At long last, I fire a fresh round at my dog-hating neighbor:
Me
3## Second Ave. #14
New York, NY 10003
My Landlord
6## Jones Rd.
River Vale, NJ 07675
July 14, 2007
Dear Mr. My Landlord,
I was quite dismayed to receive your letter last week regarding my neighbor Ms. Cartabelato. Assuming I’m still in the building in 2009, I will have been a resident at 3## for 20 years. In that time, I have never had a disagreement or a complaint from a neighbor (excepting the occasional leaky pipe) lodged against me. Indeed, I have always tried to be a thoughtful person, and take great care to keep my apartment in good repair and not disturb the other residents. Given that, I was disappointed that the many inconsistencies in Ms. Cartabelato’s allegations were taken as fact, without ever taking time to, at the very least, ask me what might be occurring.
First and foremost, I am the owner of only one dog. I do, on occasion take care of a friend’s dog when my schedule allows. Perhaps once a week, I take them both for a walk or to the local dog park. It’s a rare occurrence, I work full time, and I find properly caring for one pet takes most of my attention. I have been the proud owner of a rescue animal for well over a year. He is 3 years old, a fully grown animal, he has been neutered and he has all his necessary shots. His adult weight is 36 pounds. So if I may be so bold, if he does indeed outweigh Ms. Cartabelato at 36 lbs., I suggest she seek medical treatment immediately.
While far from perfect, the dog is housebroken and well trained. He has been socialized with other dogs, and I never hesitate to let him loose in a designated dog park. He has never initiated a bit of aggressive behavior. If anything, he will shy away from other dogs and most people. I feed and walk him twice a day. This usually happens in the afternoon and again at 3 or 4 am when I finally return home from work. When I get a day off, I make it a point to take him out a little longer, as I feel guilty leaving him alone for long periods. When we go out, we exit the building quickly as he usually is understandably in a hurry to relieve himself. When we return, he immediately climbs the stairs to the apartment door and waits to be let in. While in the hallway, he is not in the least aggressive or threatening. I have never allowed him to bark or snarl or frighten another tenant. To suggest that I allow my dog “the run of the halls” is complete and utter nonsense. The only time he is ever in the hallways is when we are exiting or entering the building.
Characterizing him as some dangerous animal prowling the hallways is a fantasy, as are most of Ms. Cartabelato’s “morbid fears.” I have tried to be sensitive to her needs, and have even gone so far as to attempt to train the animal to retreat to a lower landing and allow other tenants to pass by. He accomplished this training with ease. Ms. Cartabelato was unsatisfied with this solution, claiming that my dog would ”think she is his enemy” and presumably become some sort of wild wanton killer. Indeed, if anyone has anything to fear in this situation it would be me and my pet, as Ms. Cartabelato’s behavior has grown more threatening and bizarre over the past year. She has on numerous occasions threatened to “leave out poison” for my dog in the hope “that he gets sick and dies”. She has repeatedly berated me and called me names, and when I tried to verbally allay her fears she told me I “was crazy” and “out to get her”.
I assumed, given her advanced age, that perhaps she was suffering from the beginning onset of senility, but in light of her continual obsessive behavior, I’m starting to have real concerns for the welfare of my pet. Perhaps if she has any family, they could begin to explore her options regarding some sort of an assisted living situation. That way, her obviously deteriorating mental capacity could be observed and treated. As a matter of fact, at this point I would welcome Ms. Cartabelato calling 311 the next time she felt herself to be in imminent danger. I am confident that should an unbiased authority respond to her complaints, they would find her fears to be self-induced paranoia, and of no real consequence. Perhaps that would put an end to this nonsense, although I seriously doubt it.
As I stated earlier, I have a full time job that is very demanding. I work between 60 and 70 hrs a week. If I’m lucky, once a week or so I get an afternoon to take my dog and a camera and go out in to the city and indulge my amateur photography hobby and enjoy a long walk. It’s one of the few pleasures I try to make time for. Unfortunately, it is often marred by the ridiculous and childish behavior exhibited by Ms. Cartabelato. Up until now, it has been disconcerting. Being contacted and threatened with a summons has made this situation an unwanted annoyance I hardly have the time or patience for. You should know that if this harassment and these verbal threats to me, my pet and property continue, I will have no choice but to seek relief in a court of law. At the very least, I plan to pursue and file a restraining order, in order to keep this clearly emotionally unbalanced woman away from me and my pet. My desire to be a caring and thoughtful neighbor doesn’t mean I have to be subject to the capricious whims of an old woman with some serious psychological issues. Barring using any of the solutions to Ms. Cartabelato’s “morbid fear” I have already mentioned, perhaps you can suggest a competent therapist that would allow her to find a way to negotiate the day to day tribulations of living in a city of 9 million other people and their pets.
Sincerely,
Me
cc: Josephine Cartabelato
Martin Murphy
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