I make an effort to communicate with the owner if possible, I was raised that way, especially when the dog is a yard bound barker, and they don't seem to care. I try to be polite, but tell them plainly that their dog is a problem. In a couple of cases, I have filed the paperwork to have annimal control fine, and eventually cause the owner to appear in court to possibly have the dog taken away. There is a progression of increasing fines-starting with 50 bucks and doubling each subsequent time. The animal control guys will tell you that "hitting them in the pocket book" is a sure fire way to get their attention. But here, you have to have 2 people sign, and many neighbors are reluctant to sign. Animal control can and should be called in the case of roaming dogs. The report of a loose dog here gets a priority response, and it also is helpful if you do have to do something, to protect your self after the fact. I don't like to harm the dog, because as one poster said, I understand what the dog is doing. I used to live in the mountains of Georgia, and had 2 mountain bred shepherd-retrever mix dogs-a brother and sister. They were sweet pups, unless you were intruding on their turf. I had put on an old knit cap one winter day, and gone out to walk around the road, which horse shoed around a deep draw, that the dogs just cut right through to come up on the other side. They didn't know I was out, so when they came up out of that draw and saw me, I got a taste of what a stranger had to deal with. Whoa!! I was glad they were mine, and they were embarassed when they found out old Dad had "tricked" them. So I try to talk to folks. I had a dog several houses up from us that would run down the street and challenge me right at my front door. At the time, I had doctors orders to walk my wife around the block, and when I did, I had to deal with this dog almost every time. I finally found the wife home one day, out in front, with the dog loose, and naturally, it came after me. I asked if her husband was home, and she said no, so I told her who I was and where I lived so that her husband could find me, and asked her if she thought is was ok for her dog to challenge me right at my front door? No. Then I told her about walking my wife around the street, and I told her that the next time their dog came after us, I was going to hurt him, real bad. Then I asked her if she understood what I had said. Yes. Never saw the dog again. I am an animal lover from for ever, but I can and will do what I have to do to protect others. I have had cases where I just gave a strong command to a dog, sometimes in the name of Jesus, and that was all that was necessary. Flapjack.