Most of you have heard me speak of my dog Sally. Sally is an eight pound yorkie (we think) who is so docile squirrels and birds do not move out of her way when she walks down the street: they just sit there and continue eating whatever treat they found on the ground.

Topically, there was an issue this week. I’ve mentioned (in passing comments) that there is a dog in my building who really doesn’t like my dog. Dog A is about twenty five pounds and obviously twice the size. When I say doesn’t like I mean dog barks ferociously and makes movements towards my dog, as well as other dogs in the building. When this dog is in this mode my Sally literally just sits and looks at it- not even a bark.

This dog has exhibited this behavior as long as the dog has lived in the building. As I like dogs and understand that they are animals, I have never said anything about the behavior.

Until…

On Monday I was outside the elevator bank (ok-it’s two elevators- I don’t know if you call that a bank) I was talking to a neighbor and we were to the right of the right elevator because we saw that the left elevator was going to be the first one down- because you move out of the way because people are going to exit.

Fine.

Dog A was in the elevator. When the door opened Dog A lunged at my dog and came so close to biting her that I needed to check Sally’s face. I yelled at the owner that she needed to muzzle the dog because this was the third time this week that the dog made an aggressive move towards my dog.

Fine.

Ten minutes after this incident and my yelling at the owner, the owner was taking the dog A up the stairwell to her apartment. She let this dog off the leash, and of course my neighbor was coming down the stairs with his leashed Maltese, who is quite possibly smaller and more gentle than my dog.  Dog A was off his leash, racing and barking towards the Maltese. Luckily my neighbor was able to quickly scoop up his dog .

Ten minutes after her dog lunged at my dog and I yelled, she had her dog off the leash in a common area of the building.

So yesterday my neighbor and I put in formal complaints with the board and the management agent. The building and agent agreed that the dog needed to be muzzled in common areas of the building, and a letter was sent to them yesterday afternoon.

Fine.

Except now the Husband of the women is claiming that we are unfairly attacking his pregnant wife. That we’ve upset her. There is nothing wrong with his dog. Yada yada yada.

So for today’s discussion:

What is the responsibility of the dog owner if the dog exhibits aggressive behavior towards other dogs and there is common space between your apartment and the outside?

Should I have yelled at someone who is pregnant, or is yelling at someone pregnant just bad form?

Should the onus be on Dog A’s owner to properly control the dog when in common building space?

or

Should the onus be on the other dog owners in the building to be hyper aware of their surroundings because Dog A might be around?

Side note: These people were not singled out. We have other dogs in the building that are/have been muzzled because of their aggressive behavior. This is protocol in the building.