What do you do??

[Mickey91]

OKay, I have been on here asking advice about the neighbor's cats. You guys have been great with your ideas. Now, what would you do if the same said neighbor called the police and told them you weren't feeding and watering your dog properly? We feed her every evening after sundown(the birds eat her food otherwise and she lets them) and until recently had a huge bucket we kept full of water. Now we have to be very careful to keep a smaller dish full as the bucket froze and broke. We have a 17 1/2 year old Chow/Collie mix and she is on death's door. I know some will say we should have her put down but I just can't do that. She has been with us our entire marriage and I and my DH are having an extremely hard time letting her go. We are down to a matter of hours before she is gone and it is tearing us apart. :( I had the police show up at my door the morning after she had a really bad spell and we had been up with her half the night and cried the rest of it. This is the same neighbor that lures his cats to my yard to potty and has his dog tied up out back so it can come into our yard to potty. I haven't called any authorties about it because I wanted to have decent relations as neighbors. Now that will be almost impossible. He has made the last four years that we have lived here a living hades. I just cannot take it anymore. I saw him scanning my yard this morning and then running back to his house with cell phone in hand. If I have a visit from the police today, I will probably list every detail of the misery he has caused us. What would you do?:(

[princessjojo]

Good fences make good neighbors.

[SBETigg]

Right now, I would write down on paper with the date everything I can think of that this neighbor has done with your yard and his animals. When and if the police come back, tell him exactly what you've been telling us and having the documentation handy will help. Make sure he knows that you've had problems with this neighbor and the neighbor is making trouble for you out of vengeance. Be as sweet as pie and polite to the police. I'm sure the neighbor's true ugliness will show. So sorry you are dealing with this!

[MickeyMousse]

Get your self a fence, plant some good, hardy bushes/trees that will grow tall (preferrably quickly) and make their view of your property even more difficult.

Bamboo is wonderful. Grows like wildfire! :thumbsup:

I think some people just have too much time on their hands.

My thoughts are with you during this tough time with your dog. Been there, done that and 8 years later it still hurts. :(

[Stitchahula]

First off let me tell you how sorry I am about your dog. I know how hard it is when things get really bad and there is nothing you can do for them (to make them better). As for your neighbor well as others have said get a fence put in as soon as you can. Maybe a stockade fence that they can't see threw. If the police do show up again tell them that there has been growing problems with your neighbor and what can you do to stop the increasing harassment. That will let you know that this is nothing more than a bad neighbor problem and maybe they can speak to your neighbor about filing false complaints. When I was growing up we had a horrible neighbor (we used to call him god) he used to stand on his hill looking down into our back yard. Complaining if we made too much noise with 8 children was there really any chance of not making noise. He also called the police on the fire department. They ran a hose from the hydrant to our pool to fill it for us when they used to do things like that. The police told them I sure hope your house never catches on fire after this. After a few phone calls and having the police come out for really stupid reason they figure out just what they are dealing with. Good luck

[DisneyDog]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. That is such a difficult decision to make, and so sad that your neighbors are interfering at this difficult time.

If I were you, I would try and take photographs of the cats in your yard and of the neighbor in your yard. That will give you evidence, rather than "he said, she said." And, it does sound like a fence is in order. Make it a tall one, as cats can jump.

[DizneyRox]

a. A dog that old, actually ANY dog/cat/etc., should not be outside if the water in a large bucket is freezing. That's too cold.
b. You do need to provide a level of shelter, food and water for the animal. The police probably had to check that out, another call for the same thing will probably not yeild anything.
c. Put up a no tresspassing sign on the border of the two properties.
d. Plant pricker bushes or some other type of plant that will stop intrusion into your yard. Or a fence will work as well. Remember to follow ALL TOWN ORDINANCES! You will probably have to have your property surveyed and pull a permit, etc. Your neighbor WILL make sure everything is up to par.
e. If you opt for a fence, paint the side facing your neighbors yard the brightest shade of flourescent pink, green, or orange you can find. Make it one color as I'm sure there are possible problems with it being an eyesore if it's mishmosh.

If it were me however, I would move. These problems are not going to go away and will escalate. If it's not one thing it will be another. The next time you entertain and someone parks wrong, or you make too much noise at night, or whatever it is. If he's right, there's nothing yo can do about it, he's ain't going to cut you any slack. Let it be someone elses problem.

[RenDuran]

If your dog is that old, I'm sure there are vet records galore to back you up as a good pet owner! I would have them call your vet. That will also document how old your dog is. Let's face it...dogs are like people and start to show their age. Sometimes, regardless of how awesome their care, they don't always look their best. When I worked at a local animal shelter we got calls about a certain horse all the time. The horse really did look bad, but we had already ascertained that she was in her mid-30's! The owners were doing everything they could for her.

And I would probably put another large bucket for water back out there.

I feel for you. I've had problems with my neighbors on several occassions, dealing with animal issues. It can get very heated.

[Mickey91]

a. A dog that old, actually ANY dog/cat/etc., should not be outside if the water in a large bucket is freezing. That's too cold.
b. You do need to provide a level of shelter, food and water for the animal. The police probably had to check that out, another call for the same thing will probably not yeild anything.
c. Put up a no tresspassing sign on the border of the two properties.
d. Plant pricker bushes or some other type of plant that will stop intrusion into your yard. Or a fence will work as well. Remember to follow ALL TOWN ORDINANCES! You will probably have to have your property surveyed and pull a permit, etc. Your neighbor WILL make sure everything is up to par.
e. If you opt for a fence, paint the side facing your neighbors yard the brightest shade of flourescent pink, green, or orange you can find. Make it one color as I'm sure there are possible problems with it being an eyesore if it's mishmosh.

