Psycho Neighbor - worried for my boxers

[imported_Elizabeth Coleman]

HI - I have two beautiful brindle boxers who would just as soon lick you to death as hurt a flea... we put a huge fence around the yard so they would have plenty of space to play - but my neighbor, is crazy. Every time she goes outside she will start throwing rocks at my dogs & bangs her rake on the fence. At first we tried to accomodate, we have put no-bark collars on both dogs, put up tarps so she can't see the dogs, etc., and spoken with her & her husband to no avail. We have been able to remove the no bark collars, as both dogs only will bark 1 warning bark if anyone approaches the fence. Then they approach, tails wagging. She threatened to get a gun and shoot them, so we called the police. Three reports to the cops later, she continually approaches the dogs and screaming obscenities, hurls rocks their way. I am worried about my pups... I don't want them to learn any mean-ness from her. Any ideas? As far as the cops were concerned, they warned her pretty heftily last time. Because she had threatened to get the gun, and left the message on our machine, they (under some new Homeland Security thing) have her on a watch list for purchasing firearms. Legally, I don't think there is anything else we can do - but I am concerned about the dogs learning bad behaviour as well as them getting hurt... any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks, E

[imported_collielover]

Let me tell you about three other dogs that were done this way.

My parents started raising Chows. They purchased a chow back when I was a teen. At the time they lived outside of Denver. Their chow was very friendly. They breed her and had pups. At some point (I was an adult off on my own) they had two dogs that they were breeding and having pups. They then moved into this house in Denver with their two dogs. The next door neighboor's kids started throwing rocks over the fence at the dogs. At some point the two dogs had pups again... this time my brother asked if he could keep one of the pups. Then my parents had three dogs.

Over the years the three dogs have been terrorized by the neighboorhood kids. Finally, I move back to Colorado with my young little kids. The dogs no longer likes kids. My kids can't go in the yard when they are theire because they are scared. They bark the entire time and act like they are going to attack the kids.

Over time the dogs get worse. Now only the owners can go into the backyard without the dogs acting like that. My parents still welcome guests over to the house and visit with them in the backyard with the dogs there. Sometimes the dogs are locked up and sometimes they are loose. If there are kids present they lock them up so the dogs will not attack the children. Before adults go outside with the dogs loose, my brother holds up a broom to threaten the dogs so they will stop barking and positioning themselves ready to attack.

Frankly it is very scary going into their backyard. I hate to go back there. I remember a time when the chows were friendly. I know that over the years the dogs have gotten more and more aggressive due to the neighbor.

If there is something you can do, you better do it. Check with the law and the district attorney about charges for animal cruelty. I would get them on camera or something to proove they are doing this and have them fined.

There are cameras that you can purchase really cheep off of the internet that work off of motion. They are available as cordless cameras too. You can attach one to your house and have it monitor the fence and see when they are throwing things. If you mount it high enough right under the eves you may beable to watch their side of the fence and catch them throwing rocks over the fence. You can then feed the signal out of the receiver into a VCR and record everything. Then you have your proof. Their are laws all over that protects animals. Go to www.x10.com

Once you register with them or get on their mailing list, you will receive tons of emails. What is nice is that every month they are running great specials. All you need to do is wait until they get a special on the system that you are looking for. Check out all their camers and decide which one would be the best for you. They also quickly respond to any questions that you have.

We purchased a system for our 5th wheel so that we could see what is behind us when we are pulling the trailer. It has come into use for several other reasons. It is a great spy thing.

Look.... basically you have two choices. Either you stop them from what they are doing which is going to cost you at least $200 or you save your money now and allow them to keep it up and then your dogs will be ruined for life.

Trust me... if you allow the dogs to be ruined by the neighbor, there is nothing you can do but put the dogs down. The dogs will only rely on you and inside the house for safety. They will never trust other people again. You will never be able to have company over the house without the dogs getting very upset.

To give you more information about the three dogs. Well, the two parents finally died of old age. The male died four months after my father died. He got really depressed and with his old age just gave up after my father died. The female died shortly after the male. They were about the same age. Now it has been three years and their pup is now really old too. He has all the age related problems that coems with getting old. At most he has about a year and then he will go too.

The young children next door may have grown and gone but they left their marks on my parents and their dogs. My brother who talked my parents into keeping the dog for him, did try to take the dog with him when he moved out but the dog did not do well. The dog missed being with his parents. He refused to eat and would not play or anything. My brother was forced to bring the dog back.

