Woman insists that neighbor pays vet bills after their 'harmless' dog almost KILLED hers. AITA?

"AITA for making my neighbor pay my vet bills after their 'harmless' dog almost KILLED mine?"

Ok so I (19F) live in a quiet neighborhood with my little dog, he’s a 6 y/o terrier mix and literally the sweetest, most harmless dog ever. my neighbor has this huge golden retriever that they’re obsessed with, always going on about how he’s a “gentle giant” and “wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Well. tell me why last month their “angel” nearly murdered my dog.

I was just walking my dog (ON A LEASH, like a responsible human) past their house when their off-leash dog SPRINTS out their front door (because they just left it wide open like absolute idiots) and full on ATTACKS my dog.

This thing grabbed my dog by the neck and started shaking him like a chew toy. My dog was SCREAMING. I was SCREAMING. I literally had to PRY this beast off my dog while my neighbor just strolled over like it was some minor inconvenience. like HELLO???

My dog was BLEEDING, shaking, in total shock. i rushed him to the emergency vet and he needed stitches, surgery, the whole thing. the bill was OVER $3,000. so obviously...

I go to my neighbor like, “hey, your dog nearly killed mine. you need to pay this.” and this psycho LAUGHS and goes, “ohhh he was just playing, your dog probably freaked out for no reason.” I'm sorry, did you just say playing??? PLAYING???

I tried to be civil, but they completely ignored me for WEEKS. So I took them to small claims court. and guess what? I WON. and NOW they’re pissed, acting like I’m some evil villain for making them take responsibility for THEIR DOG. even some of my other neighbors are saying I “overreacted” and it was a “harmless accident.” WHAT???

Like, am I missing something??? Their dog nearly KILLED mine and I’m the bad guy for not just eating a $3,000 bill??? Am I actually crazy or are these people completely out of their minds???

Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:

Over-Marionberry-686 said:

NTA. Dog owners are responsible for the actions of their animals PERIOD.

louisianefille said:

NTA. Ask the neighbors saying you overreacted if they plan to contribute towards the $3,000 vet bill you incurred when your dog was attacked. Bet that shuts them up real quick.

Disastrous_Bit_9892 said:

NTA. Get his dog removed. He's an irresponsible dog owner with a demonstrably dangerous dog. Get the authorities involved. Also, sue his ass for as much as you can get. Not just the vet bill but pain and suffering.

Subject-Stuff-2829 said:

NTA. Similar thing happened to my daughters dog. Neighbors dogs literally ripped through a stockade fence, attacked her dog and nearly killed it. Oh they paid. In full. And they had to put down the one which did the most damage. Extreme? Nope.

Any-Long3798 said:

NTA but these people are never going to see that they are fault. Some people are just selfish aholes. Watch out if they try to escalate anything. Get a ring cam or something similar. They will see you as an enemy moving forward because you rightfully held them accountable.

ChaoticCrashy said:

NTA You should also make a police report so that animal control can ticket the owner for dog at large (off leash) and the attack which will label the dog as a dangerous animal. The owner will need to follow stricter rules to keep the dog and protect other animals.