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I need to vent.

3K views 33 replies 20 participants last post by  FAL guy 
#1 ·
I came home today already irritated because the lady who waxed my eyebrows got was all in my hair, on my shirt and all over on the part of my eyebrows that she wasn't supposed to touch. I'm in the bathroom, trying to scrub that off, when I realize that Enzo is being super quiet outside. I look out the window to find the back gate open. The little girl across the street decided to come over and play in Enzo's kiddie pool with him. She then invited the girl next door over. Thank goodness Enzo didn't get out of the yard. Regardless, I am LIVID right now. Plus, these girls are 7 and 4 years old, in the back yard, in Enzo's little pool, unsupervised. It's only 3" of water, but still...I made the kids leave and told them they aren't allowed to play with Enzo unless they come to my front door and ask me first. The little girl next door knows that. We've had that talk before. She's 4 years old and she always talks to Enzo through the fence. She told me that she came over because Cassie (the 7 year old from across the street) said it was okay. Well, Cassie is not and has never been allowed in my yard. The only neighborhood kids that I'm okay with coming into my yard randomly are my cousin's kids. And they wouldn't do that because she actually watches her kids. I think she's the only mom on this street that does. All of these other kids just run around wherever they feel like. Some parents need to learn to watch their kids.
 
#2 ·
I am so glad that Enzo didn't leave the yard! Maybe you should consider a lock on the gate so you don't have to worry about them coming into the yard again. I totally understand your frustration.

Several years ago I had a 3 year old little girl walk right in my front door. Fortunately the aggressive dog I had then (I also had Jasmine and Jasper) loved little kids. I was struggling to hold dogs back from either running her over or running out the front door, so literally my hands were full, so I pushed her back out the door with my foot. I was so ticked at the neighbor who never watched her kids (and DSS took the kids away for over a year because of her neglect). Thank goodness I had child friendly dogs!
 
#3 ·
Thank goodness Enzo didn't get out. Thank goodness Enzo is good with kids. Thank goodness those kids didn't drown. And Bless your heart for having such IDIOT neighbors.

I agree with locking your gate--shame you have to do that, but better safe than sorry. And I would be visiting the so-called parents, as well.
 
#4 ·
Oh, I did get a lock for the gate. I immediately went to the hardware store and got a lock with a combination and a chain. It just makes things difficult because there are a lot of people coming and going to do bids on our fence right now. Kinda funny, but it needs to be replaced because a board came down in the back (and the other pieces are too rotten to fix it) and the dog in the house behind us keeps sticking his head through to visit Enzo. They're both too big to fit through the hole, except for their heads. lol But we have the people who come to look at it and measure come over when we're at work so that there's no chance of Enzo being out in the yard. Now, I have to give the landlord the combination so that she can give it to the people coming to place bids on the job.
 
#5 ·
Yep.... this is why we are super neurotic about leaving our dogs outside without us physically out there with them.

We had neighborhood kids who would come on our property to play with our Charmy way back then. It scared the heck out of my parents who saw lawsuits if he so much as scratched them with a toenail.
 
#6 ·
No wonder you needed to vent. I am also glad Enzo did not get out, and you know if something happened to one of the unsupervised kids, it would put Enzo and you at risk. Kids love goldens, but the parents need to be more responsible!
 
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#7 ·
Who are these parents that are letting 3 and 4 year olds outside unsupervised in their own yards never mind someone else's? It takes less then a minute for a child that age to get seriously hurt or for some freak to grab them! I have a class of twenty four year olds and often babysit for children that age. I would never let them be unsupervised like that no matter where I lived.
 
#8 ·
I swear, this type of thing seems to be rampant... :mad::mad::mad:

My neighborhood has quite a few very young children, under 5, and their parents let them run all over the place, in the street, in other peoples yards, etc.

I'd like to know what world they are living in??? :no::mad: It drives me crazy... these kids could get snatched, hit by a car, etc.... the parents just don't seem to be concerned...???
 
#9 ·
IMO you need to speak to both sets of parents about what happened. Both need to understand that their kids went out of sight into someone's back yard without permission. Very dangerous. They need to know the girls were playing in a pool with no supervision. More dangerous. And they need to know that they could have let your dog out of the yard--very dangerous for your dog. You need to do this because a pool is considered an attractive nuisance where children are concerned. If one had drowned you probably could have been held liable. If Enzo had bitten one, same thing. And the parents need to hear that if some harm had come to Enzo, you would have held them responsible. when I was that age, I would have gotten into very big trouble for going into a neighbor's back yard without invitation and without my moms permission.
 
#10 ·
i a, easily irritated by kids as well that is probably why my wife and i made a concious decion of not having kids.. well atleast for the time being until we get to tired to travel around and enjoy just us. i guess it is something that is right for everybody. i really cant stand them, sometimes because no matter how many times you tell them they never listen. well i guess the best option is to try to keep that backdoor locked and inform the parent of the child.
 