If you really love your dogs then you will do something. Your neighboor can affect how the dogs will observe the world. Once the dogs are terrified of their surroundings, then they will get defensive. The more scared they are the more defensive they will become. At some point they will turn very aggressive.

[imported_Jen]

Hi Elizabeth...unfortun ately I know what you are going through in a way. At our old house, our neighbors to the back of us did not like us because we refused to cut down a gigantic cotton tree. We didn't refuse to be spiteful, we didn't even like the tree, but, the estimate was over $1000.00 to have the work done and we couldn't afford it. Next thing we know, rancid food items enticing to dogs(bones, etc) were somehow ending up in our yard - and sure enough - we had 3 vomiting dogs.Then it progressed to one of our dogs in particular getting incredibly sick on several occassions and had the vet asking about poison. We could never prove anything and we ended up moving.The illnesses stopped. If I were you, I would contact your local humane society or animal control to help you. There are laws about threatening and attempting to injure animals although each state has it's own standards.I would also contact the police again. Have you considered an electric fence?It sounds like your dogs do not have a problem with not touching the fence so....it may encourage your neighbor to back off, at the very least I doubt she would be touching it with her rake anymore.I know that probably sounds sadistic but after what we went through, I am even more protective of my babies. Another option, if it is affordable, is a hedge fence.....you can get flower type bushes or trees to line the fence. If they are thick enough then she shouldn't even be able to see your dogs unless she's trying to, if she does, you call the police.I hope I don't sound harsh or as psychotic as your neighbor...I'm just very protective of animals and I hate to think about the road you may be heading down. Before anything else, call your animal control office. Please keep us posted and I'll be thinking of you. Jen

[Eric Moreira]

Are you very attached to your current living quarters? I know it is drastic but if I had any choice in a situation like that I would find a new place to live. Quality of life is a very nice thing to have and living next to some F'ed up neighbors like that does not sound fun at all. Just think of how you will feel if they flip out and actually kill one? Sure, they would go to jail, but animal cruelty is never a very harsh crime compared to killing a person. Then your mind would be filled with "What-ifs" for a long time.

Just my 2 cents.

[Justine Archuleta]

Can you get a really high fence until you know what you are going to do. That way your neighbor cannot see the dogs and therefore will miss if she throws rocks. I think that you should get a camera. That is a very good idea. Best of luck, and hope your babies will be alright.

[Renee]

Why are your dogs outside unattended? Are they stictly outside dogs? I would have to recommend against any kind of electric fence or no bark collar. Your dogs might very well start to make negative associations with people let alone the crazy neighbor who is trying to hurt them. The best solution here is to not let the dogs outside unless you are there to watch. A 6 foot privacy fence would also be a nice addition to the backyard - if it is in the budget. But if you watch your dogs when they are outside, then no harm can come to them.

[Jen Greaves]

I would definitely start only having the dogs outside with you and not unattended. If you're there then the neighbour can't do anything. I also agree with simply moving, if I'm in a bad situation I just remove myself from it, there are some people that will never change their views on animals. I have recently met someone that had three dogs, a neighbour reported the dogs to the police saying that they had killed a deer, with no investigating or questions the police simply came and shot the dogs on the neighbours word, there was no deer, that could be found anyways. The owner came home and found his dogs shot. The police said it was because the dogs were "aggresive". It doesn't take much for a dog to get labelled as aggressive and unfortunately it takes ALOT for people to get labelled the same way.
Best of luck, hopefully your neighbour will move away.

[Cecile Vargo]

What a sad situation. Is there anyway a portion of your yard away from these neighbors can be set aside for your dog? My yard is divided in two so I can have a garden and the dogs can have a yard to play in that is safe for them & they can't tear up the garden. I don't have a neighbor problem - just wanted a garden that wasn't going to be torn up all of the time. But depending on the configuration and size of your yard - maybe you can do something similar?

[aussiesmum]

My parents have a sort of aggressive dog and they fenced in their yard about 1 meter inside the property line. That way, if someone gets biten, they have clearly been messing with the dog (on the property, gotten through chicken wire).

Not really your situation (you could just double fence, so the regular fence then a fence in about 1 meter inside from the regular fence). But will keep a better distance from the dog and neighbors.

