I would knock on the door, introduce myself, welcome the family to the neighborhood and say, "I'd like to talk to you about our property lines. I'm concerned about your children's safety and would like to come up with some ideas to protect them that work for all of us."

Whatever you say, stay calm, matter of fact, give them the benefit of the doubt. Behave as though you EXPECT them to be reasonable people ( as well as people who give a da**, which, of course, we know they don't!) Treat them respectfully and frame your presentation in terms that are in their best interest.

If you only make it about you and what you don't like or want, they will probably turn a deaf ear, or worse, want to prove that they aren't people to be "pushed around." Of course, you are entitled to certain rights, but imo, if you emphasize that over your "concern for the children" I don't think you'll get very far with these people.

If they resist and insist that the children are fine chopping down your fruit trees, just counter back, be insistent too (but calm). "Yes, I realize they are skilled with power tools, but I can't watch them 24/7 and I'd rather err on the side of caution."

This is tough. These people don't give a hoot about your property or their children. If you try to guide them to SEE THEMSELVES as people who are honorable, who indeed do care about their children and other's property, I think you may have some success. If you give them the impression that you think they're good for nothin' low lifes, you may have more trouble on your hands! Diplomacy!

I feel for you as there is absolutely no excuse for what your neighbors are doing. I'm assuming that there's no fence between the two properties. Can you afford to put up and inexpensive fence bordering the sides & back of your property? If so, I'd sure do it. Then there'd be no excuse for them to "not know" where the property line is. That surely won't solve all of the problems though. My fear is that not only could their children will be hurt by their actions but YOU will.
Growing up, my parents had problems with a neighbor not respecting property lines in a neighborhood of two or more acres plus large farms. My parents had two two acres. Luckily the back was fenced - old fence that a neighbors cattle got through once in a while and of course stomped through the garden - but they were always very apologetic, finally replacing it. The sides weren't. The neighbor boys were always up in a tree or playing on my folks property. At least they weren't destructive or dangerous to us like your's are. My folks put a plain 'ol farm fence and the problem was solved. They were still pain in the rear but at least they moved after a couple of years.
Is a surveilance camera an option?
Wish I had a better suggestion...

I'd be investing in a fence of some type to keep them out. Signs aren't going to do it.
These people obviously know nothing about personal boundaries.
I'd say as little as possible to them.
Call the police when they pull crap which puts you and your property in danger and don't feel bad about it.
When you caught the kids in your yard you should have called the police and reported the vandalism of the tree. Then sent mom and dad a bill for the tree. You need to send a message that you are not a doormat and that when people violate your space you will fight back each and EVERY time.
Every time they get away with something makes them think it's okay to continue to abuse your property.

Put up a fence and put your "No Trespassing" signs on it. I suspect adding camera surveilance would only escalate the problem. These are not people to listen to reason, so I don't see the point in trying to talk to them. Just put up the fence.

You might ask the police if there are any other things you can/should do.

Does this family own or rent?

I agree with those who suggest installing fencing, and I'd do it around as much of your property as you can afford, along with adding no trespassing signs. I also like the idea of a security camera.

Even if it wasn't too late for the "welcome to the neighborhood" crap, it wouldn't have made a difference. People who have acted a certain way all their lives aren't suddenly going to change their behavior just because they're being treated cordially. These Neanderthals need to learn that there are consequences for their behavior.

Build the fence and call the cops if they're caught trespassing or vandalizing your place.

How much do you want to bet the father broke the window when he was target shooting? I wouldn't worry about the kids getting stung if they were messing around on your property - serves them right. Of course the ony problem is these neighbors are probably the type of trash to sue you (and probably win) because of it. Rather than a fence, I would suggest a few bear traps, a pit with sharp spikes in the bottom and some bouncing betties, but I suppose that would be frowned upon.

You cannot reason with unreasonable people. You are better off to have as little contact with them as possible.

Good luck!

This sounds very much like neighbors at our last house. We had woods in the back of our property, although it was a city lot. The neighbor told us it was a great place for (his) kids to play! We also had a pond where I found his kids which was on the other end of the property. Things went downhill from there. Fence! They even fought putting up the fence, but it solved many problems. The neighbors were a problem until we moved, but at least we didn't have their friends and renters constantly in our yard.

