HELP!! New Neighbor Problems

Those people are flat out of their minds.
All they have to do is buy a white noise machine.

How many people get homemade bread and fresh eggs handed to them? I say they're CRAZY!

I like the pigs along the property line idea. I was about to do that when I still lived in MA and kept getting complaints from the imports about my goats and chickens.

Yeah .... if I were you I'd make a nice compost heap on the property line (like Ken suggested) and add a nice pig sty to that.

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Critical thinking -- the other national deficit

Maybe you could point that out to the neighbors if you have another encounter. Let them know that the coyotes will move closer in to the house if they are not warded off by the barking dogs. My sister also has trouble with them on her 63 acres. She said they are no longer afraid of people and when her dogs are put up at night the coyotes can be seen right near the house. They may not realize that your dog barking is the only thing keeping them back from your property and possibly theirs.

Pyrnad,

I must toss in my $0.02. When I have purchased homes or properties in the past, I have made a point to go out to the property at night, whether it is in the city or the country, to get an idea of noise and activity. To eliminate this step is irresponsible and makes this no one elses fault but their own. Period. Buyer Beware and all that.

It also bothers me that you have had friendly contact with them several times and they have never mentioned it to your face. They chose to wait until the middle of the night to harass you. They had many other options and opportunities to rectify this situation and chose this direction; that alone bespeaks poor judgment on their part.

Obviously, you have the law on your side, and rightly so. You live on a farm in the country. You live in a geographical area that has a coyote problem that you cannot solve on your own. You own goats and need to protect them for your livelihood and are doing that within the law and common sense.

To me, this is kind of open and shut. What is there for you to change? You are in the right. Now, you can choose to try to have peace versus conflict. I would think that if you want peace, you could try to make some of the overtures recommended by others. Write a letter explaining, in full, the situation. Include some printed info from the internet about LGD's, the coyote problem, and anything else that might give them some understanding of the many issues involved. Maybe include with this some of your homemade bread. By all means get copies of everything you give to them and mark on a calendar when you send it. Just in case. If they reject this, you've done just about everything you can. If they try to "one up" you by doing something to you, the best idea might be to do your best to ignore it on the outside. Bullies often stop if there is no response. Keep documentation on a calendar, or some such, of any things they do to get back at you. If you or your flock is in danger, do not hesitate to call the authorities.

I also agree with speaking to your other neighbors to see if anyone else is having a problem with your dogs. Get a feel for things around you. Could your neighbors recruit others in a cat fight?

Okay, so maybe this is $0.04. Be safe.

Salmonberry

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"Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes" Walt Whitman

I would be willing to buy it. Tell me where I can get one?

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quote of tsDave:
"I may be in the minority here, but i think you should try to keep your dogs quiet."
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And you'd be absolutely right.....YOU ARE in THE MINORITY here!
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"In my opinion there is no difference between your barking dogs, and a machinist who runs his excessivly loud machinery in the middle of the night and keeps his neighbors awake."
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But unfortunately, your opinion doesn't have the weight of law and it is just that, only YOUR OPINION.....also bad analogy......it is against the law in most areas of the country to run loud machinery in the middle of the night UNLESS the area is zoned for commercial/industrial use...... as prynad has already pointed out so many times already, it IS NOT against the law for guard dogs to be barking and doing their jobs ALL THRU THE NIGHT if need be.
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"Perhaps you could corral all your animals in your barn over night, including your dogs. Perhaps you could get different guard dogs who do not bark all night. You could still keep you current, just put them up at night. You could solve this problem if you wanted to."
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Do you know how foolish this makes you sound? It is obvious that you have no idea what life in the country entails.....in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd suspect that you may actually be "those noisy neighbors" that prynad is writing about.....but I'll agree with the last portion of your statement.....unfortunately, the "solution to solving the problem" would also be AGAINST THE LAW!" You can't shoot neighbors unless you drag the carcass back onto your own property.....
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" I dont know the law,......"
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Pretty well sums it up......no need to go further there.....
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" I am about to make their live miserable, and decrease their property values, every legal way i can."
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And so there you have it......you tell prynad to "clean up her act", but where the rubber meets the road in your own life then it suddenly is going to get ugly for your neighbor.......what a hypocrite!
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"You reap what you sow."
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EXACTLY......and you will get yours as well.

