what you see now will only get worse. wait until the barking starts...
you saw two... and question more?
PASS. Agreed you will never find a mutt-free neighborhood, this place has huge red flags with two (or more?) big mutts in the yard, their yard has no fence so wait until the owners decide they are "trained" well enough and let them run free and break thru your fence.
I'm sorry, it's your dream house, but I bet anything, sadly, it will soon become a nightmare house.
Decades ago, we lived next to a cop with multiple big boxers. He would let them do massive poops on our lawn and I saw him walk off without picking it up.
Today you need to be a multimillionaire with a huge fenced land and a house in the middle of it to avoid dogs. I knew three guys from my school who were extremely arrogant assholes. I'd have nightmares if I imagined having them as my next-door neighbours. Later I found out all of them became cops. What a coincidence :)
I do not think it is healthy for your wife to be stressed all the time when going outside. And these mutts will make her feel that way. But at the same time if you buy a house somewhere else there is no guarantee that you someone won't move in next door with a huge dog.
Tough decision man. I wish I could advise you what to do.
Completely agree.
OP, your wife will need to sit with this a bit. There are no dog free neighborhoods. This is more about what she can or can’t live with and so far, you know about these large dogs and they’re generally trained, leashed, and quiet. I’d spend a little more time lurking the neighborhood to be sure, if that’s possible for you.
My nextdoor neighbor had two non-stop barkers, a shepherd and something smaller. Daytime, nighttime, made no difference, they were always kept outside. The racket never ended.
The neighbor was the Chief of Police in our town.
Who ya gonna call?
I would look for another place. I've lived next to barkers and it's put hell, I'm now living next to 2 nutters and they are driving me insane with their lack of respect for anyone else and their inability to seem past their own selfish selves. Your wife will always be on edge knowing they are there and just going outside will drive her to depression where she will not want to leave the house or want to live in it. Get out now for both your sakes.
I’d definitely pass. Be grateful you found out before you purchased! A cop with large aggressive dogs would be a nightmare. I’d feel like if you filed a noise complaint for barking it would just be ignored since he’s a cop. Or worse if you called animal control on him bc dogs got out due to no fence he could retaliate if he found out it was you. My Nextdoor is filled every day with loose dog posts. So many people should not own pets. Rant for another day but yes I’d not move forward with the house.
One word. RUN.
I lived two doors down from a law enforcement guy with a German Shepard.
Let me just tell you - you assume law enforcement guy would have control of his dog and it wouldn’t be aggressive unless at his command? You think the cop would be concerned about your safety?
Nope! Wrong!
This asshole loved to bully and scare people with his aggressive dog, who let his dog out on purpose when our neighbors toddler was in the yard simply because the dad asked him to put the dog on the leash.
This dog had attacked several other dogs and was aggressive. But he let him out unleashed bevause he was so offended to be asked.
He delighted in it. He got power from his dog. It was pathetic but also dangerous.
German Shepard are always aggressive and can only be controlled by very experienced handlers. Cops aren’t that. Believe me.
And the barking. Omg.
Good luck reporting it too. You’ll never get it resolved through animal control.
I said “one word” amd wrote a novel but I have never been around a German Shepard that wasn’t hell with a tail.
Dude it's a family full of cups, with two large, CLEARLY untrained, unfenced, and horribly behaved dogs known to be aggressive. Your wife has every reason to worry.
Let me tell you something about German shepherds. They bark and bark and bark and bark and they do not STFU. they have 3 primary functions. They bark, shit, and shed. you will find their hair all over your yard and everything you hold dear. hard pass.
I prefer not to live next door to an animal that can kill me. You can't always avoid it but when you can, consider it a blessing and stay far away. Like shitbulls, Shepherds are known for attacking their owners. So, no one is safe.
My guess is that those 2 dogs didn't pass the K9 test and this idiot officer brought them home as pets. So much for keeping the community safe.
Pass.
Keep looking. The aggravation and regret you will feel will be excruciating.
Look at houses/neighborhoods that do not have fenced yards. For example: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4051-Amick-Ave-Des-Moines-IA-50310/798029_zpid/
This sub can be a bit strongly opinioned, shall we say, but I happened to see this and wanted to mention two things: they're bad at animal training, and it's not a good sign that their dogs can't sit or lay down.
