Property Owner Seeks Advice To Deal With Neighbor's Aggressive, Trespassing Dog

"I don’t want to make issues worse, but I also do not want to confront them as I am not comfortable doing so."

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• Published in Animal Stories
• March 27, 2024

If there's a trespassing animal, you may not mind it as long as it's not a regular occurrence. But it might be a different story if it's a dog, which could pose a threat to you and your family members.

The reality is that not all dogs are friendly. Do something triggering for them and they might come charging at you.

It's only reasonable that you want to keep them away from your yard. So what's the best solution for a dog trespassing in your yard?

According to experts, property owners shouldn't approach the neighbor while they're angry. The conversation should be private and low-key.

Having a relaxed and casual conversation with the neighbor can help avoid escalating tensions too. Moreover, you need to state the reasons why a trespassing dog is a problem for you.

It could be that it's pooping and peeing on your plants or it's disturbing the peace of your family activities. Then ask them if they could keep the dog within the bounds of their property.

There are more ways to approach the situation. Let's take a look at the responses to this Quora question:

What can I do about my neighbor's dog trespassing on my property?

The original poster (OP) explains her side of the story.

The neighbor's dog is large and aggressive.

The dog almost got hit by the OP.

She even caught her neighbors trespassing.

The OP wants a solution that doesn't involve talking to the neighbors.

The OP is thinking about calling animal control if her neighbors won't do something about it.

How a property owner dealt with a problematic neighbor with a dog.

I once had the same problem.

I own rental properties. I do not allow pets in my rentals.

One of my tenants was having some issues with the neighbor who would let their dog run free and do its business. I approached the neighbor who owned the dog and asked them to keep their dog off my property they told me to pound sand.

I then went and met with the Animal control officer who said as long as the animal is not aggressive or running in the street they cant do much.

I had a survey done on my property and installed fences with gates. That worked for about 2 months.

The dog had dug under the fence and entered the yard did his business then went back under the fence.

I fixed the fence by adding a buried fence underground. I dug a trench along the fence 3 foot deep and then added the buried fence along the bottom of the other fence filled in the trench.

That stopped the dog from getting inside the yard. It did not stop the doggie poo from getting in the yard though.

The house has security cameras outside watching the sides and yard of the house. The neighbor was caught picking up his dogs crap with a scoop and throwing it over into the yard.

I took that video to Animal control (animal control works for the police here) and they showed an officer who went and informed thee neighbor that continuing to toss dog poo on others property will get him arrested. He then began harassing other neighbors lawns with his dog and about 6 months later the dog was hit by a car.

He moved out and sold his house a year after that.

As much as the OP wants to avoid her neighbors, she should at least try talking to them.

Ask your neighbor first. If it keeps up, call Animal Control. The neighbor will have to pay to get their pet back.

If the neighbor still refuses to do anything about the dogs, it's time to get the authorities involved.

Tell your neighbour not to let her dog stray. If it's doing damage or being annoying I think you can complain to the police or dog warden.

Hold those neighbors accountable.

Ask your neighbor politely to not allow their dog to run free. If it happens again, remind them of their promise and that one more time you will call animal control.

If the OP doesn't want any trespassing animal, she needs to put up a fence that prevents dogs from coming in.

If your neighbor’s dog is simply passing through and walking on your property in order to get somewhere, what is the problem? Relax.

If your neighbor’s dog is pooping on your property then you have to have a conversation with your neighbor. Tell him you do not want dog shit on your grass and if it lands there, he’s responsible for cleaning it up.

The only other solution that I can think of is fencing in your yard, or calling up the cops and reporting your neighbor’s dog to the authorities. Tell your neighbor you will do this if his dog continues choosing your yard as his outhouse.

Be friendly, be calm, tell him dogs will be dogs, but that there’s a limit and his dog has reached it. Good luck.

Not exactly the best solution if it's an aggressive dog.

Grab some cheese and give that nice pupper a treat for being so friendly. As a bonus, you will automatically be friends with your neighbor too.

She can take a look at her leash laws and complain if the neighbor is breaking any of those.

First you must check to see if your area has strict dog leash laws. If it does, contact the local authorities and put in a complaint.

People who let their dogs run free usually don't give a rip about any damage said animal might cause to another's property. But first and foremost, have you tried communicating with the dog's owner?

Let them know you are concerned either for your safety or the safety of your children or pets.

Even if the OP doesn't like her neighbors, she should still at least try to talk to them, convincing them to keep their dog within their property. She claims it's aggressive, so it's enough reason to convince them to control their dog.

If that doesn't work, she could then look at leash laws and get the authorities involved by filing a complaint.

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