I did speak to other neighbors. No one has a problem. I would never give them any of my homemade bread again, or egg etc. Or have any contact. If they could not tell me to my face then I will not deal with them. I would have explained what the dogs are for, and yes included stories. They chose the road, now they will have to follow it. I will continue to do my thing as though they were not there.

Pyrnad, I feel for you. Nothing worse than having neighbors who are total jerks, and waking YOU up at 12:30 AM and pounding on things to get the dogs to bark (or make noise so you can't sleep?) is childish and stupid. If people want to complain, that's not unexpected with barking dogs, but the way they are going about it is really annoying. GOOD FOR YOU for calling the cops right away! They need to learn the facts of country life and then maybe they'll shut up or move (yes, please, move!)

Moopups, are you nuts? These people were being really rude and unfriendly about something that simply happens in the country. They need a swift kick!

Jennifer

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-Northern NYS

Our Border Collie is loose 100% of the time and she barks alot at night coyotes, racoons, fox...we only have 5-6 acres behind 3 other road frontage houses.....I've never had a single complaint...but my neighbors are all Mainers and benefit from our goats chix and manure....
I'd tell those neighbors that you'd be happy to help them pack their asses back to where they came from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that doesnt work....I'd butcher something on a day they had company over for a BBQ right in plain view....

So if you shoot a coyote are they going to complain about the gun noise? yep
If you trap it they'll have PETA on your butt...

Hmmm target practice early in the morning would surely ---- them off....
I think you need another dog and shooting practice daily just to break in the neighbors.....
So when that pack of coyotes howls in the middle of the night or the owl screeches who *f* are they gonna call??????????????
Some cats in heat.....

That right there was your problem. Rather than address her 'problem' you acted like a hardass (in their eyes, remember, they are from NY) because the law was backing your position. Not too neighborly in my view.

Is that late for them? Maybe not, they may go to bed late. Did you tell them it was late?

Now, my cross-bred view of this is... My grandfather had dogs on the farm for wolves. He trained them to only bark when they were near. For a few reasons.

1. He didn't feel like runnig out with the gun every time they barked.
2. He didn't like to have his sleep interrupted (he was a light sleeper).
3. His neighbors didn't like barking dogs in the middle of the night.

I understand that 'the law is on your side', but it also allows for your neighbor to put up those sonic 'bark repellents'. They work and >VERY< well and your dogs will become totally ineffective save for physical confrontation with the coyotes. What would you rather have?

As for the machine shop being a bad comparison, it actually isn't. A noise ordinance probably isn't on the books since it is likely in a rural area. My neighbor's dogs bark at night and the other one works in his shop till 1AM on race cars. No difference in the eyes of the law. And I'm technically within 'city limits'.

As someone has said, it's a two way street.


IMNSHO, I think the problem isn't the dogs or the coyotes, but the chip on both your, and their, shoulders. They call late at night, likely, to show you how annoying it is to be woken in the middle of the night and you respons with, essentially, tough doo-doo.

[QUOTE=tsdave]I may be in the minority here, but i think you should try to keep your dogs quiet. No one wants to hear barking dogs, espically all the time, espically all night long. They do bear some responsibility since you have been using dogs in farming since before they moved in, right ? If it were livestock, tractors, or other noise i would have more sympathy. But tractory only run so many hours, livestock only ball once in a while. But some barking dogs never stop until they die.

