Inconsiderate Neighbors - HELP!!!!!

[Beth]

I am wondering if anyone else has the unfortunate experience of having ignorant, inconsiderate neighbors that tease their dogs and throw things over the fence into their yard?

We are at our witts end with our neighbors and I need to vent to other dog lovers.

Our dogs, and I am not being bias, are great dogs they only bark for the normal stuff they hear someone on the other side of the fence, animals on the other side of the fence, etc. Our other neighbors in the neighborhood have actually asked us how we keep our dogs so quiet and well behaved. We also don't just let the dogs bark and bark in the yard we let them in to calm down before they can go back out.

So when we find apples in our yard with ants on them (when there are no apples trees to be found anywhere), and BIC lighters in our yard when neither one of us are smokers, and see the kids next door waving hockey sticks and toys over the top of the fence teasing our dogs we just don't know what to do. Yesterday it was firecrackers at the back of our fence it was driving the dogs mad so I took them inside and they settled some but still heard the firing of fire crakcers and they could not get completely settled. I was home yesterday from work too with a sick infant.

I want to talk to the neighbors but we are afraid they will not be approachable, and that a feud will ensue and we all have to live on the same street and we'll be even more miserable.

They have 3 dogs that they let roam the neighborhood and pee and poop on everyone's lawns. We have a leash law in our town and no one else allows their pets to roam around unleashed. Other neighbors walk past our house to use the woods (our street is a dead end that has state protected woods) and walk their dogs and the neighbors dogs will come running out and annoy the people walking their dogs, not to mention not all dogs are dog friendly, and we all know how scarey it is to have an unleashed dog come running up at you when you are walking your dog.

Their dogs have sprayed on our bushes and my husband caught one in our garage spraying some boxes that we had sitting on the floor. Our garage door was open and we can let our dogs out there and they won't run out the garage but imagine if we had let them out at the exact moment their dog was in our garage spraying?

I mean we have a fun loving female pitbull/lab mix who is a big baby - but we wonder sometimes rub her the wrong way and then what? Especailly now that she has been exposed to the teasing. Don't get me wrong she is by no means aggressive we have toddlers in our family that can put a cookie in their mouths and she will genlty take it out. Our other dog is a jack russel terrior mix and he's not as dog friendly or people friendly as our older dog. He is more of the barker and these kids make him crazy. And he's a puppy still so it's not helping our cause of trying to get him socialized.

We just don't know what to do these people are irresponsible animal owners they have wild cats, wild dogs, and wild kids and I am begging for suggestions on what to do.

Any suggestions? Any great wisdom out there?

[Barbara]

Hi, there, Beth...I have to tell you that reading your post raised my blood pressure a bit. Oh, my, I would be so angry. A long time ago, when my son was a toddler, we had "neighbors from Hell"...their rotten teenage boys used to tie tin cans onto trees in OUR backyard and fire BB guns at them from their second story window. Of course, it never occurred to these cretins that they could have easily shot my son.

So, if this was me, I would do what I did in that situation...call the police. You have many reasons to do so...dogs running at large in the neighborhood, property damage occurring, etc. Even better, set up a videocamera at a discreet place with the angle set to cover the entire backyard. This will capture the little vermin redhanded at their misadventures.

Finally, because my backyard is right next to the running path, I never, ever leave my dogs unattended in my yard, despite the fact that it is fenced in. If you do, they are at the mercy of whoever/whatever happens by, be it a future serial killer or a coyote or a rabid raccoon or a dognapper. That's really the best way to protect them. Unless you can be outside, keep them in with you. Particularly since you have juvenile delinquents next door. These kids (or monsters) are deriving extreme pleasure out of teasing/torturing your dogs and they aren't going to stop particularly since the parents, with their apparent policies of letting dogs run loose are even bigger idiots. I doubt there is much parenting going on in that household.

And, even if you do make sure your dogs are supervised when they are outside, consider using a videocamera anyway. Kids like this always graduate to bigger and bigger misdeeds...next may be spraying grafitti or vandalizing your property. I would make sure I was prepared with idiots like this next door.

[Judith]

I agree with Barbara on the video camera. It is very useful to convince parents who think their kids would never do that otherwise and if necessary the authorities.

First I would make a friendly visit and talk to them about their children's behavior and and the dogs running loose. If you get an unfriendly reception, call animal control or the police next time anything happens.

While I am a dog lover and hate to see animals being punished for bad owner behavior, you are actually doing the dogs a favor be taking action to stop the running around unsupervised and off leash. Sometimes the only thing that make people change behavior is when they feel it in their wallet. In the long run if you do have to get officials involved, it will be better for the dogs.

The least of your worries is a feud with these folks. It does not sound like they are the type you have over for coffee anyway. You need to think of the safety of your family and property not to mention the other folks in the neighborhood.

[diane]

Just beware that some people hold grudges and will go to extremes in order to seek revenge, that is what Im concerned about. My horses are vunerable in my own front yard. because my neighbor feels it is his right to use his gun as an answer to any animal that leaves the safety of its home. Yet his dog has come onto my property and killed my peacocks and ducks and I never thought about harming his dog, I have shown his dog mercy and yet he did not when he shot my two coilies who were crossing through his yard. Evil people do evil things.

[vicki hardiman]

wow, I so hated hearing this. What do we do about the ignorance & inhumanity of man? How in the... do you deal with people like that? What kind of dialog have you had this .... man? Vicki

[pam]

i agree, just call the police! and keep calling, i went thru something similar to this where i use to livr and let me tell you, it was hell for some months!!!! but it was worth it!

[Emma]

I like the camera idea, maybe the police would pay more attention w/ evidence

[diane]

Please remember that its the peoples fault and not the animals, we are greiving over the loss of two of our beloved collies because they escaped our yard and ventured into our neighbors. Our neighbor shot and killed two spayed females who were totally harmless and we live on an 8 acre farm where everyones cows, horses and even pigs get out occasionally. Our neighbors help each other except for this one lunatic who has brought death and heartache to out neiborhood by using his gun as an answer. Id rather pay the pound and at least have my babies alive.

[Tatiana]

OMG! thats horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ur neighborhood sounds soo sweet. but one *****cold-blooded killer
ruined it. that man is a murderer. ur dogs sounded like adorable, sweet little babies. ='( so horrible...

[Isabella Caramella Capriccio & Nancy]

I've yet to experience this kind of thing but can sympathise. I have next door neighbors that can't stand dogs. They always mention how my dogs (Chihuahua and Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier) bark....yet their kids are noisier than my dogs and I never mention that....so I can relate to inconsiderate neighbors.

[Susan Sadeghian]

dogs bark, big deal, they could do a lot worse. Whats a wheaton terrier, sorry never saw one, i dont think

[TheFriskyBeaver]

They're adorable. Fluffy dogs that actually don't look much like terriers. Kind of like small Goldendoodles, right?

[Susy]

this is a soft coated wheaten terrier