The damage that we do and never know

[lizblackdog]

Dear Demonchild Snotmonkey,

Yes, you. The same child I had to bark at when you tried to slap Spike. Now, I presume you were raised speaking English, because your older brother communicates just fine. So what part of "please stop trying to wave big pointy sticks in Spike's face" is it you're having a problem with?

I DO NOT WANT MY DOG TO BITE YOU. This is only half true. After the 5343675th time of my having to tell you that a. you may not play tug with him and b. you doubleplus extra specially may not play tug with him with a big splintery pointy wooden stick, I'd actually really enjoy seeing him playfully break your tender little fingerbones like little sticky chicken wings, and I bet it would help solve your selective deafness problem too. But he doesn't need the dangerous dog laws landing on his head just because you can't keep your damn sticky hands to yourself, so FUCKING STOP IT YOU LITTLE MONSTER.

More importantly, (because I am not your mother and I couldn't care less about your finger bones), if I let you keep teasing my dogs with sticks you're going to poke one of their eyes out. And believe me, anything Spike at his worst could do to you is going to look like a gentle pat compared to what I'll do to you if you injure my dogs. Got that, Damien?

No love,

Your neighbour who sometimes wishes her dogs didn't love children so damn much.

P.S. No, you can't throw it for him to fetch either, especially not into the road when he's on-leash. I really wish I could slap you sometimes.

Comments

[grave-medicine.livejournal.com]

Do what the mother would do -- file a report stating he's threatening and menacing your dogs, baring his sharp stick at them and frightening and cornering the lot of you. And if you think I'm kidding, I'm not. I've done it before, turning in a dangerous dog report as a dangerous kid report. At first the cops thought I was joking, but when I suggested I might need to call my "uncle," who was a cop at the school my parents worked at, they realized I really was serious about this kid being a danger to Ripley.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

He's not trying to be threatening or anything, he's just really really annoying. He's like Spike, actually - he only wants to play and doesn't get that some kinds of play can do harm. And he does stop when I raise my voice a bit - it's just that I need to do it every single time I encounter him and it gets annoying.

I think the police would be an overreaction (in this particular case; I'm not saying you overreacted) but once I work out which one his mother is I shall have a quiet word with her, I think.

[grave-medicine.livejournal.com]

Spike wouldn't be threatening or anything, he would just want to play if he started barking, growling and play lunging, then jumped up to knock him down for a roll in the grass. He'd still be labeled a dangerous dog the attacked, especially when you couldn't control him because you couldn't be arsed.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

that's why I don't let the kid play with him, and move on swiftly when the kid has a stick. I was just ranting about the fact that I have to keep on and on and on telling this particular kid that.

[dalaire.livejournal.com]

^ Yeah, having a quiet work with the mother will be good. Hopefully, she will be receptive and not another form of snothead altogether.

As the mother of a son who loooooves doggies, I know I constantly have to be on top of him, reminding him (because they really don't remember--ugh) to "pet-pet gentle," "don't lie on the doggie," and "no dragging doggie's collar," &c., &c. It's a real, every-single-day labor of love, and part of the reason I hesitated to get another pet so soon after losing Nicoli. Thankfully, it does work after a while... But then, I am on top of it daily.

Good luck with that, Liz! Having also always had large and potentially dangerous dogs all my life, I know how unnerving that can be.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

That's it, exactly. He's not a nasty malicious kid; I don't like him much but then I'm not a fan of kids. He just hasn't taken on board that dogs aren't big furry toys and after living down the road from him for this long I'm getting frustrated at having to keep on telling him "don't do this, don't do that".

That, and I felt like writing a rant. It's been so long since I posted anything but kittens...

[fara-shimbo.livejournal.com]

Whether the kid is trying deliberately to be threatening or not, if he's old enough to be in the street at all I'd say he's old enough to understand and respect the meaning of the word "NO." If he doesn't, that's his parents' fault and certainly they know how he behaves; the fact that he's allowed out to do this is plain and simple rudeness -- or perhaps neglect -- on their part. I'd certainly speak to the police about your options.

[fara-shimbo.livejournal.com]

Good grief, if I were in your position I'd get the kid's parents and flay them. Or at least embarrass them loudly and publicly. People! FEH! Can't stand 'em!

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

People drive me nuts. In forty years I only ever met one I could stand to have around on a 24/7 basis.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

i always say, "that kid should be on leash!"

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

It's one of the downsides of living in a quiet little suburb where the traffic is slow and everyone knows everyone else - the kids and the cats are all free-range.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

ha ha! they are here too. :)

[takethislife.livejournal.com]

There's this kid at the dog park I go to that goes around slapping dogs. He's never done it to Gibson...If he did I don't think I'd hold my compusure...first I would yell at the kid...then I would track down the mother to yell at her. I have very little patience for children...especially those who have NO manners around animals.

off topic

[mandrakescreams.livejournal.com]

I had a rather vivid and interesting dream about you last night.....
Bex x

Re: off topic

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

ooh!

Re: off topic

[mandrakescreams.livejournal.com]

indeed. I'm thinking the high temperature I have at the moment is contributing to the strangeness of my dreams- still you're the only LJ friends that has had the honour of turning up in my dreams lately.
x