Wholeheartedly agree with calling the police every single time these people or their kids cross onto your property line. I wouldn't trust them to set foot on your property being that they have, on multiple occasions, behaved dangerously towards your property. I would have been LIVID with the kids damaging my trees...you may want to call an arborist to see if the damage could open your tree up for disease. Then bill them for damages if they indeed caused damage. I don't know how cost effective this would be, but it would send a message that they are in no way to be touching your plants.

Keep in mind that idiots are everywhere and you may get worse if you up and move. Last thing you should do is allow them to chase you off. Stand your ground and love your home. Put up a simple fence and maybe even mail them a copy (certified/return receipt) of the plot line. Then they couldn't say they didn't know if/when you have to sue them. Keep a log of every interaction you have with these people...including every time you have to call the police.
Oh, and don't be afraid of snapping a picture of them or the kids in the act of crossing your property line.

Put up a fence and get a few Rottweilers.

Jane

I tried the friendly neighbor approach and also made it about the safety of their kids and not about me. That was the first thing I tried. After that he set up his target ON my property line facing my house so obviously that didn't go over well. I really love my new house and the area but its very uncomfortable having to worry about what they are going to do next. We recently gutted our basement and a bathroom and had a dumpster sitting in the driveway for the trash. Well one of the neighbor's girls was climbing into the dumpster going through things. I yelled at her (I'm the mean lady next door now) but I just can't imagine people letting their kids just run wild and not caring where they are and what they are doing. Wow.

"but I just can't imagine people letting their kids just run wild and not caring where they are and what they are doing. "

Oh good lord! You said they were 10-13, not 2-4. Part of the reason to live in the country on a big lot is so your kids CAN run around and you don't have to worry about them getting into too much trouble. Up until a generation or so ago, micromanaging the play habits of a 13 year old would have been unthinkable. Parents told their kids to "go play" early in the morning and didn't see them again until the kids got hungry.

Of course, the flip side of that is that if you found out your 13 year old had ripped the branches off of a neighbor's tree, you would have gotten a caning with those very branches.

Anyway, the old saying is that good fences make good neighbors. If you don't want someone walking on your property to retrieve a wayward arrow, then get yourself a tall fence. If you don't want any of the hassle, move. It isn't like there is a shortage of reasonably priced houses right now.

How emotionally and financially invested are you in this house? I agree with everyone about the fence, police, and not letting them push you around. That said, I grew up with neighbors like that and it was not fun. We lived on a farm that had been in the family 100 years so moving was not an option. Bow and arrow practice, trained attack dogs wandering around loose (can you say illegal activity?). They even threw garbage over the fence that killed livestock. So, if you move will you ever see them again? If so, stand your ground now. You are right and they are destructive jerks. You should not have to move. But is being right worth the annoyance. It may be. I seem to be the only one who would consider moving, but you have a special breed of neighbors. 40 years and my parents neighbors haven't changed (except that they are too old to shoot bow and arrows) so I have doubts about yours changing. Can you take the pressure? I am sorry if I sound negative, just sharing my experience

maybe you can run them off!

When the kids got into the dumpster you should have called the cops. Dumpster diving is illegal and dangerous.
You need to send them a message thru your actions that they aren't welcomed. Yelling at them isn't working.

We still don't know if the neighbors own the property or are renting it. If they are renters, perhaps the OP could contact the owner of the property. I would imagine that people who have such poor regard for other's property probably do not maintain their own residence well, and the owner would probably like to know.

Can you buy their house and rent to people you choose? ARE they tenants, or are they the owners? Have YOU owned property before this?

I hear that you are outraged by your neighbors' behavior, which is not up to your standards (or ours). Sorry to say it, but I'm also hearing a little of that crabby old man in every neighborhood who sits in the front window, primed and waiting for some kid to give him the chance to yell, "GET OFF MY GRASS!" He, of course, becomes the neighborhood target -- no pun intended.

