Dang blasted DOGS!!!

[nachoqtpie]

Since we live in a little neighborhood culdesac... everybody pretty much knows everybody. All the kids play together, and there's even a little cut thru to the next neighbor hood right behind our house. We live out in the country, and our little street is joined to the rest of the world via a busy country road.

I've talked my our freakishly huge house neighbors about them letting their dog out and not keeping her on a leash or in their fenced yard and they responded well. Now apparently the neighbors that we're not fond of, tho have never really talked to, are deciding that their two MEAN wiener dogs should be able to run rampant! I've called the pound on more than one occasion about these dogs when they're out... but they always tell me "Well.. there's nothing that we can do about it."

This morning I'm sitting here having my morning tea after feeding the fish and watching one of my aquatic snails lay eggs. *sigh* Two of my dogs are outside and they start running back and forth causing a ruckus. Now, being 7am on a Sunday morning, I decide that maybe I should get them in. I peek my head out and low and behold.... the neighbors 2 barking rats are trampling thru my freshly planted corn and digging up the watermelon mounds!

I'm SO angry!!! Their dogs are MEAN and are out on a weekly basis! I don't believe it's that hard to keep your dogs within your fenced back yard if you don't just put them out there for the majority of the day with only an overturned boat for shelter and as far as I can tell no water.

I know that we should put a fence in, and we will! We just need to have the funds to do it! I'm so angry right now! We literally JUST put that corn in last night! And the neighbors are jerks as well! Despite the fact that we've only talked to them a handful of times they are rude towards us. After hubs got done tilling the garden they had a party and he was sitting on the back porch drinking some water. One of the people at their party threw a football and the other guy missed and it landed in our unplanted garden. One of the females that lives there said, loud enough for him to hear "Oh great now we have to hear him @#$@(@." Seriously?!

Thanks for letting me rant.. LOL I know it seems kind of pointless to be angry about dogs being in our garden, especially since we didn't fence it in... but it does.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Out in the country where dogs have a job to do, keeping various critters from harming livestock or crops, they have to run loose to do that job. Real country folks have developed a system, involving a firearm, that takes care of problem dogs, whether their own or anybody else's. That is just the way it is and people with livestock and crops understand that.

But in an urban or suburban area, it is a lot different. The dog's job is not to keep critters away from livestock and crops but to be a pet. They can guard the house from the owner's property. Those should be controlled. Dogs running loose in that setting are the problem, not part of the solution.

My brother just put up an electric fence around his garden because of one neighbor's dogs. He would really love to be watching when those dogs come in contact with his fence. And he is not normally a cruel person.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Apparently the neighbors don't feel the same way.

Their barking rats went over to the next neighborhood to a friend of mines house that has a Bull Mastiff. My friend said that she had to bring her dog inside so it wouldn't eat them.

We're not all that sure that we're done with how big we're going to make the garden... or we would figure out how to put a fence around it.

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Rather than calling the pound, does your area have an animal control officer as part of city staff? We live in the county, so we call the sheriff and they send out an officer. We have trouble w/ people dumping animals. Sometimes they're friendly enough for us to catch, but other times, not. Disgusting, really.

Having to "bail out" a pet once or twice might give the neighbors the idea that keeping their pets confined is a good idea...

 

[Collector]

It is no fun having roaming dogs nearby. We have a few in our area also, They have been trampling the onions and radishes out by the chicken house. We are thinking about putting up a fence also to keep roaming dogs out, and our own LOL. It is maddening to have disrespectful neihbors.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Unfortunately... no.

Whenever you call anyone... it's either "It'll be gone by the time we get there" or "That's not our dept.. you need to call so and so."

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Bummers...

 

[vfem]

Well Nacho, I am always scooping up stray dogs out of my yard. They all go STRAIGHT for my poor chickens. The trailer park behind us has Soooooooooooo many dogs and they all run loose. My dog stays tied up on a run when she's out (a few hours a day max). Its a 15 ft run and she's got a clear area... shade... water.... whatever she needs and only when we're home or out and about so she can see us. She's very protective but sweet. Those neighboring dogs come over and bug her to death!

She tried to scare them off, but they know she's tied up and just ignore her.

However, this stupid county doesn't have a leash law. The purpose of the leash laws first is to protect the poor animal first, then protect other's from that animal... then their property!

I finally got sick of it and on 2 occassions, I scooped up 2 dogs once, and 1 dog the second time.... then I drove them to the WAKE county shelter and dropped them off when I knew I could. The Harnett county shelter is a kill shelter and so busy they don't pick up animals unless there is a 'danger' to the public.

They usually tell me, if I need to protect my property or livestock... that's what guns are for!

So I keep a BB Gun now.... I don't kill the animal, but I've shot a few now, and they DON'T like it... so they generally don't come back. (That goes for stray cats too, because they beat up my cats who do good work catching mice and moles for me.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

A paint gun might be too messy for you, but it is something else that also discourages them and marks them. I don't know what the laws are in your area, and it is important that you do know them to not let other people's misdeeds get you in legal trouble, but maybe that is an option. If you only shoot them when they are on your property, and the paint gun will mark where you shoot, you might be OK.

 

[nachoqtpie]

I actually told my husband that I was thinking about getting a BB gun!! The neighbors (with the freakishly giant house) leave their cat outside as well. One time it got into our back yard and my husband let out the Greys without realizing she was back there and Dusty attacked her. Now, Dusty is so mild mannered normally, but when there was a furry in our back yard her racing instinct kicked in and she went after it. Fortunately for the cat she did get away and I haven't seen Umy in the yard since!

I think next pay period I'm going to get a BB gun....