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View Full Version : my neighbor's dog - your thoughts, please!



Jeffrey Fusaro
09-07-2008, 11:27 PM
i'd like your thoughts on this situation. i am particularly interested to hear from the dogs owners out there, as we do not own any animals.

================================================

we have a neighbor whose dog likes to use our backyard for his toilet.


i don’t like this for several reasons;
- if i really liked to clean up doggie-doo, i'd get my own dog.
- i don't like doggie-doo killing my grass.
- most importantly, i don't want my two young daughters playing in a dog's toilet.

so, we called to complain - twice.

the first time got us an apology and a promise to 're-adjust' their electric fence.

the second time got us a very cold response. no apology. no promise to 'fix' the fence.

this was after having cleaned up eight piles of doggie-doo in a two week period.

i caught him in my yard one saturday. the neighbors were gone for the entire day. the dog was left in the yard all day. this happens often. i spent ten minutes chasing him out of my yard. finally, i went inside and called animal control. they were closed, so i called the sheriff's office to file a complaint.

in the time that it took the cruiser to arrive, another neighbor down the road saw what was going on and he ran all over the neighborhood chasing the dog to try to get him back in the yard. he is good friends with the dog owners. he was still outside when the cruiser pulled up to talk to me. the officer went down and knocked on the dog owner's door. no answer. he told me that he left them a note and that i should follow up with animal control on monday.

after i finished mowing the lawn, and had time to cool down, i called the dog owner's and left them a message about what had happened. i told than that i had called the sheriff and that i was calling animal control on monday. i told them that it was apparent that they didn't care what their dog was up to while they were away, so i was not going to waste any more time talking to them. i told them that i would just call animal control or the sheriff if it happened again.

a few evenings later, i am working out in the yard and the 'missus' flies up the street on her broom. she is yelling at me and wagging her finger at me and telling me off for calling the law and for leaving them a 'nasty message'. she tells me that if i didn't want to live around people that had dogs, i shouldn't have moved into a residential neighborhood. she also told me that if i didn't want dogs in my yard, i should put up a fence.

i didn't know whether to laugh, or knock her teeth out.

in a rather uncharacteristic performance, i managed to keep my cool and explain to her that the whole situation was her fault for not controlling her animal, in the first place. all she could see was that i had called the sheriff and animal control. she couldn't make one move backwards in her thought process to understand WHY i had called the sheriff and animal control.

she made a few more equally ludicrous comments.

i responded in a cool-headed manner and again explained that this was all her fault.

this wasn't getting anywhere. it became obvious that i was arguing with a two year-old. before long, she started cussing and name calling. at which point, i told her to "go home" and resumed my yard work.

for the next few weeks, every time the dog was out, it was on a leash.

lately, the leash has disappeared. the dog has been outside, unattended all day on several occasions. the last time i mowed the lawn, i found another present. my wife convinced me NOT to call animal control, since it had been a long time since the last incident. reluctantly, i gave in to her request.

so, what's a poor guy to do? :(

do i keep calling animal control and waiting three days for them to come out? that's what happened last time.

do i keep calling the sheriff? i hate the thought of this. i know they have better things to do with their time.

do i just resign myself and carry a 'pooper scooper' with me every time i mow the lawn?

do i scour the yard and remove doggie-doo every night before i let my children play in their own back yard?

my wife has already told me that i am not allowed to purchase a dillon M134 gatling gun, so any equally violent solutions will likely meet with the same scowl. :mad:

i am open to any constructive suggestions (flaming paper bags full of doggie-doo left on door steps are not constructive suggestions). :D

Bruce Shiverdecker
09-07-2008, 11:34 PM
I have NOT done the "Flaming" bag trick, but I HAVE taken a shovel and sent the dogs present back to his owners yard. After a while, they actually decided to do something smart and put up a two poles with wire strung between and chained the dog to it.

I'm not sure that your neighbors are that smart.

Bruce

Forgot to mention. I am a dog lover, too. When we were going to get a Dog, we built the Chain Link first.