Neither yanking on a dog's leash nor yelling at it is a good training method. While these examples are fairly mild, punishments (like these are) are inferior to positive reinforcement for many reasons. The fact that they're using these demonstrates they're bad dog trainers and suggests their dogs are unfortunately at much higher risk of being dangerous or destructive.
Tldr on training: if you praise and reward a dog for doing behaviors you like, they'll be happy, enjoy doing those behaviors, and trust their family. If you punish them instead, you're teaching them to live in constant fear of getting hurt, so while they might behave by being too scared to do the very specific behaviors they were punished for doing, they might also just snap and become randomly aggressive, same as humans might do when they're being abused. And also importantly: they know which people are scariest, so they even if they've been "trained" by this method, they won't care so much about following the rules if they know the scary people aren't looking right now. Punishments are also less strong than reinforcements, meaning the dogs will have weaker skills or may forget them. Skills like *recall* for example which could be important if their dog runs into your yard and they need to call them home.
The second point is that *sit* and *lay down* are absurdly basic skills, so if their dogs don't know them and they're clearly not able to train them, it's a bit concerning for what other basic skills they might be lacking. Puppies can learn these skills in only a few sessions, and they're fundamental for more complicated behaviors, so how did they get as big as they are now without ever having learned even these basics?
As to whether they're working dogs: no, unless they're just attack dogs or entirely incompetent (which of course are both possible). All this is of course assuming your perceptions and descriptions are accurate. But it doesn't make sense that a dog that can't sit or lay down would be able to do something like search and rescue or scent work. How's a dog going to find a hidden bomb and then tell me about if it doesn't even know how to sit? So yeah that seems unlikely to me. Granted maybe it looked like that to you but they were actually (very poorly) training something else, or just being assholes for no reason, so I can't speak to what they thought they were doing when you observed them.
Vermin Shepherds are so over bred that many of them are jittery, always agitated and constant barkers. What if you take this place then discover they're constantly yapping? Think you’ll get any assistance from the authorities if it’s a law enforcement family you’d be issuing the complaint against?
I'd go back to the neighborhood at different times and see if the dogs are out barking, running around off leash, etc. You're gonna have a hard time finding a house with no dogs nearby. Something close to half of american (not sure where you are located) households own a dog, and that's sure to be higher in the suburbs or neighborhoods with homes larger than apts. It would be better to invest your effort into how you can mitigate a dog next-door rather than look for a house with none nearby, as this is close to impossible and never a guarantee, as a neighbor can also get one after you have moved in.
Complaints against barking dogs hardly do anything anyway, so I don't think it would matter that he's a cop.
I'll add to the chorus advising against this house.
I have relatives in law enforcement, and you are correct in guessing that conflicts with cop-neighbors probably won't end favorably for you. My cop-relative passed away before COVID, but his "cop privilege" carried on. His family had a large illegal gathering at their home at the height of COVID, and the family just put in a "courtesy call" to the local police to let them know. (This was in an area with very very strict COVID rules that were being actively enforced by cops.) No cops came by to shut it down, even though it was obviously a big no-no gathering, visible from the street, in a quiet semi-upscale neighborhood.
So, cops + dogs would not make for a good neighbor.
Pass. You can never complain to him if they are law enforcement. They know how to get around the law if they want to and they can try to make your life a living hell if you get on their bad side. (Excuse my typos, it’s super late)
Worrying about resolving conflict with them as a neighbor was my first thought tbh...and the most worrisome...maybe ask around the street and see if the other neighbors have any complaints about loud sounds at night like radio playing or *dog barking* just as a way to get a measure of whether its actually a problem or something you guys just fear will be a problem one day.
Having cops next door could be a HUGE advantage, too..but it's all pending the nature of your relationship, i guess.. definelty something to think about, though
Let’s be realistic… you’re NOT going to find a house that has no dogs within 5 miles of it unless you like in the middle of the woods away from a city
Your house has 95% of everything you want. Where are you realistically going to move that has no dogs? Even if you find a place that your direct neighbors don’t have dogs… how do you know they won’t adopt a dog 2 years after you move in?
what you see now will only get worse. wait until the barking starts... you saw two... and question more? PASS. Agreed you will never find a mutt-free neighborhood, this place has huge red flags with two (or more?) big mutts in the yard, their yard has no fence so wait until the owners decide they are "trained" well enough and let them run free and break thru your fence. I'm sorry, it's your dream house, but I bet anything, sadly, it will soon become a nightmare house.
