Love thy neighbor... and his dog???

My husband and I recently moved into a great house out in the country and I finally have tons of room to do all the gardening I want.

But there's a problem...

My neighbor has a huge black dog that he lets roam free. All of my other neighbors just love him and leave food out for him and every day he makes his rounds to each house. One of the first questions the lady across the street asked me was, "Have you met "our" neighborhood dog yet?"

Now, never mind that I'm a little skittish around big dogs anyway... and never mind that he'll stand in my front yard and bark at me if I'm outside after dark. What really gets my goat is the havoc he's already wreaking in my garden! Big piles of dog poop by the corn seedlings-- gross! Three of the tomato seedlings that I have loved and cared for inside for the past 6 weeks dug up days after I set them out-- heartbreaking! Random holes dug everywhere, disrupting the seeds I've just planted-- so frustrating!

I don't want to become public enemy number one in the neighborhood by making a fuss over "their" beloved dog, but I don't know what to do. Should I talk to me neighbor? I notice he's got a garden of his own going over there. Maybe I could just politely ask how he keeps his dog out of his own garden. Or is there some deterrent or repellant that will keep the dog at bay without me making enemies out of my neighbors so soon?

Oh dear, that is touchy if all the neighbors love him. But I would be very upset if the dog was digging in my garden.
Is your neighbor approachable. Can you reason with them? It makes me think that anyone who feels they can just let their dog run anywhere and do whatever... isn't going to reason with you.
Do any other neighbors garden? How do they keep him out?
You shouldn't have to fence in your area if you don't want to, but it's an option

I would just fence my garden. We're out in the country and having fences just seems smart for a lot of reasons.

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. Seems far to common a problem but sheesh that stinks you can't even live in the country and enjoy your plot of land. I just moved to a new neighborhood and there are some "neighborhood cats" some folks let roam...and you can tell they aren't fixed by their noisy late night meetings in MY front yard--and they come around to the back yard to, they get into my landscape beds, etc. You can get a pellet gun to shoot near or at him. Kids these days buy them to shoot at each other and they'll leave a red mark on your skin but the kids love them so I imagine it wouldn't HURT the animal but maybe it'll keep him off your property? But I love your idea of asking the neighbor (and no need to be overly polite) just ask, "So how do you keep your dog from digging up your garden?" The polite part could just be that, "I see you have a real nice garden." But you don't have to pretend to be friendly about dogs, etc. I wish you the best of luck...this is always a sticky situation. It's a shame people just won't keep their animals in their own houses or yards.

Liquid Fence makes a "dog and catrepellent". I've never used it, but the "deer and rabbit" repellent works like a champ, so I'd venture a guess that the dog one works also. It's worth a try.

http://www.liquidfence.com/dog-repellent.html

HTH,
Eggs

There are motion-detecting sprinkers that aren't very expensive.

zeppy: ohhhh good idea!

Works for almost any animal! I think one is made by Havahart. Looks like it's 50 some bucks at Amazon.com so it's more than I thought.

I'd probably opt for fencing myself. It's fairly simple and inexpensive to just use posts and deer fencing, and it will help with other critters, as well.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

Yesterday as I was cooking dinner, I saw the dog from my kitchen window. I went to the door to shoo him away and caught him in the act of peeing on my new rhododendron. Boo.

I can't really afford to put up a fence right now, especially not around our 2 acre property. Even just fencing the garden plot would be out of my budget range for a few months. So, I think I'm going to give the "liquid fence" a try.

Then, I'm going to go talk to the neighbor and let him know that his dog is tearing things up on my property. I doubt he'll keep his dog contained, though, considering it's been roaming free for years now. My mom suggested getting a BB gun to sting him when he comes in the yard, but I'm afraid that might hurt him. But, I'm not ruling it out completely yet.

Hi Kub,

As a proud owner of 2 adorable big black labs, I think it is unacceptable to let your dogs roam off property. We use electric fence because when the horses go by, they'd dash into the street and all kinds of bad things could happen. Plus, it's just poor neighborly habits not to keep your dog from other's yards. However, since neighbors are worth their weight in gold, the best thing to do is take the high road. Some good suggestions above,but the one I like the best, is yours!!! I think it is a good "hint" to ask how they keep their pooch out of their gardens. It sounds innocent and unoffensive and it would certainly give you a good answer on how they manage it. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you and the neighborhood dog make great friends someday!!! :)

Have you actually met your neighbor yet? Might be a good idea to go say hello first, get to know them for a week or two and then bring up the subject of how they keep their dog out of their garden. Iafko06 is right. A good neighbor is a great thing. Then if you find that they aren't a good neighbor after your talk you can go to the next step. Maybe call the local pound and ask advise?

Wouldn't a "good" neighbor not let their animal roam? Or at least have introduced themselves and mention that it is THEIR dog you might see running about?

