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Original poster

Law around soaking neighbours pets?!

173 replies

TurmericFan · 08/07/2022 17:17

My next door neighbour's large dog always barks extremely aggressively when I go out of my side-return door and then down my garden path. This is very disturbing and is negatively affecting my ability to enjoy my garden.

There is a gap in the fence which it runs to, and it looks straight at me barking with full intensity aggression. So now I carry a water-bottle and I will get it right between the eyes whenever this happens. (This gap is where the fence goes around a protected tree which is on the boundry line).

I intend to continue soaking it until the owners stop the dog from doing this.

I understand that legally speaking the dog is the neighbour's property. Am I 'damaging' it in some way by doing this?

It is not in my garden when this is happening. But I don't think there's any kind of trespeass because although the water is going into the neighbour's garden, I am not.

Am I legally safe to keep on doing this, until such time as the neighbours pay to send their dog to doggie behavioural classes/to live on a farm somewhere?

Also, as I embark upon this course of behaviour, I find myself wondering about my own cat, who goes where he likes into other neighbour's gardens.

Would a neighbour who didn't like cats, whose flowerbeds were being trampled, etc, be permitted to soak my cat? Because I'm sure I wouldn't like it if that happened...

OP posts:
Original poster
TurmericFan · 08/07/2022 18:20

Okay, cover the gap + talk to the neighbours is clearly the consensus view.

But there is action needed by them, it is their dog creating the nuisance and they need to resolve it.

Either putting it down sending it to doggie behavioural classes, or not letting it in the garden unaccompanied. Or giving me their numbers so I can SMS them when it is being a disturbance (though I don't really want that level of contact with them and I think it would make it worse, I don't want to talk to them, I just want them silent).

OP posts:
takeitandleaveit · 08/07/2022 18:20

I have cats. I have on occasion suggested to a neighbour that they are welcome to use a water pistol on mine, and I will buy it for them if they wish. I have thrown a bucket of water over someone else's cat who had decided it was going to usurp my garden as its territory and drive my cats out. Never saw it again.

Not entirely sure it would work with a large, aggressive dog on the other side of a fence though.

K8Shrop · 08/07/2022 18:21

TurmericFan · 08/07/2022 18:20

Okay, cover the gap + talk to the neighbours is clearly the consensus view.

But there is action needed by them, it is their dog creating the nuisance and they need to resolve it.

Either putting it down sending it to doggie behavioural classes, or not letting it in the garden unaccompanied. Or giving me their numbers so I can SMS them when it is being a disturbance (though I don't really want that level of contact with them and I think it would make it worse, I don't want to talk to them, I just want them silent).

You're-- a d*ck for even joking about that

Why are you telling us what action they need to do? Surely you just have a conversation with them about what the next steps are.

MissMaple82 · 08/07/2022 18:21

You are only antagonising the animal and making it worse around you. But something up along the fence to stop the dog from seeing you.

MissMaple82 · 08/07/2022 18:23

Also, you sound like a d##k

BlanketsBanned · 08/07/2022 18:23

if this is real then block up the gap and buy a high pitched deterrent device

beautyisthefaceisee · 08/07/2022 18:24

Wtf.

"extremely disturbing" and affects your enjoyment of the garden?! by BARKING?!

"right between the eyes" - i think youre the aggressive one.

In short YABVU.

catbirddogchild · 08/07/2022 18:25

No idea what the law says. But I told my neighbours to squirt water at my cat if he is in there gardens unwanted. .
Cats fine and hopefully it puts him off wandering. He gets the occasion squirt from one side and is best buddy with the other.
He is unharmed by this apart from maybe his pride, I have a good relationship with the naighbours and my cat avoids certain gardens. Dogs are also unharmed by water!

beautyisthefaceisee · 08/07/2022 18:25

TurmericFan · 08/07/2022 18:20

Okay, cover the gap + talk to the neighbours is clearly the consensus view.

But there is action needed by them, it is their dog creating the nuisance and they need to resolve it.

Either putting it down sending it to doggie behavioural classes, or not letting it in the garden unaccompanied. Or giving me their numbers so I can SMS them when it is being a disturbance (though I don't really want that level of contact with them and I think it would make it worse, I don't want to talk to them, I just want them silent).

I can't think why they wouldnt want you to have their numbers.

Prescottdanni123 · 08/07/2022 18:26

As a dog owner, I would want you to come to me and tell me about your problems with my dog before squirming her with water so that I can take measures to get her to stop.

Do not start adding lemon juice to the water. That will hurt if it gets in the dogs eyes. You will be using pain to teach the dog a lesson which is not much different to giving it a kick through the fence.

6:45 - 7:am isn't that early to be letting dogs out in the garden, although if it were my dog I would try to discourage the barking.

beautyisthefaceisee · 08/07/2022 18:28

@Faye I hope they tell someone this IRL and their dog is taken from their care.

