Whose fault, my tenants, mine, the dogs or the neighbours?

Reply to the comment left by "Janet Carnochan" at "12/08/2014 - 18:36":

Hi Janet

You do realise that some of your neighbours are perfectly entitled to ask you to remove the fences you have errected for them and to always dress their side I presume?

That said, I can't help but wish you owned the property either side of all of mine 🙂
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The fence is secondary consideration. The dog owner has a dangerous dog not properly under control. This is a serious criminal offence that can result in a custodial sentence for the owner and death sentence for the dog.
Pass the film to the police, they are likely to support the person attacked. Do so immediately.
There are all sorts of civil issues about the escape of dangerous animals. Landlords beware!

Reply to the comment left by "Reader " at "12/08/2014 - 21:54":

Reader,
Don't be so bloody daft.

Reply to the comment left by "Monty Bodkin" at "12/08/2014 - 22:06":

Here, here! I completely agree Monty, the comment left by "Reader" was very daft, anybody with a dog will know that.

If somebody was taunting my dogs from the other side of a fence, they would go for them if they got the opportunity to do so. My dogs are no different to any other dog, save for the fact that the breed comes from Eastern Europe and is bred to protect livestock from preying wolves. The issue here is the fence, not the dog.

I've had people tell me that my dogs are dangerous too, just because they are big and can kill. Well so are cars but most people have one, again it's the owners that are the problem. I just happen to like big fluffy dogs. Also, I live in the countryside in a house with lots of land and fields around it. My wife feels secure with the dogs around if I'm not.

By the way, my dogs are MUCH bigger than a 50kg Rottwieller. They will guard but they will not attack another living creature unless their perceived flock is is in jeopardy. Their primary defence is intimidation. My fences are also very secure but I don't recommend anybody tries to test and of the above if I'm not around LOL

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Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "12/08/2014 - 19:17":

I take your point Mark. There is always discussion up front. Most neighbours are really grateful as they get a free fence.

Sometimes I wish I had a landlord like that next door and I'd get the free fence.

Ha ha, I wish she owned both my sides too.

Do so immediately? Wow! That’s why Mark likes these stories, it creates a debate & pulls all sorts out the woodwork.

I think the word ‘bloody daft’ about sums that one up.

What a pic, dog & kennel in context, I thought I was the only one who could do correct pics without tons of fresh air above & below.
I have a solution, borrow me & the neighbour your white dog, after a few altercations, the Rottweiler may no longer go near the fence & problem could be solved.

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "13/08/2014 - 07:06":

HaHa - I think your bout of generosity is the best idea Mick.

Also remember that dogs will dig under fences. My night pound has 8 ft chain link fences all around dug two feet into the ground so they can't dig under. The areas which back onto the lane, where they can see people and other dogs, are either hard board fenced as well or have a thick hedge to obscure the dogs. This serves two purposes 1) passers by can't see my dogs but they can hear them, 2) sadly big dogs like mine do get stolen for illegal dog fights so this offers further protection to my dogs.
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Fences cause grief and not easy to sort out unless you want to keep putting your hand in your pocket.
My son owns his house and it took 3 years for the neighbour(owner) to put up a new fence, stopping my son and his family from enjoying their garden to the full. They claim they could not afford to have it renewed.
It took my daughter 18 months to het her neighbours to renew their fence. She had to source the builder and get estimates. They also claim poverty

The fence panels in the video do not last long if attacked by dogs or children, if left alone they should last 3-5 years, unless hit by storm or hurricane.

Try doing what I did in a similar circumstance. Write the tenant a letter and send a copy to the neighbour, saying you will replace all damaged panels (if they are yours) and that they should last at least 3-5 years. If the new panels are destroyed before that time you will not be paying to replace them unless due to storms and high winds. Your tenant should be responsible for their dogs and any damage they do, this includes carpets, doors, units etc.

If the damage is done by the neighbours dog say you will claim any costs from them. Its easy to see from which side the fence is been pushed in from.

As these panels are or were in short supply a few months ago due to storms, it could cost £50 a panel to have a builder handy man to supply and slot in a panel, and you could be paying this every 6 weeks.

If the parties do not agree to your terms say you cannot afford to keep replacing the panels every 6-8 weeks, so you will remove them and put up chicken wire across the existing fence posts, or the nicer ones that have green plastic coating on them. Most people prefer privacy in their gardens, that's why we put up six foot panels.

My tenant has brought and installed 2 new panels a few weeks ago, I replaced the fence about 2 months ago, can only assume his large dog or children has attacked it again.

I am surprised by Mark Alexander's confident assertion regarding who the fence belongs to. Whilst etiquette dictates the person responsible for the fence should give his neighbour the pretty side, he is not legally bound to do so. Furthermore, when the fence was erected there may have been a hedge or shed on the neighbour's side obscuring his view of the fence and thus making it reasonable for the owner to get the pretty side. Finally, as it can be difficult to differentiate between the pretty and ugly side of a panel fence, and panels are often replaced on a DIY basis, the panel could have been put in the wrong way unintentionally!

To establish who is responsible for the boundary requires reference to the Land Register (and even that can sometimes be worded ambiguously).

It's the dogs owner's job to keep it in a secure area. That said the neighbour has a dog too and that could just of easily got through and before anyone say's anything size doesn't matter, a jack russell would of been through that gap 6 months ago ! I have a big dog that is soft as tripe (American bulldog, I'd post a pic but don't know how), but I too live in the middle of nowhere and with a bark like her's she doesn't need to bite 🙂 Quite simply it's as much the neighbours fault if not more, she knew the fence was weak and yet she chose to stand there winding the dog up, she'd of been better off spending the time screwing a bit of wood over the weak area. People like that do my head in, they know there is a problem and they don't just choose to ignor it but do their best to make it worse.