Issues with Neighbour re dogs (sorry, long)

Rather than hijack the other thread re neighbours and dogs, I've started this one for me to vent or accept any advice!

When we moved into our house a year ago, we were very careful to secure our land. We've a combination of mainly stock/sheep fencing or hedging. Around some of the younger hedging, we erected a "puppy fence" which is chicken wire held in place with stakes and pegs.

Nowadays Max is way too big to get through any of the gaps, and is too dumb to jump any of the fences. We've left the puppy fence up though.

A few months ago we got new neighbours. They had 2 dogs, but have recently got 2 more (don't get me started on that!). Thes have a Springer, a working Cocker, a puppy JRT and a puppy Border Terrier

All of their dogs can squirm through various bits of the fencing to get into our garden. In fact, they have even broken the chicken wire puppy fence in places and got through.

Generally, I don't mind them playing with Max. I know our garden is dog-safe, so I'm not too worried.

What does annoy me though is that from the moment I get home and let Max out, at least one of their dogs is round at ours.

They will "steal" Max's toys and take them back home, so I have to remove all his toys and hide them. They'll also eat any food or treats they find (e.g. a half-eaten kong), not to mention the weeing on the floor (in excitement).

It can be a couple of hours before the neighbours realise they're at our house. When they call them, the dogs go shooting back home. They are very apologetic and have apparantly had a man in to "look at some fencing", but this hasn't materialised.

It came to a head last night when my OH got home and 2 of their dogs were on our driveway and he nearly ran them over. Max can't get onto the driveway, it's totally secure, but the dogs had squirmed through the hedge from their side onto our driveway, which leads directly onto the road.

We took them back home and explained what had happened - that their dogs had nearly been run over. We had the same excuse as always - they are having fencing put in soon.

When we went back, their dogs were already back in our garden, through the fence as usual.

We've patched up several places in the fence, but I'm getting annoyed about it now, and their dogs keep breaking the fence. We don't want to buy more fencing, as it's not our dog who is escaping. I know they can afford it, as they're not short on cash.

I don't want one of their dogs (or Max!) to get hurt, especially if we have a visiting dog at any time who might not like other dogs etc.

I keep mentioning it to them, but they seem happy for their dogs to be at our house without knowing (or caring?) about it. Max enjoys the company, but if I wanted 5 dogs, I would have 5 dogs!

I don't know if you want to go down this route or not, as you may not want to alienate your neighbours, but maybe you could complain to the council about it, I do know it is their responsibility to stop their dogs getting out of their garden, not yours to stop them getting into your garden, I don't know the set up of your houses, but even when the boundry fence is your responsibility, if they have a dog, then it's up to them to secure their garden, from the sounds of it they wont have 4 dogs for much longer .
Christine

What an annoying thing to happen.

It is easy to spout rights and law etc. but at the end of the day you have to life next to these people and presumably you want relationships to remain as civil as possible.

Two things I can think of

(1) If their dogs cause any damage at all (including that of the fencing), start asking for next door to pay for it. It sounds like a threat to their wallet is going to get more attention than the worry of their dogs getting run over. If the dogs aren't actually causing damage, you could 'invent' some to pile the guilt on (but not saying that you should get them to pay for something their dog hasn't really done).

(2) not probably that realistic, but how about getting some manure delivered - make sure Max can't get near it, but encourage their dogs to have a good roll...hopefully stinky smelly dogs going home might make them think twice!

Hope you get it sorted, I think it is important to keep civil with your neighbours, but some certainly don't make this easy!

I like this idea!!

On Sunday, Georgie (the Springer) bounced into one of my galvanised water butts (Max drinks from them, and has never tried to get inside one, since he has to stand on his hind legs to drink) and ended up dripping wet, covered in slime and weed and I sent him back exactly like that!

I think that's what you have to do - make is so that their dogs being round your place uninvited is bad new one way or another (without of course harming the dogs).

At the moment it sounds like they think they have a free 'doggy park' where their dogs can go for supervised play, with or without your permission and whilst I believe that they probably are geniune about thinking of fencing, they will never get round to it unless its to their advantage to do so.

ooh, ooh, just thought of one more fun but inpractical idea....all dogsey members with dogs small enough to get through the holes to have a big party round your house & we'll let 100's of dogs get into next door's garden to play !

Unfortunatly they are not listening to your please so you should take it a step further.

instead of talking on the door step ask to come in and have a more serious rather than casual chat about it and mention involving the council as you are concerned about the dogs welfare. Further to this but have their dogs been vacinated and treated against worms and fleas ect - you dont want this passing onto Max! You could also throw in the fact that they are breaking the law by having their dogs running free (reference to the on your driveway). if the threat of action doesnt work, then you may just have to take that step and speak the council.

Its an awkward situation but they have backed you into a corner.

I think Hali's ideas are far better than myne , you realy don't want to fall out with your neighbours, pity you can't train your dog to go and do his business in their garden, they'd soon put a fence up to stop him getting in, and as for the impractical party , can you make it big dogs as well, a few large mad dogs charging around as well should do it

Like Hali, I hope you get it sorted out quickly

Thanks CLMG, but while mine were a way to help Isochick laugh about the situation, not sure they will really work.

I think Kanikula's idea of a serious sit down talk (without falling out) is probably the sensible way to go.

TBH I was hoping that telling them their dogs had nearly been killed would have got them sorting it out!!

I know if someone told me that Max had been roaming on their driveway with access to the road, we would have driven to B&Q that night and bought something to patch the fence up with immediately!!

I would have expected that too. I also can't really understand how they've got another 2 dogs when they don't really seem to be looking after the 2 they had. some people just don't have a clue do they