#11 ·
I'm glad Enzo didn't leave and explore and I'm very glad you have the lock, even if it's a new complication for your landlord and workers. Locks are very good things for gates, to keep children and strangers out, including adults. When Toby was a puppy a new to our neighborhood man came up our driveway to Toby's look out hole and let his two unleashed dogs taunt Toby. I was upstairs and heard a commotion, opened my door and told Toby quiet...when he didn't quiet down I opened my garage door to see what was going on and that man was right up next to the garage door. I was LIVID and then some, read him the riot act and told him if he stepped foot in my driveway again (private property) that I would call 911 and report him as a trespasser. I also told him to get a leash on his dogs as I'd heard they were running up to other dogs on walks. He had the audacity to argue with me, so I got my garage phone out of it's holder and started to dial 911 when he finally figured out I was serious. I mentioned it to another neighbor, who told me everyone who lived near the guy said he was weird and someone else threatened to call Animal Control over the leash issue. Had I not had locks I'm pretty sure that lunatic would have been in my backyard with his dogs. He was the reason we got a rolling gate over our driveway, to prevent anyone access to our dogs. The areas near the alley are off limit to the dogs because we have a smaller interior fence. As it is, every time Toby sees this man with (or without) his dogs, he goes ballistic barking--he still remembers this crazy guy!

Our Barkley knew how to open our fence gates anyway, so we needed locks to prevent him from opening the gate to let Toby out. Once hubby forgot to relock the gate after mowing the lawn and Barkley did just that. Our next door found puppy Toby at the alley entrance, just sitting watching the street. She got him in her car, drove him down, saw the lock and open gate and corrected the situation. Thank DOG for good neighbors!
 
#12 ·
Thank goodness Enzo didn't leave the yard! And I don't blame you - I'd have been none too happy about that, myself.

Padlocks are a great thing! We decided that we had to do that when our Bud was about 8 months old. He was a 125lb GSD. Extremely protective and territorial. We put up a 6' privacy fence, padlocked the gate and still never left him outside alone. God forbid one of the unsupervised neighborhood kids (and there were plenty of them) would have gotten even part way over the fence.
It was kind of a pain, having to lock and unlock the gate all the time, but it was worth the minor inconvenience to keep Bud, and everyone else in the neighborhood, safe.
 
#16 ·
I did speak with one set of parents. They were apologetic and didn't have any idea that their daughter came over, but will be talking to the babysitter. The mom was going to speak to the other child's aunt (she doesn't live with her parents).

I had to leave the gate unlocked on Friday from 8 am til I got home from work, around 6 pm, so that a tree could be removed that was growing through the fence. I didn't think it was a big deal since we weren't home, so Enzo wouldn't be outside, and the pool was put away in the garage so that it was out of the way. Well, I came home and found that his favorite ball is gone. He keeps walking around, looking for it, and whining under his breath...it's pitiful. I don't know if the tree guys accidentally did something to it or if a kid came and got it, but either way, I'm upset. Enzo has never had a "favorite toy" like that. He's had others that he liked, but he's OBSESSED with this ball. Looks like I'll be going to buy a new one as soon as I have the money. Of course it had to disappear on a week when I have no money at all.
 
#18 ·
Bayne had/has a ball he tends to be obsessed with, we had to put it away for a while since he was so stressed looking for it all the time. We replaced it with other things, like his rubber bone and elk antler. I'll get the ball out every so often but it goes away when he goes to bed. Then in the morning he's not as focused on it.
 
#21 ·
Enzo's favorite ball is only $6 at the drug store (but $15 on Amazon - how backwards is that?!), but we've just rented our first house and money is tight with all of the things we've needed to buy and all of the extra bills that we've had.
 
#22 ·
Sam

Sam

Thank God that Enzo did not get out of the yard!
Seriously, I would put a lock on your gate. We have two gates to our backyard and have a combination lock on both. They are always LOCKED, so that nobody can accidently leave the gate open!! If the landscaper comes, I tell them to call me the day they're coming out and I unlock the gates and then am doubly careful that the gates are LOCKED, before I let Tucker and Tonka in the yard.
 
#25 ·
I am SO glad that Enzo didn't get out and that the little girls did not get hurt. You have every right to be fuming. I would too!! I cannot stand the stupid parents who do not WATCH their children. Shouldn't parents teach from early on that it is not good manners to just walk into someone's backyard?? I would have gotten in so much trouble if I would have even tried that as a child without asking the neighbor first.

I think it was a wise choice to get a lock. We keep our gates locked at my parents' house (where I am living while working for two months this summer). When I take my Goldens back to Denver, the first thing I am doing is getting a lock for our gate. I just can't afford to take any chances.
 
#30 ·
#31 ·
We were just looking at one at Walgreens a couple of days ago. It was $5. Guess I'm going to go get one tomorrow.:)
 
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#32 ·
Kids love dogs especially goldens. Parents need to be more present when young children are outside playing. Thank god your dog stayed in the yard and wasnt willing to leave with the kids. I would be beyond angry if my neighborhood kids came in my yard without permission. Am like a mama bear when it comes to my dogs
 
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