'Neighbour demands I change my dog's name – he says it's confusing his daughter' – The Mirror
A man has shared his disgust after his ‘entitled’ neighbour ordered him to change his dog’s name as it’s ‘confusing his daughter’ and her needs are more important than his dog’s
A man has called out his 'entitled' neighbour who ordered him to change his dog's name because it's 'confusing his daughter'. He explained how he has a six-year-old dog named Charlotte – and was living peacefully in his "lower-middle class suburb" until a young family moved in next door.
Taking to Reddit, the 36-year-old said: "I am the owner of a Great Pyrenees/Australian Cattle Dog mix named Charlotte. I have lived here for about a year now, and I let Charlotte out to go potty roughly six or so times a day. It's always the same routine: I open the back door, Charlotte runs outside to pee and 'patrol' the yard (apparently it's a Pyrenees thing), and doesn't typically come bounding back to the door until I poke my head out and call her name."
But when shouting his dog back indoors one day, an angry neighbour screamed back demanding to know 'why he's calling his daughter into his house'. he added: "About a week or two ago, new neighbours moved in across my back alley. I had no intentions of interacting with them whatsoever, like ever, except today when I was executing the last step of Charlotte's aforementioned potty protocol.
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"I stuck my head out and called her name, but this time, alongside the familiar sounds of my dog galloping up the porch steps, was an adult human voice shouting something along the lines of 'Why are you calling my daughter?' At first, I thought it might just be my new neighbours getting into a spat, until a couple of minutes later I heard pounding on my front door."
When he opened the door, he was met by an "angry man" screaming and shouting at him. "[He was] twice my size glaring me down," he said. "He said something like 'Why the eff are you calling my daughter into your house', and I responded 'Your daughter's name is Charlotte?'
"He just kind of kept glaring at me? In the absence of a response, I followed up with 'Charlotte is my dog's name, dude' and he rolled his eyes at me and said I "better" change my dog's name because he doesn't want his two-year-old daughter getting confused and running into my house.
"I told him that's not going to happen because not only did my dog have the name first, we also lived here first, plus I don't like strangers making demands of me before even attempting to be polite. What I didn't say but really wanted to say is that teaching his child stranger danger is his responsibility, not mine.
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"He called me stupid and said that a human child obviously has priority over a dog for a name. I shut the door in his face and stared at him through the peephole for a moment before he eventually walked back to his house. This last potty break, I went out with Charlotte and stayed in the yard with her until she finished her business, but this guy just kind of stood in his yard with his arms crossed and glared at me the entire time."
Wanting to know whether he's in the wrong for refusing to change his dog's name, he has taken to Reddit to ask users for their thoughts. In response, one user said: "Double down.. Get another dog and name it his wife's name." Another user added: "This is one of the dumbest requests (demands?) I've ever heard. Sorry to say, but these neighbours are going to be in trouble. Just don't give into any temptations to escalate a feud with them. Carry on your business as usual and try not to let them get under your skin."
A third user said: "This person just sounds like the most entitled moron. Regardless of who lived there first or who had the name first, to demand someone change their dog's name (a name they would already have learned and be familiar with) is both ridiculous and so disrespectful.
"Make sure to keep a close eye on your dog but also your neighbour. It sounds farfetched, but, if he's wild enough to knock on a total stranger's door and start an argument then he's likely crazy enough to do all kinds of things.
"Keep an eye on your yard and your precious Charlotte when you let her out to make sure he hasn't left something out there that could harm her. Also keep an eye on him and his child if you see her and record any interactions because he could try to imply you're luring his child to your place again in the future."
Have you ever been asked to change your pet's name? Email paige.freshwater@themirror.com
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