How To Keep The Neighbors Dogs Out Of My Yard

B

Bunny

Guest
Anyone have any tried and true methods? My neighbor has three dogs and they keep digging their way under my fence and into my yard. This has been going on since the summer and it is a HUGE trigger for difficult child, who is has been terrified of dogs since I got bit by a pit bull and wound up hospitalized with a massive infection. The dog owners know this is a problem and keep telling me that the dogs are never in their yard unsupervised, yet once again this morning I found two of them running around my yard. I have tried everything to get these people to understand that I do not want their dogs on my property. They are ripping up the grass and leaving me presents everywhere. Really, if I wanted to deal with this stuff I would have dogs of my own. In the fall one of the dogs got into my yard and my gate was open, so the dog got loose. She has a fit at me because her dog got out and her partner spent all day roaming the neighborhood looking for it. Her kids would have been heartbroken if something had happened to it. What she failed to comprehend was that had the dog not been in my yard in the first place, it never would have gotten out.

Anyone have any ideas? A friend told me to put cayenne pepper along the fence line because the dogs would dig it up and it would make them sneeze. That did nothing. Truly, I am losing my patience.
 

Andy

Active Member
Call the police! "Can you help me get these dogs out of my yard? I was bit by one awhile back and my son is terrified of them. He can not go outside knowing they will show up at any time. Their owners refuse to keep them in their yard after numerous times of trying to explain the damage the dogs have done. I need them out of my yard!"

You have taken the proper step of trying to work with the owners and it is getting no where. Tell them the police will be called from now on when the dogs are in your yard since they are unwilling to keep them at home.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Take photos of the dogs in your yard. If possible take photos of dogs digging under fence to get into your yard. (catching them in the act) Then? Start calling the dog warden to pick them up.

Neighbors may or may not be trying their best to supervise the dogs, but obviously they're not doing a good job of it. Let the dog warden straighten them out. Having to pay a hefty fee (depends on where you live) to spring the dogs from the pound might make them try harder.

With Rowdy......we got him to stop digging to get out. Then he just jumped over the front part of the back yard fence that was about 3 ft high. Now that part is 6 ft high just in case Maggie gets any wild hairs to be jumping fences. lol

I'd suggest police, but around here they just redirect you to the dog warden. If the animal is no rapid, police refuse to deal with it period.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
First off------stop putting the pepper out ------if her dogs get infections or have a vet visit because of it? You're liable.

If her dogs are in YOUR yard and bite your children or do damage? SHE is liable but only if you call the police and the ACO (animal control officer) is also called an it is documented. The ACO should check to see that the dog(s) at the least have their rabies and dog tags (if so in your county). If not she will get a citation for dog at large, and if no rabies or dog tags? It's a pretty hefty fine. Usually most counties have a 3x and the dog is out rule. Meaning if they are called out 3x to the property to get the dogs? The dogs are permanently removed and they go to court. While this is good for your childen, and the dogs (who in my humble opinion are not being taken care of properly or the parents just are not taking necessary steps to secure the property well for their animals) it can cause a LIFETIME of bad feelings between neighbors.

HOWEVER ----

YOU have an issue with presents and digging. You've asked them to help because you have a child that has issues with animals. Also you don't want to keep cleaning up poop. Honestly if I had to clean it up I'd fling it back over the fence. Nicely of course but I'd put it back where it belongs especially if I had to scoop poop frrom a critter I didn't own. Secondly? If the dogs keep digging? There are a NUMBER of things that could be going on......and the part about her stating......MY KIDS ARE HEART BROKEN???? Well booooo frimpin hoo......If you took care of them in the first place and watched them.....or took precautions? They would not be getting out.

SO here's a few things THEY can do and if they don't......You're going to HAVE to do----or keep on with the problem and poop.

1.) FIND OUT if they have moles or something. If there are moles on the property line? DOGS WILL DIG like back hoes to get them. Casper is like a drag line trencher if he thinks he hears a mole.. Otherwise he is a mellow fellow, and couldn't lift a paw to scratch dirt. Hear a mole? HOLY TOLEDO. My yard will look like a bombing range. BUT he will GET THAT MOLE.

