We have just moved into our new home in the rural suburbs, and being new, we would like to make a good impression. So I bit my tongue when I found the special gift the large dog next door left for me on my front lawn. Talk about putting your foot in it, there I was wiping my shoe desperately in the snow, and introducing myself to another neighbour the same time. Thankfully he wasn’t the owner of the naughty dog.
A few days later I found a white feathered, frozen chicken in the bushes lining my front yard. Cold, and very much dead, the poor desiccated thing had been thrown in there, but I decided to leave it until garbage day.
A few days later, after a heavy snowfall my husband was outside shovelling the driveway when the neighbour with the large dog stopped by to chat. Oblivious to his dog happily wandering all over my front lawn leaving doggy prints in the pristine snow, I glowered at the dog through the office window.
The guys talked, I hid behind the blinds in the house willing the dog not to leave any more special gifts for me, and wondered if I would have the nerve to say something if he did.
After snuffling through my bushes for a few minutes the dog discovered the dead chicken, and started to chew on it, frozen feathers sticking out of it’s mouth. It coughed them out, and went back to happily munching away while the guys talked over on the driveway.
I debated letting his owner know that his dog was chewing something rather unsavoury, until I thought, no, if he can’t pay attention to his dog, and he’s willing to let it wander all over my front lawn and leave messy gifts…then too bad. Besides, I was in my housecoat, and my hair was a mess.
The neighbour finished his conversation, and my husband came inside. The dog obediently trotted over to the neighbour with the dead chicken in his mouth. As the the neighbour, removed the dead chicken, he looked around thinking so where do you throw a dead chicken from your new neighbours yard? Why back onto the new neighbours yard of course. So there is lays, somewhere in the snow bank on the road side edge of our lawn. I am hoping that a neighbour who walks their dog without a leash is surprised one day by what their dog picks up the next time.
And I think we might be looking at fencing the front yard.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
That stinks in more than one way. Can't believe he threw the chicken back in your yard. Where did it come from originally.
ReplyDeletePretty pictures of your doggies and the snow. We are getting huge flakes right now. They won't last as it is getting warmer.....I miss our winter.....it has been too warm and hardly any snow.
Oh my! Neighbours can be trouble and I found it worse in the country. We had trouble with neighbours when we lived rurally and when we tried to say something it became tense and all out war for them. Now we live back in the city and our neighbours stay in their yards and we stay in ours. Maybe it was just us and we should have been more relaxed about things in the country, I don't know. Or maybe they should have had a little more respect for our yard????
ReplyDeleteOh no! Hope things improve. This would make me angry I must say!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that some people move to the country thinking, "oh, now we can just let our dogs run and not pen them on our property like in the city!" Uh, folks, in the country people shoot dogs that come onto their property. And they shoot them when they find them running their herds and eating their chickens--and with good reason--then the dogs are out running free and taking the weight off cattle and other livestock and eating chickens, they are taking the food out of people's mouths!
ReplyDeleteOTOH, living as I do, I always carry poo bags when walking the dogs and scoop it up and take it home. Just part of owning a pet and being a good pet ambassador.
I have a shoe scraper that is made out of some kind of natural fiber. I found it at Linens and Things. You just scrape your shoes back and forth on it and it cleans all of the nasties out of the treads and sides of the shoe and then the nasties fall through the scraper and are cleaned off by the rain and snow outside. It is great! It looks like this: http://www.thisnext.com/tag/boot-scraper/ Believe me, living in a campground with lots of people with dogs going through, you find your fair share of people who do not clean up after fido or kitty!
We live in the country. Our wall went up 3/4 as soon as possible. And as soon as the builders were finished ... we closed the gap. We have 2 cats, and the assorted dogs are staying outside. Was fizzling with rage when a couple of small dogs slipped thru the arrow slits intended for our cats. But That Nasty Lady soon saw them off.
ReplyDeleteoh my, welcome to the neighbor hood for sure, there is nothing worse than negligent pet owners, hopefully a fence will help but its an expensive fix to a stupid neighbor.They should keep their pets off your lawn.I hope things improve.
