Re the question about pit bulls and rottweilers: Watch Animal Cops and Animal Precinct on the Animal Planet channel. The majority of dogs taken in because of owners not being to handle them are pits, with rotties second. The majority of dogs that the SPCAs on those shows have to euthanize are again, pits and rotties. Someone may be able to mention a collie or beagle that turned vicious and attacked, but it would be extremely unusual. Pit bull breeding is out of control - these dogs are sought for their aggressive behavior. I don't know if the same is true for rottweilers, but you couldn't pay me to have this breed around children or the elderly for any reason. Dogs are by nature aggressive and territorial. No amount of training can get rid of this instinct. It may never appear in overt behavior, but it's always there. I would never bring my children to a home with untrustworthy dogs, not even that of my parents. I would also not leave an older child alone with a dog unless that child had proven that he was the alpha creature in that relationship and was used to handling the dog. Here in California pit bulls have made virtually all the attacks reported over the past several years. That is, with the exception of the two presa canarios who killed a thirty-year old woman in San Francisco a few years ago.

Well, I just went through a frustrating similiar experience and here is how it played out: My neighbor has 5 unlicensed dogs that she barely cares for. They are constant barkers. The neighbor to her South gets the honor of dealing with the barking mostly. Last week, I am home, and notice a animal control truck in front of the barker's house. The dog owner was not home. The officer left a message that the owner must contact AC. Much to my surprise, the owner called AC., Subsequently she brought back one of the dogs (the second most vocal of the lot) to the shelter from which it had been purchased. NOW GET THIS!! She called the Mayor and pleaded her case to keep all four remaining dogs because they are old....need medical attention...too ugly to adopt.... etc. The major said no. Now she is in cahoots with the South neighbor (the one who originally called) to lie to animal control that the fourth dog actually belongs to the neighbor - in the likely event AC comes to her door again. Moral of the Tale: #1) Owners such as your neighbors are mentally and emotionally unstable people that you want to limit verbal contact with. #2) You cannot let bad owners ruin your quality of life. #3) Involving the authorities may be the best thing for the dogs - whatever the outcome.

rosemaryt, you have a tough situation and my heart goes out to you. Best wishes in a successful resolution to the problem. This is a very frustrating thread to read. People screaming for you to go commit a felony makes me just shake my head in disbelief. Laws vary from state to state so when you get "armchair lawyers", including myself, giving you advice, take it for ideas only since your situation will vary. A few things do come to mind though. First, the police are sympathetic and in fact, that's good for the public as a whole but doesn't help for this situation. Now you need a "hot dog" cop, but the problem is to find one. There are other options though, again however it varies in different jurisdictions. One is a "citizen complaint", "criminal complaint" or citizen's arrest. You need guidance to do this properly and if appropriate but seems to me that it could in this case. I'd doubt very highly you'd get him committed for evaluation with the adverse positions of the doctor and social worker. However if he is truly senile, and it's documented, then a guardianship is a definite possibility. But an involuntary guardianship is not easy, and rightly so. But you might be able to propose a temporary guardianship, a conservatorship or something to get a start. This won't be quick most likely, but is an option to consider. In MN, starting a guardianship proceeding would be more likely to get an eval ordered. Again, your state will vary. I hope you're paying no attention to the fools who suggest that you will be financially responsible for his actions. Good grief where do people get these ideas? That's stupid, plain and simple. C'mon folks, she needs help, support and ideas, not ridiculous ramblings. I suppose someone will running offended and I'll get a friendly reminder but so be it. It needed to be said. Likewise that you'll force a cop to do something, that you can sue the cops if something happens down the road and well, it's a highly emotional situation and obviously many people aren't thinking clearly. People watch too much "Boston Legal" or something and want to threaten to sue for anything thinking that people will cringe and fold. It may work with someone who doesn't know better, but threatening people that know better doesn't do anything more than make the person making the threat look like a complete idiot. Don't get caught up in that. It won't work. Also, I agree you should keep the insurance on the vehicle. I'd even go so far as to make sure the vehicles are, in fact insured. You insure the vehicle primarily so if in fact he has no valid license likely won't affect the insurance at least until he gets into an accident or ticket, at which time the company likely would cancel the coverage. Newspapers, TV, radio, media as a whole... well, this isn't a huge story in news terms but someone might be interested. But I think I'd pursue it with low expectations. Disabling the car hasn't worked. So you need a different plan of attack. Take a deep breath and try to relax. I know it's easier said than done though. Obviously you can't be following him around all over, first because you don't have the time and secondly you could be guilty of stalking if he is angry enough to push it, which he may well be. But a private security firm or private investigator is able to, but of course that will cost something. They can gather evidence, video his operation and even be able to make a complaint, though I'm not sure that many would want to get that involved. I could contact my former PI firm and see if they have any suggestions but since the laws vary, I think you'd be better off to seek some guidance locally. Most good places won't charge you to talk to you about the case and give you some ideas. Again, my best to you and yours. If I think of anything else I'll post again. I know what a tough situation it is. And my experience wasn't quite as drastic as yours, though my dad should have quit driving 20 years earlier. But that's a whole different story.

the scream ....was a nonsensical noise. Just very loud. LM said she was establishing herself as Alpha The nonsensical noise validates what I believe she was doing. She wasn't screaming at the dog. She was using a common training maneuver in basic, not new age, obedience training. She may or not be very good at it. But the maneuver in itself is not abusive. Is she abusive.? We can't really know by what was posted. There was little to on because emotions were brought in instill of simple facts. I don't see how one who is handling two dogs at a time could possibly slam one of them into the ground. I m not saying what she was doing was right and I'm not saying she was wrong. Too much perception and not enough facts to go on. I don't use choke chains. I tend toward the belief that they maybe should be banned (outside of training facilities) because of their misuse. I prefer pinch collars. But yes my current dog was a time or two corrected by being given a quick upward jerk nearly taking her off her feet. Actually once she was taken off her feet for a moment. It was because she showed aggression to another dog on a pack walk. Pack walks as in training walks, not out for a stroll with the other doggies. My dog is completely bonded to me. She wears a pinch collar when we go out. Training is forever. It may not look like training but every time I am out with her she is in training even if it's just re-enforcing basic manners in public. At home and with close friends and family she can be a spoiled, high energy, out of control goof. But when we go out she is expected to behave at all times.