About six months ago I had a new fence built that runs along the back of my property. I live in an OK subdivision - most homes are over $200k. The old fence was about ten years old and about 40% rotted. I approached my neighbor before building the new fence and asked for their permission to replace the fence with modifications and he agreed to pay half of the cost. The real problem is his dog though. The neighbor's boxer is regularly left in the back yards for hours at a time. She will jump up on the fence and break or knock boards down. This creates a dangerous situation because the neighbor has a pool and I have two children that cannot swim. The boxer seems very territorial and will get up on the fence anytime I let my yellow lab outside to do his business. I have always had to be the one to purchase and replace the boards. The neighbor has never replaced a board, and this happens at least once every month. I expected the new fence and a rot board (2"x10") would prevent the boards being knocked down but that just hasn't happened. Oh, did I mention that he didn't pay his half? Instead, I just have a new fence that keeps getting torn up. So, I came home today to see two boards missing, and now a second dog! My neighbors don't seem to care that I have small children that cannot swim or that their dog(s) is constantly destroying the property. Short of killing their dog (I wouldn't do that) or buying a new house, I need ideas to remedy this situation before it gets really nasty.

First question, do you have an HOA?
Second question or statement .... Start documenting this stuff....pictures, conversations with them, video of dog being aggressive...


Only Pursue with city or legal AFTER you have informed the people in writing and verbally on the issue at hand.

First thing I would do is attach the boards better with screws to keep my kids safe.

Yes, we have HOA. How does that help?

Why didn't he pay his half? And how poorly was the fence built that boards are falling off?

Start with screws and a video camera.

From my pit bull problem that has worsened since last week

Yesterday


Tonight

I had my 45 on her as she had her head through my fence. Couldn't pull it though. I feel like I need her to fall on my property to avoid trouble.

Ballzak, I truly feel your pain. That is exactly the same crap that I come home to and I'm sick of it. LOL at your 'good neighbor' style fence. I need to follow some advice here and start documenting the damage. Notifying the neighbor in writing about the damage and their liability. Adding screws to the fence boards.

[This message has been edited by Burnsey (edited 1/30/2013 9:29p).]

Milkman, he's didn't pay his half because he's a used car saleman, a poor, a loser, no honor...among others. He claimed his wife didn't like the new fence and so he didn't want to pay me back.

if i came home and the dog was in my back yard, and i truly felt it would be aggressive towards my children, i would have 0 issue killing the dog.

(and i'm not saying if it was coming after them. I am saying if i thought there was a chance it would break through with my kids outside)

Just me though

Ha. Yeah the fence is BS. Problem is I can't fix his damage until weekend so fam is banned from backyard until then.

Leave your gatet open then close the gate after the dog escapes your yard. After he chases the dog all over the neighborhood he will be the one nailing up boards. Or call animal control for loose dog on the street.

Not the solution you were hoping to hear...

If you have the ugly side of the fence, put up slats on your side also. Offset them with the other ones and the dog will not be able to see anything through the fence. Screw your side in and the dog should have issues getting through.

If you want to go on the cheap side, put up an electric wire at the height the dog comes through.

Been through this with my cyclone fence and the neighbor's dog. He had his dog tied on a chain to my fence and the dog would tear up the fence and crawl under. Even tried to bite me one day. I just called the dog catcher. We had some words across the fence after the dog catcher's visit to his house in which I told him to move the dog or I would cut the chain and then call the dog catcher about a loose dog. He wasn't happy, but in the end, he moved the dog to a tie out cable and that was the happiest dog I ever saw. The dog could still crawl through the fence if it wanted, but never did after that.

Justin '03

[This message has been edited by waffle15 (edited 1/30/2013 10:04p).]

take one pund of ground beef, mix in 1 small bottle of ground tylenol, put on a plate, set plate in yard. keep your dog locked inside. if the offending dog decides to come thru the fence, bon appetit. no more dog problem.

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Leave your gate open

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Also leave a trail of dog treats to the outside of your yard!

If it is legal to "eliminate" the problem if there is a threat to your family AND it is actually in your yard.....putting screws would just delay your day of reckoning!

I would consult sheriff/police on legality of elimination option!!!

