Could you trap them, or otherwise catch them and call animal control?

Are they mean, or can you approach them? If you can get them to the pound, and the owners have to pay a hefty fine to get them out, maybe they'll do something to contain them.

What about a motion detector water thingy?

Anything but shooting them. It's not their fault their owners are irresponsible.

Sally

If you are in an area where animal control has jurisdiction, that is by far the best call (assuming your neighbor is uncaring - sounds like you already tried the diplomatic approach). A hot wire across the path they usually take may work well too (plus great satisfaction when you get to hear them yelp when they finally hit it). ; - )
J.D.

((Suzi)), here they won't do enough. If you have pics of them on your property, like here you will get them in more trouble
I know it is a wasted wish, but I sure wish people like that didn't have animals, able to get animals or be more responsible
I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this

Those heathen Bast*rds, owners not dogs
I'm so sorry

Man o man I feel for you. I had the same problem but not in this state. I don't know how animal control works here in TX. I called,called and called animal control some more. Finally, the old saying,"The squeaky wheel gets the oil"worked for me. Boy was the "lady" of that house P*ssed when she (finally )got her 800.00 fine for non-compliance! I tried talking to her but she was too stupid to catch on I meant bussiness. It took warnings,repeated visits and finally a huge fine to get this woman's attention. It worked a lot better than shooting I think. YOUR TAXES PAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO HANDLE IT. I'd let em.PJ

Ya'll probably remember the neighbor's pot bellied pig I had to deal with? Our county's animal control dept is overwhelmed out here. They came and got the pig once, the people had to pay I think about $150.00 to get their pig back. The next week, the pig showed up again so I called A.C. and they were swamped. I had hubby help me get the pig into the back of my truck and I hauled it over to animal control. The next thing I knew, I happened to be walking by our back door and noticed two women snooping around in our barn/shed. I was speechless......for a moment. I went outside and asked what they were doing. They were looking for their pig. Never came and knocked on the door....nothing. Animal control had advised me to tell them nothing so that's what I did. We haven't seen the pig over here since then, early last year I think. If you can catch the dogs, do it and take them down there if Animal Control can't get out there.

Kristi

OH, such irresponsible people!! Why do they bother to have animals if they aren't going to take care of them?? I have absolutely no patience with that kind of person, and wish our laws punished them, and not the animals.

We have-er, HAD- the same problem. We live in an unincorporated area, a Water District, I think they call it. Dogs run loose all over town, except for my three and maybe 2 others. Mine stay in the house or in the fenced back yard.

I went out to work in my flower bed one morning and one of the beasts from across the street had left me a present in my ferns. I was so mad I was ready to do battle with everybody! DH just calmly got out the hot wire equipment and put it up.

That was about 10 years ago. It is still up, having been re-installed a couple of times now, and it does a fantastic job. Dogs will cross the street to pass by our house. It is funny to watch them.

New dogs learn quickly, and we don't usually have it plugged in. If we notice a new dog in the neighborhood, or worse, one in the yard, we plug it back in, and they learn to not come back here.

I am an animal lover, totally and completely, but I refuse to allow my neighbor's animals to keep me upset all the time or to damage our property further.

This has been the only thing that has worked for us.

Janie

I need to know about this hot wire thing. There are 2 homes right by me that have largish dogs (a boxer and a couple unknowns that are about the same size) that are so bold. They seem like they would probably not bite (not intimidating) but they also act like they run the street. They "get out" of their yards (I think they are let out by the owners) and run down one side of the street, peeing and dumping in everyone's yard. I mean, EVERY YARD. Then, they run back down the other side of the street doing the same. They are not skittish, and will just stand and stare at you if you yell "get!" Only if you start towards them with a stomp and a fist out will they start ambling along. They have startled me out in the yard more than once, and I have little children so I DON'T appreciate unfamiliar dogs approaching us. They try to come into our garage if the door is up (hey, maybe I should just let them and then call Animal Control--naw, I don't want the neighbor coming over with a gun or something). They also lay the biggest stinking piles of dung in our yard and I feel it is so unfair that I, a non-pet owner, have to scoop big loads of poop and throw it in my own trash! I want to throw it in their yard but I'm too nice to just ASSume it was their dog every time.

I've called A.C. three times but since they respond 3 days after the call, none of the dogs have been confiscated. Their owners step outside and yell loudly sometimes for the dogs to come home. Jerks.