In my opinion there is no difference between your barking dogs, and a machinist who runs his excessivly loud machinery in the middle of the night and keeps his neighbors awake. Or a mechanic who fixes cars in his garage and uses pneumatic tools in the middle of the night. Do they not have a responsibility to keep quiet, even though its 'their job' ?]end quote

Apparently you don't live near grain farmers who plow and disc their fields and harvest with noisy, dusty machinery and shine their lights in your windows till late at night or run the noisy grain dryers night and day for weeks on end...!! I still wouldn't trade country life for any other! Pyrnad - stick to your guns, you've done what you can. The neighbors will soon sleep through the night and maybe will come to appreciate the dogs keeping the predators at bay.

freegal

White noise is simply noise that covers up something else.
It can be a fan, or they make little machines that have different sound effects on them, we have purchased several at thrift shops.
You can choose between the sounds of a rain forest, pounding surf, babbling brook, etc.
But anything around the house that masks noise would work.
But DON'T buy it for them, for goodness' sakes. I think the less contact you have with them, the better off you are going to be IMHO.

I just want to thank you all for making me see I should visit the house I plan to buy this summer after hours (during my sleeptime) just to be sure I feel I'll be able to sleep there. Guess my last farm was not really country but suburb- all the dogs were pets and inside nights and the man with 100 goats didn't have any dogs. Likewise though he didn't need any- I never lost sheep to predators (only poultry!) nor he except stray dogs at times. So when his goats sounded off at night he headed out with a gun.

Pyrnad,

I totally understand and respect your position. Good luck with your neighbors. I'm glad I don't have that problem so far.

Salmonberry

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"Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes" Walt Whitman

When I was selling real estate one of the first things I always suggested to potential buyers was to go into the area at different times... daytime, night, weekends, whenever they could...just to see what was going on and make sure they were comfortable with it all. It's just common sence to scope things out.

Pyrnad I think you've done all you can, and the law has explained things to them in what appears to be a direct and matter of fact method. That's good..and if these people want to cause trouble for you, or if one of your critters suddenly disappears or something I'm sure the law is going to be knocking on their door first. I hope tonight goes better and you get some rest.

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My faith keeps me here until my purpose is fulfilled. Good choices & bad I learn from everything! I am still beautiful and messy and a work in progress!

We Have a wonderful pyre is name is Bo.... we call him dork .... when we had our goats Dorky was on the coyotes like a cheap suit. He'd know when one was headed in the general direction of the herd. Never had an animal attacked after He came to live with us.

If your a night person.... I'd give your super doggy an evening or two off ...get a nice live chicken and tether it as close as legally possible to the "offended" neighbors. ..... by the way ...go get one of these...

OTHER LICENSES/PERMITS
Coyote Night Hunting Permit $4.00 [B]
Falconry $26.00
Migratory Waterfowl Hunting (16 & older) $7.50
Pheasant Hunting Permit (Cumberland & York Counties only) $17.00
Antlerless Deer Permits
Moose Permits
Turkey Permits

(Unless otherwise noted, all licenses and permits expire on December 31 of the year issued).


Don't go out until midnight or so .... soon as your red spotlight hones in on a coyote ... unload as many rounds from the biggest loudest gun you can get your fingers on....

wait a couple hours then do it again ..... if they say a word ... hey ...they wanted the dog put up ..... your just out doing his job for him ....

if you see these folks in the daytime .... sit on your porch ...drink whiskey and clean your guns ...(works better in warmer weather)

should take about 3 weekends or so before the for sale sign goes up .... they moved before ... they can move again ...if they are fortunate they still have some of their stuff in boxes.

Make them think your nuts and keep the law on your side.

Wish I was closer I'd take the 2-6 ayem shift .... (it's always the best hunting)

That's total horse -----! She went out of her way to be nice to these people and at the first chance, they call and wake her up to complain about her working dogs. They're the ones with the chip on their shoulders. I have a feeling if they had approached pyrnad calmly to discuss the problem, something could have been worked, the neighborly relationship saved. But these people are idiots who don't know anything about living in the country, and they clearly don't care to learn. They want to turn farmland into resort-land with lots of laws and restrictions to make everyone like them. I still can't believe there people on this board agreeing with these people.

