[Siana11]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

To answer the original poster... this might not work at all, but this is what I would try:

Start off assuming that the owners are wonderful people who are simply uneducated about their dogs. It sounds like they might want to get a more experienced dog walker, for one. It sounds like maybe she was trying to be helpful, but obviously the most helpful thing would be to ensure these dogs are controlled.

I would go over and begin as nicely as possible. Compliment them on their beautiful dogs, but say you have concerns because they seemed aggressive and you yourself have small dogs. Tell them that the dog walker they hired didn't seem to have full control over them. Stress how devastating it would be for everybody if one of their dogs got into your yard and seriously injured your animals.

You can ask them what training these pit bulls have had so far. If the owners say they haven't been trained, or you can't train pit bulls, perhaps you can research a good trainer in your area and provide them the name. Or ask them if they have thought about reinforcing their fence.

Unless your neighbors are completely evil, they would feel awful if their dogs injured someone. Try to alert them to your concerns without putting them on the defensive.

Thank you for your advice! I would like to talk to the neighbors but I'm unsure about how to confront them. As you can see here via the posts there is much controversy and misconception among people. You mention the word "pit-bull" and some immediately become defensive. [Again, for those who are responsible pit-bull & big dog owners, I don't mean you.] This is a case where I have neighbors who think I should be leashing my dogs while on my fenced-in property & that my dogs should play on the other side of my property as a safety measure. I'm deeply concerned about their attitudes toward the whole situation and would like to approach them without feeling as if I am threatening them but instead sharing dog education.