to ask this neighbour with help towards car and gate repairs?

[swarskicat]

Our neighbours dog often wanders around the street untended. We have chickens, and I have on occasion had to take it home as it has been in our garden scaring them.

The response I usually get is 'little madame, i wondered where she had gone'. Up until now this has not been a problem really. But yesterday I was driving home from work when the dog ran out of our drive as I was driving into it. I swerved to miss the dog and bashed the side of my car into the gate post - splitting the gate post and denting my car.

I took the dog back and knocked, but they were out.

This woman has a reputation for being pretty tough and now the initial adrenaline has gone I am now unsure whether to go and knock on her door and explain what has happened….and hopefully wait for her to offer to help towards the cost of car repairs and gate post repairs.

Any advise?

How odd for her to leave the house knowing her dog was wandering the streets! I would point out to her that it's not safe and the dog will end up hurt if it carries on, but I don't think you would get anywhere asking for the money for repairs. Yes morally she probably should, but my impressions are she won't offer.

Just popped down the road, and there is no answer at door again and dog is wandering around outside (not in my drive, but just up and down the pavement). I am about the phone the dog warden.

Yes OP call the warden.

Yes, the dog wardens are the way forward. Every time. She'll get sick of having to pay and go and collect the dog.

get better fencing to stop the dog coming onto your property

Wrong! It's the dog's owner who is responsible for keeping it in. Not the neighbour's for keeping it out.

When you are telling her about the accident I wouldn't mention you were going 3mph

get better fencing to stop the dog coming onto your property

No.

The onus is on the dog owner to prevent it roaming.

Phone the warden every single time.

Call the dog warden every time. My mum had to pay £100 to get her dog back. So a few trips to the warden and im sure it'll stop

As others have said, call the warden to report as stray every single time it is roaming.

I'm a dog owner and lover and people letting their dogs roam really really pisses me off. It is not fair on other people or the dog.

I would take the dog to the pound as a stray.

op.
contact your car insurance and give them the dog owners' details.

3 mph? How much damage could you have really done going that slow?

Logically, I would say if you don't want to spend money on the dog hit it next time instead of swerving and causing damage to your own property. Realistically, I slam on the breaks to avoid hitting a rabbit or squirrel, I would be devastated if I hit a dog.

What mousmous said, your car insurance might be able to file a claim against your neighbor's homeowner's insurance and sort it out that way.

You car insurance will very likely only get involved if you make a formal claim for the repair. If they decide not to claim back from your neighbour (which may not be worth their while) you are left with paying the excess, and a claims record on your policy.

Phone dog warden every time you see the dog out unattended.
She will either have to pay to get it back and after a few times learn to not let dog roam
Or
Not bother to and get it because she doesn't want to part with the cash and the dog will be rehomed.
Either way everybody (including dog) will be safer.

If she has pet insurance it will include public liability to cover things like this.

If you want to proceed with your neighbour in a neighbourly way, I suggest you contact a mediator.

They will facilitate a meeting with you and your neighbour, and you can go through each of your concerns, and come to a written agreement of how to proceed.

I am with those saying call the dog warden and report as a stray.