I am so grossed out! I have tried for three years to politely hint with this neighbor, and gone beyond that to no avail. I need your help! They always have at least two dogs over there, which bark, yelp, and howl at all hours nearly nonstop. She never cleans up the poop, which creates flies that end up in my house, and sometimes the poop is in my front yard. My son even got in it one day. It was so gross. She saw it, new it was her dog, said sorry, but never changed. We have called animal control about the barking, the dogs getting out, and left notes on her door, as well as tried to talk to her. She said to let her know if there was a problem, and when my husband very politely went over and asked her to bring her dogs in because they were keeping my kids up at 11PM, she cussed him out! They are low class renters, but sending a certified letter to the owner out fo state didn't get us anywhere. This is a nice neighborhood and we put a lot into our house, so I don't want to sell and move, but I am getting to that point. The police records show that other people called in complaints against her house years before we moved in, but now animal control and the police no longer come out. We filed a citizen complaint to no avail. The HOA is volentary here. Help! What can I do? I am sick of the nasty flies in my house from her dirty backyard! I can't let my kids out in thier own yard to play in the culdesac with the others without worriing what they might step in. Other neighbors have complained too.
Thank you all for your responses and suggestions, and please feel free to keep sending them. I just wanted to update that the neighbor who has the misfortune of living on the other side of this nasty person just put thier house on the market, having given up trying to deal with it. I tried with the city. There is no ordiance that covers me, except that I can keep filing citizen's complaints, which I already did to no avail. The dogs bark waking my baby, which is almost as bad as the flies. I can only get the police or animal control to respond if the dogs get out again. Thanks city of Round Rock! I'm so glad my tax dollars are goign to make this a better place. The HOA has no power, and although they and I have dropped notes on her door, that has been it. They've been renting for years and have no intention of moving, so I seem to be out of luck on waiting them out. I even thought about trying to install sound proof windows to deal with the noise aspect, but I haven't been able to find any. I spoke to a realtor today. I really don't want to sell right now, and it seems I may have made things worse by calling the police because future buyers could look that up and decide not to buy as a result. Also, I am afraid to sue her because I fear she might do something to my house in the middle of the night and I might be unable to prove it was her and get stuck with the clean up. Arg! Here is another fly! This is driving me crazy. I can't beleive I am sitting in a nice house I have put some much into and now I have to deal with this. If I sell, I will loose money. We put in expensive floors, appliances, and the like that I won't see back.
Perhaps it is some sort of code violation as well. I agree with the other responder! Put the poop back on her doorstep! :)
Yuck! But I have a solution to the poop problem. I live in a very busy neighborhood with a LOT of dog walkers who can't help but let their dogs poop along the way. Most of them pick it up with a little baggie but for the ones that don't I have started to sprinkle red pepper flakes all over the grass. I buy it in bulk containers from Costco and put it anywhere a dog might sniff around. It's not that expensive when you buy it like that. I probably spend around $10 on my yard every few weeks. Once they get one of those pepper flakes up their nose, they know to go somewhere else to do their business. It doesn't hurt the dog it just annoys them...So tell all your neighbors to start doing it, too and then her dogs will just have to poop in her own yard.
As much as I would want to get nasty, you certainly deserve to feel that way, I would take the high road and seek other ways to remedy the situation.
You do not know the frame of mind of your neighbor. It sounds as if they don't have a lot of self respect.
I would not go playing nasty because you never know how nasty someone will play back. You have children to keep safe.
I agree with someone else who posted.....even though HOA is not mandantory, there may be some bylaw which will help you. If you have a good lawyer, have him/her send another letter to the owner. NOT to sue or do anything like that....just to show that you are doing what you can to protect your property and property value.
Good luck,
Susan
Depending on where you live, there may be a noise ordinance you can get her fined on. Call the local police office, or city office and find out.
If her dog poops in your yard, pick it up and put it into hers. I did that for a few months with a neighbor once, I just flicked it back into their yard with a small shovel.
Politeness doesn't work. Gather the other aggravated neighbors and see if a group approach works.
I'd have everyone file complaints (bring the forms yourself).
GOOD LUCK!
Hi K.,
This is a tough situation...you want to be nice because it's your neighbor but enough is enough!
I would take a look at that wording in the "by laws" in your home owners association. Even though the home owners association is volunteer you may have a leg to stand on, especially if you have the backing of your neighbors.
Best of luck, call if I can be of further help!