2.) So why doesn't he get out if the mole goes NEAR the fence? Ahhhhh well ---I love my animals and I love my neighbor. SO the ENTIRE fence line - all 2 acres of it -----has galvanized cow fence buried 2' deep under the chain link. A few times they've dug.....and dug.....and dug....to get a mole...but after about 2' of digging....and hitting fence? They give up. 2" mole is not worth all that work. FUn while it lasted but just not worth the headache.

3.) No energy or expense for burying the fence FOR your dogs? ROCKS.....It's called RIP RAP......you see it all the time on construction sites.....gray or pink granite chunks....You still have to dig a trench.....and bury it...you just can't leave it set on top.....they'll back up and dig BEHIND it and under it......but if it's buried 2' in the ground? They'll get bored easily and stop.

4.) Suggest that they have a 10'x10" sand box FOR THEIR DOGS and fill it with things to dig up .......it's also a really good punishment for the kids to have to take a shovel and rake and replace the DOG SAND.

5.) ARE THEY SPAYED AND NEUTERED? Because if they aren't? YOUR battle is lost before it's over. A female in heat can be smelled a mile away and the males will kill themselves to get out.

6.) SO the kids LOVE THEIR DOGS? Are they being exercised and walked and played with for at least 30 minutes a day? NO? Then they're bored. ANd they're going to continue digging. SUGGEST THE SAND BOX, COLLAR AND LEASH and tell them they need walked.

And just fyi///////even if you do all the above There is a chancce that they'll climb.....over the fence. SO personally? I'd wait till spring and if you can afford it? I'd buy a length of privacy fence, bury 2' of galvanized cow fence and be done with the poop, the neighbors and their dogs. That way my son would not have to worry about the dogs.......and I wouldn't have to worry about ........well digger the dog and his fantastic bowels.

I've kept too many of the neighbors dogs ====whatever they were....but we tie them up and take them back to the owners and say ------we live up there on the corner with the Big Pits......next to the main road your guys got out and could have been killed, I'm sure you didn't mean for them to get out, but I'm glad I was able to return them on a leash instead of in a bag. DO you need us to help you walk the fence and figure out how they got out? We'd be glad to help. Most say no.....and since we've said that? We've had NO repeat visitors. Mostly because DF usually adds......I'm sure glad my fiance got your kids on a leash before the big dog ate your dogs. (he doesn't say it in a kidding tone) Everyone knows our dogs are spoiled, well trained.....and they're not sure if he's kidding or not. No one's ever asked. lol.

If you persist in having troubles with them? Call the humane society and ask what they suggest. They may have more solutions for you to work something out. Maybe they have too many dogs and need to give one up for adoption. Hard to tell.

Good luck. ------DF said he wouldn't fling poo.....he'd put it in a paper bag and set it on their porch with a note. I digress .......perhaps he's right but I'm such a snot I'd be tempted to light it on fire and ring the door bell. .....He just walked away moaning.
 
B

Bunny

Guest
I've called the police and they say that unless the dog harms someone, there is nothing they can do. I've called animal control and was advised that legally a dog owner does not have to keep a dog on their own premises. I can call them, but if the dog goes back to it's property by the time they get here (and they basically said they don't run right over when you call) there is nothing that can be done. When this started happening the owner's response was, "They're Huskies. Digging is what they do." Well then, let them dig up her yard.

Really, what I wanted to do this morning was go out and open my gate again and let the dogs get out. Maybe if she is afraid that they will get out she will keep a better eye on them.
 

Hopeless

....Hopeful Now
Open the gate and let them go to some other neighbors yard. We had the issue with an old neighbor dog that kept jumping the fence into our yard and terrorizing our dog. We ended up calling the dog warden.
 