Pyrnad, I'm so glad the sheriff did what he did. Sounds like you've got good folks in law enforcement on your side. That should be helpful in the neighbors make anything more of this. I hope they back off now.

My goodness gracious..

What if the "problem" was bawling cows? Anyone ever live next to a farm full of those? Should new neighbors have the right to complain about the noise that makes all night long??? Should the farmer, for the sake of being respectful of his new neighbors tear down his cow barn and build it on the other side of his property?? Maybe he ought to sell his cows and get something quieter that doesn't "offend" anyone.

God forbid the family has a colicky baby..I'd hate to hear how THAT noise might offend the neighbors sensitivities.!

Dogs BARK..cows moo..manure smells bad.. all of these occur often in a country environment..all night long..Personally, I don't like the sound of jets..so I don't live either next to an airport or in a flight zone..fairly simple.If after I moved in, I discovered that my neighbor owned his own jet strip, and fired up his plane at 1AM, I wouldn't be calling him to complain, I'd be saying to MYSELF "stupid..stupid..stupid" and calling a realtor.

If something had been said the day before, I would have explained about the dogs. Or any other day over the last month. I did tell them when they moved in I am in bed by 9:30 at the latest. I also told them I have a working farm/homestead. I produce 90% of the food we eat, milk we drink etc. I work hard here and so does my hubby(he had a stroke in 2004 so he can not do some of the stuff he used to). I do not need city folk crap. This is like the people who bought land next to a railroad, and then complained about the noise.

"ts Dave, My dogs are farm tools just like a tractor or machinery. Their is even a Supreme Court ruling on the use of LGD's."

Yes, i know, my point was how would YOU like it if a farmer ran his equipment all night ,every night, right beside your house ? (with the intention of continuously doing this for his own profit) ? Secondly, i believe its the law there. Doesnt make it right. Doesnt make you right for following it. Doesnt make it right for you to use it to annoy your neighbors. BTW i was not and am not faulting you for the dogs, i would faulting you for not considering the feelings of your neighbors and trying to keep the peace with them. I was pointing out, when it come to law, you may very well LOSE even if you think you will win, espically if they have $$$


"It also bothers me that you have had friendly contact with them several times and they have never mentioned it to your face. They chose to wait until the middle of the night to harass you."

Perhaps they were being kept from sleeping by the barking, i have been there, It is exactly like when the neighbors blast the stereo, but when you call the cops they say its legal !

"copperkid"
I wont even bother replying to your post. Your obvious lack of intelligence and wisdom would prevent you from comprehending it anyway.




I have lived on this land ALL my life, it was my fathers before me. My neighbor bought a mcmansion on a tiny 3/4 acre lot. They brought their dogs, little tiny usless animals, put one in a kennel, let one loose, and keep on on a tieout. I have made it clear to them that their dogs are disturbing me. They moved them out of direct line of bark/sight from me, until a week ago, then they moved them back.

I am NOT going to let them enjoy their view(of MY LAND) or property so long as they are keeping me from enjoying mine. I CAN CALL THE SHERIFF,THEY ARE BREAKING THE LAW, but some of us are not cry babies, and can handle things ourselves. I have lived here 28 years, i will outlast them.

I used to be able to sleep at night and listen to the frogs and bugs. Then i heard dogs in the distance and it made me angry, now they are next door, and i will do what i have to.

"Apparently you don't live near grain farmers"
Not close, but i do hear tractors running from time to time, and it doesnt bother me. Most equipment makes a constant sound, which is easier to get used to than a barking dog, which would be similar to and air ratchet running at random times for random durations all day and night.

I am not going to reply to anything else directed to me on this post, i have said what i wanted, I have told my opinion, now clarified it. In all honesty i dont give a rats sas what you do, you are very far from me.

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Happiness is directly proportional to the ratio that trees out number humans.