Neighbor's Dogs- What Would You Do?

[AriGriffin]

My neighbor lets her two small dogs- a Shih Tzu and larger Chihuahua mix- out the front door when they need to potty. Her yard isn't fenced in, so they go anywhere they want and my yard is their favorite spot.

My yard isn't fenced in either. Well there is a fence along the back and one side, but it isn't fully enclosed. I walk my three large dogs on leashes when they have to go.

Every time we go out, my three will pull me to go to smell the neighbor's dogs' leavings. Last night, the dogs were in my yard when I brought my three out to the side yard and Pepper, the largest of the three, went crazy- barking and tugging on the leash. The two dogs ran back to the neighbor's house, barking their fool heads off. That set Abby, the second largest and strongest puller, off. Casey, the shy one, was prancing around with her ears perked up. I tugged my three to the back yard to do their business with the neighbor yelling at me to stop harassing her babies. My dogs never left my yard.

I had scooped the poop in the side yard yesterday afternoon. All of it. My dogs haven't used it since then. When I got out there this morning, there were a couple mounds of poop. Upon closer inspection, there were more worms than feces. I have also noticed white dog poop in the yard and it hasn't been from my three. Now, I'm worried that my dogs are going to catch something from the neighbor's dogs. I have seen a couple of cats running around, but no other dogs and the poop was canine.

I would tell my neighbor, but she isn't a very nice person and I am scared of her druggie son. Animal control is no help- they refuse to come out. The local animal shelter, Robeson County Animal Shelter in Saint Pauls, NC, is hell on Earth and I wouldn't send any living thing there. I'll spare the details of why, because it ticks me off to talk about it.

Mom said I should write an anonymous letter and leave it on her front porch when no one is home, but I don't think that would help.

[draggar]

An anonymous letter may not be a bad idea.

Take videos of their dogs pooping in your yard (and the owners not picking it up). Then, give it to the police, animal control (yes, you said they're no help but with video evidence), and/or the health department.

Even tell them that there are dogs running loose in the neighborhood.

Most places have laws that you need to clean up after your dog. Not cleaning up after them is a health risk to humans and other dogs - there are quite a few things that other dogs can get (worms (hook worms are a REAL pain in the ass), coccidia (sp?), as well as a few that can be transferred to humans (ingested or though bare feet).

I just read the worms - that's a bad sign. Obviously she's not taking proper care of her dogs.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Anonymous letters are chickenshit. I got one complaining about my "big white dog terrorizing the neighborhood" by a pussy who snuck over there and put it on my door while we were home.

He looked pretty humiliated when we caught him and told him to his face we didn't own a big white dog.

Don't play games. While she might not be the sort that deserves it, respect your neighbor enough to at least attempt to have a conversation with her about it. Tell her your concerns, and that her dogs are not to use your property as a toilet.

When she ignores you, you will at least be able to say you gave her warning like an adult.

Gather up the shit you find and give it back to her. My grandfather did this in one of those big steel garbage cans and filled it up before dumping it in the middle of the guy's neatly manicured lawn. But that may take you while if they are small dogs, so I'd just carefully take it back over to her and make sure it gets left where she's sure to find it. Because, you know, how else can she make sure to monitor her dog's leavings since they are clearly sick? You're just trying to be a good neighbor, right?

Ask the animal control people to bring you some traps for the strays that are bieng a nuisance on your propery. Maybe you don't want to send them to the shelter, but are you willing to have to treat your own dogs for worms over?

I had to treat the dog I used to have for worms when I first got him (I got him, ironically, from a neighbor who neglected him) and he damn near died from it. You can't really afford to play around with this. You can't take care of them all.

[Seshat]

How affordable would it be to fence your yard in? Low fence for the front yard, high for the back? The platitude "good fences make good neighbours" has a great deal of truth to it.

The "more worms than feces" worries me, too. From the point of view of welfare - for your dogs and hers.

If I could be sure I wouldn't be caught, had a good friend in the catchment area of a good shelter, and that shelter found good homes for small dogs; I'd seriously consider kidnapping the dogs and having the friend supply the address they were 'found at'. Of course, this is of questionable legality, of questionable morality, and probably fattening. So I don't recommend it.
But it would probably get the small dogs veterinary care and a better home!

Unfortunately, the neighbour would probably just get more dogs.

Your legal options, as I see them:
* Animal control
* treat it as trespass. (IE: a council and/or legal matter)

Your other options that I can see:
* Talk to her.
* Fence the yard.

Your questionable legality/morality option:
* See above.

If you fence the yard and for whatever reason she and/or her son vandalise the fence, it immediately DOES become a legal matter. Vandalism and trespass. The law may have trouble proving it was them, but it will be on your side.