Probably, but I would still go the "high road" first

If the dog's running loose has always been acceptable, then that doesn't make them a bad neighbor. I'm having the same issue with a cat. I have 6 of them and they are inny-outties, but they're good kids. This one gets in at any opportunity and sprays the entire house. I've already had to replace a carpet, sevral throw rugs, and misc. "stuff". My neighbor's response? "So keep your doors closed."!!! Yepper, I moved all the way up to the country so I could keep my doors when I'm in and out gardening, etc. Sheesh - some people...

Yeah I'm a bit peeved myself on this issue as of late---someones cat in my new neighborhood roams and I saw paw prints over my car one day, the next the car reeks of cat pee--he had gone pee on my hood!

All of God's creatues, great and small...but where's the rule book, and where do we draw the line?

The Line: When your pet becomes my pest.

Amen

When we moved into our house several years ago, it had been vacant for about a year and several neighborhood dogs claimed part of our yard as theirs. Most of them found other areas quickly after we moved in, but one dog (or neighbor) was a problem. I noticed the neighbor directly across the street let his Lab out each morning. The dog crossed the street, did his thing in my yard, and crossed the street back home; all the while, the neighbor standing on his front steps watching.

We had a toddler son at the time and I didn't want him or me stepping into the mess.

A day or two later I just happened to have a neighbor to neighbor chat with this particular neighbor.

He was very friendly and asked how everything was going in the week or two we had lived there so far.

I mentioned that things were going quite well. Then I mentioned the dog problem. I said I realized several neighborhood dogs wanted to claim my yard when it was empty, and all but one had now gone somewhere else (or their masters had taken them somewhere else). (Pretending I didn't know it was his dog still doing the crap in my yard) I then added that one dog still thought my front yard was his. And if I ever found out whose dog it was, I was going to start empying out my son's dirty diapers in that person's front yard.

END OF PROBLEM!!!

Oh, an afterthought. I hope I am wrong, but perhaps some of the others don't really like the dog in their yards all that much, but are reluctant to say so for any of a number of reasons.

I like the idea of checking with some other neighbors to find out if the dog is destructive in their yards too. May be the word will get around.

Good Luck.

First off the dog was there before you were, what Tir_Na_Nog stated can be punishable as animal cruelty and you can be charged if you shot at an animal. And my guess is you will totally tick off everybody else in the neighborhood.

First thing, you can make a cheap fence out of the cheap garden mesh material find at walmart and buy cheap wooden stakes. less then 40.00, second thing I would do is tell the dog no, everytime he pees on something, you can also get a ultrasonic dog zapper, works wonders and scares the dog that they generally will not repeat the fence. And you can do this inside, haha. It works wonders, we got it for the six ankle biters that live down the lane from us. Tired tonight, but wilol find the name it is less then 20.00 works on dogs and cats and evil possums. It also helps to build wooden beams and "raise the garden, dogs can be lazy. I am wondering if the mutt is neutered if he is lifting his leg?

If it is anything like our street, we love our animals and deal withneighbors who let there pups wander. We also deal with the cats and feed all the strays. As do all our neighbors. We had some family move in that totally hate animals, and they were pretty informed to move by the other 9 of on the road to move if they had an issue

Explain why a person has the right to abuse another persons rights and call it O.K? If your dog wanders, it isn't alright and I have a reason to not be happy with the dog or the owner. That is just lazy and irresponsible on the owners part, not the animals.
If someone wants to hate animals, so what? You don't have to like them, but to tell them to move? Ridiculous

i cant believe ANYONE lets their dog run free. isnt it amazing that some dog owners think everyone thinks that their dog is as cute and wonderful as they do. i have 3 pit bulls that just moved in next door. my yard is totally fenced ... so is theirs.. but they let their dogs bark incessantly.all day & night. so instead of peace and quiet & birds i have mean barking &i fear for my life if i get too close to my fence to weed.i have spoken to the owner 2 times. he bought a shock collar for the one who barks the most, but it doesnt work.i have tried giving them treats to shut them up. does not work.i know the position your in the guys next door are nice and i have no problem with them but those pit bulls... in my old neighborhood i had a neighbors dog that pooped all over my sidewalk every day. i spoke to her repeatedly. nothing. i finally got it to stop when i picked up the poop with a shovel and threw it all over her sidewalk. i myself have always had a dog.... always fenced and obedience trained. i would be nice at first, but dog poop is gross and tomatoes are precious. id ask the owner to replace the maters &,pick up his dogs poop. and id throw the poop on his front step if he doesnt curtail his dog. we have a leash law here. best of luck..

The dog ain't the problem. Go over and give the neighbor a chance to correct the issue. He or she may not be aware it is a problem with you. As my dad would say "Use more honey than vinigar until the opposite is needed". Then try to work out a solution that won't offend too much. Good or passable naighbors are hard to comeby, bad feeling never go away. Been there and done that. try the high road.

