Neighbor's animals in my yard

[hb]

I love my little farm, and really like my neighbors. That said, I’m the only person on our road that keeps my animals on my property. All the neighbors, except me, let their dogs run loose 24/7, and one neighbor next to me lets most of his animals roam the neighborhood. I’ve opened my back door to goats on my porch, had half a dozen hens on the porch off my bedroom waking me up at sunrise most days, and various ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys show up in my front yard.

A couple months ago I put in a fence around my yards and it’s been heaven. Don’t have to worry about the neighbor’s dogs running across my side yard to attack my dogs when we go outside, don’t have anything chasing me while I’m trying to hand walk my horse who is recovering from a soft-tissue injury etc.

Until today - a young turkey flew over the fence on the side of my house. Dogs went over to check it out, there was a bunch of wings flapping and dogs barking before I could get over there to find the bird dead. Looks like one of the dogs tried to grab it by the tail and ended up tearing out its guts instead. I texted neighbor and put it by the gate to his farmyard.

Not sure how he’ll react. In the past I’ve mentioned seeing his various birds all over, and he has said “well, if something gets at them then that’s that”. But his wife was worried about a missing duck a couple of weeks ago, walking all over looking for it. That’s part of why I put the dead bird by their gate today, so she wouldn’t wonder. I’m just wondering if the neighbor will expect me to reimburse him for the bird since my dogs killed it?

My opinion is I keep my dogs away from my neighbor’s animals, I have a fence to keep my dogs in and their animals out, and if one of their animals gets in my yard and the dogs kill it, I’m not going to pay him for it. If the bird hadn’t gotten over the fence, it could have been gotten by the other neighbor’s free-roaming dogs or one of the many coyotes that come around, if it had gone in the other direction it would have been hit by a car on the highway.

I’m actually pretty ticked off that his birds come over, because I’d rather not have my dogs learn that they’ll run and make fun noises if chased. Don’t want my dogs to learn that game, and have a hard time teaching my dogs to avoid barnyard fowl, since I don’t have any.

Reason I am posting is to see if my opinion is a common one, or am I missing some detail that would make me responsible? For what it’s worth, the laws in this area are that the animal owner is responsible for fencing their animals in, it’s not a range area where the responsibility is to keep them out.

[dog_amp_horsemom]

I’m really against irresponsible pet owners and have my own problems with a neighbor who has three standard poodles who run loose and kill wildlife and have attacked my dog at my back door. They bark incessantly and are extremely aggressive. My horses are afraid of them and it can be stressful living next to them. I feel for you - you may want to fence in your whole property?

[clanter]

I like living in a small city that has a real animal control officer on duty. Sure we have issues because we are under greater regulation with the horses but every one is safe,

[Where_sMyWhite]

[QUOTE=dog&horsemom;8681665]
you may want to fence in your whole property?[/QUOTE]

The turkey flew over the fence… fences work only for the land-bound creatures. If it flies, a bit hard to keep out of the yard. I personally wouldn’t build a kennel for my dogs with a roof just to keep the neighbor’s flighted birds away from my dogs… but that’s just me.

[RhythmNCruise]

