I shot my neighbors aggressive dog with a pellet gun and he feld the neighborhood. Now my neighbor wants to bring up charges against me.?

Ask:I shot my neighbors aggressive dog with a pellet gun and he feld the neighborhood. Now my neighbor wants to bring up charges against me.?

Well I'm fifteen and for the past few weeks my dog has been getting attacked by my neighbors dog. Any time my dogs out, my neighbor purposely let's his dog out to fight with my dog. 

 

My dogs not a fighter and submits to his dog, but he still gets attacked until I have to intervene, which I do once the dog jumps on my dog. I've been bit twice. 

 

I took it upon myself to confront my neighbor but he says it was how dogs handle things. Since he wouldn't handle I did, when the dog came back over I shot it in it's side. I didn't expect for it to run off in the process and now he can't find the dog. 

 

I offered to help him look but he cursed me out, though if he'd kept his dog off our property none of this wouldn't have happened. If I do go to juvie, how long would I have to stay in there or will I end up in there.

 

Answer

 

Daniel:

You were simply defending your property from this agressive animal. If you were an adult, and shot him with an actual gun, he still wouldn't be able to do a damn thing. 

Let him press charges, your parents will defend you, and win. 

You are entittled to defend yourself against any agressive animal that attacks your property.
As you have been bit by him in the past, you can submit that as proof and actually sue him instead, and even get that agressive mongrel put down.  

 

Edith:

Well, you have created a problem in that your idiot neighbor will now retaliate against your dog. That is why there are cops and lawyers. Now, the cops won't do much about a dog fight, but they will do something about a kid being bit by a dog. 

 

So, you should have called the cops and demanded that the owner produce the rabies information on his dog, which he probably doesn't have. 

 

Animal control will take the dog for observation. Meanwhile, you go get a lawyer who will go to the judge who will put a restraining order on the aggressive neighbor threatening you and your property (your dog) and injuring you. 

 

Once you have that restraining order you own your neighbor and his dog. Chances are your neighbor will give up his dog to Animal Control who will kill it. But, in any event all you have to do is watch your dog and if your neighbor does anything aggressive towards it, you call the cops and they will haul the neighbor off to jail for violating the judges order. 

 

When he gets out of jail, he will probably move because if he does anything again, the cops and judge really get mad. 

 

BlueBonnet:

How come you guys don't have fences that would keep the dogs apart. You have every right to protect your dog but this may bring gun charges against you. 

 

 In most cities the law does not allow for citizens to fire off anything that has a projectile. A pellet gun & a BB gun are also illegal in most city limits.

When you shot the dog was it on your property? out in the street? in the neighbors yard? Sounds like you could be in some serious trouble. Gun charges, & possible dog abuse. 

 

Jo:

What I'm wondering is WHY you didn't bother to call animal control and report his dog to begin with especially after having been bit twice?! 

 

You just don't take this kind of thing into your own hands, you go through the proper channels and that means you call or have a parent call animal control and get your dog to the vet. 

 

Just because your neighbor is a jerk doesn't mean you have to one up him in being one! I don't know if you are going to get into trouble or not for taking the law into your own hands and not having a parent help you or you calling animal control and reporting this to them from the beginning. Nobody can tell you if you'll be arrested or what will happen, we're not psychics. 

 

Net time THINK and get your folks to help that is IF you're not making all this up. 

 

Marle:

Just like many of the high-profile politically-charged confrontations of recent years, this sounds like just one more case of one idiot meeting another idiot on a dark night.

You should have called the police after the first bite. Most municipalities have a law that a dog is put down after the second bite.

Instead you did a stupid thing and shot it. Whether you get stuck in a juvie hole for a long time probably depends on whether you've had prior law enforcement contact. Something tells me it's likely you have. 

 

Star-Of-Darkness:

Was the dog running loose? Then they can't charge you since the dog was considered a stray. Since they didn't care enough to keep the dog behind a secure fence and didn't care enough to keep it on a leash, they wont do anything. 

 

That and if the dog was agressive and you shot the dog in self defense you can charge THEM with letting thier agressive dog run loose and for having an agressive dog.

Its not illegal any where to shoot an agressive dog. Call Ac and tell them their dog is not only agressive, it jumps the fence and comes after you and you felt you had no choice but to defend yourslef since they refused to keep their dangerous dog confined. 

 

Nessa:

Are either dogs in a fenced-in-area? If your neighbor's dog is jumping the fence in order to fight with your dog, that may be merit to defend. If your dog is loose... not on leash, and his dog is loose.. not on a leash, it's just irresponsibilty on both your parts! Need the whole story to give advice...

 

Richard:

You should have contacted the police first and asked them what can be done about a dog who jumps its fence. The cops would have contacted your neighbor and told them to restrain their dog; and if they did not restrain the dog, they could be ticketed and/or arrested.