Well, I told the neighbor that I was having some trouble with his dog in my yard. That seemed to work for a few days, but I saw the dog in my yard again yesterday. I didn't make a fuss because I didn't see him tear anything up. I think he was just passing through on his way to my other neighbor's yard-- she leaves food out for him. The saga continues...

I don't really want to fence my property. It's two acres and a good portion of it is wooded-- too much and too hard to fence. And I think cheap wire mesh fencing around my garden will just make my yard look... well, cheap. And I don't want that, either.

I live out in the country, some ways from town. It's not just the local dogs and cats. For some reason folks from town like to drop off their unwanted pets. I guess they figure a farm could use a dog/cat. What they don't understand is that the coyotes will kill both if they can. We also had a problem with feral dogs and livestock. All of that pack met with an untimely demise while chasing/killing my neighbors sheep. Owning a pet is a responsibility, not a right. If you don't accept the responsibility, you don't have the right. It is the owners responsibility to keep their pets under control. Here there is a "leash" law. All loose animals are subject to impounding if caught. The law states that they must be kept under some form of physical control at all times, either fenced, kenneled or leased. Unfortunately the animal control officers don't like coming out into the county.

I fence my garden to keep my own dogs out and the neighborhood kids. I use the green welded wire fencing and posts that most hardware stores sell. It's easy to install and remove and the green color blends in nicely. Also, it doesn't rust. I also use my fence as a trellis for blackberries and vining plants; such as squash. You could also train climbing roses on it.

In my neighborhood, if it wasn't for my dogs, the neighbors' kids would be wrecking havoc in my garden. I've had my plants battered by kids playing ball nearby & trampling my plants to retrieve their stray balls. Now the kids don't go near my yard because of the dogs barking at them. My dogs wouldn't hurt the kids, but the kids are leary enough to stay out. We have at least four public play grounds within a 2 block radius, so it's not like the kids don't have a better place to play ball than in my alley. As a reward for good behavior, I pass out my surplus pears by the bags full to the neighborhood kids & am now known as the "pear lady".

I lived in the country on 7 acres for a few years. My neighbor's cows got loose and trampled my garden and left cow piles all over the front lawn. After helping round up the herd, the neighbor never even apologized; much less offered to clean up the mess. I guess he felt we needed the free fertilizer. Reminiscent of "Green Acres"-- ha ha!

Years ago when we lived on a postage stamp sized lot I had a problem with the next door neighbor. She had a fenced in back yard but instead of letting "Lucky" go out there to do his business she would let him out the front door. He did not want to "dirty" up "his" yard so he'd go across the street and poop or poop in my yard. I caught the teenage son outside one day and asked him to please pick up Lucky's poop. The kid was rude and gave me the finger. I got mad and got a shovel and picked it up and threw it up on their front porch. She came out cussing me out. We had a big ole fight. I told her I was just returning something that belonged to her. She threatened to call the cops. I told her to go ahead and they'd take her dog away since she wouldn't spend the money to vaccinate the poor dog. I explained that I had two dogs and I know they have to defecate but I am courteous and make sure it's in my own fenced in yard and I pick it up and put it in a garbage bad so as not to draw rats. Long story short..........it was the wrong thing to do. We lived next door for another 20 years probably and had a strained relationship and rarely spoke to each other. Lucky eventually wasn't so lucky. He escaped through a left open gate and ran away.He was a nice dog. He just had stupid owners.

Now, we moved to a 28 acres farm. There is only one other family who even live on this road. They have three dogs but they are tied up with dog houses outside. The first thing I put in was a fence around the whole house for my two dogs. I wanted to make sure they couldn't run off and I wanted to keep out critters as much as possible. It gives me a lot of peace of mind. I did have an 8 foot fence put up around the veggie garden to keep out the deer and rabbits. Works great. It's a nice looking green vinyl clad fence. It was costly though. For the rest of the ornamental fruit trees and flowers I regularily spray with Liquid Fence. Works great! It's not cheap though but the concentrate goes a long way.

You have a couple options. You can either invite this neighbor over for coffee and a friendly chat or drop by when you see he is home and approach for a heart to heart. It's best to face someone and just speak from your heart and be reasonable. Point out that money is tight for you and you can't afford to replace these plants his dog is digging up or peeing on and killing. He should be able to understand that.

Another option would be to call animal control and report a "stray" dog in the neighborhood and play dumb like you don't know who it belongs to. Let them come pick up the dog and when the owner is notified they will give him a warning and then a fine. You can explain to the officer that the destruction this dog is causing on your property. The dog may not even be up to date on vaccines. If you have animal control officer use them. We don't have any where we live now.

Good luck.

I agree with Loon about approaching the neighbor in a non-threatening way. You never know when you might need to call on that same neighbor for help.

The same neighbor whose cows invaded our yard was over in a heartbeat with his tractor when our truck got stuck in the mud & asked for nothing in return.