Put up the fence. Speak to the police of your concerns. Don't talk to these people. (Don't 'snub' them; just avoid them.)

Good fences make good neighbors. So do large dogs. Rotties are lovable lumps that will lick you to death, but they sure do have a mean bark. If you need an excuse for the fence, you can always blame it on getting the dog.

If you decide on a fence, don't spend a lot of money on it. They will ruin it. It will be the perfect backdrop for target practice and it won't stop the arrows from flying over the top into your yard.

Be prepared for it to get ruined, at least on their side.

They own the house, and they aren't selling so its not like I can buy them out if I wanted too. I wouldn't want to own the house anyway- it is a doublewide that isn't on a foundation- one of those places banks have a hard time loaning money on. I heard that the guy's father bought it for them. I don't know for sure. As far as the kids, I could care less what they do on their property but if they aren't smart enough to stay out of a dumpster or off my property, then their parents need to watch them, I don't care how old they are. I never let my dogs out and just go inside, I always keep an eye on them and make sure they aren't disturbing anyone or going near the road. I do plan to put a fence up (a nice chicken wire fence that will be painted on my side and nice and rusty and ugly on their side. And yes I know I sound a bit like the crabby old man that screams "Get off my grass" that every neighborhood has. I grew up in the country. You played with the neighbor kids, you visited your neighbors but you respected their property and never just messed with their stuff or ran around uninvited. These kids have woods behind their house (that they own) and beside their house away from my property. So they have plenty of places to play without being on my land or climbing through my dumpster.

Move. A few years ago I lived next door to neighbors known as the Evils. I tried all the tactics that everyone suggested. I started out nice. Actually, at first I had visions that the woman and I would be friends. But the trouble escalated. Being nice didn't work. Ignoring them, even when they were trespassing on our property right in front of us (to annoy us) didn't work. Calling the cops every single time they did something didn't work. They trespassed, vandalized, harassed, set fires and shot guns in our direction to scare us, robbed us, poisoned our beloved dogs (who were spayed females behind Invisible Fence--they had to come on to our 53 acres to kill them), and the husband assaulted me with a hammer in the street when I filed a Stay Away notice against them. They got away with it all. There was always a reason the law couldn't do anything. I should have moved when the trouble first started. I remember crying to my friend on the phone and she said, "Either move, or go down there and make friends with them." I went down there and thought I made nice. I hate to say it but when they did the first thing to us, my husband should have gone down there and beat the living crap out of the husband and nipped it in the bud. But we're civilized and we thought they were rational and civilized people. People like that you can't reason with. It was two years of living hell and I'm still traumatized by it five years later. I swear I have post traumatic stress disorder and my husband and daughter have been affected too. The only consolation I have is that God put me next door to the most wonderful neighbors in the world now. And the Evils have since been in the newspaper, finally being arrested for various crimes they've done, plus they are divorced and the crap is hitting the fan for them. What goes around comes around. Anyway, I say move. Your peace of mind is not worth a house.

Put up the fence...pronto. Make sure it does not encroach on their property.It will make it easier for the Police to charge them with trespassing...as without a fence they can't be sure of where your property begins and theirs ends.
Also, get a security camera or two aimed at the areas most often trespassed upon...and record it all, backed up on a hard drive. This will enable you to prove a demonstrated pattern.

This will give you the proof you will need to have them charged. In addition, there seems to be an issue with child endangerment as well...and if these kids are injured on your property (dumpster diving, tree climbing, or hit by one of daddy's arrows) you will be screwed.
Enough footage on that can be used to support a call to child protective services.

Otherwise, it will just be "he said, she said".

loveinthehouse, why did you put up invisible fencing? That's not even recommended to keep dogs safe, let alone people.

If a physical fence won't do it, then put up electrified fencing with the appropriate signage and security cameras. Although you don't want to live in an armed fortress, you need to protect yourself and your family from idiots who resort to physical violence.

"loveinthehouse, why did you put up invisible fencing? That's not even recommended to keep dogs safe, let alone people."

Who says? My vet recommends it. We have used it for over 25 years. No problems. Once the dog knows where the wire is they never get shocked. Our 2 year old adopted harrier learned very quickly, and has never attempted an escape.

