Neighbour left terrified after antics of 'out of control kids next door' - 'I don't feel safe in my own home'
Two young boys next door have terrorised the family's dogs
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A mum has sought legal advice after having to pay thousands of pounds as a result of the actions of her neighbour’s unruly children.
The neighbours’ boisterous children have terrorised the family dogs, one of which is currently training to become a Cardio Alert service dog to help the eldest son in the family.
The six-year-old boy was recently diagnosed with coronary heart disease, and the family’s Dutch mix is in the costly process of training to become a service dog.
Whilst the mum has said she does not believe the kids aren’t intentionally trying to frighten the dogs, their actions have made the pets more volatile, which means she has had to fork out an extra £7,000 to retrain the canine.
One of the family's dogs is training to be a service dog
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Now the mum – who has not revealed her identity - is seeking legal advice on how to rectify the situation.
“Both of them [the dogs] started developing reactivity due to her boys constantly (unintentionally) terrorizing them, which is probably going to add another year (£4,900-£7,400) of training,” she said on online forum Reddit.
“This was a huge blow, as my son struggles to function independently, was recently diagnosed with CHD, and I cannot describe the level of investment this is as a single mother. I even got special accommodations to take this dog to work with me the past year so we can have her in continuous training.”
The next-door neighbours moved in earlier this year and have two young sons, aged six and eight.
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The mum said: “After a few days, it became very clear that her boys did not understand boundaries as they used everyone's yards as a playground, even playing with all of the other kid's toys/bikes.
“I didn't say anything, as I understood that this was a big change for them and assumed that their mother would teach them. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
“When I politely came out to ask them not to tap on my windows to say 'hi' to my dogs, she completely ignored me. They are left to roam unsupervised outside for most of the day, though she is usually home.”
Alongside the financial loss she has suffered due to the two boys’ naughty behaviour, her sons’ wellbeing has been affected since the new neighbours have moved in.
Social media users said she should confront the neighbours
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Her eldest son will now have to wait longer to receive the adequate care from the dog.
Meanwhile, her youngest son was also attacked by a different dog whilst outside the neighbours' house.
"At this point, we do not feel safe/comfortable in our home as is constantly sounds like someone is breaking in, cannot enjoy/use our yards, and we have enough people in our neighbourhood with large/untrained dogs that these kids are going to end up seriously hurt if something doesn't change," she concluded.
“I understand that it is not my place as they are not my kids, that they are just kids, and that is why I have yet to take any action. So, should I put my foot down and step in, or just stay out of it?”
Social media users were sympathetic to her plight.
One said: “She's literally costing you $6 to $9k in doggie training. Dude, put your foot, ankle, calf, knee, hip, ass, and everything else down.”
Another said: “You've been patient enough. Confront her directly, assertively. Let her know the next step is the office/apartment manager. And then do it if you must.”