It's been a while since I last posted on STW; the arrival of our second child has somewhat limited the spare time and energy available! Our current problem made me think that the massed experience and opinion of the forum would be the ideal place to find a solution or if not, some entertaining suggestions!

Over the past month we have noticed several large piles of what looked like dog mess in our back garden. We don't have a dog but do have 2 small children which makes the situation an even bigger concern. The garden cannot be accessed from the street. This morning the beast was spotted in action. A chocolate lab was pushing through a neighbour's hedge and using our lawn as a 'dumping' ground. It appears the dog is pushing his way through our hedge from a neighbouring garden. The dog belongs to her next door neighbour and gets through a hole in the fence between their two properties. She was aware the dog comes into her garden and on occasion fouls there, but did not seem overly concerned.

So the question is, where do I stand? The dog owner isn't home at the moment so I've not had the chance to politely ask him to address the problem. if he's not cooperative, who's responsibility is it and can it be enforced? I know the council have limited powers on private land, and I don't see why I should have to fence my side of the hedge to keep a neighbouring animal out. Is it down to the dog owner to sort the fence between him and his neighbour who isn't bothered, or is it the responsibility of the neighbour who is letting the dog get through the hedge onto our land?

Any suggestions welcome!

Get in touch with the council's environmental health dept.

We had a similar issue, the council got involved and now the people responsible keep their dogs in order.

Chicken wire the gaps in the hedge? Really won't cost you much

Polite chat with the dog owners first

If they don't co operate gather the dog poop in newspaper, put it on their front doorstep, set the paper on fire, ring the doorbell and run 🙂

picolax and dog biscuitsthe pooch 'l never make across 2 gardens before exploding 😳

Launch any presents back over the fence with a trebuchet. Not only does it rid your garden of dog waste in an entertaining manner, it's great for teaching the kids about mediaeval weaponry.

Ant killer and doggy biscuits and dynamite?
Take pics of the dog, run out and kick it in the balls then use a baseball bat? then go back to neighbour and have a chat.

Just kidding.

Fix the fence-it's your kids to protect from dangerous parasites.

Some great suggestions; particularly the catapult! I understand the chicken wire is the most fool-proof solution, but as it's a mature hedge it would have to be cut back to allow it to grow back through the wire fence. Otherwise it'd look pretty messy. Although it's my garden I'm protecting, I don't see why I should have the hassle and messy appearance of a wire fence. Surely the dog owner must have some legal responsibility?

Electric fence your side of the hedge. Sheep fencing is very effective for this. Sisters lurcher will not go near the stuff after 1 shock, a lab may take 2 or 3 to stop.

Problem solved. Spoke to the owner who was apologetic and agreed to deal with his fence. I'm guessing if an owner wasn't cooperative it could be a grey area.
Thanks for all the wise words!

Our neighbours dog was doing the exact same thing, however my neighbour was more concerned about it than I was, so I didnt even have to mention it as he promptly erected a wire fence on his side to keep thedogs in (king charles Spanials) nice dogs!

So its the dog owners responsibility to keep their dog under control.