T

TeDo

Guest
Call the dog catcher the minute you see one in your yard. Make sure you tell them IT IS NOT YOURS and that you and your son are afraid of it.....every single time. Make sure you take pictures with time/date stamp EVERY time you see them in your yard (with some sort of "marker" to show it really is your yard) for the times animal control doesn't get there in time. That way, when they do get there, you can show them the pictures and ask what you're supposed to do.

Another option is to call the police about damage to property. Show them the holes where the dogs come through. Fill it in (take before & after pictures to prove you did) and repeat this EVERY time you find it. It IS damage to property.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
There is also some spray or something you can spray or sprinkle along the edge of your yard that is called "No Dog or No Cat!" It is supposed to keep animals out. I dont know if it really does or not. I also believe there is a small sonar type thing that will keep dogs and such out of your yard and you can put it in your back yard somewhere aiming towards the fence and its solar powered and all that. Check out things online.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
The privacy fence idea of Star's is a good one........and really if you look around it doesn't cost that much, cheaper than chain link by a LOT.

I think I'd either be opening my gate......(they're not your dogs, why would you hold them for irresponsible neighbor so they can dig up your yard??) or call the dog warden and tell him you have 2 strays in your yard you want picked up immediately. phht.

Usually I'm pretty understanding when it comes to dogs. But certain behavior gets old fast. We had a visiting neighbor dog for quite a while years back, ugliest dog I ever saw...yet also one of the sweetest. He never did anything except visit with Molly and Rowdy........and it really wasn't much issue. We had a rottie come visiting too but she was Rowdy's girlfriend/wife so well.......but she never did anything either. We had another, some type of bull terrior......or a mix.......and he came to cause trouble. He was picked up his 2nd visit. I never saw him again. (wasn't his breed, was his personality)

Star, since you have mole diggers.........any suggestions? Molly smells a mole and goes totally bonkers. Most of the grass I had growing is gone. She's determined to get that blasted mole. (so far she hasn't) Molly is not normally a digger. Maggie could care less except she likes to "catch" the chunks of dirt Molly tosses into the air. Rowdy doesn't dig holes for moles. lol

At this rate I may have to borrow easy child's cat that catches and kills moles rather easily. Minnie and Midnight are showing no interest in mole hunting. They'll do mice and snakes and the occasional bird that is too slow, but no moles.
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
Do not tell animal control it is the neighbors dogs. Ever. Call every time. 'There are two large stray dogs in my yard. We are too afraid to even leave the house as I was bitten in the past and ended up hospitalized. Please come asap to pick these strays up before someone gets hurt". That is all I would say to animal control. They don't want to involve themselves with neighbor issues. But strays are collected. So opt out of "too much information" and just call them "strays". If they ask if you know the owners or where the dogs come from, "never seen them in my life". Is it nice to fib? Nope. But much nicer than being terrorized by dogs that don't belong on your property.
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
Really, what I wanted to do this morning was go out and open my gate again and let the dogs get out. Maybe if she is afraid that they will get out she will keep a better eye on them.

I love my dogs to bits, but if I were in your shoes, this is absolutely what I'd do.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Well........Problem with letting a dog (yours or otherwise) out of YOUR property????? IF it runs out and does any damage.......say to a child (bites them, or wrecks their bike) or causes a car accident???? YOU COULD BE LIABLE. In this day and age of cameras and nosey neighbors. You're really setting yourself up for a lawsuit. AND if you have the dogs IN your yard? 1.) THEY are safe 2.) EVERYONE else is safe. I would NEVER just cut the gate open and take a chance like that. Sorry all......I get the logic and frustration behind it...truly I do and I deal with VICIOUS dog calls all day long....but no way would I ever just open the gate. Slip a leash around it's neck and WALK it back to its home and TIE IT UP to their porch? YUP. Call the animal control.....

1.) MOST animal control folks WILL NOT come out if you say I have a dog running in the hood, barking blah blah blah......HOWEVER....if you have a dog TIED up and they can just COME TO YOUR HOUSE and GET IT? Yup.....going to the pound. SO Matts Mom is right. I have a dog in my yard. I need it picked up. I'm deathly afraid of dogs. I don't know how it got there. It APPEARS to be vicious. It tried to bite me, my children, I can't get to my garage, out the door, I'm late for work. YUP.......They're coming.

