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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

bloody next-door neighbours and their bloody dogs.

40 replies

ThePoorMansBeckySharp · 29/01/2013 22:43

Family have just bought the house next door. They have 2 kids, 3 cats and 7 dogs. Council rules say on a property their size you can have 2 dogs unless neighbours agree more. He has just turned up with a form for us to sign saying we are fine with them having 7 dogs. We are not fine with them having 7 dogs. Their yapping is driving us insane. I don't want them to have to get rid of 5 cherished family pets but for fuck's sake! Now what? AIBU?

OP posts:
KatyTheCleaningLady · 29/01/2013 22:46

YANBU.

Why did they get that many dogs? Did they not know they would need special permission?

Did you sign the form? I'd not want to but it can be a really difficult place to be in!

SquinkiesRule · 29/01/2013 22:47

YANBU don't sign it.

TrinityRhino · 29/01/2013 22:48

wow thats a seriously shitty situation to be in

hugs

DeepRedBetty · 29/01/2013 22:48

yanbu. did you sign it though?

I love dogs, I work with them, but SEVEN????

MrsTerryPratchett · 29/01/2013 22:48

Wow, the Council have just set you up to get harassed by your new neighbours, haven't they. At the very least it should be the Council anonymously asking the neighbours so that this stuff doesn't happen.

FWIW I would rather have 7 well-behaved, well cared for dogs than one yappy, maltreated one. However, if they are barking, YANBU.

LineRunner · 29/01/2013 22:50

Never heard that a Council can impose these rules - is it because the Council remains the freeholder?

I wouldn't sign it, simply because the noise is already an issue.

McNewPants2013 · 29/01/2013 22:52

if they have bought the house it's really up to them, as they are not renting from the council

If you suspect there is animal negelect then ring RSPCA

LineRunner · 29/01/2013 22:54

There are some Freeholder regulations though - a relative once got caught out by the small print of not being able to work from home.

BreconBeBuggered · 29/01/2013 22:55

Never heard of this rule, certainly not for owner-occupiers not purchasing from the council. Any chance it applies to cats as well? Some houses round here seem to have dozens of them.

Cherriesarelovely · 29/01/2013 22:57

How awful! Please don't sign it! I am dog mad but 7?????? No way.

Original poster
ThePoorMansBeckySharp · 29/01/2013 22:58

Should have said, we re not in the UK > different rules.

OP posts:
LineRunner · 29/01/2013 23:00

What are the rules, then?

DontEvenThinkAboutIt · 29/01/2013 23:01

Don't sign!!!!!!

SpicyPear · 29/01/2013 23:03

Oh wow - 7! Surely they should have got this sorted before buying. Love dogs but couldn't do it if they are all yapping. What an awful position it puts you in though and what a strange law!

Ullena · 29/01/2013 23:15

Mmn, tough indeed. Especially as they may only be noisy due to not being settled in their new home. Any chance this is the case? Seven is a lot - are they all adults, or is it a case of they breed dogs and this is a litter? In which case, how often would they breed?

Perhaps to keep the peace, you could say you will agree to sign the form by a certain date BUT ONLY if they CONSISTENTLY prove their dogs are not a nuiscance: get them to sort out the noise, agree that they will keep their property clean of dog mess, etc?

Of course, you would need to be certain that you can opt to withdraw your permission if they fail to comply with this at a later date. And that they wouldn't be adding more!

musicmadness · 29/01/2013 23:27

That puts you in a fairly shit situation TBH, you're kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't.
If you refuse to sign then you have just made a massive enemy of your next door neighbour, and I must admit if someone else made me get rid of 5 cherished pets I would go out of my way to be the worst possible neighbour I could be without getting evicted.

Having said that I completely get why you don't want 7 barking dogs next door, I wouldn't either! Do you think they are just noisy or are they unsettled due to the move? Could you talk to the neighbour about your concerns and try to reach a compromise?

Original poster
ThePoorMansBeckySharp · 29/01/2013 23:29

It is a very shit situation indeed. We are going to be living next door to these people for YEARS!

I hear you about the compromise, but to be honest I see living next door to 2 yappy dogs as a compromise in itself.

OP posts:
Fakebook · 29/01/2013 23:30

Our neighbours have 3 dogs and that's enough to drive us insane. After numerous complaints from neighbours they now keep them inside and we don't hear them bark as often.

Don't sign the form. They could open a farm with that many animals.

LineRunner · 29/01/2013 23:31

So don't sign it. They'll have to move.

Original poster
ThePoorMansBeckySharp · 30/01/2013 00:50

They seem perfectly nice people. I feel bad - and pissed off about being made to feel bad, iyswim.
But 7 dogs barking at once is a cacophony and we both work from home so it's very annoying.

OP posts:
StuntGirl · 30/01/2013 00:57

Our next door neighbours have one dog each. That's more than bloody enough for me; not a chance I'd put up with 7. That's irresponsible dog ownership imo.

chickensarmpit · 30/01/2013 01:07

So, you're going to have 7 dogs barking and 3 cats shitting in your flower beds. Yayyyy! I hope your new neighbours live in a large home with a huge garden if they have all these animals.

StuntGirl · 30/01/2013 01:15

Actually yes, I'm basing my opinion on my current situation. Which would not support 7 dogs and 3 cats in one house. What about you situation OP, do you live in large houses? Do you have a lot of land? Does your neighbour physically have the space to keep that many animals?

The only people I know with that many animals are those living in million pound houses or those on farms. Both have plenty of land and space and their animals are not a disturbance or nuisance to neighbours.

fuzzypicklehead · 30/01/2013 02:58

As StuntGirl says, we need to know how much land you're talking about. For example, I live in a terraced cottage with a reasonably long and narrow garden. We and our neighbors have had 1 dog each at various points in the past without many issues (once we taught the dogs to ignore each other). But then one of the neighbors added a second dog-- and chaos ensued. The noise was incredible because her two dogs constantly set each other off.

The people over the road from me, on the other hand, could have 20 dogs without anyone being the wiser because their house is detached and set on a lot of land.

You've said the yapping is making you crazy, so I'm guessing you're in fairly close quarters. Have they actually got enough space to reasonably accommodate seven dogs with an acceptable level of hygeine? If not, then it's an animal welfare issue.

HansieMom · 30/01/2013 03:31

Around here, we all have five acres. Of four properties, we have:
One with a dog, a cat, a horse and a donkey.
One with one dog and one cat.
Us with one dog and eight cats.
One with two dogs.