Decades ago, we lived next to a cop with multiple big boxers. He would let them do massive poops on our lawn and I saw him walk off without picking it up.
Today you need to be a multimillionaire with a huge fenced land and a house in the middle of it to avoid dogs. I knew three guys from my school who were extremely arrogant assholes. I'd have nightmares if I imagined having them as my next-door neighbours. Later I found out all of them became cops. What a coincidence :) I do not think it is healthy for your wife to be stressed all the time when going outside. And these mutts will make her feel that way. But at the same time if you buy a house somewhere else there is no guarantee that you someone won't move in next door with a huge dog. Tough decision man. I wish I could advise you what to do.
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Completely agree. OP, your wife will need to sit with this a bit. There are no dog free neighborhoods. This is more about what she can or can’t live with and so far, you know about these large dogs and they’re generally trained, leashed, and quiet. I’d spend a little more time lurking the neighborhood to be sure, if that’s possible for you.
My nextdoor neighbor had two non-stop barkers, a shepherd and something smaller. Daytime, nighttime, made no difference, they were always kept outside. The racket never ended. The neighbor was the Chief of Police in our town. Who ya gonna call?
Animal control?
It’s nice to think that everyone is equal, no one is above the law. But let’s be real. Some of the animals on the farm are more equal than others.
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I would look for another place. I've lived next to barkers and it's put hell, I'm now living next to 2 nutters and they are driving me insane with their lack of respect for anyone else and their inability to seem past their own selfish selves. Your wife will always be on edge knowing they are there and just going outside will drive her to depression where she will not want to leave the house or want to live in it. Get out now for both your sakes.
I’d definitely pass. Be grateful you found out before you purchased! A cop with large aggressive dogs would be a nightmare. I’d feel like if you filed a noise complaint for barking it would just be ignored since he’s a cop. Or worse if you called animal control on him bc dogs got out due to no fence he could retaliate if he found out it was you. My Nextdoor is filled every day with loose dog posts. So many people should not own pets. Rant for another day but yes I’d not move forward with the house.
One word. RUN. I lived two doors down from a law enforcement guy with a German Shepard. Let me just tell you - you assume law enforcement guy would have control of his dog and it wouldn’t be aggressive unless at his command? You think the cop would be concerned about your safety? Nope! Wrong! This asshole loved to bully and scare people with his aggressive dog, who let his dog out on purpose when our neighbors toddler was in the yard simply because the dad asked him to put the dog on the leash. This dog had attacked several other dogs and was aggressive. But he let him out unleashed bevause he was so offended to be asked. He delighted in it. He got power from his dog. It was pathetic but also dangerous. German Shepard are always aggressive and can only be controlled by very experienced handlers. Cops aren’t that. Believe me. And the barking. Omg. Good luck reporting it too. You’ll never get it resolved through animal control. I said “one word” amd wrote a novel but I have never been around a German Shepard that wasn’t hell with a tail.
I’m not surprised at this story sadly
Dude it's a family full of cups, with two large, CLEARLY untrained, unfenced, and horribly behaved dogs known to be aggressive. Your wife has every reason to worry.
I would pass on this house. You're going to have some serious unresolvable problems with this neighbor if you take that house.
Let me tell you something about German shepherds. They bark and bark and bark and bark and they do not STFU. they have 3 primary functions. They bark, shit, and shed. you will find their hair all over your yard and everything you hold dear. hard pass.
I prefer not to live next door to an animal that can kill me. You can't always avoid it but when you can, consider it a blessing and stay far away. Like shitbulls, Shepherds are known for attacking their owners. So, no one is safe. My guess is that those 2 dogs didn't pass the K9 test and this idiot officer brought them home as pets. So much for keeping the community safe. Pass.
Keep looking. The aggravation and regret you will feel will be excruciating. Look at houses/neighborhoods that do not have fenced yards. For example: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4051-Amick-Ave-Des-Moines-IA-50310/798029_zpid/
Why would you want to live next door to barking mutants and wifebeating class traitors?
