My puppy was brutally attacked by our neighbor’s pit bull.
My pup survived, but I soon learned from other neighbors that this was the fifth attack in the neighborhood by this pit bull. I decided to press charges in hopes of improving neighborhood safety.
This did not make the pit bull’s owner happy. The owner, by the way, is mentally ill—he has PTSD from his military service in Afghanistan. He’s also antisocial and unable to detect social cues about appropriate behavior. He carries a handgun on his waist. He will not even look at me.
The court proceedings included a no-contact order, so I haven’t talked with my neighbor. But recently the case was dismissed. I’d now like to talk with him and resolve the tension, but not sure how to start. How do you have a Crucial Conversation with someone who doesn’t want to? And should you if it might be dangerous?
Signed,
Nervous Neighbor
