# Neighbor's dog roaming free. What to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426 "2013-11-21T14:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/81 "2014-05-30T19:45:23Z")
Sorry **Anamen** , but you are just flat wrong here. By not properly protecting their dog from the hazards of life with humans, the owners are being derelict in their duties. In some utopian dog paradise where there are no speeding cars, or people who hate dogs enough to poison them, or dangerous chemicals lying around, well sure, run free my furry good buddy. Enjoy the freedom!! But that ain’t the world we live in. The dog in question in this thread needs to be fenced, or at the least trained to not leave the property of the owner. Better for the dog, better for the neighbors, better for the people driving through in their car. If I drive through this neighborhood and, despite my best efforts, hit Fido with my car, guess who feels like shit now? Well, Fido, for sure, but me as well. That’s Fido’s owners damn fault. Live in the boondocks with no other house or road for 10 miles? Sure, let your dog roam free. Live close enough to have “neighbors”? Sorry Fido, you’re staying close to home. By the way, lifelong dog owner here. (Looks over at Charley the lab mix snoozing next to desk) 😉 also by the way, I know it’s a zombie dog thread, but I posted anyway. So sue me. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/82 "2014-05-30T19:50:55Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Sorry **Anamen** , but you are just flat wrong here. By not properly protecting their dog from the hazards of life with humans, the owners are being derelict in their duties. Yup. Not to mention other kinds of hazards of the modern world that aren’t malicious, like a puddle of antifreeze in someone’s driveway the dog decides to drink. Or what happens if _everyone_ lets their dogs run loose, and just one dog isn’t so good-natured. Or if you keep up with your dog’s shots, but your dog happens to be the one rare one that doesn’t hold a titer to rabies, and then gets bit by a rabid raccoon. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/83 "2014-05-30T22:53:59Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > **In some utopian dog paradise** where there are no speeding cars, or people who hate dogs enough to poison them, or dangerous chemicals lying around, well sure, run free my furry good buddy. Enjoy the freedom!! In some utopian dog paradise, the dogs would all run freely about, but there would be leash laws to prevent humans from running freely about. All parks would be dog parks, with a few of them being fenced so they could also be off-leash people parks. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/84 "2014-05-31T00:07:16Z")
Oh now, I think they’d let us roam about. In spite of what jerks we can be, they are generally the last to notice. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/85 "2014-05-31T01:11:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I thought Canadians were supposed to be a polite, peaceful people. We are. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/86 "2014-05-31T01:48:51Z")
No one mentioned this, but I suggest searching for a dog RESCUE for labs (or any dog really) nearby instead. Calling animal control will send the dog to a shelter where he’ll be checked for tags or chips, but if none are present, that dog might not last long. Rescues try harder and longer to find the owners. I returned a dog to its owner by checking the tag and realizing it lived nearby. This was a dachsund though and readily leaped into my car, where I took it a block away. The fence was not easily locked and had come undone. Two large black labs were still inside the open fence. The dachsund ran into the fence and I closed it securely, then knocked on the door of the owner… who blamed the dog. The reason I wrote all that is, the first time my dog got out (6 foot fence, no idea how he got out, but he got out several times more), he popped his collar off when the first guy in the neighborhood tried to grab him, and got 4 miles away with no collar on (although he was chipped). His pic was immediately posted on Facebook by whoever saw him in his yard; it was seen by the subdivision across from me, someone saw my “lost dog” ad, informed me, and I showed up to find that a group of people had him corralled. And it wasn’t the first time. I have so many calls on my phone about my escape artist. I lock him in completely now and the garage is his litterbox. What I’m trying to say is, there are other ways than shooting it or calling Control. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/87 "2014-05-31T01:59:20Z")
Also, I was amazed by the amount of people who searched for my dog, without even knowing him (once my next door neighbor just put him back over the fence when he saw him out. I don’t know my next door neighbor’s name). They found him at a school once, and corralled him again, and called me. People I don’t know. And everyone who saw him, every time he got out (5 times or so), people would put food and water out for him, which he never took. The last straw was when he was gone 7 days, middle of winter rain, and came back stick thin (we were called again). That’s when we locked him in. No more leaving work at a moment’s notice to chase him down, 4-5 miles away in either direction. Just put the word out. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/88 "2014-05-31T05:04:36Z")