(can you tell I'm bitter?)

I knew some people that used to live in the country next door to some people that couldn't keep their longhorn bull contained. It would get out and onto their property, and chase them if they happened to be outside. Unfortunately, the offenders were friends of the sherriff, so nothing was done to stop them. My friends ended up moving to another state. I had lost touch with them, so I don't know how their plight was solved, or if it ever was.

Sally

Good Grief! My Longhorn Bull might hurt you, but it would be an accident. He is a sweetie, gentle as a lamb. He might hurt you trying to get you to scratch his ears.

The hot wire is a fired up by a box that converts regular 110 electricity to something less that dogs, horses, cattle, and people respect, but it will not kill them. You can go to Lowes or McCoys, or wherever, and get the converter, wire, insulators and everything.

Do not connect a wire to plain old electricity, tho. It will make you daid.

Janie

I've had fairly good luck with a hot wire too. However, it was keeping "Ms. flying dog aka Clemie" IN the yard. Darn dog! PJ

Lindseyrose - Did my former neighbors move out next to you? Seriously, we had these people who had two large dogs and would let them out between 10 and 11 PM every night to let them run up and down the street and they left their piles in other people's yards. They left some on my front yard once and I picked it up in a plastic bag, tied it closed and left it for the neighbors outside their front door. The lady threw the bag into the street! They even had the nerve to let them out in the daytime occasionally. Once another neighbor across the street was in his front yard when they were let out. He went in to get something and when he came back out - within a couple minutes - there was a big pile in his front yard. He was so mad. He went and got his shovel, picked it up carried it across the street and threw it into their yard. Who can blame him? Neighbors did call animal control and since they are not there that late at night we were told to call the police who would have to catch them in the act of being out running around.

We're in the city and there just isn't room for this and the city has codes for leash laws and pooper scooper laws. Our neighborhood was so glad when they finally moved and took their dogs with them. If you can, put up that electric fencing to keep those dogs out. I think animal control is also a good option if you can get them to come out to get the dogs or even if you have to take them there yourselves.

I personally like the little blue arc as the current jumps out there and bites that tender wet nose!! They learn quick - real quick!! (so, by the way, will you if you forget it is on!!) ; - )

Agreed. Why oh why, just b/c we live in America w/ freedom do people ASSume that means they have the freedom to let their kids and dogs run amuck? Recently traveled in Germany and was A-MAZED out how well behaved the dogs were. b/c of course they don't put up w/ the cretins we are forced to deal with.

Have you thought about carrying a slingshot around? That's easier to slip in your backpocket and whip out when needed.

We have no animal control out here in the country. Our yard is about 2 acres & just can't afford to put a hot wire all around it, darn it.
I don't want our dog bothering anyone & would like the same from other dog owners. Our sweet little part-doxie, Wrench, once heard visiting kids playing & went in the yard behind us- luckily I was outside & saw him. I called him home & told him he was to stay in his own yard or I just might have to spank him with a newspaper. I'll vow he understood every word, altho' I've NEVER spanked him. He acted so ashamed it made me feel sorry for him.

Suzi

So is the hot-wiring thing something you have to turn on and off? Is it underground? I can't put up a fence around my suburban yard.

I don't think the hotwire would be very expensive for the whole 2 acres. I haven't priced it in quite a while, but you could check at the farm stores or HD or L's. It is very easy to install. Hammer small poles (rebar) in the ground, put plastic insulators on the poles, String wire, connect to charger and plug charger in (unplug to turn it off).

You might not have to fence the whole thing if you can stretch it across the path they always use.

I agree that the wire would be best. Unfortunately, I happen to be a person who tends to accidentally touch them. They do smart. I've used an airgun with great success in such circumstances. I also had a slingshot, but the elastic wears out too quickly. A bb in the rear is something most dogs remember.

PPB, if you can find it, the rubber tubing used in stethescopes is far superior in slingshots. Wrist Rockets, my DH calls them, and he is a dead-on sharpshooter with his. LOL

I agree that it is very inexpensive to put a hot wire all round 2 acres. Use PVC for posts, the insulators come in a bag of 50 or 100- real cheap. A roll of stainless wire and the converter box, and a couple of hours to put it up.

Just do remember to disconnect the power before you weed eat there. heheehe

Janie