MigsandTiggs · 08/07/2022 18:32

This reply has been deleted

Troll hunting

Nancydrawn · 08/07/2022 18:34

I can't believe you want your cats to go around spreading their toxoplasmosis-filled shit all over the neighborhood yet think the first reasonable step towards dealing with a dog barking is to spray it with water through a fence hole that you refuse to cover.

Dogs barking are annoying. Catshit is toxic. You're a bad pet owner.

Original poster
TurmericFan · 08/07/2022 18:35

Prescottdanni123 · 08/07/2022 18:26

As a dog owner, I would want you to come to me and tell me about your problems with my dog before squirming her with water so that I can take measures to get her to stop.

Do not start adding lemon juice to the water. That will hurt if it gets in the dogs eyes. You will be using pain to teach the dog a lesson which is not much different to giving it a kick through the fence.

6:45 - 7:am isn't that early to be letting dogs out in the garden, although if it were my dog I would try to discourage the barking.

Does it make a difference that it is terraced housing and there are 10, 20, 30 people potentially being woken up by their dog who might not want waking up at that time?

OP posts:
Goldbar · 08/07/2022 18:40

I don't think there's any law that would stop you soaking your neighbour's dog when it barks at you. I don't think that would be enough to amount to animal cruelty or anything. I agree maybe you could try talking to them though?

But I don't understand why you think your cat pooping in your neighbours' garden is any easier to deal with/less harmful than a dog barking 🙄. Inadvertantly touching cat shit in our garden (we don't own a cat so wasn't expecting it) is the reason I'm currently having to go for a toxiplasmosis test (pregnant) and am now worried about the risk to the baby.

sheepandcaravan · 08/07/2022 18:44

Have you spoken to the dog....

I live on a farm and as soon as I open the door the collies bark, one word and they stop. Once it recognises your voice it should do the same. I have terriers in the house, they bark at a person outside, as soon as they speak they stop. Might take a few days but your voice should become familiar and it should stop.

Even just shush it's me silly, in a normal tone. Job done

Penguinevere · 08/07/2022 18:44

you’ll probably just piss it off more if you squirt it with water but I doubt you’d ever get in trouble for it.

I grew up with dogs, they don’t bark if you walk them but they do if you just let them out. The neighbour should walk it first thing rather than letting it wake everyone who might be having a lie in.

altmember · 08/07/2022 18:50

I'd talk to the neighbour first, and then if that doesn't improve things start talking to the dog! Just stand there and chat to it (in a friendly manner, not cussing and shouting). Carry on until either it stops barking or the owner's call it back in.

Squirting it with water is either going to make it think it's some kind of game, or being 'attacked'. It certainly isn't going to make it stop (not unless you use a water cannon).

RIPWalter · 08/07/2022 18:53

I'd be grateful if my neighbour took such a consistent approach to training my dog not to bark, saves me the effort of doing it.

I've used a water spray bottle in NDN kitten to encourage him not to come in to our house via the open backdoor. It's for the cats own safety as I'm not 100% sure what my dog would do if he cornered the cat inside our house.

dawngreen · 08/07/2022 18:53

1/ You attacked the dog so now it will see you as a threat. Regardless that it was only water. And it will up the anti barking more.

2/ Its natural behaviour to warn off likely threats. The owner should put a fence up that is tall enough, and the dog cannot see through.

3/ If some one attacked my dog on my property, I would go round their place and attack them.

4/ You need to talk with them get them to fix the fence, maybe even offer some thing to fix the missing panel. You don't want a neighbours dispute.

Natty13 · 08/07/2022 18:55

I hose my neighbours' cats. How else will they learn not to poo where my children play?

diddl · 08/07/2022 19:02

So the dog can't actually get to you?

Can you get any peace at all in your garden-is it just whilst you are walking to it?

SkeletonFight · 08/07/2022 19:02

From a local authority website : Examples of excessive barking can include: frequent intermittent barking over lengthy periods; sustained barking over more than a minute or two; barking early in the morning or late at night Recommend you speak to neighbours and if it doesn't stop then you can officially complain and they may be fined.

RockinHorseShit · 08/07/2022 19:10

6:45 - 7:am isn't that early to be letting dogs out in the garden, although if it were my dog I would try to discourage the barking.

@Prescottdanni123, if yiu check your LAs regulations, you'll find it is absolutely considered to be unreasonable to either make noise, or allow your animals to make unreasonable noise at that time. It varies from LA-LA, but weekdays are usually around 8.30 am -10pm & later start on a weekend. If the noise is constantly intrusive at other times, it's still legally a noise nuisance at any time

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 08/07/2022 19:11

Well my cats have come home soaking a few times, I presumed someone didn't want them in their garden. I'm not that bothered as they've never been harmed.