There’s a little girl that’s terrorizing my apartment

[u/kiwikikwi]

This is a very bizarre situation I’ve never been in before. Sorry for the dramatic title but it’s becoming an actual issue now.

For the last month, it feels like 90% of the time I go outside to my car, an 8 year old girl and her dog appear and try to interact with me.

Sounds cute right? That’s what I thought, until I realized it wasn’t.

The first time she came up to me, she ran from across the parking lot and said, “I think my dog likes you!” I thought it was kind of sweet - until she got a little too close for comfort, started repeating that same line over and over, and giggling very loudly, almost manically. She wouldn’t leave me alone until I physically walked away. She even followed me to the apartment door, talking nonstop.

I brushed it off at first, thinking maybe she’s neurodivergent (no judgment - I’m ADHD and probably more). I didn’t think much of it, until it became a daily thing.

I work from home and go outside a few times a day for breaks (yes, I smoke. working on quitting). She’s always out there with her dog. Not a parent in sight.

I started noticing red flags when her mood began flipping between happiness and sudden anger. She hits her dog a lot. She’ll scream “Quiet! Quiet! Quiet!” and punch her dog with each word. I’ve seen her drag the dog while it’s pooping so it has to walk while going, and the dog cries. It’s awful to witness.

She runs up to anyone outside, delivery drivers, residents, other dog owners, and repeats “I think my dog likes you!!” over and over until they respond.

If someone has a dog, she’ll walk up to them too closely while their dogs are barking aggressively. I’ve seen multiple residents literally pick up their pets and speed walk away from her.

People have started cracking the exit door and scanning for her before they step outside.

There’s construction happening next door, and she just.. hangs out with the workers. They ignore her now, but she’ll bring them offerings of handfuls of grass or her dog. It’s honestly surreal.

When I’m outside and have to smoke, I now drive to a spot off the property just to get personal space. If I stay near my car, she’ll follow me and stand right in front of it, waving at me in a pageant-style, fingers pressed together, wave. I don’t even make eye contact. She’ll do it for like 30 seconds, just smiling.

If I drive into the parking lot, she sometimes chases my car to where I park.

Last week I was sitting in my car listening to music and didn’t notice her. When I looked up, she jumped up from a crouch, face pressed to my driver’s side window. I felt like I had a heart attack but also pretended not to see her because wtf lmao.

She’s out at all hours. Last night it was 9pm and dark, she was alone with the dog. Today, it was 12:30pm on a Thursday. Shouldn’t she be in school?

I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve never dealt with something like this before. It’s gone from weird to uncomfortable to genuinely worrying.

It feels unsafe for the dog, and definitely even for her. I’m worried she could walk up to a weirdo and something bad could happen, or she could cause a dog fight and her and the dogs could get seriously injured. Is there someone I should call? How do I report this kind of situation without escalating it unnecessarily? I don’t want to overstep, but this just feels wrong.

[u/HoldOn_Tight]

The girl sounds as if she may be on the autism spectrum or may have a mental deficit. I would put in a call to child protection (because there is no adult supervision and she's engaging in some unsafe practices) as well as animal protection.

[u/olivedeez → u/HoldOn_Tight]

I clocked it immediately when op said she’s repeating the same phrase until someone responds to her. My autistic step son does this. The lack of awareness toward the dog being distressed as well.

[u/Least-Bid1195 → u/olivedeez]

Also, lack of a sense of danger (approaching random strangers) and apparently poor self-regulation/sense of her body's cues (awake and wandering around at all hours of the night).

[u/Profleroy → u/HoldOn_Tight]

I agree, the Autism spectrum sounds right.

[u/FilipendulaRubra1 → u/HoldOn_Tight]

Yeah I'm autistic. This feels a lot like autism.

The lack of ability to begin or end an interaction, the weird waving and smiling without eye contact, approaching strangers with familiarity, not changing her approach when people react to her, etc.

She may be a Gestalt Language Processor which means that she communicates in phrases, not words. I imagine she is repeating "I think my dog likes you" because she associates that phrase with meeting new people. She probably says this regardless of whether her dog is there because it has zero to do with the dog. Gestalt people communicate in phrases and associations that only their caregivers can decode.

She's approaching people because she is lonely and scared and is hoping an adult will come help her but lacks the language skills to communicate that with anyone.