straight to violence to resolve problems.

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