It’s been said that good fences make good neighbors. This is especially true when the neighbors are less than savory characters, and doubly so if they can’t keep control of their noisy dogs, or their tempers.
This was the situation facing one Redditor after she finally got over her fear of strange dogs and started using her yard more. Having had enough of her neighbors’ poorly behaved animals, she spent more time out there on purpose, but things got heated after the neighbors tried telling her what to do.
More info:Reddit
RELATED:
Image credits:Blue Bird / pexels (not the actual photo)
She’d always avoided using her yard because her neighbors’ dogs would charge the fence, but started using it more after she got past her fear
Image credits:katemangostar / freepik (not the actual photo)
She would let her dogs out in the yard when the neighbors had theirs inside, but would go inside if they let them out
Image credits:cjanes96 / imgur
When she refused to go inside one day, her neighbors cursed at her, but she told them their dogs were the problem and stood her ground
Image credits:u/cjanes96
She plans on installing a visual blockade so their dogs can’t see hers, but will let the rude neighbors stew for a while
Her neighbors have four loud and reactive dogs that charge the fence whenever they see anyone on the other side, including her own twodogs. This had stopped her from using her yard for the past two summers. Now that she’s worked through her fears, she’s started to spend most of herweekendstrying to enjoy the space, along with her dogs.
For a long time, OP says she’d take her dogs inside whenever her neighbors let theirs out. That was until one Sunday when theneighborsonce again let their dogs out, which behaved badly as usual, forcing OP to take her dogs inside. This time the neighbor cursed at her about keeping her door shut.
OP decided in the future she’d stand her ground and keep her dogs out even when the neighbors do the same. So, the next time it happened, the neighbor’s dogs went berserk, forcing the neighbor to chase them around her owngarden. OP says she plans to put up some kind of visual blockade but may put that off for a week or two, just to annoy the neighbor.
Image credits:freepik / freepik (not the actual photo)
OP’s petty revenge seems low-key compared to her neighbors’ brutish behavior, but, if she wants to up her game, she could go the legal route.
Before she can get the law involved, however, she’ll need to reach out to the neighbors in writing, ideally with an email, so she has evidence. Perhaps she can convince them to have their dogs trained, but that seems unlikely, especially considering their past behavior.
If that doesn’t resolve anything, there are always noise ordinances to fall back on.
According to the Kinetics Noise Controlwebsite, noise ordinances are laws which limit the allowable noise level(s) at different times of day for different zoned areas (i.e. residential, commercial, industrial). The maximum allowable noise levels are usually higher during daytime hours and lower during the night.
OP could get a copy of her local noiseordinanceswith the relevant parts underlined or highlighted and give them to her neighbors, along with keeping a copy for herself; it’ll certainly help her case if she wants to escalate things.
If the problem persists, OP would be well within her legal rights to call the police to investigate the noise level. In the case of barking dogs, she’d also be free to get the local animal control agency involved.
Before OP decides to sue in small claims court, there’s one more option available to her: mediation. According to the Super Lawyerswebsite, mediation is a process in which trained attorneys facilitate a compromise between parties. It’s one of the most effective conflict-resolution techniques, successful around 60% of the time with the participants generally satisfied with the process.
Bray went on to say, “The more the long-suffering neighbor can prove she’s been reasonable and document what has happened (such as with photos, copies of messages sent, and so on), the better the odds of coming out ahead. Before that happens, it’s of course worth considering mediation. Having a neutral third-party in the room can do wonders for calming everyone down and reaching an acceptable compromise.”
Thanks! Check out the results:
Social Issues