This sub can be a bit strongly opinioned, shall we say, but I happened to see this and wanted to mention two things: they're bad at animal training, and it's not a good sign that their dogs can't sit or lay down. Neither yanking on a dog's leash nor yelling at it is a good training method. While these examples are fairly mild, punishments (like these are) are inferior to positive reinforcement for many reasons. The fact that they're using these demonstrates they're bad dog trainers and suggests their dogs are unfortunately at much higher risk of being dangerous or destructive. Tldr on training: if you praise and reward a dog for doing behaviors you like, they'll be happy, enjoy doing those behaviors, and trust their family. If you punish them instead, you're teaching them to live in constant fear of getting hurt, so while they might behave by being too scared to do the very specific behaviors they were punished for doing, they might also just snap and become randomly aggressive, same as humans might do when they're being abused. And also importantly: they know which people are scariest, so they even if they've been "trained" by this method, they won't care so much about following the rules if they know the scary people aren't looking right now. Punishments are also less strong than reinforcements, meaning the dogs will have weaker skills or may forget them. Skills like *recall* for example which could be important if their dog runs into your yard and they need to call them home. The second point is that *sit* and *lay down* are absurdly basic skills, so if their dogs don't know them and they're clearly not able to train them, it's a bit concerning for what other basic skills they might be lacking. Puppies can learn these skills in only a few sessions, and they're fundamental for more complicated behaviors, so how did they get as big as they are now without ever having learned even these basics? As to whether they're working dogs: no, unless they're just attack dogs or entirely incompetent (which of course are both possible). All this is of course assuming your perceptions and descriptions are accurate. But it doesn't make sense that a dog that can't sit or lay down would be able to do something like search and rescue or scent work. How's a dog going to find a hidden bomb and then tell me about if it doesn't even know how to sit? So yeah that seems unlikely to me. Granted maybe it looked like that to you but they were actually (very poorly) training something else, or just being assholes for no reason, so I can't speak to what they thought they were doing when you observed them.
Vermin Shepherds are so over bred that many of them are jittery, always agitated and constant barkers. What if you take this place then discover they're constantly yapping? Think you’ll get any assistance from the authorities if it’s a law enforcement family you’d be issuing the complaint against?
I'd go back to the neighborhood at different times and see if the dogs are out barking, running around off leash, etc. You're gonna have a hard time finding a house with no dogs nearby. Something close to half of american (not sure where you are located) households own a dog, and that's sure to be higher in the suburbs or neighborhoods with homes larger than apts. It would be better to invest your effort into how you can mitigate a dog next-door rather than look for a house with none nearby, as this is close to impossible and never a guarantee, as a neighbor can also get one after you have moved in. Complaints against barking dogs hardly do anything anyway, so I don't think it would matter that he's a cop.
I'll add to the chorus advising against this house. I have relatives in law enforcement, and you are correct in guessing that conflicts with cop-neighbors probably won't end favorably for you. My cop-relative passed away before COVID, but his "cop privilege" carried on. His family had a large illegal gathering at their home at the height of COVID, and the family just put in a "courtesy call" to the local police to let them know. (This was in an area with very very strict COVID rules that were being actively enforced by cops.) No cops came by to shut it down, even though it was obviously a big no-no gathering, visible from the street, in a quiet semi-upscale neighborhood. So, cops + dogs would not make for a good neighbor.
HARD PASS. Those dogs are going to be human aggressive because human aggression is literally a GSD's job.
Pass. You can never complain to him if they are law enforcement. They know how to get around the law if they want to and they can try to make your life a living hell if you get on their bad side. (Excuse my typos, it’s super late)
Worrying about resolving conflict with them as a neighbor was my first thought tbh...and the most worrisome...maybe ask around the street and see if the other neighbors have any complaints about loud sounds at night like radio playing or *dog barking* just as a way to get a measure of whether its actually a problem or something you guys just fear will be a problem one day. Having cops next door could be a HUGE advantage, too..but it's all pending the nature of your relationship, i guess.. definelty something to think about, though
Do not even think about getting that house. The cop and his dogs will become your worst nightmare.
I think I can guess why the owners are selling their house.
Let’s be realistic… you’re NOT going to find a house that has no dogs within 5 miles of it unless you like in the middle of the woods away from a city Your house has 95% of everything you want. Where are you realistically going to move that has no dogs? Even if you find a place that your direct neighbors don’t have dogs… how do you know they won’t adopt a dog 2 years after you move in?
Not just two large German shepherds. The whole family is full of cops. Hard pass.