We moved into our new house about 3 months ago now. The next door neighbours (who I already knew to say hello/have a brief chat to from when I lived in the next road 5 years ago) have lots of pets, I think 4 cats and a dog. We’re not animal people so maybe being harsh but...
The cats roam like cats do and seem to live in our back garden. We have a big tree on the boarder between our house and theirs (but in our garden) and they are either on that tree, walking along the fence or running around our back garden together. During the warm weather when we have had the patio doors open, I am constantly (once or twice each evening on average I’d say) having to chase them away when they attempt to walk in and on more than one occasion they have made it into my lounge or kitchen.
I kind of think this is just how cats are and there’s not much I can do?
The dog though is another matter entirely. The dog is also allowed out to roam. Not sure what breed the dog is but it’s a small stocky type of dog. It just walks around the street seemingly all day, usually with a soft toy of some description in its mouth. It seems to spend most of its time in our front garden, where it then leaves its toys. Last week one day there were three of its toys out there (two on our lawn and one just to the front of our lawn on the pavement outside our house) and a pile of dog poo next to one of the toys. I didn’t see this dog doing its business on our lawn but it’s a bloody coincidence if it wasn’t him!
Every time I walk out of the front door, to shout the DC’s in or to answer the door, this dog tries to come into my house and I have to literally push it off by its collar. It stands there crying with its toy in its mouth trying to get past me and into the house. It doesn’t listen when it is called, by its owner or by anyone and the only way to get it to move away is by pulling it by the collar and then it just wanders back anyway. It has also made its way into our back garden by following the DCs and has proceeded to wander around peeing everywhere including on the BBQ before the DCs pulled him away.
I’m getting fed up of this totally and am sad for the dog. I don’t see it being taken for walks and this seems to be its exercise. There have been times my DS has been really worried about it as the owners are out and he thinks it’s thirsty so wanted to give it a drink (another neighbour took a bowl out to it before I had to take any action).
Surely this can’t be ok? We just want to live peacefully and shouldn’t have to put up with this dog on our property, pestering and littering and pooing?
The other neighbours just greet it like an old friend from what i’ve seen and seem to be friendly with the owners and pet it etc when they see it although I know that one child on the street is afraid of the dog and my DC has said on more than one occasion ‘i’m Coming in now because X went in when Rover came out’. (Not dog’s real name!)
What would you do? I don’t want to cause any rift but surely surely this can’t be ok?
Thank you