If it were me however, I would move. These problems are not going to go away and will escalate. If it's not one thing it will be another. The next time you entertain and someone parks wrong, or you make too much noise at night, or whatever it is. If he's right, there's nothing yo can do about it, he's ain't going to cut you any slack. Let it be someone elses problem.

I would love to move. Believe me! Just not a possibility any time soon.
And as far as bring her being in the cold, actually, this dog loves the cold and hates the heat. She used to come out of her house and stand in the ice and snow(for which our old neighbors called the police) and run for cover in the sun or rain. She is part Chow and either Collie or Shepherd. LOTS OF HAIR! Anyhow, thanks for your ideas and sympathy. This is absolute torture.

I like the pricker bush idea.

[DizneyRox]

I like the pricker bush idea.
Plantings are usually not governed by town ordinances, etc. The problem you may have is when they grow into the neighbors yard. Sounds like you may also need to worry about the neighbor killing the plants.

You may want to invest in those motion sensor hunting cameras. That's why a fence is actually better, but more costly. Can't kill a fence. Nothing stopping the neighbor from "accidentally" pouring hot water on new plants and costing you a fortune!

It's a very bad situation... Neighbors stink!

[garymacd]

I was going to suggest security cameras also. They are relatively cheap now and can be connected directly to a computer so that you have a permanent record. Fences would also be a good idea.

You can also get water warmers that will stop it from freezing.

[Mickey91]

Yes... The fence has actually been bumped to number one on the list. We are in an old home and have been fixing it up for a while now. We usually do one major project a year and have had to hold off on doing anything since the gas prices went up last summer. But, the next project is getting a HUGE fence.

[Mickey91]

It is official...Puppy is gone.:(

[Tinkerfreak]

So Sorry to hear about your dog.

[Disney Doll]

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. :hug:

The sooner you get a fence the better. We had a problem neighbor once and having a good fence really made her tolerable. She eventually lost her house in foreclosure which I assumed was karma at work. :blush:

[Hull-onian]

I am sorry for the loss of your pet. We just lost Valentino three weeks ago. It is so sad. Our heart's go out to you at this time.:hug:

[joanna71985]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. :hug:

[merlinmagic4]

I'm sorry about your dog :(

[Magic Smiles]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I was reading through the thread and wasn't expecting to read that so soon. So sad.

[MickeyMousse]

Our sympathies go out to you and yours on the loss of your dog. :hug:

[TiggeRia]

I am so sorry about the loss of your dog :(

[Stitchahula]

I'm so sorry to hear about your pup.:(

[SBETigg]

My heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry for your loss.

[bouncer]

from one dog lover (I have 2 Black Labs - ages 10 & 2) to another-I am so sorry for your loss. They do leave a :paw: on your heart. Good luck with your future dealings with your neighbor. We had one like that as well (also foreclosed on) they blared their music, parked junk cars all around house, piled up scrap metal all over the back yard and their St. Bernard loved to use our yard for the restroom. We tried discussing things which came to no avail. :humph: We called police when they left ugly, oil dripping, inoperable vehicles parked in the street. Their answer to that was just push it into the yard next to the other heap of junk. After DH became really tired of picking up after our own dogs plus theirs he got to the point of scooping it with a shovel and flinging into their yard! Just when we thought we couldn't take it anymore a For Sale sign by Bank went up. :cloud9: If that doesn't appear to be in the cards for you maybe a fence is your last resort. We do have nice big pine trees and large lilac bushes that helped the ugly view but that won't stop your animal problem.

Again, so sorry for your loss and hope things improve with the rotten neighbor. :hug:

[beksy]

I'm so sorry for your loss. :hug:

[RenDuran]

I'm really sorry to hear about your dog. I know you'll miss him.

[jrkcr]

I'm very sorry to hear about your dog. :(

I would still get pictures of the cats, your neighbor in your yard with the cats, and any other times he comes near your property. Make sure the pictures have the date/time on them. Hidden motion sensor video cameras would be great!
And if it were me, I would go in to talk to the police in person about your problem, see if they offer any advice.

[Mickey91]

Thank you all so much for your kind words, prayers and condolences. It means so much to us to have such a wonderful Intercot family! We love you guys! Everyone in the family seems to be coping well but me. I am doing some better but still find myself crying. Thanks for the prayers! I really need them! God Bless you guys!

[thrillme]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've been through that too and unfortunately I have a 19/20 year old kitty that's been having a hard time lately. So I really feel for you.

Put up a fence if possible or plant lots of bamboo or bushes. Check out a feed supply store and you will find several HEATED water dishes that will help you out.

I have an outdoor dog as well. She has a dog house with lots of comfy blankets she goes into if she doesn't want to be in the weather. But a lot of the time she enjoys the cool and gets "frisky". We bring her in the garage at night if the weather's bad. We also bring her inside for a while for "family time". But we have to watch the cat food.

We also only feed her in the evening because otherwise she'll just watch the birds take her food.

It stinks having a nasty neighbor. But sometimes these people have a lot of their own misery going on.

[MickeyMousse]

Thank you all so much for your kind words, prayers and condolences. It means so much to us to have such a wonderful Intercot family! We love you guys! Everyone in the family seems to be coping well but me. I am doing some better but still find myself crying. Thanks for the prayers! I really need them! God Bless you guys!

You'll be crying for awhile, and that's ok. Even after losing our sweet eskie Harmony, almost 8 years ago, I still can get teary thinking about her. :(
Give yourself time to heal. :hug:

[DisneyOtaku]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog :-(

I agree with everyone who has said fence and security camera. Really hard to disprove video footage.