We have this really old lady who lives about 10 houses down... I think she is a bit senile..
Anyway, she is always going out for walks with this old dog, that is so many different breeds i can't tell what (except bloody ugly)

Anyway, whenever she is walking she is normally about 6 houses in front of it, and has no idea what her dog is doing. The first time i met this dog was when a workman came to the door and the dog came inside with him into the living room, and i said "is that your dog, and he is like, no isn't it yours?", so i made DH take it outside.. We have driveway gates that are always open.. I often see the dog wandering into our driveway and garden, and i go outside and tell it to get out.

The other day it came in and started chewing on DD doll that was in the garden. I'm really annoyed, what if my kids were scared of dogs, why should they have to be scared in their own garden? And this lady lets it sit out on the footpath outaide her place when she is sitting on the porch, and it growls and goes crazy when we wlak down the road.

But i'm not the type of person who can go and talk to the lady about it, so i wanted to leave a letter (better than calling the council as a 1st option i thought?), but my family says i'm being mean because she is an old lonely lady.. Am i??

I personally think no dog, whatever the breed, should be walked off lead in public except in off lead areas in parks. Myself and my children should be able to walk down the street without being afraid of dogs. The other day i was just walking out my front door and a guy was walking his largish (ghreat dane sized dog) off lead whilst listening to his ipod (and walking infront of the dog), the dog saw a cat go running up my driveway and onto the top of my carport, so the dog comes bounding up chasing it. The guy realised after like 1 minute and came back for his dog, but i'm my small DD was in the driveay she could have been both terrified and knocked over onto the bricks. Dogs being under voice control isn't enough, because 1) most aren't, especially when highly excited by something like a cat etc, and 2) seeing a dog off lead is scary to kids.

And I also teach my children not to ever touch a dog without the owners permission etc,.