Dogs and Neighbors

 I am pretty sure if you were to take a consensus, we would win the title of  "home of the most annoying dogs in the neighborhood".

 They are beagles, and if you are familiar with the breed, you may know that they don't bark, they bay and they howl, and they are LOUD and we have TWO.

The thing is, we do try to control it.  We don't let them out past 8:00 pm or before 8:00 am.  If there are kids playing outside, we call the dogs in, otherwise, they will howl and whine incessantly, wanting to play.  We try to respect our neighbor's rights of peace and quiet, but sometimes, Dumb and Dumber (as we affectionately call them) will catch the scent of another dog or a cat, or will see the FedEx guy, and they will go NUTS, howling, whining, and evading capture.  Sean and I trying to stop the situation usually looks like two middle-aged rodeo clowns trying to jump greased pigs, verrry dignified.  It usually takes us a few minutes to get them inside, and by that time, I am pretty sure they have woken the dead, and all the neighbors have their suspicions confirmed that we are fools.

Anyway, my husband called me last week while I was out running errands, to let me know that one of the dogs NIPPED the neighbor's kid.   

The background of this incident -the child (let's just call him, oh... Eddie Haskell) gets off the bus every day in front of our house, and as he walks past our home, he teases the dogs, not physical cruelty, but he barks at them, howls at them and walks as slowly as possible past our yard.  Basically, taunting them and trying to get a reaction from them.  I also think he tries to get them to run through the electric fence...  

How do I know this?  Well, the little sh#$ is too dumb to look up and see the open windows from which one of us is usually assessing the situation.

Anyway, on this particular day, Eddie decided to COME INTO OUR YARD, which the dogs are confined to, thanks to electronic fence, and start his routine.... teasing the dogs, and staying just out of reach.  Jack (our arthritic, senile, 8 year old beagle) must of had enough of the teasing, and told him the only way he knows how, to leave him alone.  He didn't break skin, but he did nip him.

By the way, Eddie is 12, he should know better, right?

I am not excusing Jack's behavior.  I am actually horrified.  But I will say, what TWELVE YEAR OLD doesn't know that they shouldn't tease dogs?  

So NOW, I have to deal with an uncomfortable situation, as well as worry about our reputation in the neighborhood, AND I have to worry every time I let the dogs out to relieve themselves.

As my five year old says... UGH.