I have a fear of dogs. I'm mostly only afraid of big scary dogs but sometimes the sight of my neighbor's Lab (who I've known since she was a puppy) running toward me will make me so scared that I can't catch my breath.

I have a new neighbor with some kind of big dog...looks like a pit bull from the back and side but his head is a little more wrinkly. I don't know what kind he is. Last night we were out tinkering with our car and the dog was barking and growling at my husband's legs which were sticking out from the car. The dog was on a leash.

This morning I was coming back from dropping off my oldest daughter at school and the neighbor had the dog out to potty, still on a leash. The dog was growling and tugging on its leash and it looked like the owner could barely control it. Sophia was practically climbing me because she doesn't like dogs either. This thing can open its jaws bigger than my daughter's head.

I talked to the complex manager today and told her how scared I was of the dog. I explained why in graphic detail, my sister was attacked as a child, 500 stitches in her face and throat, etc...and all she wanted to know was if the dog was on a leash, which it was. I talked to the dog's owner too and told him how scared of dogs I was...and he assured me that his dog is a big puppy who won't hurt anyone (which means that it just hasn't yet).

I have to take my daughter to school before my husband comes home from work, so I can't send him instead. I told Val I was going to start walking her to the school gate, that way I could carry my gun in my purse in case the dog attacked on the way home...but in all honesty I'd rather not be wandering around at 7am illegally packing heat because I'm scared of the dog. (The gun is not illegal itself, carrying it in my purse is)

LOL...I'm not sure what I'm looking for, calm me down, tell me I'm overreacting, etc...y'all always make me feel better.

I'm sorry you're having this issue. I'm not sure what to say. I'm scared of strange, big dogs, too, especially when my kids are around, but no where near the trauma it's causing you. I hope someone here has some good advice for you. If it were me, I'd probably be packing the heat in my bag, too.

((HUGS))

I feel you on that one...I've been around big dogs all my life but I am still scared of them. I know it won't be good to be carrying around a gun but you gotta do what you gotta do to protect yourself and your kids. A couple of weeks ago my sons dog (a rat terrier) was attacked by a pitbull which are illegal in Miami and we had to pick up all sorts of things and hit the pitbull with just to get him off the dog. At that time I wished I had a gun that would've been the end of that pitbull. When we were living in an apartment one of our neighbors had a Great Dane that would get away all the time...I have no clue as to why this idiot would have that big a$$ dog in a small apartment.

I'm scared of big dogs as well. I'm also scared of pitbulls or anything that has a word bull in it.

Girls with guns are sexy btw. It reminds me of Angelina Jolie.

I have a keychain container of pepper spray that sounds like it would be a perfect thing to carry. And would be a lot safer than a gun. That dog would run away fast.

If you see the dog outside when you have to leave, yell to the owner (I assume he's holding the dog on the leash) to hold onto it. If you've spoken to him about it he'll understand, and at least that way you'll know that he's aware he has to keep a good grip on that leash. I'm sorry you have to deal with this, it makes it no fun to live in a place if you're scared of something enxt door.

On the off chance that you'd be willing to do this, could you have your neighbor "introduce" the dog to you? Not with your daughter there, but if the dog knows you he'll be way less likely to bark and growl at you. If that goes okay, you could have him do the same with your daughter while you're with her. You wouldn't have to interact with the dog every time you see him, but it would cut down on the barking if you know his name and you could talk to the dog using his name whenever you see him. It sounds weird, but if you know the dog's name that will sometimes make them stop yapping at you.

I am very much a dog person, had dogs all my life and last year lost our German Shepherd X Rottweiler. In his prime he was 65 kg and could be very intimidating, BUT he was very well trained and when he was on the lead, he was always under our control. If this dog is pulling, jumping, growling and barking at you whilst on the lead, the owner does not have control over the dog.

You should not make direct eye contact with any vicious dog, and the worst thing you can do is try to talk to it through the fence, it will defend it's territory and owner. I would find out what the regulations are in your area regarding dogs and responsible owners. In Australia I'm pretty sure there are strict rules regarding certain breeds like Pitbulls etc. Know what your rights are, no-one should have to live in fear of walking out their front door. Ask the owner straight out to keep the dog calm when it sees you - this is not unreasonable. I pray to god you dont need that gun.

People like that give the rest of us dog lovers a bad name. I have pics of our Max with my kids lying all over him. His nickname was "Smoocher" becasue he really was a big sook. They're not all bad!

Hey Texas - not in any way minimising your fear (I am terrified of snakes and rats!) But I guarantee you, if you had a dog with a good bark on him, any would be intruders will take off a lot quicker than you can get that magazine in! Plus they usually think twice BEFORE they actually get through the door!

I cannot tell you how grateful I was to have Max when I was home alone with my first bubba and my husband was away for work. He used to sleep between us and the door - so smart!