A stray Pit Bull wandered into my yard once, and she clearly was friendly. There was a doghouse with a chain in the backyard left by the previous owners, so after petting her a bit, I chained her up, put out a bowl of water, made a quick trip out to buy a rawhide bone, and then called animal control, and started calling vets in the area. Turned out she belonged to someone who lived about two miles away, who was VERY happy to have her back. She was only about a year old, and apparently had broken her lead in the yard. The owner said she was going to stay inside until they could put up a fence. In the course of trying to get that dog home, I found out about some Pit Bull/GSD puppies that needed homes, and ended up with the best dog in the universe. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/89 "2014-05-31T06:57:53Z")
Take a photo of the dog and make up like a wanted poster with the dogs photo, except use the following words. “this dog has been coming into my yard. Next time it comes on my property it will be shot” Make a poster and put in every mailbox in the area, don’t say which yard is yours or identify yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/90 "2014-05-31T11:13:25Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Since this thread is over 6 months old, and was bumped just for a lame joke, one would assume the problem has been taken care of. It took care of itself! The home was sold, and the bad owner + dog are gone. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/91 "2014-05-31T11:32:24Z")
What a responsible dog! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/92 "2014-05-31T17:48:55Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Take a photo of the dog and make up like a wanted poster with the dogs photo, except use the following words. > > “this dog has been coming into my yard. Next time it comes on my property it will be shot” > > Make a poster and put in every mailbox in the area, don’t say which yard is yours or identify yourself. In the US, it is illegal to put anything in a mailbox that isn’t mail. ---
**Author:** ![MsBatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@MsBatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsBatt)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/93 "2014-06-01T04:29:09Z")
I had to laugh when I read Lowdown’s suggestion to “squirt it with a hose” in a thread talking about a Lab. Talk about Dog Heaven! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/94 "2014-06-01T06:39:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > In the US, it is illegal to put anything in a mailbox that isn’t mail. You won’t be arrested and tried for it, although you might be fined if you are a persistent nuisance, but what will happen is that the mail carrier will remove all the flyers he finds when her delivers the mail, so it will be a mostly wasted effort. Also, some municipalities define leaving flyers on car windshields as littering. You would need to take these to people’s doors, or hand them to people. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/95 "2014-06-01T08:04:34Z")
It seems to me that, unless the dog’s owner shapes up, this will continue until: 1. A letter carrier reports the matter to his supervisor, who contacts the police or Animal Control. 2. A group of fed-up neighbors reach the limit of their patience and call… 3. The dog foolishly bounds into the street and a car hits him. (I did that once; the dog suddenly disappeared.) 4. The dog bites a child and the owner gets sued. 5. Someone sneaks around late at night and puts poisoned/drugged food in the dog’s outside food bowl. 6. Someone comes around with a bigger, more belligerent dog. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/96 "2014-06-01T08:57:33Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > In the US, it is illegal to put anything in a mailbox that isn’t mail. Wow, seriously? we get all sorts of crap jammed in the mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/97 "2014-06-01T09:27:06Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > It seems to me that, unless the dog’s owner shapes up, this will continue until: > > 1. A letter carrier reports the matter to his supervisor, who contacts the police or Animal Control. > 2. A group of fed-up neighbors reach the limit of their patience and call… > 3. The dog foolishly bounds into the street and a car hits him. (I did that once; the dog suddenly disappeared.) > 4. The dog bites a child and the owner gets sued. > 5. Someone sneaks around late at night and puts poisoned/drugged food in the dog’s outside food bowl. > 6. Someone comes around with a bigger, more belligerent dog. Well, the owner moved, so it’s an SEP\* now. See [**Rachellelogram’s** post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17421291&postcount=90) above. \*SEP = Someone Else’s Problem. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/98 "2014-06-02T01:20:43Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Well, the owner moved, so it’s an SEP\* now. See [**Rachellelogram’s** post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17421291&postcount=90) above. > > \*SEP = Someone Else’s Problem. So, she painted the dog pink and attached a SEP Field generator to it’s collar? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/99 "2014-06-02T03:36:32Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > So, she painted the dog pink and attached a SEP Field generator to it’s collar? If only we’d thought to pick up a single torch battery! ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426/100 "2014-06-02T03:47:41Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Did he run away to a nice farm? My family dog actually did go live on a nice farm. I know, because it was my grandparents’. A farmer (not my grandfather) shot him for killing chickens. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neighbors-dog-roaming-free-what-to-do/674426.md?page=4)