Mett & Bratt have a stalker

[MikeC]

Tracy,

Great minds think alike! Yes, the Cairn in Bright Eyes was Toto in WofOZ and was named Raggs in the Shirley's movie. Just an aside, Shirley Temple absolutely fell in love with Raggs and two of them were inseparable during the movies filming. Even after the film was finished, Shirley would visit "Raggs". Great story!

Mike

[Tracy A.]

I whimped out yesterday, and took the boys for a short walk down the other street. We live on a on corner lot and have a side gate :ninja: so we slipped in/out without any Stalker encounters.

I am going to take the advice from the Forum, since I am childless and really don't cope well with kids.

We have about 45 families living in our sub-division, and a lot of them let the kids roam from house to house.

I don't want to start anything with the neighboors, so calling the police is out- but I did notice that little Amanda doesn't get out of the middle of the road for cars.... even if they beep their horn. (dead end side streets don't have side walks in my area). So the next time I see her, i'm going to ask where she lives and then i'll visit her guardian. As annoying as I find her, I don't want to hear she get run over- and i'll use that as the excuse for my visit. Hopefully things will go well... I really don't want alter when I walk the boys since it's my "i've been at work all day and I feel guility" walk.

And worst case cenerio, my Parents are visiting in two weeks and will bring their 2 German Sheps with. They both are trained to bare teeth and growl on command! So Mett & Bratt can borrow a little muscle if needed.

[grillywarren]

Boy..oh..boy can I relate!!!!! In our last neighborhood....a subdivsion with about

90 houses, our house was on a cul-de-sac with about 6 houses. Those 6 innocent looking houses held over 8 little girlies! We were (the doggies) the ENTERTAINMENT!!!!

The flock used to wait outside our house and yell at the tops of their lungs, "Grilly and Maddy are out!" when I came out for a walk! Luckily, I have lots of nieces and nephews and my dogs are familiar with kiddos, but it still made potty training difficult.

I would tell them to wait until the dogs did their buisness. The children were pretty good, and I have to say my dogs loved the attention. One day my friend came to our house and I didn't hear the bell, she said to her kids "I guess Ellie's not home" Out of the trees came a tiny voice "oh, she is there ....she just went in with the dogs!"

I felt as though, NO I was under constant survelliance (these girls could work for

the CIA) hee hee. When the news got out (rather quickly I might say) that we were

moving ....the troops doubled up there visiting efforts. They told me they wanted to

get in as much time with the dogs as possible before we left! Now, as we house hunt, yet again, my FIRST REQUIREMENT is a fence......my second is a small neighborhood!!!!!

I think, all in all, it was good for my doggies to get used to the little ones as we hope

to have one in the future. But, I can definitely hear and feel your pain. The good side for my pups...they got invited to three birthday parties! One even made them doggie goody bags!!!!

Be well!

Ellie

[Marge]

There are positives in having children in the neighborhood. My Bear got out of the fenced in area of our yard yesterday (again ). After looking all over the area....walking up and down the road....going to spots we have found him previously...etc, and not finding him, I was on the verge of tears. We found him just across the road at our new neighbor's playing with their two little girls and their yellow lab. I'm sure you can relate to my enormous relief and my gratitude. Believe me those two little girls can pet Bear anytime they want. Back to monitoring Bear constantly in the yard and trying to barricade where he may have gotten out. It's a real challange. Anyway, I'm grateful we have children in our neighborhood.

MAKE it a GREAT day!!!

Marge

[goforette]

Your stalker story is just TOO GOOD! The visual on that is just super funny (although I know it wasn't at the time) - I too do not have children yet. Although my Hollie and Brystal are my children - I'm so overprotective it's not even funny. I guard them even from my freaky adult neighbors. I'm finding I'm taking my girls everywhere with me (because I can't stand to be without them these days) - wish we had bring your dog to work with the government (but no such luck yet) - so I take them shopping with me, home depot, ace hardware - office depot -and they see a crying 3 year old. They have great child instincts and immediately want to comfort the screaming kid (I just want to flee from her piercing cries and they just want to lick her emotional wounds) - and I can hear the parent saying look there's puppies do you want to hold them? And I'm like WHAT! Only I get to offer holding my babies and I'm definately not handing my new puppies off to a screaming 3 year old - so I call out to Chris (my better half) honey look there's fancy chicken wire just to change locations just so I can run quickly away from the mother who thinks my puppies are her child's new stuffed animals. Next you'll be faced to get surveillance cameras for little monster. Granted I want my pups socialized - but not terrorized. Too funny though - pink big wheel - like with the theme song to Jaws playing in the background......

[Maggie15]

this might just be my warped idea... but i think its great to have a child so interested in the dogs... in fact making her official 'bag girl' with the BIG responsibility of picking up the "tootsie rolls" to take home and dispose of would be a real character builder for the child... she might be great at it!! ...she may also tire of her new found responsibility... worth a try?!hahaha!

a

[Aurora5000]

What's the latest?

[CathyAnn]

Not to disagree, but I think it might be good for your 'kids' to be around 'upright' kids a bit.

I worry a little about Piper when grandbaby (20 months old) visits since he isn't exposed much. When she is here, of course, she wants to play with him.

So, when we take neighborhood strolls, I do let little ones pet him. Unfortunately, he is soooo focused on rabbits, he pays little attention. He just wants to go, go, go!!