I thought about a dog...but there's 4 of us in a 900 sq foot apartment and a big dog would be like another family member. Once we have a yard, I'm planning to get a german shepherd because my husband loves them, but it wouldn't be fair to get one in a small space like we've got now. I wouldn't be scared of my own dog if I had one.

I completely feel for you TexasRose.

We had a neighbor (well 3 houses away on a country street, but still close enough) who raised and bred Akitas (spelling?).

He was also a member of the Mafia, in fact he's in jail now for running a 3 million $$ a month sports gambling operation out of his home (we always wondered how he could afford a million dollar home and he never went to work )

Anyway, one day I put my 14 yr. old dog (30lb beagle/jack russell terrior mix) out on my front porch and I went back to set my alarm.

In the short amount of time I left him alone, I heard a horrific howling, barking noise and when I looked out, one of this man's Akitas had my dog by the neck and was swinging him from side to side.

My dog couldn't get loose. I grabbed a broom that I had on my front porch and started hitting the Akita on the back, but he wouldn't drop my dog. Finally, since I was screaming bloody murder, my neighbor next door ran over with a garden shovel.

This guys a fireman so he's pretty burly and even he couldn't get the Akita to drop my dog. He finally took the point of the shovel and smashed it into the Akita's nose, only then did he loosen his grip on my dog.....BUT he then turned on my neighbor.

Here's this dog bleeding and he still had the strength to try to attack this guy. He was circling him, growling and my neighbor was swinging the shovel to try and keep the dog away. It was so scary, I don't think I've ever been as scared as I was that day.

I had dialed 911 and within minutes the cops arrived........long story short, they had to shoot the Akita.

My poor dog required extensive surgery and a hospital stay that in total cost us over $2K.

Looking back now, I realize how fortunate I was that the dog didn't attack me and my neighbor or some innocent child out playing in his/her yard.

The owner of the Akita had no regard for any of us and even tried to sue the town because the cop had shot/killed his dog. He obviously had no ground to stand on since our town has a leash law and his dog was on my property.

We later found out that this same dog had killed another little dog on our street 2 yrs earlier, but the owner of the little dog was so scared of this guy because he was in the MOB that he didn't file a report.

I hope your situation doesn't escalate to this height, it was an awful experience for me and I'll never forget the sound of that cops gun going off right there on my front lawn and the look of that Akita as he died.

I love animals and even though this dog was attacking my dog I didn't want the situation to end the way it did.

I'm sorry this is so long, but after reading your story it reminded me so much of this incident.

Please take any and all precautions to protect yourself and your daughters from this dog. I would even file a written complaint with your local animal control officer, so that they are aware of him. Maybe they'll even pay a visit to this dog's owner.

Good luck!

Texas, I like Costume's idea if you can arrange a "meeting" with the dog. I have two labs who have SCARY barks. If you walk on the sidewalk across the street from my house they bark at our gate. Once you come inside my house they will lead you to the treats and to the safe but they will sure fool you from the outside.

That being said, a dog without training or a mean/vicious dog is scary and should be regarded with caution. Keep your kids away. But I suggest talking to the owner as well. I was attacked by a 10lb jack russell, drew blood and scarred my arm. All dogs, little lap dogs to giant horse sized dogs have potential to hurt someone.

We have a neighbor who has a pit/boxer mix. It's a beautiful dog & I love animals, but he is VERY protective of his yard, and a little too aggressive, in my opinion. I am not afraid of dogs, but I'm afraid of what some of them can do.

Once, I was sitting on my patio, and they let him out to poop (they would open the slider, he typically would run around, poop, then come back to the door to be let in). Anyhow, he heard me turn the page of the newspaper I was reading, so he bolts at top speed towards me. I figured if I got up to run, that would be pointless, since I can't outrun him. So I sat in the chair and he ran right up and started barking/growling about 2 feet away from me. Scared the bejeebees out of me. But, for whatever reason, he didn't attack. I just sat there and stared at him.

Now my kids are often outside with the neighbors (5 kids total and they range in age from eighteen months to six), and when they put that dog outside, he's on a leash and the leash is tied to one of those screw in the ground things (which I absolutely don't trust that he wont rip it out of the ground if he comes charging). The kids know not to go to that side of our yard, but I sit out there with them, because I don't trust that dog.

A dog like that could easily kill one of them. Dogs definitely need to be trained.

One last note... I have a friend who works in one of the local hospitals in the E.R. She said you would not believe how many times they get someone in who was bitten by a dog where the owner insists 'he's never done that before'. If he's got teeth, he needs to be watched.

I know, even my hedgehog can bite hard enough to make someone bleed, and her mouth is much smaller than even the smallest dog.

What I have been doing the last few days is letting my kids ride their scooters to the school. Then I carry my older daughter's scooter back home and if we had a dog problem, the scooter would probably make a decent weapon. Also, dogs seem to stay away from kids on wheels.

The neighbor hasn't brought the dog out in the mornings again either, which is good

Excellent! The death stares must have given him the message. Good idea about the scooter as a weapon too!