Judy Kingery
09-07-2008, 11:37 PM
Jeffery,

My sympathies to you, and as absolute dog lovers, I will say - still and all, yes, it is THEIR responsiblity to be accountable for their pet's whereabouts, totally. It's not up to you to clean up after their dog, nor should the dog be wandering freely about the neighborhood nor taking a doo in your yard period. It should be their responsibility to fence their yard in a secure manner to keep their dog in.

As they are apparently not inclined to do so, and unfair as it is to you, I'd likely fence my own yard anyway. Well, we like our privacy fence for a number of reasons, keeps our dogs in, keeps other dogs out, it's more quiet than say a chain link. Anyway, just wanted to validate that no, even though we have dogs and love dogs, it would never dawn on us to let them wander freely or go crap in someone else's yard or anything like that.

Best to you on this situation,

Jude

Dave Lehnert
09-07-2008, 11:38 PM
I would first check that to see if they have a dog license.

Snap a photo each time the dog is in the yard. Do that a 1/2 dozen times then complain.

Rob Cooper
09-07-2008, 11:57 PM
I have a lab and a neighbor who doesn't like dogs. My dog ran over to this neighbor's property twice. No poop, no digging, just ran over. They expressed their displeasure. Now I do not like this neighbor, but I put up a fence without being asked. My dog is my responsibility. Your neighbor knows the score, they just don't care.

Also, I have called animal control on problem dogs for rental properties. They have not acted quickly unless there was a rescue or an agressive animal. Keep a record and if you call animal control again, give the responding officer backup to your claims and concerns so they can take better action.

I don't like cleaning up after my own dog!

Greg Peterson
09-08-2008, 12:04 AM
You're dealing with unreasonable people and poor pet owners. Not sure there is much you can do to 'train' them to take better care of their dog.

I would put up a fence, chain link or privacy, budget and/or aesthetics permitting. Good fences make good neighbors.

Ken Fitzgerald
09-08-2008, 12:11 AM
First I'll tell you I am an avid dog lover. Currently we don't have any dogs but once we retire, I hope to get two. Two, in my opinion, seem to be easier to manage than one.

Your neighbors dogs are their responsibility. Their attitude is quite prevalent in our society today. Whether it's kids or dogs.....folks don't want to be responsible for that which they have or create.

We have about 13 cats in our neighborhood. I am not a cat person. The folks who have cats don't have flower beds. My next door neighbors and I do. Can you see where this is heading? We regularly pickup cat droppings out of our flower beds. If we don't, the nitrogen in it will kill plants.

One thing we have found that helps. We purchased some of these super-sonic electronic animal repellant devices. They function on a 9-volt battery and are motion activated. They put out a sound that is out of the human hearing range but in dog and cat hearing range. The only problem with them is regularly changing the batteries. If you don't turn them off when mowing the yard, etc, the batteries run down. Since installing them and trying to remember to replace the batteries, the amount of cat gifts we have had to pickup has reduced dramatically.

Peter Stahl
09-08-2008, 6:14 AM
Get a paint ball gun, a couple shots to back side and they won't come near your yard any more. I won't hurt them just leave a lasting memory.

Jeffrey Fusaro
09-08-2008, 6:38 AM
we've talked about installing a fence, but neither my wife nor i like them. plus, we don't feel that we should have to spend the money on a fence as a result of someone's lack of responsibility.

i know. it sounds like i'm being stubborn. well, that i am. no denying it.

the restrictive covenants in our neighborhood dictate that fences can be no higher than four feet and they must start at the rear of the building line. privacy fences are prohibited. unfortunately, the rear one-third of lot drops off over a fairly steep embankment. it's too steep to mow or do anything constructive with. installing a fence there would be costly and difficult. installing a partial fence won't accomplish much. even if i could surround the backyard with a fence, that leaves the entire side and front yard 'unprotected'. so, this means that fido will just poop outside the fence, since he can't go to his favorite corner of my yard.

we've been keeping the camera at the ready, in case we catch him out of his yard, again. but, we both work, so no one is home during the day when most of his visits seem to be occurring.


ken--

i like the ultasonic repellant idea. i may have to investigate that option.

do they have a 'vaporize' setting? :D

Keel McDonald
09-08-2008, 7:02 AM
I would first check that to see if they have a dog license.

