u/Opposite-Birthday899

Elderly neighbor is crossing boundaries when I walk my dog. What do I do?

Hello all, 

New to Reddit, here for some advice. My husband (29) and I (29) live in a neighborhood next to a senior living apartments. We live walking distance from a park and like to take our dog there in the evenings. A new person (we’ll call him Harry) recently moved in to the senior living apartments that are by our house, and we would see him riding around on his mobility scooter when we would walk the dog. He’d get excited seeing our dog so we would stop and let Harry pet him and then continue our walk. 

About a month ago, my husband and I were on a walk and as usual, we stopped to let Harry pet the dog. He said he had something for me and pulled out a necklace that had apparently belonged to his late wife. My husband and I were both touched and thanked him and I took the necklace. After that I started wearing the necklace on my walks so he would know how much I appreciated the gesture.

About a week after that, I was walking my dog by myself. My husband works nights so he’s not always available to go on our walks. I saw Harry and stopped to say hi. He told me he had a stoke and had been in the hospital. He told me when he was in the hospital the nurses said they needed a urine sample, and he jokingly said “There’s nothing in there. You might need to suck it a little bit”. Needless to say that remark made me uncomfortable, but I laughed it off because I was uncomfortable and didn't know what else to do.

A few days later, I was on a walk with my dog as usual, and stopped to say hello to Harry. This time, he gave me a bracelet and some earrings. I thanked him and took them to be polite. This is when things really escalated. First He kissed my hand and said he hadn’t touched a lady in a while, and that his heart was pounding. He said I looked pretty and looked prettier each time he’s seen me. It wasn’t so much what he said, it was how he said it that made me really uncomfortable. A person ,passed by with their dog and my dog got excited and started tugging on the leash. My dog wears a light around his waist at night and Harry started pulling on it to keep him back. The lady passing by with her dog started talking to me complimenting me on my dogs haircut and having a conversation. While she was doing that, Harry decided my dogs gentel leader leash was too tight and loosened it up. After this interaction between him overstepping boundaries with my dog and making me uncomfortable, I decided I was going to talk to my husband about it. He was rightfully and I decided I would only go on walks to the park when my husband was with me and otherwise I would stay in my neighborhood to avoid Harry.

Today my husband came home from work, and said he saw Harry in our neighborhood. I know I need to confront Harry because I obviously can’t stay inside all the time and shouldn’t feel unsafe in my own neighborhood. What do I do? 

reddit.com
u/Opposite-Birthday899 — 2 months ago

Elderly neighbor went from a sweet dog lover to making me uncomfortable. What do I do?

Hello all, 

New to Reddit, here for some advice. My husband (29) and I (29) live in a neighborhood next to a senior living apartments. We live walking distance from a park and like to take our dog there in the evenings. A new person (we’ll call him Harry) recently moved in to the senior living apartments that are by our house, and we would see him riding around on his mobility scooter when we would walk the dog. He’d get excited seeing our dog so we would stop and let Harry pet him and then continue our walk. 

About a month ago, my husband and I were on a walk and as usual, we stopped to let Harry pet the dog. He said he had something for me and pulled out a necklace that had apparently belonged to his late wife. My husband and I were both touched and thanked him and I took the necklace. After that I started wearing the necklace on my walks so he would know how much I appreciated the gesture.

About a week after that, I was walking my dog by myself. My husband works nights so he’s not always available to go on our walks. I saw Harry and stopped to say hi. He told me he had a stoke and had been in the hospital. He told me when he was in the hospital the nurses said they needed a urine sample, and he jokingly said “There’s nothing in there. You might need to suck it a little bit”. Needless to say that remark made me uncomfortable, but I laughed it off because I was uncomfortable and didn't know what else to do.

A few days later, I was on a walk with my dog as usual, and stopped to say hello to Harry. This time, he gave me a bracelet and some earrings. I thanked him and took them to be polite. This is when things really escalated. First He kissed my hand and said he hadn’t touched a lady in a while, and that his heart was pounding. He said I looked pretty and looked prettier each time he’s seen me. It wasn’t so much what he said, it was how he said it that made me really uncomfortable. A person ,passed by with their dog and my dog got excited and started tugging on the leash. My dog wears a light around his waist at night and Harry started pulling on it to keep him back. The lady passing by with her dog started talking to me complimenting me on my dogs haircut and having a conversation. While she was doing that, Harry decided my dogs gentel leader leash was too tight and loosened it up. After this interaction between him overstepping boundaries with my dog and making me uncomfortable, I decided I was going to talk to my husband about it. He was rightfully and I decided I would only go on walks to the park when my husband was with me and otherwise I would stay in my neighborhood to avoid Harry.

Today my husband came home from work, and said he saw Harry in our neighborhood. I know I need to confront Harry because I obviously can’t stay inside all the time and shouldn’t feel unsafe in my own neighborhood. What do I do? 

reddit.com
u/Opposite-Birthday899 — 2 months ago