Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to refuse to move in my garden so that a neighbour's dog stops barking?

89 replies

Motnight · Today 15:58

I'm fairly certain I am not but my neighbour's attitude has made me wonder.

Earlier today, just after 7 am, I was sitting at the bottom of my garden on the bench drinking tea and just listening to the birds and looking at my flower bed. Our garden is that of a typical London Victorian terrace, surrounded on 3 sides by other gardens. I was probably 2 feet away from the fence separating our garden from opposite neighbours.

The neighbour's kids were out playing, Not particularly loudly but I could here them (I often do and it's not a problem at all, we are all living in close proximity, that's part and parcel of it). Suddenly their dog starts barking very loudly. It goes on for a couple of minutes. I then hear a male voice saying "is there anyone there?". I say, yes, your neighbour, hi (we've never spoken before). The man then says my dog is barking at you. He knows you are there. I don't know what to say so say nothing. The man adds can you move further up your garden please so my dog stops barking. I say, sorry, what did you say as I can't quite believe he is asking me to move. I have been completely quiet, minding my own business and just enjoying my garden. He repeats it. I say no, I am having my tea (!). He says, but your garden is as long as ours, there must be space for you to sit elsewhere, and if you don't move we will have to take the dog in. I reply, look I am sitting in my garden and I am going to stay here for as long as I want.

The man sighs loudly and says thank you for nothing, I'll return the favour some day. I hear a bit of rustling and muttering and then silence. Kids and dog and man have obviously gone back into the house. And I am left thinking WTF.

OP posts:
HopeIsAScaryThing · Today 16:59

Bad dog owner

He was unreasonable to ask you to move

JustaDream · Today 17:02

McT123 · Today 16:54

No you're not. Troll hunting is specifically banned in the Talk Guidelines.

So is harassing and bullying.

LondonLass2026 · Today 17:04

No way on God's green earth was it your responsibility to move. What an entitled and rude prat he is. And after you nicely introduced yourself.

JustaDream · Today 17:04

@Motnight what do you intend to do with this situation? It seems like you parted on bad terms with your rude neighbour.

JustinOtherdad · Today 17:04

You should stand at the bottom of your garden and shout "Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi!" through the fence whenever they're near. Ask them to move closer to their house or you'll have to go inside. 🙄

JustaDream · Today 17:06

INX · Today 16:59

You know with 100% certainty YANBU.

No-one's going to tell you that you should've moved elsewhere in your garden, due to someone else's dog.

That was a lot of typing/detail to have people confirm what you absolutely know 🤷‍♂️

Edited

This is why I questioned it because there are a lot of posters saying there are AI posts etc. It seems quite obvious that anyone acting like the neighbour would not be the reasonable party.

I'd be more concerned about his parting words than the scenario, TBF.

mismomary · Today 17:06

Absolute cheek! They need to train their dog and they know it.

Whinge · Today 17:06

JustaDream · Today 17:04

@Motnight what do you intend to do with this situation? It seems like you parted on bad terms with your rude neighbour.

Why do you think the OP needs to do anything? Confused

If they parted on bad terms, it's only because her neighbour is selfish and refuses to train their dog.

concertinacornflake · Today 17:06

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

This is about the owner.

The reason there are so many anti-owmer stories is there are a lot of rude/bad owners!

JustaDream · Today 17:07

Whinge · Today 17:06

Why do you think the OP needs to do anything? Confused

If they parted on bad terms, it's only because her neighbour is selfish and refuses to train their dog.

Because I would be worried about a man making the comment he made.

Why do I have to defend everything I say on this post? Have I been picked for the pile on today? Bugger off!

Happyjoe · Today 17:09

Some neighbours are just... twats. Shouldn't be allowed to live near anyone.
I would be tempted to buy him a dummies guide to training your dog book and pop it through the letterbox.

MissSold · Today 17:10

Absolutely ridiculous. He needs to train his dog, not you.

tigger1001 · Today 17:16

I don't see it as an anti dog story. It's an entitled neighbour story. Some think they own all the gardens in the street

Ablondiebutagoody · Today 17:24

You have forgotten that dogs are our new overlords.

Motnight · Today 17:30

Blimey, this is blowing up!

Anyone who thinks I'm a troll please just report me.

I had a 60 second interaction with a neighbour that has continued to puzzle me. I posted about it. It's really not that deep. My DH isn't around or I would have probably bored him with it instead.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my actual AIBU as opposed to saving it's a post from a dog hater, I don't actually exist but am AI etc etc.

OP posts:
glitterpaperchain · Today 17:31

tigger1001 · Today 17:16

I don't see it as an anti dog story. It's an entitled neighbour story. Some think they own all the gardens in the street

Exactly. Dogs aren't the problem it's the owners that don't train them

Yetone · Today 17:31

vodkaredbullgirl · Today 16:40

As soon as my 2 dogs start barking they are in.

And that is how you train them to stop barking.

glitterpaperchain · Today 17:35

Yetone · Today 17:31

And that is how you train them to stop barking.

Exactly. And we also often will give lots of praise or a treat if other dogs are barking and ours stays quiet.

It takes work because it means we have to get up and get outside every time she barks. But that's what it takes to train a dog

Elieza · Today 17:42

i have six dogs between my two next door neighbours on each side of me.

i cannot move without being barked at. it makes me uncomfortable. somwtimes the dogs growl at me. in my own garden. the barefaced cheek of it. they have never been in here so they know it’s not their territory.

however if the neighbours have turfed the dogs out and are indoors themselves i dont mind flicking some cold water onto the dogs. it shuts them up. but take a a few flicks. it’s not harming them. just telling them to shut it.

i dont take kindly to havimg my ears assaulted when i’m out trying to relax and enjoy the garden ive worked hard in and spent a lot on - before the neighbours bought dogs.

Justthethingsthatyoudointhisgarden · Today 17:42

He is a very rude neighbour. Absolutely none of his business where you sit in your garden.

My dog can be a little shit and will go out and bark at the pigeons on the roof. He barks - he has to come in. That's the rule.

Ignore him. If he does it again tell him to mind his own business.

Metromayhem · Today 17:48

glitterpaperchain · Today 17:31

Exactly. Dogs aren't the problem it's the owners that don't train them

True!
Theres an equal amount of “cat haters” on mumsnet who have cats pooing in their garden or annoying their other pets. It’s really 50/59, it’s not that deep and it isn’t personal!

Meadowfinch · Today 17:48

You are entitled to enjoy your garden. If he can't train his dog, that's his problem.

Enjoy your tea in peace.

diddl · Today 18:00

Wouldn't the dog have barked wherever you were in your garden?

Ours gets taken in if he barks.

ConsistentlyPeeved · Today 18:08

My dog would bark if it heard someone next door in a garden, I would then apologise profusely to the neighbour and shoo my dog inside for some time out.
Your neighbour is bonkers if he thinks his dog takes precedent over someone enjoying their garden, I mean if you were sat in his garden fair enough. What an odd bloke.

LanyardSpaghetti · Today 18:10

This seems clear cut - the neighbour has behaved like an entitled eejit.

Swipe left for the next trending thread