Snap a photo each time the dog is in the yard. Do that a 1/2 dozen times then complain.

Dave,

What's a dog license?!? No such thing around here.

I am a dog owner and we have one of those underground fences. Believe me, if it's on and working properly, our dog won't go near it.

I'd call animal control and/or the sheriff every time you catch the dog, or evidence, out. Eventually, they'd take care of it. After all, you saw results after calling the sheriff the first time, although it was temporary results. And I agree, it should not be your responsibility to fence in your yard and have that added expense because of irresponsible pet owners.

Jim Becker
09-08-2008, 8:03 AM
I happen to love animals and pets. We don't have a dog simply because it's impractical for us, both from a care standpoint and because it would be a danger to our birds. Otherwise, we might already have at least one.

That said, I agree with the sentiments stated that the dog and all the ramifications for controlling it are the responsibility of the owners. You a) asked them nicely several times to deal with the situation and IMHO, you have good reason to ask. When you didn't get the required results, you b) called the authorities about the situation, resulting in temporary resolution, but a whole lot of verbal abuse. Now you say that the problem is reverting back into the picture. Collect your evidence, as it were, issue a final warning (nicely) and if you don't get the intended result, call animal control. You and your family do have a right to enjoy your property without the damage being done by the uncontrolled domestic pet of your neighbor. Further, you have a young daughter that could at the very least be frightened by an encounter with the dog or more, depending upon the demeanor of the dog. No question, I'd be calling animal control every time...

Mitchell Andrus
09-08-2008, 8:11 AM
There are repelants that you can spread on the ground (like weed and feed) that the dog will avoid. After a while, he'll be trained not to wander over the line.

Otherwise, does the dog like raw hamberger?

Bonnie Campbell
09-08-2008, 8:15 AM
I would keep calling animal control. It is the pet owners responsibility to keep their animal under control. Though from the sounds of it your neighbor won't improve any. I've no sympathy for people that let their dogs run, OR that like to take a poop break on your property when they're walking dogs on leashes. That being said, we have three large yard dogs and two small inside dogs. Our yard is fenced with a 6' chain link that also has privacy slats installed. We had to section the yard with fencing also because WE don't like walking in dog poop either. If your neighbors want a dog, a fence is part of the expense they should have allowed for.

Now for the backlash of calling to report them.... People treat their dogs as 'children', that they think can never do wrong. We've all seen real children like that. The 'parents' can get very vindictive. Watch you backside and keep documenting the problems with the dog AND the owner.

Cliff Rohrabacher
09-08-2008, 8:52 AM
This because there is no "crime" as defined by any criminal statute.
Your neighbor ,may be guilty of a civil tort ( for which you can sur) but I seriously doubt there is any crim invikved ERGO: the Sheriff is the wrong guy to call.
Call a lawyer.

What your neighbors are doing is called "trespass."
Which they compound by inflicting upon you a second species of harm by way of depositing this "haz mat" material.

First tell them they are trespassing and instruct them to cease.


You are entitled to pay a haz mat ( or any one else) team to come and collect the material and dispose of it in a manner prescribed by law.

Then send them the bill. They gotta pay.

And do it again for every subsequent occurrence.
When when they refuse to pay you~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You file in your local superior court for recovery of your costs plus exemplary damages.

It won't make you their number one pick for X-mass parties but it will encourage them to learn a little about restraining their pooch.

Any affirmative action you take that involves you tossing the stuff back where it came from or placing a flaming bag of crap on their door step will most likely constitute both a crime and an an actionable tort for which you will be exposed to both civil litigation as well as a possible statutory criminal prosecution.

Their dog crapping in your yard is merely a civil tort and not a crime ( unless you have a local criminal ordinance about dogs and crap in yards etc., - very unlikely).

My advice:
Video tape the animal crapping in your yard, then ask them to restrain their animal and if this fails continue to video the critter and speak to local counsel.

Randy Cohen
09-08-2008, 8:53 AM
dogs typically will 'go' in the same place over and over again. i suggest you get some strong hot pepper and spread some on the dog's poop places. i would think some ground up peppercorns will work or some ground up dried chili peppers. not sure how many different poop places there are but chances are that there are not a lot. one sniff and the dog will avoid that spot if not your entire yard.

