Another neighbor dispute - dogs

[ClassyJumper]

Background: I live in the country. Everyone has dogs. No one has dog proof fencing.

We have 3 dogs. They mostly know the property lines. “Good neighbor” behind us also has dogs that mostly respect property lines. Sometimes, yes, ours go over there. Sometimes they come over here. It’s rare, no one is aggressive, all good.

“Bad neighbor” to the side of us has 2 dog aggressive dogs. We have chain link on that side of OUR property. These dogs continually come up to OUR fence to get into it through the fence with our dogs (there is a road/private drive between our property and theirs).

I lost my s**** on bad neighbors today when their two dogs attacked good neighbor’s sweet sweet dog on its own property!

I am frustrated. I feel like we have done our part by having a barrier between the two properties, they need to do the same!

But they won’t. So please tell me that piling horse manure/brush/ and or trash on the outside of my fence (still my property) is tottaly warranted to keep these ********** dogs away from us.

[wsmoak]

I’d probably go with some electric fence to keep them away (be sure to hang warning signs on it or do whatever is required in your area.)

But I’d also make sure my own dogs stayed on my property until this all plays out.

[CindyCRNA]

I would get a 22…

[mommy_peanut]

Sorry but it might be time to employ SSS.
I have little use for dangerous animals & even mess for their ignorant owners.

[OverandOnward]

Don’t know what is possible where you are …

In a situation of which I am aware (not personally involved), the rural neighbors of a Bad Dog Neighbor (BDN) whose 3 aggressive dogs constantly harassed their livestock and dogs made a point of reporting the loose dogs to the sheriff, whenever they came around.

BDN was eventually fined for the wandering dogs and got a talking-to by some deputies. BDN grumpily paid the fine and did little to contain his dogs, who were going under the fence of their (large-size) pen whenever they wished.

One night about 2 am the 3 dogs invaded (again) the property of a next-door neighbor. The dogs were chasing his mini horses who had been corralled for the night. The largest dog was almost as tall as the minis, and the minis were truly panicked. The mini-owner came outside to shoo away the dogs, and the dogs rushed at him viciously. He leaped back inside his house but then came right back with a gun. Dogs rushed him again. He shot and killed one dog and injured another, and the third dog ran for home.

Mini-owner neighbor called the sheriff and the vet for the injured dog. He really did well by the hurt dog until the BDN could come get him.

As I heard it third hand, in addition to losing one of their dogs, BDN was hit with a big fine for the attack on a human.

BDN immediately undertook a major fence renovation to add concrete in trenches under the fence to keep the dogs in their pen (Not a small pen, it was basically one end of a paddock.

Since then the two surviving dogs can’t escape their large pen and have not been an issue.

But now that those dogs are securely penned in, the dogs of a different neighbor, who are unfenced, have happily claimed the gravel road as their own and are enjoying roaming to other properties and making mischief without trouble from the other dogs. Same cycle, different dogs and dog-owner.

[S1969]

I’m kind of confused about the chain link - it sounds like it’s just one side? So neither your property nor theirs is fully fenced?

Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do to make other people control their animals. You can control yours; you can call AC. That’s about it. I don’t condone shooting other people’s animals unless there is truly a major attack (e.g. chasing a horse, attacking a dog). I wouldn’t shoot someone’s dog because it attacked someone else’s dog either - but I would be willing to support their call to AC and give corroborating evidence about the aggressive dogs.

I don’t really know how piling manure by the fenceline will accomplish anything other than make your a-hole neighbors hate you because their dogs are covered with manure. I might put up a privacy fence so that their dogs cannot fence fight with yours.

[ClassyJumper]

No, our property is not fully fenced. We have chain link along the side where these dogs are located, it was here when we moved in and no doubt was installed to keep these dogs off the property. We also have no climb along the road. So while not fully fenced we have 50% of the property covered compared to 0% for anyone else.

We don’t have guns and don’t plan on shooting the dogs or anything like that. But that IS the only way they “correct” their dogs… with warning shots, not kidding.

Okay the trash and manure was kind of a joke and/or my pettiness taking over. But I am seriously considering cleaning up some limbs (it is partially wooded on that side) and filling in the open areas so they can’t get to the fence.

Electric is an interesting idea. It is slightly wooded so It might be difficult to run but definitely something to consider.

It’s just frustrating that these dogs are so aggressive and the owners do nothing. Privacy fencing is just not a option in that volume as much as I would love it. I wonder if something like this would work/hold up? Although I imagine these dogs would just tear at it and destroy it. https://www.lowes.com/pd/ALEKO-ALEKO-6-ft-x-25-ft-BLACK-FENCE-PRIVACY-SCREEN-OUTDOOR-BACKYARD-FENCING-PRIVACY-WINDSCREEN-SHADE-COVER-MESH-FABRIC/1002752314?cm_mmc=shp--c--prd--lum--ggl--PLA_LUM_212_Fencing--1002752314--0--0-_-0&gclid=CjwKCAiAp8iMBhAqEiwAJb94z4ZgOuOJo43LglOmYTbB14NmGTeFOkaM43zyRSrkJLoBgcCc7rXZQBoCiEoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[lenapesadie]

I presume you aren’t in a leash law area.

IME if you aren’t in a leash law area, AC won’t do much unless the dogs are harassing livestock or humans.