[Frantic Freddie]

Anonymous letters are chickenshit. I got one complaining about my "big white dog terrorizing the neighborhood" by a pussy who snuck over there and put it on my door while we were home.

He looked pretty humiliated when we caught him and told him to his face we didn't own a big white dog.

Don't play games. While she might not be the sort that deserves it, respect your neighbor enough to at least attempt to have a conversation with her about it. Tell her your concerns, and that her dogs are not to use your property as a toilet.

When she ignores you, you will at least be able to say you gave her warning like an adult.

Gather up the shit you find and give it back to her. My grandfather did this in one of those big steel garbage cans and filled it up before dumping it in the middle of the guy's neatly manicured lawn. But that may take you while if they are small dogs, so I'd just carefully take it back over to her and make sure it gets left where she's sure to find it. Because, you know, how else can she make sure to monitor her dog's leavings since they are clearly sick? You're just trying to be a good neighbor, right?

Ask the animal control people to bring you some traps for the strays that are bieng a nuisance on your propery. Maybe you don't want to send them to the shelter, but are you willing to have to treat your own dogs for worms over?

I had to treat the dog I used to have for worms when I first got him (I got him, ironically, from a neighbor who neglected him) and he damn near died from it. You can't really afford to play around with this. You can't take care of them all.

Amen,sis....

[LillFilly]

Hmm, if the dogs are on your property, couldn't you catch them for 'wandering loose' and bring them in?

And yeah, I'd be really worried about your dogs catching worms! Those poor little dogs.

[AriGriffin]

The dogs won't come near me. They run back to the neighbor's house when anyone tries to catch them. She knows they are going on other people's lawns and doesn't care.
A fence isn't in the budget, and even if it was, I'm not sure if I could build it in the yard due to a fire hydrant and various town ordinances.

[BarbieGirl]

You could try some heavy duty bitter apple spray and spray it in between the yards where her dogs walk and that might help deter them from getting in your yard.

[Sapphire Silk]

The dogs won't come near me. They run back to the neighbor's house when anyone tries to catch them. She knows they are going on other people's lawns and doesn't care.
A fence isn't in the budget, and even if it was, I'm not sure if I could build it in the yard due to a fire hydrant and various town ordinances.

As long as you don't block access to the fire hydrant, you can build a fence. Check your local ordinances to find out what the setback has to be.

Believe, me, a fence is the solution to your problem. It doesn't even have to be a very high fence, just enough to establish the boundary, and force your neighbor to open a gate to get to your yard. That is clearly trespassing, and if you catch her you can press charges, esp if you put a NO TRESPASSING sign on the fence (that counts as a warning, so if you get caught it is an automatic citation).

You don't have to build it all at once, either. Head down to Home Depot or Lowes and see what you can buy on the cheap. A very basic white picket fence would do dandy since you're really not trying to keep your own dogs in . . . just set boundaries. Build it in stages, starting with the property line between you and your neighbor, then along the street, then the other side of the yard as you get the fundage.

[draggar]

I can second the Home Depot / Lowes fence idea. Some are really cheap, you can get a 2'-3' one about 20' long for under $20 (rolls that you hammer into the ground).

Or:

22' for $30: http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Fe...atalogId=10053

18' for $30: http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Fe...atalogId=10053

[Sapphire Silk]

Addendum: make sure you know where your property line is, and set back the fence the required amount. You usually can't put a fence exactly on your property line.

[jedimaster91]

The dogs won't come near me. They run back to the neighbor's house when anyone tries to catch them. She knows they are going on other people's lawns and doesn't care.
A fence isn't in the budget, and even if it was, I'm not sure if I could build it in the yard due to a fire hydrant and various town ordinances.

Someone else already posted some great suggestions. For such small dogs as your Idiot Neighbor's, a roll of chicken wire with some stakes would probably work pretty well.

It probably wouldn't hurt to give your vet a call and see about getting your dogs tested for worms. And if you haven't already, get them on prevention meds. Personally, I use K9 Advantix and Interceptor to cover all unwanted parasites, but depending on your area you might be able to get away with Advantage Multi.

[Seshat]

Another fencing option is to check recycled building supply places.

[Midorikawa]

My recommendations ONLY if the neighbor tells you to piss off when you ask her to take care of her dog's droppings:

Motion activated sprinklers (if the area allows for it - they're something like $20 each)
Collect all the poop and return it to them (For best effect, leave it on their front door step, with a note explaining that your dogs left their belongings behind and you're being a good neighbor by returning them) On this one, be sure to be firm with it. don't do it just once or she won't learn. Think of her as a dog to be trained. if she keeps letting her dogs crap in your yard, you keep returning the crap to her doorstep until she figures it out.
If there's an HOA in the area, sic' em on your neighbor. They tend to be ruthless about dogs leaving droppings on other's lawns.