Jeffrey Fusaro
09-08-2008, 9:51 AM
thanks for all of the replies and for the good advice. it's good to know that my sentiments on this situation aren't in the minority. it's also good to know that there are responsible dog owners out there.

if the incident repeats itself, i intend on visiting the animal control office in preson to register my complaint. i think they may take my complaint more seriously, if i am there to represent myself in person.

if i have any photos to support my case, i'll be sure to bring those, too.

thanks, again.

Joe Cunningham
09-08-2008, 10:26 AM
I had a pit bull running through my yard and all around the neighborhood (it is a typical city-scape, very tight single/multi-family homes). He lived in the neighbor's house behind me and would use my set of stairs off my lower deck to access our entire street. My house is up the hill from theirs with a large retaining wall and small alley behind my property--the only easy way up was by using my steps.

I tried the spray repellent in the alley and all around the bottom and top of the steps, no effect. But my situation was slightly different in that my yard was not the toilet just an access point, so maybe it would help in your case.

I just built a gate across the top of the steps, end of problem. Not my responsibility, but the solution worked. Haven't seen the pit bull running around anymore.

Of course a gate is pretty small to build compared to a whole fence.

Heather Thompson
09-08-2008, 10:29 AM
Jeffrey,

I had a very similar problem years ago, spoke with the owner a number of times, she was a total broom rider. I to also called the sheriff and animal control with the same result as you, :mad: at this point I decided to fight fire with fire. Went to the grocery store and bought some cheap ground hamburger, then to Walgreens and bought some Ex Lax, came home and made some nice meatballs.:D When Helen's dog would be in my yard I would toss him a couple of treats, then soak him with the hose, she would take her poor baby in to care for him. The next day the carpet cleaning crew would be there, it took three times but I finally trained her, and no I never got invited for X Mas.

Heather

Greg Narozniak
09-08-2008, 10:50 AM
As a Dog owner for over 20 years I will chime in.

There has been a lot of great info here already. You should not have to put up a fence to keep THEIR dog out of your yard. When we moved almost 3 years ago we paid over $4k to have a wood fence installed in the back yard, Why? Because I am a responsible dog owner. Fence or not the dog SHOULD NEVER be left outside when no one is home. It is a no brainer that the people are simple minded because anyone that would think that a 'residential" area is a place where dogs can roam free all day is just downright Ignorant.

Electric fences are a cheap out. They will work for normal outside stuff but if there is something on the other side of that fence that the dog wants it is an easy full speed run and short little zap is all the dog gets and then they are free. Also it's a problem because the dog cannot return to the property because it will get shocked. They also will not prevent other animals from entering your yard.

I have done the Throwing poop back and an incident that involved exlax but the legal way is the best. It just really sucks that you have to pay a lawyer for something that is not your fault. Call the Sheriff again and let him see how far he will take it before you have to pay a lawyer.

P.S. Paintball leaves evidence, Airsoft or a BB gun is a lot better :)

Ben Rafael
09-08-2008, 10:57 AM
Jeffrey,
In most counties in the US letting your dog defecate and not cleaning it up is a health code violation. This is also true when your dog defecates on the dog owners property. Contact your county health dept, depending on what diseases are endemic to your area they may take this very seriously, but they should at least send out a warning.
You are obviously dealing with rude, unneighborly fools; do what you need to do, legally and gentlemanly of course.

Kyle Kraft
09-08-2008, 11:07 AM
I don't know if anyone suggested it yet, but how about a deer trail surveillance camera with the date and time stamp for collecting evidence?

Justin Leiwig
09-08-2008, 11:48 AM
There are a couple ways to go about this. Post a sign saying that any animal feces in your yard will be met with a $50 fine, and then video tape to back it up. File in court.

The second is every time the dog craps in your yard, as long as you can prove that it was that dog, call out the poo cleaners for each time and then bill her. Once the bills pile up file in court.

The exlax is funny, but if the dog becomes dehydrated and the kidneys fail then you owe that person a dog plus whatever damages.

