u/mailol193

Location: Netherlands and others

I’m looking for general legal advice about what I should expect under Dutch law. This happened in the Netherlands a few weeks ago.

There is an off-leash dog walking area near where I live. I own an Australian Labradoodle who has never shown aggression toward other dogs. Whenever I see a larger dog approaching, I put him on a leash as a precaution.

There is an older couple (around 60 years old) who regularly walk their Golden Retriever. On multiple previous occasions, their dog has run toward my dog barking and growling while they made little or no attempt to call it back.

My girlfriend and I had previously asked them several times to keep their dog under control because we were concerned it would eventually lead to an incident.

A few weeks ago, I encountered them again. Their dog was approximately 20–30 meters ahead of them and off leash. As soon as I saw it, I leashed my dog and kept him close to my side. I looked at the owners expecting them to recall their dog, but they did not.
Their dog ran directly toward my dog while barking and appeared to lunge at him. I reacted by kicking the dog away to stop it from reaching mine.

The dog came at us again, and I kicked it a second time to keep it away. I shouted at the owners to leash their dog.

At that point, the situation escalated. The owners confronted me, an argument followed, and I punched the male owner once in the face. He fell to the ground.

I want to be honest about that part: I am not proud of it, and it happened purely in the heat of the moment after the situation escalated. I have never been involved in anything like this before and have no criminal record or prior history of violence.

Several nearby residents came outside after hearing the commotion. From what I understand, they mostly witnessed the physical altercation but not the events leading up to it, including the dog running toward mine. One woman helped calm the situation and walked me away.

The couple contacted the police and filed a complaint for assault. About a week later, the police came to my home and informed me that I am considered a suspect in an assault investigation. They told me I would be summoned for questioning at a later date. It has now been about 4–5 weeks, and I have not yet received any summons.

My questions are:

- Is it normal in the Netherlands for several weeks to pass before being called in for questioning?

- Should I consult a lawyer before speaking to the police?

- Can the events leading up to the punch (their dog running at mine, my attempts to avoid the situation, and the fact that I had previously warned them about controlling their dog) be relevant to how the case is viewed?

- Is there anything I should or should not do while waiting to hear from the police?

I fully understand that punching the man escalated the situation, and I’m not trying to excuse my actions. I’m simply trying to understand what the legal process is likely to look like and how I should approach it.

I’m looking for some outside opinions.

I have a small dog (mini australian labradoodle) that I always keep on a leash when approaching knowingly unfriendly of bigger dogs out of precaution even in places where I don’t necessarily have to, my dog is a sweetheart and a all-man and dogfriend, i already lost 3 dogs so this is why im really cautious.

In my neighborhood, there’s someone with a huge Saint Bernard (I’d estimate around 200 lbs / 90 kg).

The owner regularly lets the dog roam off-leash, not only in the designated off-leash area but also on the public streets leading to and from it.

The owner actually carries a leash but deliberately chooses not to use it. Multiple neighbors, including myself, have spoken to him about it on several occasions, but he has openly said he isn’t going to leash his dog.

The problem is that the dog frequently approaches other dogs while growling approaching without the owner correcting his dog, its always other owners who avoid the guy or step infront of their dog when the dog goes at their dog.

I’ve noticed several dog owners changing their routes to avoid him, and I do the same whenever I can. My concern isn’t the breed itself it’s the combination of the dog’s size, its behavior, and an owner who refuses to take any precautions.

The reason this affects me so much is because I was involved in a similar situation in the past. Another owner had an aggressive dog off-leash that went after my leashed dog. The confrontation escalated badly, and I ended up assaulting the other owner. I’m currently still under investigation for that incident. I’m not proud of it, and it’s exactly why I’m trying to handle this situation differently.

Instead of confronting this owner again, I’ve reported the situation to my local municipality and requested enforcement.

I’m trying to do everything through the proper legal channels because I don’t ever want another situation to escalate like the last one.

Am I overreacting, or would you also consider this an unsafe situation? How would you handle it?

Nadat ik een trauma van vroeger heb verwerkt omdat ik een boekje met 50+ first edition Ex kaarten heb verkocht voor €30 om als kind zijnde naar de macdonalds te kunnen 🫠😂

Heb ik besloten, nu 15 jaar later om weer pokemonkaarten te gaan verzamelen. (Oude hobby als kind zijnde)

Aangezien er tegenwoordig zoveel collecties zijn en de prijzen bizar zijn heb ik door de bomen het bos niet meer kunnen vinden, ik heb nu de elite booster box en wat losse pakjes besteld van chaos rising.

Is dit een goede collectie om mee te beginnen? En zijn er nog tips & tricks die jullie me hedendaags mee willen geven?

Ik wil een beetje collecties proberen te pullen die een beetje waardevast zijn (voor wellicht in de toekomst met leuke pulls) maar het is voor mij puur hobby matig, geen handel.