Yesterday I wrote an email to our apartment community manager to explain my side of the situation as I knew the man had gotten my apartment number from the office, so had most likely told them his side of the story. Since I'd re-read our lease and realized that one offense could get Paisley kicked out of the complex, I really wanted to know if I should prepare for that.

I got a phone call from the manager today, and the first words out of her mouth were "We love Paisley." She went on to say that situations like these are considered tenant disputes, and she does not normally get involved. But she did say that as soon is Paisley is off quarantine, she hopes we'll bring her back to the clubhouse (we have a dog-friendly clubhouse here, which is very cool -- dog treats inside and water on the porch!) So, they obviously don't intend to give her the boot. My step-father had already said that he and my mom would take her until our move date if she did get "evicted", but that would have been a lot of work for them, so I am glad we won't have to take them up on that option. We've also had offers from a couple of friends here who know Paisley well to serve as "character witnesses", should the need arise. So, the support has been great.

We still don't know if the man intends to press charges, but from our reading of the NC laws, he would have a very weak case based on no past history, no viciousness, Paisley being on leash at the time of the interaction, and several other factors. So, we are feeling more optimistic that this will end up being just a wake-up call, and once we can walk Paisley again, we will redouble our training efforts.

I read the requirements for the canine good citizen test and feel that Paisley could pass most of them, with the most difficult ones for her being "walking through a crowd" (similar to this situation where she was, in the AKC's words "overexuberant") and "reaction to another dog" (she gets very interested/excited). We've actually been working on all of these behaviors informally since moving to the community, since Paisley spent the first 2 years of her life in a rural area on a large acreage, and although we made many attempts to socialize her (as a puppy, we even took her to the polls when we voted, to our marina, and many other places), there weren't nearly as many daily opportunities for encounters with others as there are here in an apartment community. That probably has a lot to do with how excited she can get when she meets a new person or dog. She's a very enthusiastic girl!

Thanks to everyone who PM'd me in addition to those who posted on this thread. Your comments have been educational and helpful. I haven't taken the advice of some who suggested a more proactive approach (getting documentation of the man's injury and so forth) as I felt that could make the situation worse. If it turns out that I am wrong about that, I'll certainly be humble enough to admit it.