I say keep pestering both the sheriff, the animal control and your HOA. I'm sure that if they have restrictions on fences then they have something about animals.

Ben Rafael
09-08-2008, 11:54 AM
Dont give the dog exlax, it's not the dog's fault it's owner is an idiot.

Lee Schierer
09-08-2008, 12:01 PM
You can get a camera like a security camera that takes photos of your yard for the entire day. If you really want to take action against this neighbor you are going to need to prove that it is their dog making the deposits in your yard. Be very careful actually touching the animal in any way as they may levy animal cruelty charges on you. Most counties of the country have dog lisencing laws, even if they are not enforced. If the dog isn't wearing his tag, catch it and deliver it to the nearest animal shelter. If the dog bites you go to the ER and report the dog bite. Most states have mandatory reporting of dig bites and the owner will get a visit from the local health department and have to proove the pet has had all its shots and is properly registered. This is hassle for the owner.

We just went through this with my son, when his cat trying to escape from our dog scratched my wife in a purely accidental encounter. She needed stitches in the ER for the cut on her head from the cat. The ER was required by law to report the incident to the health department. The county health department served notice on my son to confine his cat and to have it checked by a vet.

Years ago, my grandfather had a really nice snowball bush in his small front yard in a residential neghborhood. A dog from down the street took a liking to it and started watering it daily on his walks through the neighbor hood much ot the detriment of the bush. My grandfather asked them to keep their dog home and they laughed at him. He went home and took an old Model A ignition coil he had and placed some hardware cloth on the ground where the dog stood while watering the plant. He also placed some in the target area of the bush and hooked the two pieces to the coil and had the coil hooked to a battery. Well the next day when the dog watered the palnt, there was a loud yelp, the dog departed in a hurry. The following day when the dog made its rounds, it crossed the street right at my grandfatehrs driveway and would not even walk in his yard.

Lee Schierer
09-08-2008, 12:14 PM
One more idea. Find out what brand electric fence your neighbor is using to keep the dog in their yard. Buy the same brand fence for your yard and set it on the highest setting possible for both width of field and shock level. Once the dog gets zapped by your fence he won't be coming back to your yard.

I have fenced our yard with an underground fence and you can't drag our dog across the fence line. The only way he will approach the fence is in a car or on a leash through the magic gate (also invisible) in the back yard to the field out back where he gets to go only with one of us and only on a leash. He will run flat out to the spot where the leash goes on when we tell him were going for a walk and sit and wait until the leash is on and he is told to heel. If I go ahead without him he will stay on his side of the fence and whine but will not cross it alone. He won't cross the fence for cats or other dogs either even if they cross the fence line.

David Fairfield
09-08-2008, 12:14 PM
The problem is not really the dog, he's just being a dog. The problem is the dog's irresponsible owner and your inert local constabulary.

If the Sherrif won't send somebody out and fine the owner, send a registered letter to the Sherrifs department expressing your disappointment, then collect your photographic evidence and take the case to your local court system. I guarantee you will get results.

A nuisance case like this is small potatoes but its actually a really good learning experience to see how the court system works. If ever you have a real problem that needs judicial intervention, you'll be better prepared.

HTH
Dave

Heather Thompson
09-08-2008, 12:41 PM
Dont give the dog exlax, it's not the dog's fault it's owner is an idiot.

Ben,

If you can get the owner to eat the treat more power to you, the dog will not die and it gets the point across to the owner. If you approach an owner multiple times ( in my case she shot her garden hose through the open bedroom window as opposed to verbal abuse, soaked our bed and ruined a cherry dresser, no legal repercussions), sometimes things need to get kicked up a notch. I also owned a dog for years (eight), it attacked my son one Sunday morning, twenty one stitches to his face, after I got home the dog was crated and took a ride in the back of my truck, end of story. I love animals, it is a responsibility to neighbors and family alike!

Heather

Ben Rafael
09-08-2008, 1:56 PM
Heather,
I dont know the details of your situation.
I've had neighbor issues in the past. The police are useless, you need to obtain court orders for the police to enforce. And even then I've needed to push the police to enforce the orders. Legal ways work if you are willing to follow through and not miss anything. It just takes time, diligence and sometimes more money than you are willing to spend.

