Man Says His Neighbor Accused Him of ‘Vandalizing’ Her Dog’s Coat — but He Says He Was Just Trying to Help

A man believed he was doing a good deed for his neighbor but instead she is “furious” and threatening “lawsuits” against him.

In a post on Reddit‘s “Am I the A——” forum, the man, 28, detailed how his seeming act of kindness has sparked an unpleasant “dispute” with his elderly neighbor. He explained that he and the 87-year-old woman — whom he described as “nearly blind and very stubborn” — live in a rural area and each access their respective driveways through a wooded backroad also shared by two other houses. He noted that they live “up north” where mornings can be dark until nearly 8 a.m.

The neighbor has a support dog — a black Labrador who is “not registered by any means,” the man noted — and dresses him in a coat for warmth.

“The problem is, she lets the dog out in the morning to defecate and he has freedom to roam the shared road. Being a black dog and wearing a DARK BLACK COAT, he is almost impossible to see in the winter months,” the man explained. “Between my neighbors and I, we have nearly hit this dog over 8 times in the past 2 months.”

Concerned for the dog’s safety, the man said he made helpful suggestions to his neighbor about getting the dog a new coat or attaching bells to his collar to alert people of his presence in the dark.

“But she is attached to his coat for some reason and refuses to go with bells as they are too noisy and would be difficult for her to remove in her condition,” the man wrote.

So, after “nearly smoking this poor pup” when he was backing onto the shared road in his truck one day, the man decided to “take matters into my own hands.”

He removed the dog’s coat and “doused it in reflective spray paint” in an attempt to make the animal more visible — and he felt his plan was an all-around success. “He sticks out like a sore thumb in the woods now, and my neighbors agreed it is much easier to see him,” the man noted.

However, when the woman found out that her neighbor had spray painted her dog’s coat without her permission, she approached the man and asked him about it. “I owned up to it, and now she’s furious — talking about vandalism and lawsuits,” he wrote, adding, “I admit I could’ve got a separate reflective coat for him or used reflective tape or something, but I really think I helped more than I hurt the situation.”

The man concluded his post by asking fellow Redditors if he’s “the a——” for “vandalizing” his neighbor’s dog’s coat.

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In the comments section, the general consensus was that while the man may have overstepped by painting the coat behind his neighbor’s back, he was “morally” justified because he did it “to protect the animal when its owner was being negligent.” Many also agreed that the elderly neighbor should be grateful, not furious.

“NTA [not the a——]. You saved that dog’s life. She’s an irresponsible owner for letting it get into danger repeatedly,” one person wrote.

Another commented: “Yeah, you could have done something different, but something needed to be done for the safety of this dog, and that’s exactly what you did. Something. Anything.”

Yet another person chimed in, “Obviously you’re an animal lover and this was an act of kindness. The dog’s owner ought to be thanking you, not getting uppity.”

A few people also assured the man that the woman’s threat of lawsuits is likely just bluster. “You are a dog-saving angel. Let her get huffy. 99% likely she’ll do absolutely nothing,” one wrote. “She’s not functioning well enough to pull off a small claims case and even if she did, the court is likely to give her a lecture [about responsible dog ownership].”

Several others pointed out that the grim reality that the woman would ultimately be “more upset if you brought her [the dog’s] body after being ran over.”

To help smooth things over with his upset neighbor, Redditors advised the man to apologize and clearly explain his well-intentioned reason for painting the dog’s coat. Some also suggested he reimburse the woman for the damaged coat.

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