fencing issue

kizzy2010

hi all, not sure if anyone can help me but i'm in need of some advice about an issue i have with my fencing in the back garden and our landlord.
our back garden joins on to that of another house behind us, they own a huge st bernard, and i mean huge, this thing scares me. i have a 4 and a 2 year old child, the 2 year old especially is very wary of the dog.
the fence that joins us, is in our garden (the house is owned by a housing association).
the fence, to say the least, is in a state of disrepair, rotting away and is less than 3 feet high.
on our side there is a row of conifers, which, before we moved in, were let to grow so high that the bottom of these trees has died and now offer no coverage of the fence at all.
the dog, will see us in the garden, jump up at the fence, and has on several occasions made an attempt to get into our garden, i have photographs of the dog trying to do this, which the repair people at the housing association have seen.
they put up one panel last year, which that in itself, the dog tries to get his around as it was poorly erected with gaps either side, simply nailed to the tree.
now they are proposing just putting up one panel (they have already tried this and the dog just finds a different gap to try), even though the first repairman that came to assess it, recommended that the trees come down and a whole new fence is put in its place, this would mean approx 5 new panels.
i just want to know what my rights are, i do fear for my childrens safety whilst they are in the garden when the dog is out.
the dog gets left out there on his own, often for hours at a time.
oh, and they cant just ask them to control the dog as the other house is a private house, not housing association.
if anyone can give me any advice of what to do i'd be really grateful as i do just feel like im banging my head against a wall.
the highest they will let me go is neighbourhood manager and hes useless.
thanks

paulsad

Have you tried a discussion with your neighbours? If their dog is a risk to anyone its in their interest to fence properly, god forbid anything bad happening but they would be liable - its probable the dog is a big softie and won't harm you or your kids - sometimes parents not used to dogs overreact and this carries on in their kids growing up with their parents fear of ALL dogs. 99% are harmless.
I'm not saying there aren't bad dogs/dog owners out there as we all know via the terrible stories we read about - some breeders/owners should be destroyed with the vicious dogs they breed.

kizzy2010

i should add, my daughter was present during an attack on my mums dog a few months back, and she had a stray dog jump at her face, affectionately, but non the less scratched her face and since these 2 incidences she has been wary of dogs. i myself love dogs, but since she was scratched a few weeks ago by a friendly dog, it only takes this one to get in and maybe be a bit too friendly to injure her or my son.

carefullycautious

Have you tried talking with the owners. I would be mortified if I thought any dog of mine was scaring people/children.

I would go round and quietly ask if there is any way that this can be resolved due to your children not being able to go into the garden.

It really is their responsibility to keep their dog under control in a properly fenced garden maybe your local dog warden could help if all else fails.

Mrs_Imp

I have had a problematic fear of dogs since I was very little and was left with an over enthusiastic dog. It didn't hurt me - just knocked me over and barked and jumped around a lot. Ever since then I have been terrified of dogs, especially when they bark. It's a problematic fear because it stops me going places if there are loose dogs there, and I have even run into the road without looking because I was startled by a dog.

Try and find some friendly dogs and introduce your children to them gradually, don't let the wariness become a fear that affects their lives. I hate that I feel unable to walk across parks in case there are dogs there

Can you put your own fence up if the neighbours prove unhelpful? Can you meet the neighbours and ask them about their dog, maybe even introduce your children to it (when it's on a lead and under control). That could make it less scary for the children, and make the dog less curious about them.

McKneff

Sorry but, if you are worried about your children why dont you just put another fence up yourself. I personally wouldnt hesitate.
I know that its the owners responsibility to keep the dog contained but its your responsibility to protect yout children, now, this
minute and not wait weeks for some HA to put a fence up.

Imagine if that if this dog attacked your kids tomorrow, one of the first things you would say to yourself 'I wish I had put a fence up myself'

kizzy2010

hi,
thanks for all your comments. the last one in particular, we have thought the exact same thing. but due to the location of the trees (directly in front of the fence), they would have to come down in order to put a new fence up, and permission for this, from the housing association, was already denied some time ago. so, i'm at a complete loss. think i'll pop to the cab later and see if they can help me.
thanks

andrew-b

The dog owner has a duty to provide suitable fencing to contain their dog. The dog is probably a big softie and just wants to say hello. What i would do if i were you is put up some temporary fencing of your own ASAP. I'd suggest going to wickes/toolstation/screwfix and buying a roll of orange mesh fencing (it's a metre high) and some metal fencing stakes - it won't look nice but for about £30-40 (depending on length and number of stakes) it will be peace of mind for you until you can persuade HA to sort it out. Will only take about 5 minutes to put up too. I just recently bought some myself to keep our dog out of area of garden i'm working on to keep him out of harms way.

marjoriedoor

Hi

Just read this - hopefully all sorted now but thought i'd add that maybe you could go round the neighbours and see if you could 'get to know' the dog yourself - then introduce the children (under owner's guidance/ supervision) if possible - my dog barks a lot around kids etc because she gets excited and wants to join in/ play - she could appear scary to kids that dont know her but once introduced is like a puppy in their hands

good luck whatever you do x