David G Baker
09-08-2008, 3:24 PM
Jeffrey,
The electric fence idea that Greg wrote about is a relatively inexpensive fix for your problem and it works very well. I live in a semi rural area where live stock can be raised. My neighbor across the street decided to raise 4 beef steers and installed a fence that was set up to be electrified when the cattle were purchased. This neighbor and his next door neighbor have dogs, every morning they would let their dogs out to go to the bathroom and get some exercise. The dogs liked each other so much that they would run towards each other and play for around 30 minutes every day. The play went on all Winter long and into Spring. They played with each other so much that they wore a path between the two homes. The houses are about 1/8th of a mile apart. The steer owner finally brought the 4 steers home and turned on the electric fence. All it took was one zap each and the dogs stopped visiting each other. If you have a Tractor Supply in your area check on the cost.
Before you go the electric fence route the advice offered by others should probably be tried first and the fence as a last resort.

Chuck Wintle
09-08-2008, 4:39 PM
What about a can or two of pepper spray? when you see the dog on your property just give it a healthy dose and it won't come back, hopefully. :D

rob mason
09-08-2008, 4:54 PM
I do agree that the neighbor's dogs are their responsiblity, but I love it when the neighborhood dogs come around! I actually give them treats! I'm just a dog lover and dont mind the occasional 'present'. Then again, I live out in the country where I can hardly see my nearest neighbor's house.

My favorite two dogs are these two Great Pyrenese (sp?) that come around. They love me! In doing a little research, this breed considers anywhere they walk to be 'theirs'. The owners have stopped by and said to let them know if they are a bother - I kinda like the free guard dog service.

I do wish you best of luck in coming to an amicable solution. You could tell your neighbors the old saying "good fences make good neighbors"

Rob

Eric Larsen
09-08-2008, 5:08 PM
1) Don't hurt the dog. Don't feed it ex-lax, shoot it with a BB, paint gun, taser, pour liquid skunk on it, etc.. Just because the dog is on your property doesn't give you license for animal cruelty. If the owner can prove you hurt their dog, you'll be defending yourself in court instead of the other way around. Besides, it's morally reprehensible. The dog is just being a dog. It doesn't deserve punishment any more than a pigeon that poops on your car.

2) Run through your options starting with the least expensive.

a) Cayenne pepper. Buy a big jug or two at the local dollar store. Sprinkle liberally around poles, trees, and any area where the dog has already pooped. Liberally -- at least 1 cup per application. You should see red on the ground. You need a whole lot of it. And it won't work on a wet or humid day. Some dogs hate the stuff, others don't seem to care. Could be your $1 solution.

b) You hit the nail on the head the first time with animal control. Keep calling them. We have a law here that dogs cannot be left outside in the summer. It gets up above 110f here regularly. I've made several calls on one neighbor whose dog was tied up, but howled all day, eight hours a day, while my moron neighbors were at work. They eventually skipped one too many mortgage payments are were foreclosed on, but it *was* working.

EDIT - uh, that letter between b and c) Is the dog gun shy? If so, that might take care of it. Provided you have a *legal* way to make a loud bang. A starter's pistol, perhaps.

c) Got a poop-scooper dude in your town? Great. Hire him. Have him bill your neighbors. Take them to small claims if they fail to pay. But also have photographs (with a date & timestamp if at all possible) to back up your claim. Otherwise they'll say it must have been someone elses dog. Don't zoom in too much. The court will want to see that the scooped area matches the photograph.

d) Hire an attorney. This sort of thing will be parcelled out to an intern/paralegal so it won't cost all that much. Cease and desist letters generally will do the trick.

Judy Kingery
09-08-2008, 5:09 PM
I'd have to agree with Rob and Ben, it is not the dog's fault; don't hurt the dog because of the owners' total disregard for others - it is the owner's responsibility. Dogs are wonderful creatures and the owner is to be faulted for not taking care of their animals properly. Whether it's keeping them out of your yard, proper vaccinations, etc.