Who says? I think the fact that "the evils" were able to poison the dogs is evidence enough.

An invisible fence may keep your animals in, but it doesn't keep predators--both the two-legged and four-legged variety--out. Also dog-napping has been on the rise, and many times dogs that are stolen out of yards are used as bait dogs in dog-fighting rings. Is that how you'd like to see your dogs meet their end?

"An invisible fence may keep your animals in, but it doesn't keep predators--both the two-legged and four-legged variety--out."

No that's what the dog is for :)

To get him out of the yard, they would have to drive into my driveway and pull up next to the back door or walk up our long driveway and try to catch him to get the collar off. This while he is barking and raising hell, and by now every hair on his back standing up.

I agree with cas66ragtop, if someone is that determined to steal a dog a wooden fence isn't going to stop them.

OT: The problem with invisible fencing is that it cannot stop anything coming IN. The shock line prevents your pet from getting out even to escape a danger. It's not so different from staking a dog in a yard unattended -- he can't escape a predator...or a fire or wasps, etc. Guess the only safe option is to be outside or watching whenever your dog is out.

OP: I'd put up the (physical) fence, expect some further outrageous behavior in response, ignore it if minor, hope for the best...and give myself a deadline to move on if things escalate beyond what are currently minor annoyances. Perhaps they will move on, behavoir-wise or literally!

You say this family moved in three months ago. I would be unhappy and discouraged about this family too, but your list of grievances doesn't sound as dramatic to me as it seems to you. A window in your barn was broken. A *girl* pulled 'branches' off your apple tree and hit it (didn't chop it) with an axe. A target was set up in a dangerous position. A kid investigated your dumpster. Mostly you just don't like these people, but are you actually *afraid* of them? (If you are, the security camera is a good idea.)

We can't project standards of behavior on others. As long as you let let them provoke you they'll amuse themselves by trying to get a rise out of their 'High and Mighty' neighbor.

When I put up the Invisible Fence, it had nothing to do with the evil neighbors. It was when we first moved there because the house was close to the road and even though it was a back country road, and even though my dogs were never outside without me, I was afraid my dogs would wander into the street and all it takes is one second. It was highly recommended by my vet and other animal lover friends of mine and now I highly recommend it too. If your purpose is to keep dogs safely on your property. Not to keep neighbors out! lol We had a farm and so I was able to fence in three or four acres for the dogs relatively cheaply. And like the other poster said, all it took was one shock during the training and they never tested it again.

Like I said, the evil neighbors were coming on to our property just to annoy us. We'd be out there gardening or sitting on the porch and they'd see us so they'd pull into our far driveway by our hay barn and then back out again. I remember the day Pup-Pup got poisoned. We saw them. We said to ourselves, "Just ignore them. They're just trying to rile us up." The next morning Pup-Pup was sick. We rushed her to the vet. It was antifreeze. She died. The vet explained that all it takes is a teaspoon of the stuff on a cookie. We realized when the Evils pulled into our driveway was when they must have thrown out a poisoned cookie. Too bad Invisible Fence can't protect against evil people. We ended up having to move. But I think Chiuse is right. She put it into perspective. A broken window, kids climbing an apple tree... doesn't sound so bad. I don't know! I just have no patience for it after what happened to me!

I get that you are saying what they are doing is no big deal but I can't take it. I'm a civilized person and I don't appreciate "white trash" living next door to me. And I can't stand undisciplined kids. Yesterday we were outside standing in the driveway and the 11 year old girl had a bb gun and pointed it straight at me (while standing on MY property and said "I'm going to shoot you" Then she started shooting bbs at my shed. The dad yelled at her to get over on their property and play on the other side of their house. She clearly whined "but I'm on OUR property" and he said just stay over here until they leave and then you can shoot their shed. I also witnessed one of the girls lure a dog into the road (Not their dog) with food and sit the food on the yellow center line and then watch it eat and stand there. the dog could have been hit and killed if someone came around the curve.