Couple things: one of my wife's chihuahua mixes got loose a few years ago and ran under a wooden fence 5 houses down that had 2 boxers in the backyard. The cops found our dog with a growl on his face gutted out and couldn't/didn't do a damn thing about it. I tried to put a positive on it saying the dog died fighting but it didnt work. Those people never even came over to apologize either AND this happened 2 days after my only sister in law had died. You can imagine how bad my life sucked during that time.

As for your pathetic neighbor, fix the fence like normal and put cross boards WITH 2 1/2 or 3 inch screws facing his yard. If hes hiding behind "my wife says no" i seriously doubt hes gonna complain. Once that dog bites em he'll stop. Also try pepper spraying the boards thru the cracks while your dog is out there. I'm sure that will stop it.

^
Why would they apologize? Your dog got into their yard.

[This message has been edited by amc123 (edited 1/31/2013 9:36a).]

what Bass said.. if anything, they should be upset with you. They had to find a dead dog in their backyard, and those types of things can change your dogs as well.

completely different situations

Move the boards to his side of the fence, so the dog can't push the nail heads or screw heads through. The dog would aactually have to break the boards, and that should be a lot harder.

Also, dried cedar likes to splinter. Pine isn't as good looking, but it is tougher.

on Ballzack's photos, doesn't look like the boards on the other side helped much.

What is the legality of putting a hot wire DIRECTLY on YOUR side of the fence?

Also, if he agreed to pay half and you didn't get the cash upfront, that mistake is on you.

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Also, if he agreed to pay half and you didn't get the cash upfront, that mistake is on you.

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Right. I know I'd hand over cash to my neighbors, whenever they ask for it. If I did anything wrong, it was not getting a written contract. I don't care so much about the money anyways. My goal was/is to protect my family...

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First thing I would do is attach the boards better with screws to keep my kids safe.

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A standard fence picket is pretty soft wood. Nails or screws don't matter when the dog can rip the wood apart.

My german shepherd has destroyed many pickets that were screwed in.

Thumbs down to crappy neighbors and their faulty logic for having a dog they seemingly ignore.

How many runners between fenceposts - two or three? How many nails per picket? Smooth shank or ring shank nails?

A bored dog in the backyard is a destructive dog. Unfortunately, it has gotten through the fence into your backyard before, so it will continue trying until discouraged. Then it will either hop over the fence, or focus on the portion of the fence which is shared with the neighbors to the left and right (if there are neighbors on both sides).

I think the least expensive option and one that is likely to correct this dog's actions quickest (minus a subsonic .22 or other lethal methods listed above) is a hot wire. I would let the neighbor know that you will take him to tractor supply and help him pick pick out the materials he will need to purchase. Otherwise, I would let him know to expect visits from animal control, and if necessary, the 5-0.

Adding the pool to this situation with your kids furthers his responsibility. He must take action with the fence if it were ever damaged enough to allow children, much less people, into his backyard. He assumes a HUGE potential for liability if the general public can gain access without having to enter through a gate.

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Why would they apologize? Your dog got into their yard.

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Just thought it might be the civil thing to do considering we've seen each other around and that we live very close to each other. I would've said something at least but maybe that's just me.

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what Bass said.. if anything, they should be upset with you. They had to find a dead dog in their backyard, and those types of things can change your dogs as well.

completely different situations

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2 large boxers >>>>>> 1 seven pound little dog. Highly doubt their dogs were traumatized in any way considering they killed him and not the other way around. Dogs will do what dogs do, I get it. Wasn't hijacking thread just sharing my dog and neighbor story.

Give them a dose of bear spray. They won't even look at your fence after a couple of times of that.

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Just thought it might be the civil thing to do considering we've seen each other around and that we live very close to each other. I would've said something at least but maybe that's just me.

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They are probably saying the same thing about you.

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Move the boards to his side of the fence, so the dog can't push the nail heads or screw heads through. The dog would aactually have to break the boards, and that should be a lot harder.

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I was thinking this the whole time. With the boards on his side of the fence, the dog won't be able to "push" them out.

Might not be a bad idea once the full boards are on his side of the fence to put smaller 3'-3.5' foot boards on your side. This should do the job of keeping your little ones out of their yard if the dog happens to get a big board knocked down.

Next time you have to rebuild the fence, build it 18 inches on your side of the property line. Then line the outside of your fence with a hotwire.

Man, we have a boxer and she would NEVER do something like that because we've trained her not to.

Not sure what the best advice is for you to solve the problem, but I hope you get it taken care of quickly.