Someone earlier mentioned it's not a criminal matter, actually, check into your city ordinances. Here it's not against state law at all, in terms of a criminal offense, but YES it IS against a city ordinance to allow dogs to run free off leash. So yes, our local law enforcement are the ones to call, either your city police department or S.O. if you're out in the county. And actually they will file on the party and fine them. The PD will also send out Animal Control and pick up a loose dog and take it to the pound and the owners have to pay to bail him out. Or well, sadly, the animal will be destroyed. Unfortunately I guess quite a few people don't care for their animals properly, or spay/neuter.

Anyway, I'd encourage you to look up your city ordinance on that and if you can, ask your SO to file against them or your animal control to confiscate the dog. Hopefully it'll resolve for you, but, no, I wouldn't shoot nor drug the dog. Not his fault, it's the owners.

Jude

Steve Clardy
09-08-2008, 5:50 PM
I think I would have to deliver the dog poo back over into the neighbors yard.

David G Baker
09-08-2008, 6:15 PM
An idea for slowing down the neighbor's dog's visits, a motion activated sprinkler system. It is used in some areas to prevent taggers from spray painting their identification on buildings.

Joe Pelonio
09-08-2008, 6:22 PM
We've always had dogs, most often two, and they are never allowed to roam.

We keep them fenced in the yard or in the house as all dog owners should do. Accidents could happen, such as a jumping over or break in the fence due to extreme excitement at a passing rabbit but that should be rare. Most areas where we have lived, including this one, have leash laws and the fines escalate upon repeat offenses. In other words, it might be $50 the first time, $100 the 2nd, $500 the third. When it gets that high people do find ways to control their dogs. I'd keep the animal control number on speed dial and report the dog any time it's out of their yard.

Not to make light of a serious issue, but we once had a huge Magnolia tree in the front yard, with those huge, leathery leaves. One fall a wind storm sent leaves all over the neighborhood. A few days later I watched a woman two doors down carry a pile of our leaves down the sidewalk and dump them on our lawn! I told my wife that if I'd been outside I'd have said to her "Oh, thanks for returning those, I wondered where they went."

Jim O'Dell
09-08-2008, 8:41 PM
You might go look at the AKC website and look for the section on Responsible Dog Ownership. Print any pertinent information there and mail it, anonymously, to the owner.
I think most of you know that LOML and I are huge dog lovers, both showing Irish Setters, and rescuing Irish that need new homes. And I'm with everyone else on this. It is the owners responsibility to keep their dog at home, and not messing in someone else's yard. When we are at dog shows, and when my wife walks our dogs around our neighborhood, we carry plastic bags to pick up after our dogs. That is part of what responsible pet ownership is about. Kind of like a responsible smoker wouldn't blow smoke in your face just to tick you off.
My wife also picks up the poo in our back yard everyday unless it's raining, or unless she is just worn out. We don't think our neighbors should have to smell that either, much less step in it.
Does your city have leash laws? If so, they are in violation. Many city dog catchers, even if the dog has tags, will fine the owners when they pick up the animal. We had a black lab where we used to live that would escape home, and come sit on our front porch. The fines doubled every time the dog was picked up. The last time the fine was 400.00. The owners either found a way to keep the dog at home, or found a new home for him. Actually, I think the dog was the smart one, trying to escape the home he was living in.:D
Your home owners association may also have rules about free roaming dogs since they have rules about fences. Get the picture evidence and turn it into them. From what I hear HOA's wield a big hammer! Jim.

David Eisan
09-08-2008, 9:48 PM
How about inviting the local kennel club over when your neighbour is away and having all the visiting dogs return the favour to your neighbour?

Or, invite the guys from Jack *** over to have their way on your neighbours porch?

It sounds funny in my head at least.... :)

David.