I feel ya! I’ve gone through great lengths to contain my dogs on my property. I live smack dab in the middle of three households that are all the same family: a married couple and their child in one household, the husband’s parents in one household, and the wife’s parents in another household. My property and barn once belonged to the wife’s mother, but she had to sell years ago when they went bankrupt. Since then, the daughter got married, the in-laws moved in, and they built two barns on property past my place. I’m literally surrounded on all sides by them, and each household has at least two dogs, one household has more like 10 since they “breed and sell” mutts. I’ve had dogs come onto my property and drag a sleeping old barn cat from under a bush beside the barn and kill him before I could get out of the house to stop them. I’ve had my dogs jumped not two steps from the back door of my barn (the trespassing dogs have to duck under the bottom line of my fence, run all the way across my pasture, duck under another line of fence to get to the dogs. And I’ve had one dog that has chased my truck all the way until I am stopped in front of my house and am getting out of it and stood there growling and barking at me.
These people are (were?) my friends. I’ve known them for years, and they’ve been apologetic about the issues. I’ve been as tolerant as I can be, and slowly but surely have put up more “dog proof” fencing to try to end the craziness. There is a bend in my driveway and a patch of woods, so it is impossible to see my neighbors’ house from mine, and I put a fence with a gate across the driveway on MY side of the bend, thinking if I kept my dogs from being in sight of their house, maybe their dogs would stop coming over here to harass mine. Nope. On an almost daily basis, dogs have been at that gate, even late at night when I and all the dogs are tucked in the house, barking like crazy (which naturally, sets my dogs off inside and makes me so irritated). I have gone to them so many times to complain (as nicely as possible) and for a few days or weeks the problem will stop, they’ll keep the dogs up (they HAVE a fenced backyard, but choose not to use it for some reason), and I think all will be okay. Then they slack off again and here come the dogs.
Well, it has been steadily getting worse, and the mother’s two standard poodles, plus the in-laws’ little terrier, plus the husband and wife’s Australian cattle dog and beagle have been rushing my fence (which is, keep in mind, completely out of sight of the houses from which these dogs come). My dogs, naturally, run up there to defend their property, and it’s gotten so they are getting nasty and trying to fight through the fence. I was home with the flu and a pulled back a couple of weeks ago, and this happened one evening at feeding time, when I knew they were around and outside (the dogs had come back with them, running with the golf cart, and they just allow them to come running down my driveway), and I SCREAMED at the dogs to “GET THE F&#%CK OUT OF HERE!!” I hear them call the main offending dog’s name then (the Australian Cattle Dog), and I scream again “CALL ALL FIVE OF THE DAMN THINGS!!” At which point I start hearing the mother calling for her poodles and the in-laws calling for their terrier. I then continued screaming (I didn’t feel good, LOL), “I’VE GOT MY OWN DAMN DOG TIED UP AND YOUR ARE ALL OVER HERE TRYING TO FIGHT!” Which was in reference to my youngest dog whom I do tie when I know the neighbors are traveling back and forth to their horses behind my pasture fence (by golf cart with a parade of dogs running along) because he gets so worked up about it and threatens to scoot under the fence and head out there after them…which he really doesn’t do much since I put a lower strand down just to keep him in.
A day or two later, the two poodles were over again, barking and carrying on, and my younger dog was tied up by the barn, but my Aussie Shepherd was at the fence/gate. I was in the house getting something before heading back out to the barn, and when I came out, the mother was at my gate trying to shoo her dogs back home and apologizing profusely to me. I went and talked to her for a little while, very politely, and she informed me that she and her husband are moving to the mountains in July. Hallelujah, that’s a few dogs gone!
I will say that I haven’t had a dog at my gate since. I was riding the other day and the wife rode by on the golf cart and I waved at her and she hardly waved back. I guess she’s pissed at me, but I don’t really care. I’d rather the neighbors be pissed and keep their dang dogs off my property than to be harassed on a daily basis on my own property.
Whew! I think I needed to get all that out. Sorry about going on and on!
I just know exactly how you feel. My little farm is my sanctuary to come home to after a hectic day. And my dogs should be able to run free on their own property without being harassed and attacked by trespassing dogs. I don’t know why that’s so hard for these people to understand. They act like I’M doing something wrong by not letting their dogs run all over my land.
And don’t get me started about how many times I’ve had their HORSES run through my place. The fences at least do stop that.

[ReSomething]

Well that’s pretty horrid and I’d feel badly, but fencing your property off from aerial visitors is really low on most people’s list. If you want to keep your dog in a roofed run that is one thing, I do, but he was getting to be a jumper, doghouse to tree and then bounce off the gate and out, but a regular fence that they don’t get over or under is reasonable, you can’t help fly overs - that bird could have gone anywhere and been killed by anything.

[Zu_Zu]

You have done your part in containing your animals for their safety.

Turkey was not your responsibility ~ don’t give that another thought.

More people should strive to be responsible land and animal owners like you.

Enjoy your farm and animals !

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Zu Zu;8681866]
You have done your part in containing your animals for their safety.

Turkey was not your responsibility ~ don’t give that another thought.

More people should strive to be responsible land and animal owners like you.

Enjoy your farm and animals ! [/QUOTE]

Really. Do NOT feel guilty.

I would have eaten the turkey and texted your neighbor “thanks for dinner.”

It’s not your job manage his livestock. Maybe he’ll learn something.

[Palm_Beach]

Stew. Pot.