That aside, call the cops again. Make notes (very clear and specific notes) of times and days and actions. Documenet EVERYTHING. Call the cops AND animal control. Animal control deals with issues of animal cruelty, in every situation. Your nieghbor is engaging in that (rock throwing). Call anyone and everyone you can think of. Call the cops first, ask them what else they can do. I imagine she is also guilty of distrubing the peace.

[Elizabeth Coleman]

First off - I want to thank everyone who responded - you all gave some great ideas and it helps to get the feedback - to answer some questions...
Lucy & Oliver are brindles from the same litter - they have never shown aggression, and so far, so good, they haven't as a result of our crazy neighbor. Their worst habit is trying to emulate our oldest dog, an Italian Greyhound who can do a vertical leap that would make Michael Jordan jealous. Oliver is 90 lbs and pretty much keeps to the ground... but Lucy tries to copy the Greyhound's vertical leap and has as a result had to endure a cast for 6 weeks from a pulled muscle. (She's perfectly ok, now) We have been working with her to stop jumping, and she's getting much better. Several of you asked about the dogs being outside, unattended. They both get walks in the morning (separately) and then they play outside until around 4 PM when they come inside with me. They sleep inside every night. I want them to be accustomed to living in and out side - not only so they have better care, but so they know how to behave around company, etc. Both boxers like to play, alot, so the yard is almost 3/4 of an acre. GIves them plenty of room to dig, play, run & survey. The property backs up to woods - so we get our fair share of deer. We are going to put slats in the fence (it's chain link) to restrict the view of the neighbor to the dogs and are taking your suggestions for a camera. I called the Humane Society, and they said the best we could do was to get visual evidence that she is instigating them. Just the last few days, she has left her porch and walked to the fence, (both dogs were sleeping in the middle of the yard) screaming and neither Lucy or Oliver has risen to the challenge... they both cock their heads and look at her quizically. The Humane people thought that if I could get some of her actions on tape it would further strengthen our case - and if it got any worse, we could take her to court for cruelty - but we have to show not only that we have done everything to accomodate, but also that both dogs are non-aggressive. There's a "rule of thumb" (unwritten, of course) that they use in cases like this where the dog has to continally bark, non-stop, for 30 minutes at a time, repeatedly and neither of our dogs do that at all = so that's in our favor as well. I'm glad we could remove the no-bark collars, too. The other option is to add a natural hedge of low branching bushes or trees, but we are going to try the slats and the camera first. As to the non-aggression - we have worked with a dog trainer to train both the boxers & the greyhound and I spoke with him & he is willing to help with the non-aggressive stuff if it ever comes to a court situation. SOOOO, you all helped immensely with your ideas and suggestions and I will keep you posted as to how things go. Thanks! E

[heathea]

What a horrible person. I just read this thread and am apalled. I mean, what the heck is she thinking? I tend to be a bit confrontational. which is not a good thing. But have you thought about spending some quality time in the yard while the dogs are out there? I would sit there, in my lawn chair and read a book. as soon as the lady came out and yelled, I would probably yell back. Or, I would watch and every time you saw her out, I would go out. Maybe your presence would stop her antagonizing your dogs. Failing the new taller fence (which is a good idea) I would look into that it may be time to put your dogs inside. It won't hurt them and may save them. I know to your mind it sounds cruel, but I truly believe it would be safer and better for them in the long run. I am so sorry you have to go through with this. I live in a duplex where my attached neighbor has a chihuahua mix and I have 2 large dogs. When she is outside she talks to my big girl, who stands on the fence and listens too her with her head cocked. it is kind of funny. But I am always keeping an eye on them out there and if they start barking at the other neighbors I am quick to call them in. I just don't want to risk poisonings or other problems.
I wish you all the good luck in the world and sympathize with you greatly. Please keep in touch and let us know what is happening, I am incredibly interested to see how this turns out.

Most importantly though, is to keep you and your dogs safe. If you sense any threat to you if you are outside with your dogs, have a phone handy to call 911 immediately. Don't put yourself or your puppies in danger.

Heather

[Susan Medlin]

Elizabeth,
I read your post for the first time today and was appalled!! It sounds like Dr. Phil material! How old is this woman? Is she suffering from Alzheimers or Dementia? Did you have problems with her before the dogs?
Please let us know how things are going!
Susan