While invisible fences may work for some dogs, they don't work for all...not by a long shot.
They have been known to cause fear aggression due to the shock. This makes the dog more likely to bite humans and other dogs who enter the property. Then, there are some dogs don't care about the shock; they will bolt through if motivated enough and are then at risk for getting hit by a car, kidnapped, or fought by another animal.

IMO, they are in essence cruel because a predator can enter and exit at will, but the poor dog must endure a shock to escape..which for some dogs could mean death from the predator if they choose not to get shocked....and possible death if they bolt through. All too often they result in no win situations for the poor dog. And, there is always the battery replacement issue...where people forget to check and change regulatory, and before you know it you have an escaped dog.

Last but not least, I know of two dogs that repeatedly dug up the wire.

They are hardly the most reliable containment system...and are definitely NOT in the best interests of the dog.

If you know the owner's of the dog she tried to kill, I would make sure they were aware of the incident. I would also consider reporting the parent's to CPS (or the appropriate entity) regarding her threat to shoot you and the parent giving his ok to discharge a firearm on your property. This is unreal!

I would also get that fence, no trespassing signs and security cameras up ASAP, and start documenting EVERYTHING you can about this family. Call your local police department and ask for advice. You may need an attorney to find out what your legal options are.

Good luck.

You certainly called the police to report this recent incident!! I can't imagine anyone in their right mind not calling the police to file and official report concerning such an incident. Not trying to be ugly, but it's a bit mind boggling (not to mention annoying) to think of you taking your time to get on here and write your complaints, but not taking the time to notify the legal authority of threats against you and your property. Either stand up for yourself legally or quit complaining to the nice people here who have given you good advice.

Logic, I bet some people have trouble with the Invisible Fence from not doing the proper training. It takes time and dedication and in my case, only involved one shock. Dogs are smart. But you've got to do the training. I've never had any problems with the fence and don't know of any of my friends having problems. I can assure you that my dogs were happy and healthy and lived a wonderful life until the evil neighbors killed them. Perhaps if the Invisible Fence turned them "people-aggressive" like you suggest happens, they'd be alive today and they would have ripped those neighbors' arms off! But you know what they used to do? They'd run to the fence boundary when they saw people and sit there wiggling, hoping they were getting a visit. But to each his own, right? Lots of different kinds of fences in the world. Obviously you're a real animal lover and I think that's great and much more important that what kind of fence you use.

LITH - I think it depends on the dog. Our first dog was too smart for it. He would literally back up as far as he could then run as fast as he can through the IF field. He would roam the fields then come back at dinner time and go lay in the yard across the street and wait for us to come take his collar off. Since we were one of the first IF customers (early 80's) the guaranteed it, so they kept coming out to re-train him. The guy would leave, and "Sonny" would wait about 5 minutes then bolt. We gave up. He finally got old enough to not want to roam anymore.

After I got married we took the system to our house. Worked great for our 7 year old German Shepherd and later for out Australian Shepherd puppy. The German Shepherd got out once, but I don't blame her. Lightning struck a tree about 50 feet from her dog house, and blew out the IF circuit board. I would have run like hell too. I had to replace the batteries for the Aussie more frequently. She was a "tester".

Our current dog is a Harrier that we adopted last summer. He trained very quickly and understands when we take the collar off and he's on the leash he can walk through fine. It took him about a week to learn his boundaries. I don't think he tests them.

I have never seen the fence turn our dogs aggresive. The Harrier puts on an act, barking at strangers, but he does the same thing when we are at our reno house (chain link fence there). He's actually harmless and wouldn't hurt anybody.

I know there are a lot of people who think the IF systems are cruel, but we will have to just agree to disagree. Our local humane society thinks dogs should be indoors at all times unless you take them out on a leash, because dogs that are outside "bark" and they don't want the complaints. Personally, I think that's cruel.

Barb, I'm surprised you were able to walk your Harrier dog though it after you took the collar off. He must really trust you. I wanted one of my dogs to come with me when I was riding my horse on our trails and so I took her collar off and attempted to CARRY her through the fence and ha ha, she went crazy squirming and wriggling in my arms until she got free and ran back to the yard area! I learned I had to put them in the truck and drive them through the boundary and then I could let them out, lol.