Just another perspective.....

Cathy

[Tracy A.]

What's the latest?

My parents came into town and i've been offline.

It would seem that little Miss. Amanda nagged her poor father too near death because I saw the whole family walking 'Her' new puppy. Mett & Bratt didn't even get a second glance from her!!!! :w00t:

On the down side, Mett, Bratt, and Me have ben 'banned' from walking infront of a yard in the neighboorhood. Now perhaps this is a faux pas on my part, but I let mett and Bratt walk on first 1-2 feet of grass nearst the road while we are on our walks. I let them sniff the mail boxes that are in this range. I pull them back if they wander off the 1-2feet of grass. I always carry a plastic bag with me and pick up after them. On Sunday, a lady on the end of the block came running out of her house and said she didnt' want me walking my dogs on her lawn.... I said 'okay', I turn around now before I get to her property line but I feel someone depressed about this.... I don't know perhaps i'm wrong.

[MyCairnPepper]

well i have three kids 8, 3, and 18 months but they are definately not allowed out of my yard without me being next to them. and i do not alow them to bother anyone walking the dogs because i too have a problem with children who are not mine bothering me and teasing my dogs while they are in my yard. so i have spoken to some mommys and it has seemed to slow down and i figure it will stop altogether when the dane gets a little bigger.

[bradl]

Personally? I'd probably just wave cheerfully and say, "Oh I'm sorry" and continue on my merry way. Every day. Worst case, after an intervention with Animal Control, should it come to that, you might have to veer into the street for the duration of Miss Gulch's front yard. If there is a sidewalk, and this is the strip twixt sidewalk and street - I think Miss Gulch is out of luck.

[Aurora5000]

I always walk my dogs on my left, I walk next to the curb in the street

1. I am in control of the dogs. I walk them not them walking me. No one stops for smelling or picking up objects in the street. (birds,squirrels,sticks, etc)

2. Keeps them away from other dogs markings, poo messes and disease. (see post on dogs eating poo.)

3. I see this as exercise which the Cairns need and me too.

I am not trying to be critical of anyone. I am glad your neighborhood child has a pet now.

[tena]

Tree lawns are fair game to walk your dog in. Learned this when one grump in my nieghborhood got upset about me walking Sophie on his tree lawn. Of course another nieghbor defended the "cute little thing" and now these 70 somethings are fueding over Sophie.Sophie takes two types of walks...the quick stepping business walk, and the wandering smell and explore walk. I walk on the sidewalk with her to my left, yards are always off limits.

People are strange....

[tlwtheq]

Personally? I'd probably just wave cheerfully and say, "Oh I'm sorry" and continue on my merry way. Every day. Worst case, after an intervention with Animal Control, should it come to that, you might have to veer into the street for the duration of Miss Gulch's front yard. If there is a sidewalk, and this is the strip twixt sidewalk and street - I think Miss Gulch is out of luck.

Bravo, well said. What bothers me about someone like that is she just assumes it was your pups who let whatever messes she may have found in her yard. One of the people in my neighborhood was out scooping up once after other people's dogs and made a snide comment as we walked by. Of course I always have my "poop paraphernalia" with me and always use it. I just replied in as upbeat a tone as I could muster, "Well it wasn't us who left the mess...see ya!"

Tara, Olie, Teddy and Sweet Pea's Mom

[mrskti]

One of the campgrounds we stayed at on our trip had a sign that said if you see someone not pick up after their dog and tell on them, you will get a free night at the campground and they'll be moving on!!!!! I loved it!!! I'm tired of being the one that picks up and others leaving their poop.

People even left their dog poop in the artificial grass in CA, and how easy is it to pick up off that stuff....bags and can there for you and everything. Makes me so mad.

[Pepandfriend's mom]

I am just a little slow but finally "got" Brad's reference to Ms Gulch , connect with Wiz of Oz character + Toto = the breed of dog on this Forum!

Anyway, we have a Ms Gulch on our walks. When she was outside once, she saw that I was allowing the dogs to walk into her yard about a foot, and she said to "get those dogs out of my yard." Now I go out into the street when I pass her house. I don't want to deal with her. There have been some good suggestions made on this thread about avoiding yards, and I mainly keep my guys on the sidewalk. When it is hot here into the evening as it is now, I let them skirt into the grass a little, but not much.

Pam

[Tracy A.]

Personally? I'd probably just wave cheerfully and say, "Oh I'm sorry" and continue on my merry way. Every day. Worst case, after an intervention with Animal Control, should it come to that, you might have to veer into the street for the duration of Miss Gulch's front yard. If there is a sidewalk, and this is the strip twixt sidewalk and street - I think Miss Gulch is out of luck.

Brad: You crack me up, and guess what? You're right. I called the township office, and the first 5 feet next to the road are owned by the Township/County and as long as you pick up after your dog I am Ok-

And if a fire hydrant is in the yard, the county owns everything upto that Hydrant.... Which said Ms. Gulch does indeed have.... I walked the boys past her house (not near her 'county owned hydrant/Lawn' when I got home from work, her. I've been turning around before I got to her property line she had me so upset-

I train the boys in the back yard 1:1, it's less distracting that way, we have too many cats & kids.- Walks in the neighboorhood I do before I go to work, when I first get home from work, then a shorter one before bedtime- these are purely sniff & check pee mail walks.

Tracy