C. Roeschen
The Trinity Group
Keller Williams
###-###-####
____@____.com
www.TheTrinityGroup.org
I read your post with interest as I, too, am upset when my neighbors lack common courtesy and shirk personal responsibility regarding their dogs etc. Since these people are renters, I'd suggest going to the landlord. Perhaps the landlord will care when he/she realizes that numerous police complaints etc. might negatively effect HIS/HER own property value. Obviously the landlord owns the property as an investment. He/She might take up the matter with the tenants or find more responsible people to rent the house. Anyway, good luck! There are many people out there who understand what you are going through and sympathize!
If I had tried all other methods...I would start getting nasty. When your children cannot see you....Go pick up the poop and start putting it on her front porch. Just pile it up. Any poop that lands in your yard place it on her porch..If she asks you about it, simply tell her you have asked her not to let the poop get out of hand and no one else will do anything to fix it, so you are fixing it yourself. If she then puts it on your porch call the police and tell them she has tresspassed. You were not tresspassing seing as how it is her dog poop!
Good luck! Neighbors can be such inconsiderate people sometimes!
Hi K.,
Yes, it sounds like you've done a lot to try to relieve the situation. At this point, I think it's fair to say that it's become a health hazard besides being a nuisance. Call the city offices where you live and ask if there is some sort of health code rules that are being violated. It sounds like Animal Control is not doing much about it. On a closing note, I'm like the others--if the poop continues to show up in your yard then I would pick up and throw it in front of her front door where she can't miss it! :) Good luck!
Dear K.,
I am sorry you are going through this. We have a neighbor who is just like yours - and finally after a lot of other problems with her, it was just one more seemingly "small" thing that she did that broke the camel's back for the neighborhood. I posted on Mamasource a few days ago (Friday) about how the putting-it-back-on-her-doorstep kind of thing didn't seem to work at first. While I got some good support, I also got reamed by a lot of moms who decided that b/c the other neighbors and I tried to find a solution together, we were "ganging" up on her. I was even called the "neighborhood bully" (Mamasource pulled those off as inappropriate). I was just venting about it and was over it in a day or so - but I am still getting mamasource emails flooding my inbox; I don't half read them anymore b/c in the end, compared to the number of responses I got, not many moms really got it (you probably would) or could offer a direct solution that I can pass on to you...except that you might want to read the responses I got to see if anything there clicks for you. I think there are around 50 responses... I titled it "a witch for a neighbor". You'll see there were some posts that talked about their having worse problems w/ their own bad neighbor (and said I should be grateful), others said pray for the neighbor & turn my thoughts to helping her - but in the end, K., you have to do what you have to do. Follow your heart and do your best with it, and if you pick a battle and make your stand, be prepared for a war with your neighbor b/c people like that are just not good people. They are just not going to stand down and do the right thing w/ dignity. One mom sent me this CNN artical about Surviving a Nasty Neighbor. Maybe you'll find it as validating as I did:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/01/14/neighbors/...
Best of luck, I am rooting for you,
A.
I haven't read your other responses, so I am not sure if this has been suggested, but what about calling your local tv station? Most all have people's advocates that help you get somewhere with the city or neighbor. This sounds like something they would love to jump on especially if your neighbors would be involved in it too.
Hope you get some relief!
(I would probably start scooping the poop and throwing it in her yard too... but I am mean like that LOL)
It sounds like your neighbor has made up her mind about how neighborly she will be. I wouldn't sell just because of some renter though.... she'll eventually leave (probably when the owner raises the rent). For now, I think you'll have to go to Harbor Freight and buy an electronic fly swatter. No skill to it. It electrocutes the flies as you hit them. No smears on your furniture... cool!
As for the poop, maybe an invisible fence could help keep the dog out of your yard. Maybe you could borrow one of the portable kinds just long enough for her animals to figure out that they'll get zapped if they go in your yard. Since your HOA is voluntary, it's pretty much a useless one when it comes to this kind of thing. I would go ahead and put the non-emergency police # on speed dial and keep calling them until they get out there. Be as sweet as you can muster... and then muster up a little more sweetness. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Just keep calling and say "Hi, I just wanted to let you know that we've got a noise complaint again. Those poor animals are back outside, miserable, and letting the neighbors know about it." Let them know you've approached her kindly and your husband was (USE THIS WORD!!!)OFFENDED by the verbal attack he recieved. Next time get her on tape and document, document, document. (It's legal to do this in Texas w/o their knowledge.) Then share this with the police and let them know you were offended (in your sweetest voice). The officers get to use descretion, and if you want that to help you out, you've gotta be the nice, hospitable one. Eventually, (because low-class folks always do) she will mess up and either have the dogs removed, be arrested (in which case the animals will be abandoned), or she'll become tired of the neighborhood being sick of her, and she'll move. Good luck.