2.) The neighbors dog blah blah blah......CIVIL MATTER. Police are called FIRST......ACO last. If at all.

now if your neighbors are not taking care of their dogs.......and they are getting INJURED when they dig under the fence......?????? Are digging out to get FOOD? WATER? ARe not being taken care of.......are LEFT on their own without shelter? proper care???????? YUP ACO is coming. That's ALSO their job. But the number of "the neighbors dog is barking barking barking and.......(hand puppet) calls that we get?? not really prioroity. Dog chasing a person down the street, Dog has a person trapped on top their vehicle? Dog bit a child, person? ACO is on scene. NOW.

And no -----privacy wood fence is NOT cheaper than 4' chain link. HOWEVER........if your child is tramatized by dogs? In the long run it's a great investment. IF you can't afford WOOD privacy? Then I HIGHLY suggest getting slats for the chain link......and inserting them before they put the top rail on.......and giving yourself SOME barrier. And investing in a 6' fence chain link. Dogs can literally clear an 8' fence like it's nothing from a standing position if they have a mind to....but for a childs peace of mind? Wooden fence gives less visual.

Its just my opinion but your neighbors are not really good or decent people-----you can tell that by the way they take care of their animals.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Ok, you know my issues Star. I plan to use treated lumber then put hog wire around it to make a fence around part of our property simply because we need to get it fenced fast. I cant afford chain link or I would. This will have to do. What I would really like is that stuff that is made to look like white vinyl but has a lifetime warranty and is about 6 foot tall. I would fence in my whole yard if I could afford that stuff! Would never have to look at the neighbor!
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
Janet, that vinyl fence is outrageously expensive! Our treated pine with 2 gates privacy fence was about $20 a foot, fwiw...
 

FlowerGarden

Active Member
I am shocked the police and animal control won't do anything. Where I live, dogs have to be licensed by the Board of Health and we have a law that if the dog is not fenced in, it has to be on a leash when outside. My neighbor has one of the electronic fences for her dog. Once in awhile there's a problem with the wire and the dog has taken off. If the police find the dog before she does, she gets a fine. Even if someone calls animal control because they see a stray dog in their yard, she gets fined.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Im really shocked animal control wont do anything too. If animals are left outside where Jamie is and they dont have adequate housing, water and food at all times then that is against the law. He gets on me constantly because he doesnt consider what I do as adequate but he cant do a thing to me...lol. Not his territory. I tell him to kiss my butt. Up there even if you simply put your dogs out for a pee without you outside with them, they must have a dog house to get out of the elements, a food dish and water available. They must be contained in your yard at all times. Your dogs cannot be in your car without the ac running in the summer if the outside temp is above 72 degrees or below 20 degrees. When the temp is under 72 you must keep your windows cracked to allow fresh air to circulate.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I am shocked the police and animal control won't do anything. Where I live, dogs have to be licensed by the Board of Health and we have a law that if the dog is not fenced in, it has to be on a leash when outside. My neighbor has one of the electronic fences for her dog. Once in awhile there's a problem with the wire and the dog has taken off. If the police find the dog before she does, she gets a fine. Even if someone calls animal control because they see a stray dog in their yard, she gets fined.

Same here!!!! The owners have to really be careful, which in my opinion is the right thing. My dogs have a small fenced area on concrete (they can't dig) to do their business. Other than that, they are not free. We go outside with them and they are on leashes.

Once a child wandered into OUR yard and teased our dog and he nipped her. WE were liable even though the dog was in our yard and on a tie-out. And it wasn't a long one. And we never left him out for more than fifteen minutes at a stretch.

I love dogs, but I'd call animal control on a negligent owner. Those dogs could get hit by cars. Why aren't they in the house? That's what I'd ask animal control. "These poor dogs are going to get hit by cars. The owners never make sure they're safe. I hope you don't use my name and I don't want to be a nosy neighbor, but I don't want anything to happen to the dogs."
 
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