Renting a room and landlady is now dog-sitting, I have dog-phobia and the stress is giving me chest pains.?

Question

She was emotionally blackmailed into keeping the dog by a "friend", and since it's her house, and I'm just renting there, I can accept it or move. Well, it's not so easy to just instantly pick up and move. The stress is giving me chest pains, from when that awful dog comes pouncing over and tries to jump on me. I am now confined to my room, reluctant to use the bathroom or kitchen since the dog is waiting there to pounce. While I am trying to find an alternative place to stay, it might be 3-4 weeks yet. I'm trying to recover from a chronic stress-related illness. Any ideas on how to keep that awful creature AWAY from me?

And pepper spray is NOT AN OPTION!!! I don't want to hurt the thing - it being abandoned by it's family is bad enough - I just want to keep it away from me and my room (yes I close the door, but my husband is not so careful all the time, AND, whenever we open the room to go in or out, the creature rushes us and often gets inside.

It's a Boston Terrier, and supposedly a "gentleman", phooey!!! It quite agressively leaps over barriers and is apparently untrained! It does not respond to "sit", "stay", or "no". It jumps on furniture and claws at us with its sharp nails!

I don't care how much dog-lovers coo "It's alriiiight! It won't hurrrrt youuuuu!"
It IS hurting me with the stress! So, please, can anyone recommend an inexpensive and non-pain-causing method to A) keep the awful creature away from me
and B) keep the awful creature away from my doorstep.

Thanks!

Oh...some extra info: The owners of the dog have gone out of the country for about two months, so my landlady feels she can't give the dog to someone else the owners haven't personally approved of because she would feel responsible if something happened to it while in someone else's care.

Also, the VERY untrained dog, which insists on jumping on and over furniture, decided to do so while still attached to its leash...it got so tangled in it that it imbedded the clasp of the leash in it's leg's tendon and the landlady had to be called away from work to take it to the vet.

Also, myself, the landlady and the dog's owners are all in the same church, so it's not like I could sue for injury, or like the landlady could insist the owners pay for the vet bills if the owners don't want to pay (them taking advantager of her kindness is the reason why they decided to dump the dog on her in the first place.)

Also, it seems that after one day of having the dog here, the landlady's youngest son has developed an allergic reaction to it. We can't put it outside because the heat is too much for that breed, and it needs the air conditioning on all the time - so they're paying for extra electric also. So basically their son, who has health problems anyway, is now staying in his room all day, whether the dog is in the cage or not.

If those #$%& owners had bothered to try out the environment prior to dumping the dog at the last minute, we'd have discovered the boy's allergy and the dog's untrained state. Now EVERYONE is miserable!!!

The kids are still traumatised by the dog injuring itself, the one boy is coughing and sneezing, the dog is injured and now back in its cage, the landlady is worried about her kids, and then there's my situation.

I told the landlady to fax the owners and ask if they would be willing to pay for boarding the dog at a kennel if necessary.

Whatcha think?

Answer 1

lol, it's a terrier for goodness sakes.
I think you have moved to the phobia level on this one.

But seriously even tho i think your nuts it is quite disrespectfull of her to not respect your wishes. This dog was not there when you moved in and you should not have to deal with it's bad manners. Have you told her exactly how you feel? Have you told her that you will have to move if she does not come up with a solution yo ucan both deal with?

Also in the meantime don't react when the dog jumps on you. You are making the game way to fun for the dog when you freak out. Act as tho he was a fly, tell him No and continue on. If you scurry or get excited he will continue to play the game. I bet if you pay attention he does not maul everyone else in the house the same way he does you.

Answer 2

I am curious why you live in a boarding house when your married? I say boarding house because you only rent a room, not an apartment.. You are living in this womans house..She can do whatever she wants.. She can start a kennel if she wants to..And there is nothing you can do.

You should have a place of your own when you are married.. So my suggestion is you mind your own business, or move out and get a place of your own.

You hate dogs, that is obvious, as well as having some serious anxiety issues. My other suggestion would be that you get counseling and get on some meds that can help you with your anxiety and phobias.

Your landlady agreed to care of this dog and she has an obligation to care for him until the family gets back. Son is allergic? Thats odd they never knew that before.. But there is allergy meds he can take for the few weeks the dog is going to be there.

Answer 3

Sounds like to me you need to think about how the dog feels. Hell at least you can leave when you want and you get to pick where you live. I bet the owners didn't ask the dog if it wanted to stay there with you. It is hard for the dog to get up rooted and drop off at someone's house it is not use to. It would be like you getting sent to some foriegen country where you didn't speak the language and expected you to get along. I have two Boston Terriers one of them is very good with everyone, one of them gets very stressed out by little people (kids under 5). I would say that this little Boston was privy to very good owners he/ she seems to be under socialized. The best thing you can do for the dog is talk to trainer in your area. The dog needs some TLC and understanding, they are a very trainable breed. I haven't met a Boston yet that will not work for food. If the dog is being aggressive toward you it may sense that you hate it and are afraid. If you could conquer your fear enough to see the dog as a living being in need maybe you could learn some basic dog training skills and help it become a better dog. If the dog is full of energy like you say it may simply calm some with regular excersize, take it for a walk, throw the ball most Bostons love to chase a ball. By nature a Boston is usually a very loving dog and this one may have been mistreated in the past. How would you feel if just because you were difficult to get along with so people decided you were just not worth the effort.