We have an antique BB gun that we have used to shoo strange dogs off the property. Unless you hit an eyeball at point blank range, the BB gun isn’t going to damage anyone. It’s not going to prevent dogs from coming back though.

One of my down the road neighbors has a dog that they were letting run loose. Said dog has been wandering further and further from home. Said dog began growling and barking at people in their own yards. A few of us in the neighborhood had an impromptu meeting about said dog. We have some very elderly folks living in our neighborhood and we were concerned about said dog harassing Great Aunt Bertha as she uses her walker to enjoy her yard. We informally elected one neighbor to go speak with said dog owners and express our concerns. Said dog has been kept in his own yard since. Have you tried presenting the problem to bad dog owners as a group complaint?

[clanter]

I found that driving a steel post into the ground then wrapping a large piece of meat to the steel post with the electric fence wire then connecting the fence charger to the wire works wonders in getting rid of unwanted dogs, they never come back

[endlessclimb]

Paintball gun.
BB gun.
The brush would work, but is super trashy and junky.

I’d go the electric route. Turn that sucker UP. I’d want a backflip out of those dogs the second they touch it.

And… probably time to fence your property if your dogs are wandering hither and yon. You’re part of the problem, even if “they’re friendly”.

[ClassyJumper]

I 100% agree. Mine will definitely be getting a tune up with their electric training collars to reinforce the fence line and stay off the fenceline when those dogs are out. It’s just frustrating that they do nothing but that’s life I guess.

[ClassyJumper]

I actually have never set up electric fencing. We have a solar panel and a 12v from a gate opener that broke. Would we be able to use those to power a fence charger? And what kind would you get?

[endlessclimb]

Some of those parts might be able to be poached, but unless you want to really hurt the dogs, it needs to pulse the charge.

How long of a stretch would you need to make electric?

[ClassyJumper]

I would say 800 ft would take care of both good/bad neighbor fence lines and just be done with it.

[endlessclimb]

I’d just buy a charger then, it won’t be much for that length of fence. You could easily have it up and running in a weekend.

[S1969]

@ClassyJumper

It’s just frustrating that these dogs are so aggressive and the owners do nothing. Privacy fencing is just not a option in that volume as much as I would love it. I wonder if something like this would work/hold up? Although I imagine these dogs would just tear at it and destroy it. https://www.lowes.com/pd/ALEKO-ALEKO-6-ft-x-25-ft-BLACK-FENCE-PRIVACY-SCREEN-OUTDOOR-BACKYARD-FENCING-PRIVACY-WINDSCREEN-SHADE-COVER-MESH-FABRIC/1002752314?cm_mmc=shp- -c- -prd- -lum- -ggl- -PLA_LUM_212_Fencing- -1002752314- -0- -0-_-0&gclid=CjwKCAiAp8iMBhAqEiwAJb94z4ZgOuOJo43LglOmYTbB14NmGTeFOkaM43zyRSrkJLoBgcCc7rXZQBoCiEoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Can you put it on the inside of your chainlink fence? Then they can’t reach it.

[Tarlo_Farm]

@endlessclimb

Paintball gun.
BB gun.
The brush would work, but is super trashy and junky.

I’d go the electric route. Turn that sucker UP. I’d want a backflip out of those dogs the second they touch it.

All of this. Especially the wire. You can thread a bunch of chunks of old hose on the wire before you run it through the trees, then secure those chunks to the trunks of the trees the wire might touch. Put the wire about 20" off the ground - assuming these are pretty big dogs. And pulse charge it like others have said. This is an easy job. No livestock at home? I LOVE dogs, but I wouldn’t think twice about shooting a dog harassing my horses.

[Libby2563]

Ugh, I sympathize. After years of easy neighbors we had some turnover last year and had to go to Animal Control court against one of them just last week. We spent months asking them nicely to keep their dogs on their property and they just couldn’t be bothered. We finally contacted AC, who issued a verbal warning, and they still couldn’t be bothered.

Finally, after one of the dogs (an “aggressive breed” that isn’t even legal to own in some places) advanced on my husband growling and he owner still said “they aren’t bothering anybody!” , we had enough and sought citations. AC was very responsive and the owner received 10 citations totaling $3,800. Most of the fines were suspended in court but they can be reimposed if there’s another violation, and an abatement order was issued that would allow the county to seize the dogs if they’re loose again. We don’t want any of that. We just don’t want their dogs on our property, threatening us and chasing the horses.

The good news is that there has only been one dog sighting on our property since August, when the second round of citations was issued. It sucks that it came to this because I would have preferred warmer neighborly relations, but not at the expense of living our lives in fear of some other a-hole’s dogs.

I don’t know how AC is where you are but in addition to trying to address things with the neighbor directly, I would start reporting every incident to get it on the record. Also keep a detailed list of every incident. We brought over a hundred photos to court, which I’m sure didn’t hurt with the guilty plea.

[SLW]

Your problem is the people who own the bad dogs and they probably are not going to change their ways so focus on terminating the wandering dogs visits. The electric wire route is the least expensive way to go though I would have two strands of wire- one at 12" and the second at 2’. If you can get water along the fence line, soak the area where the dogs come through, that would add ZAP to the dogs encounter with the wire.

[ClassyJumper]

Okay, I have a cart going. Sure shock poly wire, step in posts for chain link side, insulators for other side. This charger

Am I missing anything?