[Minuet]

We live in an old farmhouse with acreage that for years was a rental. Sometimes it was empty for long stretches. The neighbors here have gotten used to letting their animals run in the pastures, and their kids used to shoot out here. Once we bought the place, things barely changed. The kids have finally stopped coming out here to shoot, but one guy took it upon himself to shoot at a coyote in my horse pasture, while my horses were out there. (That rant is here on COTH.)
Most of what they do now is irritating but nothing to complain about. They walk their dogs on our property, next to the road. I mean, it’s an acre and they go all the way into it, it’s very pretty there, like a park.
Sometimes when I walk my dog on a leash, loose neighbor dogs come up and a fight sometimes ensues, which tears up my nerves.
But this stuff happens, and you have to pick your fights. Don’t feel bad about the turkey, and if anyone says anything negative about it to you, please know they are full of crap and it was in no way your fault.

[Winding_Down]

I have nothing to add other than I would not have left the dead turkey next to their gate. I would have called them to let them know what happened.

If the turkey is like a pet to them, then finding it there dead would be traumatic.

As for all the animals running amok. People have a responsibility to contain for their own pets. But it sounds like the entire neighborhood lets their pets run loose so it makes it difficult for you to object, AND even more difficult to request that they change.

Hopefully no more turkeys will fly over the fence!

[eponacelt]

You are not to blame. And kudos to you for fencing your animals in.

I had to live through my neighbors dogs, who have menaced me and my animals (chickens, dogs, horses and cats) more times than I can count, kill my cat ON MY FRONT PORCH last week. It was horrifying, and I’m still very very very angry.

[Zu_Zu]

I’m so sorry for your loss ~ eponacelt ~

((hugs)) laced with strength and comfort during your grieving ~

[kelsey97]

Nothing annoys me more than wandering animals on my property! I had a similar problem with a neighbor and his chickens, my dogs killed a couple of them on my property and neighbor wanted me to reimburse him. The law in my area says that a livestock owner is responsible for erecting and maintaining a fence or enclosure appropriate for that particular livestock. Its your neighbors responsibility, not yours.

[FEIwannabe]

If your dogs went to his property and killed the turkey, then you would be responsible. But that is not the case.
His turkey, his responsibility to keep it safe. It got loose from his property. It’s his job to secure the safety of his animals.
If the turkey flew into the street and a car hit it, the driver isn’t responsible. Quite the opposite, if the turkey caused damage to the car during the collision, I would think the turkey owner is responsible for the damages to the car even.

[clanter]

op’s location isn’t given but most of the western states are open range
http://www.progressivecattle.com/topics/management/6949-different-states-different-laws-for-cattle-roadway-accidents

[NoDQhere]

SSS or take them to the pound if you can.

[hb]

Parts of this state are open range, but not the county where we live.

Now I’m back to checking all around before letting the dogs out. The birds were back in my yard yesterday and I chased them home. Frustrating, but better than before the fence, when the neighborhood dogs thought my yard was their territory. Thanks for the replies.

[hb]

[QUOTE=NoDQhere;8682743]
SSS or take them to the pound if you can.[/QUOTE]

Does the pound take chickens and turkeys?

[Lucassb]

I don’t know why people can’t respect their neighbors enough to contain their animals and keep them off other people’s property.

This seems to be just a basic tenet of living in a polite society.

OP, I’m sorry you had to deal with this and it can’t be any fun to find a dead animal in your yard. Definitely not your fault.

We have a new neighbor who lets their dogs run loose. One of them is a very large, unneutered male who is quite aggressive - the kind that comes toward you snarling when you try to shoo him away/tell him to go home. The neighbors are always telling me how friendly he is and how he would never harm anyone. Not buying it, and I don’t care - I don’t want that animal on my property. The first time or two I was polite about it. The dog has no recall and they don’t seem the type to invest in any kind of training, but hey they were new in the neighborhood so I tried to nicely explain that I have cats and don’t want them chased in their own yard. Neighbors were very sorry and it wouldn’t happen again, etc.

Of course it has happened over and over again. I am no longer nice about it. The last time I found that thing in my yard, I told the teenager who was standing in my driveway calling it that if I found it in my yard again, I’d be calling animal control. And I will. They seem to have located a leash since then. Hopefully they’ll keep using it.