Answer 4

My solutions for your case:
1.Talk to your landlady about your condition and your fear about the dog, may be she can transfer the dog to a temporary place like a Friend's house , until you can find another house.
2.Start to read a book about dogs and try to deal with that dog and train it and you may overcome your stress by this way too.
3. An evil solution; let the dog bites you or your husband and then take the landlady to the court (or threat her that you will do that) . However this way may increase your stress much more than the dog!
4. I don't know if this way works or not, but you can get one of those prank toys (like a cigarette box, Gum, soda can etc) that makes a very low voltage electrical shock and repeat the Pavlov's dog experiment in another way while the dog comes to your room. It doesn't hurt the dog physically and may conditioned it to stay away from you and your place!
if I was in your shoes I would have tried the first solution first and then th 4th one .
Good luck

Answer 5

The woman needs to be told that allowing the dog to stay when her son is allergic to it it abusive to him. The fact that the dog is hyper and that breed is known to be if not trained (but they are great,if trained)and is liable to hurt you as a renter sets her up for major lawsuit, if you decided to sue. If you didn't sue, then at least the would be responsible for the medical bills. All of this because she won't be firm to someone? Is she married? Husband needs to tell them. If not, then if they are members of same church, maybe go to pastor with the problem. Perhaps someone else in church can help with dog. If not, I would inform the owners that as of a certain date, because of the sons allergies the dog will have to go to kennel and they would be responsible for the cost. Period.
Someone needs to be firm and tell her that she is being not taking good care of her son if he has allergies now-what if gets worse and affects his breathing? What good is her word to those people then. What is he developes asthma? Not fun for a child-I've had it for most of my life and I am 60 yrs. old. I couldn't get around animals when I was a child and my allergies/asthma came on suddenly when I was six. That is the angle I would use on her and I wouldn't stop until she does something about it.

Have to add before some starts telling me off as a dog hater. NOT!! I have a dog I couldn't do without. BUT if I did not and had a renter, I would have checked with her first before taking on a dog. I also happen to love this breed. If the homeowner could get it trained, great. I don't think that will happen though. I am most concerned about the son's allergies. The shock pad is a good idea, but the renter shouldn't have to stay in her room all of the time.

Answer 6

The idea of making a "rattle can" is a good one and it might help to get the dog's attention. Use with a firm "NO!" If the dog rushes you or tries to jump on you, turn your back to him and keep turning so he isn't facing you. Sooner or later, he'll give up. Keep your hands at your sides, don't look him in the eye, and above all, don't panic and scream at him. You will just make him more excited. It doesn't sound as though he wants to hurt you. If anything, he needs someone to play with him. Perhaps you could invest in a small Kong toy, put some peanut butter in the end of it, and toss it to him when he comes bouncing over. It will get his attention and the peanut butter will keep him occupied for quite a while. Good luck.

Answer 7

First off you need to relax. Animals can sense when you are afraid and will act accordingly. If the dog is mean he can attack, if the dog is friendly (which is what this dog sounds like) he will try to get you to like him, by being aggressive and forcing himself on you. Calm down. The more you fight it the more the dog will come after you.
I know it is hard if you are afraid of them, obviously you have a phobia. Too bad, because dogs are very loyal wonderful pets that can do wonders for stress. There are plenty of free services in every city, so if you can't afford to see a therapist you can see one under a free service. Phobias can be very hard, but there are techiniques you can use, that a therapist will teach you, that will help you get through this trying time.
For now, try to remain as calm as you can when the dog is around. And tomorrow see if you can find a therapist that will help you deal with your phobia.
Good luck.

Answer 8

You can do one of two things.

a) Move to a new house

b) Use this as a therapeutic opportunity. You seem to have a genuine phobia here, which is understandable. Lots of people have phobias. But any psychiatrist will tell you the same thing: if you want to cure your phobia, you have to face your fears. You could ask your landlady for help. Have her put the dog on a leash and slowly introduce you for quick 1-2 minute sessions on a regular basis. I think you can get used to dogs, but it will take a lot of work.

Answer 9

You need to see a Hypnotist or Therepist and work through this phobia..I know its a very real fear to you..I'm the same way about a mouse.but, Dogs are everywhere and its going to be so hard going through your life trying to avoid them.Try to remember the Chest pains are nothing more than panic attacks.and the dog isnt trying to "rush" you or"pounce" he probably just wants some attention from you.Now that it is being kept in a cage perhaps you could try sitting near it.Throw it a dog treat in from a distance..The more time you spend watching the dog and relaxing until you can finaly touch it the better you will feel about yourself...You may find out you actualy like it if you work at it....Good luck!

Answer 10

Well, it seems you've tried everything. My suggestion is to get an empty tin can (save the lid, you'll need it), wash it out, dry the inside, and fill it about a third of the way with pennies, marbles, or washers, and tape the top securely with duct tape. Shake it a few times to test it, the louder the noise it makes the better. When the dog comes at you, shake the can over the dog's head and yell "NO!" The noise should be enough to startle the dog and get his attention. A few times of this and he should behave better. Don't forget to praise him for doing good though! As for the problem with the child, I can only suggest an antihistimine. Good luck!