That Humane Society. I love the dog pounds and volunteer for them and actually I used to be an animal control officer for a Humane Society years ago, but I'll tell you, some of them can be fanatical. Keeping dogs inside so they don't bark... Sheesh. Perhaps we should discuss the bark collar? Yikes! Only kidding.

Newhomeseeker,
Move.
don't spend a dime on the fence.
Life is too short.
Sign with a realtor and start looking for your
new, secluded home.
There are a milllion great deals out there now.

We had Rottweilers for almost 20 years and had our acre fenced in with a chain link. Rotties are very smart and one of our females learned to open the gates. We had to padlock the gates which was inconvenient. Our dogs were very friendly and were show dogs. We traveled to shows, stayed in motels and were very sweet, loved people.

Padlocking the gates didn't work well as people would forget to lock the gates (they would close the gate but not padlock it) and they were constantly getting out. It was a nightmare because people were so afraid of them and we were afraid the police would shoot them. Telling people the dogs were friendly didn't work well. Most people are afraid of large dogs. At that point we decided to add an invisible fence along the chain link fence. At that time, we had 4 Rotts.

All four dogs learned, very quickly that if they crossed the flags, they would get shocked. Unfortunately, the same female leaned how to kill the battery in the collar by moving close to the boundary, the collar would beep a warning, she'd back up and continue to do this until the collar stopped beeping. She also figured out if she stood up on her hind legs, she wouldn't get shocked and could get the gate open. She would then proceed to open the gate. The other Rotts never figured out how to kill the batteries and would dash through the boundary and they'd all go trotting off happily.

We had the invisible fence company remove the beeping (warning) mechanism and we upgraded the collars to the strongest shock. Didn't deter my clever girl. That's when she figured out how to walk on her hind legs, which made her collar higher, thus not triggering the shock. We had to begin padlocking the gates once again.

Invisible fences do not work well for large, muscled dogs. Rotts don't seem to get spooked by the shock. I have felt the shock and it was tolerable. We got shocked many times because we'd remove the collars to take them for a walk and have it in our hands. They always knew when we removed the collar, it was safe to walk through.

I do not believe in bark collars and feel they should be banned. I think they are cruel. Bark collars are not like the invisible fence.

I have never seen a dog not learn quickly (with training) how to respect the boundaries set by the fence. You place yellow flags along the fence line and teach the dog to avoid the flags. They learn very quickly.

This wouldn't work for the OP. I would put up a physical fence (not chicken-wire). If you don't have a dog already, don't get one unless it will be part of your family and treated as such. I would be afraid your neighbors might throw something over the fence and poison your dog. Just put up the fence and call the police if they come on your property.

I'm amazed at how many people are advising this homeowner to move after only living in the house one year. Not everyone can afford to just sell and move all over again, especially in this economy. And there's no guarantee that she will find perfect neighbors the next time. You must be some rich folks.

"Yesterday we were outside standing in the driveway and the 11 year old girl had a bb gun and pointed it straight at me (while standing on MY property and said "I'm going to shoot you" Then she started shooting bbs at my shed. The dad yelled at her to get over on their property and play on the other side of their house. She clearly whined "but I'm on OUR property" and he said just stay over here until they leave and then you can shoot their shed."

If this happened to me I might be in jail.....

Rent the darn house to someone who isn't afraid to put people like this in their 'place' or someone in law enforcement.

You have my profound sympathies.

Start dating a cop? One who gets to take his car home with him? So he can park it in your driveway?

Jane, that is so funny about your rottie. Our neighbors (across the street) had Rottweilers too and an invisible fence. They didn't let a moment of shock stop them from doing whatever they wanted to do on the other side of the invisible fence. Now the neighbors have German Shepherds and a very tall iron fence.

Your neighbors sound worse than mine, newhomeseeker. But if you are like me, moving isn't an option, at least not a reasonable one. We're just trying to out wait it out with ours. Lately their teenage boys have been out with a pellet pistol but so far not pointing our direction that I can see. You have my sympathies. If you can't date a cop, at least pretend to be talking to one about the neighbors, loudly, every time the neighbors are within earshot, or ask the sheriff's department to start patrolling your street regularly.