Bill Wyko
09-08-2008, 9:51 PM
Get an estimate for what it will cost to build a fence to contain their dog and sue them for the cost. You may not win but the inconvience it'll cause may get them to re-think their position. Just getting served should wake them up and who knows.....you might just win. At least you could sue for dammages to your property. What would it cost to bring a landscaper to repair the lawn professionally?:)

Jeffrey Fusaro
09-08-2008, 10:54 PM
One more idea. Find out what brand electric fence your neighbor is using to keep the dog in their yard. Buy the same brand fence for your yard and set it on the highest setting possible for both width of field and shock level. Once the dog gets zapped by your fence he won't be coming back to your yard.



ladies and gentlemen--

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

(insert raucous applause soundtrack here)



lee schierer--

you win for the best idea. but, if you don't mind, i'd like to make one small alteration.

i'm gonna bury the same brand of electric fence around my yard and set it on "well done". then i'm going to lock the collar around the broom rider's neck and drag her in and out of my yard a few times.

it may not keep her dog out of my yard, but it will make me feel better. :D

James Jaragosky
09-08-2008, 11:29 PM
The power settings for the level of shock are adjusted at the collar not the fence. You can only adjust the width of field that sets off the collar at the fence controls.

Burt Alcantara
09-10-2008, 10:34 AM
357 Magnum

Ken Werner
09-10-2008, 11:21 AM
James J - depends on the product. The controller on ours is on the sending unit.

Eddie Watkins
09-10-2008, 12:53 PM
I had a similar problem twice in my life.
1. One neighbor had a standard breed poodle that pooped like an elephant and wanted to use my lawn as his toilet. The guy had a fenced yard but let the dog out the front door so he didn't have to clean it up. I asked him to keep the dofg out of my yard to no avail, then I let him see visually chase the dog off. Again, no results. I finally bought a BB gun and let him see me shooting the dog in the butt. That stopped the dog. I don't think the owner liked it but he didn't say anything.
2. Second situation was a side neighbor where we had a common fence. She had yapping, digging, climbing beagles. I'm convinced God created flys and beagles at the same time. One creates poop and bothers people, the other eats poop and bothers people. The beagle would climb the chain link fence to get in my yard to poop. I decided to put up an electric wire along the top of the fence on my side so the dog had to be at the top ready to come in my yard before he would get shocked. The lady saw me doing it and came out asking me what I was doing. When I told her she was really cranky. To make a long story short she decided she was going to teach the dog the wire would hurt it before it got to the top of the fence and found out the hard way. After I turned the wire on she picked the dog up and walked over and touched his foot to the wire. The dog whined a little and urinated all over the front of the lady. She was really mad and it didn't help that I started laughing. It did break the dog from climbing the fence, though.
3. This is not recommended but a coworker did this. He had a cat that was using one of his flower beds as a litter box. After complaining didn't work he decided to do something about it. There was a window right by the flower bed so he took off the window screen and cracked the window about 3". He then got a .22 rifle and waited until the cat came. He backed off from the window about six inches to keep the sound from being heard and shot. The cat didn't use his bed any more but he said the the sound stayed in the room and nearly deafened him. Ironically, the guy was killed in Wichita a few years later when he was run over while trying to rescue a dog that had been hit on the interstate.
I swear these are all true.

Mark Hix
09-10-2008, 8:04 PM
Do you play golf? Grab your pitching wedge and see how close you can get to their door mat. After all, it's their dog so therefore their dog stuff.

David Giles
09-10-2008, 10:23 PM
Trebuchet. Aim for their roof.

David Eisan
09-14-2008, 10:39 AM
What type of lawn mower do you have?

You might want to line up all the "presents" on the edge of your property and mow with a side discharge lawn mower. This will work best next to a deck, pool, patio door, etc.

David.

Dar Lounsbury
09-14-2008, 1:17 PM
I agree with Ben, to injure or harm the dog would be wrong. It just does not know better. Go after the idiot owners without a doubt. I wrote a letter describing our issues with neighbor's dog to Animal Control and sent a copy to the owners of the dog. Within a day, the issue never repeated again. Dog would sometimes be left outside at night, bark to be let in and the owner would come out and beat or kick the dog until it cried and hid from him. I wanted to shoot the &^%#$. After the complaint, Animal Control may have taken the dog away from them. Within months, they moved and I don't know the fate of the dog.

Now I have new neighbors, new dogs, different issue and I put up a new fence. I love dogs but neighbors seem to be a dirty word or two.