What’s the legal requirement for sorting this out?

[Dietonthego]

Question regards to dog escaping into our neighbour’s garden. My neighbour’s side of fence is a tall pivot hedge but our not so small dog keeps finding gaps to escape and dirt into their garden. We have tried to block every visible gaps but somehow he still manages.
Am i correct in thinking that even though it’s legally his responsibility to fix it if it was broken, it is my responsibility to purchase a more suited one if i can’t stop my dog from going through?

It is your responsibility to stop your dog escaping.

It is your responsibility to keep your dog safe and on your property. The neighbour is not responsible for your dog.

If course it's your responsibility!

Even if the land registry says it's 'their' boundary, all the need to do is mark it. There's no need for a barrier.

But you are responsible for securing your dog.

Usually responsibility for maintaining a boundary does not mean that a fence has to be provided.

As a dog owner, it is your responsibility to prevent your dog escaping, not your neighbour's.

You need to provide a suitable means if enclosure - in this instance probably a fence within your boundary.

Your post has been edited. He doesn't need to fix a broken fence to keep your dog in your garden. If repairing the fence would keep your dog safe, you can offer to do this, or get a fence yourself within your boundary.

Seriously? You need to stop your dog going into their garden. Your neighbour could pull down their fence if they wanted, the responsibility for your dog is yours!

Yes. The fence only literally needs to be a wire boundary for example. I think it’s more you need to contain your own animal from going on others property

i knew there would be an emotionally unstable reply to my question. Thank you though i will wait to see if i can get an actual answer

Thanks @Nevergettheusername sounds reasonable

Haha, MN is just too predictable. Ask a simple question... get a tonne of shitty judgey responses. Who are these women!

I'm not seeing anything emotionally unstable here to be honest... the answers are correct. It's your responsibility. You've asked a question, people are answering. Would you prefer people lie?

None of the responses were "emotionally unstable". They all state the obvious.

The only unstable posting was your second one on this thread.

I always think these people are just generally angry and use these no face platform to be horrible snd say stuff that in reality would never have the courage to do. Sad really

and another one @Collaborate 😂

To be honest if your dog was getting into their garden I imagine all previous posters would say exactly what they've said on here to your face.

Posters replying with calm facts that you don't want to hear doesn't make them emotionally unstable, angry or horrible.

That's a very strange response of yours.

The well known lawyer on MN and other sites is giving sound advice As have all of us.

I have 4 dogs; they are my responsibility to keep secure in my garden.

We fix any fences immediately and have paid fully for ones on our boundary that are shared responsibility, as our neighbour had no pets or young children to keep safe, so no reason to repair quickly.

It’s privet, by the way. Ligustrum ovalifolium.

Yes, you need to put in a dog-proof barrier, as others have said.

My emotionally stable answer is that the dog is legally your responsibility for everything related to its care. Including keeping it safe and out of trouble.

If your dog causes damage to someone else's property then they can sue you.

I'd either put up chicken wire on my side of the fence, (if the dog is a digger it would have to be sunk underground too which you'd need to be careful with so as not to damage their hedge roots as you don't want to destabilise it) offer too help repair the existing fence, or keep the dog on a long lead that's not long enough to allow it access to next doors garden.

That way I would be doing all I can to ensure no damage to them or their property.

The only emotionally unstable person on this thread is the one who won't be told they need to contain their dogs, that it's their responsibility and nobody else's.

I often think dogs are a substitute for brains.

You don’t even have to have a fence on the boundary. Why don’t you put up a wire fence in your garden to stop your dog from escaping? Legally, this could be classed as nuisance (as in your dog would be the nuisance) and your neighbour could sue you for any financial loss (although I doubt it would come to that). I’d be mortified if this happened though and wouldn’t let my dog out in the garden off his lead. Whereas you seem to think it’s okay.

If the neighbour is responsible for the boundary then they have to deal with whatever marker there is, and keep it safe and an accurate reflection of the boundary (so can’t let the hedge grow so big it changes the position).

It doesn’t have to be animal proof. They could cut down the hedge and replace with a line of string on bamboo canes and meet their obligations.

If you’ve got an animal you need to keep contained then that’s a responsibility for you. It’s often done by installing chain link style fence tight up against the hedge and buried slightly into the ground. Then the hedge grows through and hides it.

You have a legal obligation to keep your dog within your property boundary.
Whether your neighbour's privet hedge is the boundary or not, it is up to you to fence your own side to keep your dog inside your garden.
www.gov.uk/control-dog-public#:~:text=It's%20against%20the%20law%20to,a%20neighbour's%20house%20or%20garden