I would genuinely fear for my safety, my family's, my pets', and my property's safety after reading all the unbelievable and sickening things these people have done. From the sounds of it, the situation will continue to escalate as time goes on.

I will think of you, newhomeseeker & LoveInTheHouse, next time I start to complain about loud neighbors, barking dogs next door and ugly vehicles parked and blocking my street and driveway, tennis balls being bounced off the side of my house, fireworks being shot toward my house, which all seem so minor now after hearing about the personal threats you've endured.

Please be careful, newhomeseeker. I guess your screen name says it all . . .

We have those type of "neighbors" now. We call them the CRAZIES. They have harassed us, accosted us, dognapped our dogs, threatened me, my 5 kids, and our animals, sued us (we won), blocked the roadway so my teen driver could not pass (for over 10 min.-we have photos), harassed the people who store our RV, said to the new neighbor at the bus stop, "You make a choice, either you are friends with Stacey or with us," and so much more. Our dream home-the one I designed and custom built is for sale. No one can believe all the stuff they have done to our family. We're considering writing a book out this. As I type this, I even get mad. I am praying that we can get out of this place before anyone is seriously hurt.

Coloradomomof5, you just described my old neighbors! We call them the Evils, lol. I am also planning to write a book. I hope you get out of there soon. It's been five years since I got away from the Evils and truthfully, I think I have post traumatic stress syndrome. If you ever want to yak about it, e-mail me: ponyhoney@aol.com

We also have neighbors from hell and have our home listed for sale because of them. We had the home built and I thought that we would be here forever! Then these nasty people moved in and turned our quite country place into a living hell! My huband went to FL for the worst 6 months of the problem. We filed a lawsuite and won. Now things are quite and the neighbors are never around, but my DH wants to move anyway. He is worried about what will happens next. He is a disabled Vet and can no longer deal with stress. So much for honoring our service men.
We are lucky becuse we can afford to retire and move, I feel sorry for anyone who is stuck because they can not afford to move.

Jane ny, the story about your Rotties was really entertaining...I can just imagine the clever girl testing and then realizing the hind leg trick.

BTW, the dog that dug up the wire was my friends neighbors dog..a Rottie.

Also barbcollins, your story as well...I will add them to the many I already have read and heard about ways in which the IF fails.

The intelligence of some dogs will never cease to amaze me...

Moving can be so expensive and disrupting. I suggest building a fence as high as permitted by your zoning regulations. Construct the fence far enough into your own property line to give you space to plant some bushes on BOTH sides of the fence.

And the plants you should put on the neighbor side of the fence are either pyracantha or hawthorne. Both are attractive, with nice little flowers. And both have really, really nasty thorns. No one in their right mind would push through them. And they grow pretty tall.

Logic, I could tell you so many stories. They were so smart and very clever. My little female had a fascination about opening doors and gates. We watched with our own eyes as she learned how to kill the batteries in the collar just by keeping it beeping. The collar emits a warning beep prior to the shock. It gives the dog a chance to back-up. She would keep moving back and forth making the collar beep. After about 100 times, the battery would fail. She would jump on the gate and open the latch and off she went. Even the IF people couldn't believe it but came to the house to watch her from the window.

The stories written here are so sad. I can't imagine living next to people like those discussed. I don't know what I'd do. We always had large properties and dogs. We always had fences. Although I never cared for the look of chain link, we always planted shrubs to hide the fence. We spent extra for attractive gates. Most people will not open a gate when dogs are present, even if friendly.

I'm a great believer that good fences make good neighbors.

Jane

"Also barbcollins, your story as well...I will add them to the many I already have read and heard about ways in which the IF fails."

I hope you will be fair and use my whole story to include that we are VERY happy with IF and have used it successfully with 3 other dogs. The first dog was too "set in his ways". I believe that if we had gotten the fence when he was younger, he would have been fine.

The lightning strike was one in a million. With a wood fence you could have the same problem. A tree could fall and break the fence and the dog could get out.