ReplyDeleteWe live in the country and our property is fenced. One day we decided to give my daughter's old swing set to a neighbor, he brought his then 5 yo daughter over w/him while he loaded it up. She asked about the chicken coop and my husband said: Don't go down there. BUT she did when they were loading it up, she unlocked the door, and sadly the 6 chickens got out and our Malamute killed them all. We didn't discover it until the next day when I realized it was just too quiet! My husband used to say if a dog gets the taste for chicken and kills one he'll do it forever if he gets the chance. I know some people are against fencing their property, but I also think it keeps our dogs in and cuts down on what could be future problems with other neighbors! To this day we laugh about the little chicken killer! Annette T
ReplyDeleteOh my! I'm sorry but I had to chuckle at the dog eating the dead chicken. I hope he didn't get sick. When I let our dog off his leash he loves to roam the yards on either side of us and leave his mark a dozen times but he always does his 'job' in our yard, thankfully. However, when the grand dog visits he happily trots next door to leave his deposit. Not in our yard but next door. When we looked after him for 6 days in January I talked with my neighbour later and asked her if she found them. She laughed and said yes, they're big. They have a small shitzu. There is a difference! lol So, maybe a fence is in order for you. A nice white picket fence with a gate and pretty roses climbing all over it. Thankfully our neighbours are gracious about it. We've been neighbours for nearly 35 years now. Hugs, Pam
ReplyDeleteMake friends with the dogs so you know whose piles are whose and then put signs in the piles..Fido left a present.. I bet it would stop soon.
ReplyDeleteIs there no leash law there? Most people that have dogs clean up after them..I know we do, I carry a plastic bag in my coat pocket:)
One of the downsides of living rurally is some people think they can get away without fencing, leashing or otherwise managing their dogs. Although in the past I've found the worst offenders were city people who come out for the day and think it's great to let their dogs loose in the country.
ReplyDeleteThey say good fences make good neighbours!
ReplyDeleteOur yard isn't fenced either and the neighbour dog seems to feel it's part of her yard, as well. Any time she's outside, she wanders over and gives our yard a thorough going over. If we're out with Willow, she runs over at full tilt and nearly bowls her over in her eagerness to play. I haven't seen her leave any gifts, but I'm a bit concerned if and when we get any chickens.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the unwanted presents. Maybe Bootsie might want to go over and ig up their flower border come spring and leave a little present too.
ReplyDeleteYou had me chuckling about the chicken. Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteI vote for a fence! We've got a white picket fence that we need to put little gates on so everything but the occasional loose neighborhood dog can't get in.
Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage
Oh Jen girl .. this is a huge down side to living in your own home .. I had a couple of years that some one let their dog off their leash and BAM ! right where we walk down to the garden from the front of the house .. this is even more aggravating because we aren't as rural ? as you .. strict leash laws and bring a bag and BAG your dog's POOP ! .. So this was totally intentional .. I believe it is some one that thinks all my hard work is a joke and wants to "rub my nose in it" .. truly ! You have to be sneaky, do it at night, and deliberately want to make a "mess" for some one.
ReplyDeleteYour neighbor is just an ignorant ass .. who ever does what they do here is an evil plan .. which is worse do you think ?? LOL
Joy
SPEAK to your neighbor girl .. when you are out of your housecoat ? haha .. don't let it go on because it will .. and then the THUNDER will roll in ! haha
Oh neighbors...I have been polite and then very bold about neighbors and dogs on my property...I find it interesting how many think their behavior is OK. But I continue to professional confront them as I need to...
ReplyDeleteAhhh the joys of rural living. I guess there are bad neighbors everywhere and that dog owner would definitely qualify as one. Even when there are leash and clean up laws there are always going to be people who don't obey the. Maybe when you get to know your neighbors better you will feel more comfortable talking to them about it.
ReplyDeleteLaura
The dog has trained its master well. Boy that is a touchy situation. Maybe the neighbor on the other side has had issues also, and might have a solution. Good luck and watch where you walk.
ReplyDeleteIt's always hard to deal with neighbor's dogs...especially when you're new to the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteOur neighbors have two big Labs...they use everyone else's yard to do their business. I have found the little 'gifts' ON TOP of some small shrubs. We have a leash law here, and we could turn them in to the sheriff, for letting their dogs run free. But, I think that's been tried before. And, we don't want to ruffle any feathers.
They are very nice people....just don't watch their dogs very well.
I would be so tempted to toss it back (chicken and doggies parcels) ... but ....
ReplyDeleteThey do say that fences make good neighbours.
It is not responsible pet ownership to clean up after one's pooch. Grosses me out when I'm out walking my dog and see other dogs land mines all over the place. And how on earth did a dead chicken end up in your shrubs? Weird.
ReplyDeleteIf my dog snacked on a dead chicken, it would be a safe bet that he'd barf it up either on the carpet or the sofa. Maybe your neighbor will have the same thing happen. :)
You work so hard to find the perfect house...but you can't screen the neighbors. Can you imagine what a process it would be if you could? I've been disappointed with the neighbors here but I have to say, after almost 5 years it is getting better. I hope with time your neighbors will learn to respect you and your property.
ReplyDelete