can I really get into trouble??

Look in to the law. You may have a leach law on the books. If not then there is nothing you can do leagly.many countys have a leach law on the books and just not enforce them. I have the same problem two of my dogs will atack each other if another dog runs the fence they are in. There is nothing you can do about dogs that run loose except make it unwise for them to come to your property. I am usualy sucesful with a shot gun aimed near them not at them.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

SSS is a humane and reasonable option. The above remark, I can only hope, was made with horrible humor. Yuck.

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Beth ~ Old Church, VA
3 Nigerian Dwarf goats, 4 cats, 3 Pekin ducks and 7 chickens. One very patient husband~

Write A Letter With Proper Address, Put A Stamp On It, Put It In The Back Of Their Mailbox. The Mail Delivery Person Will Leave It In There If Noticed. I Am The Only House For Nearly A Mile On My Side Of The Street. On The Other Side Is A Long Line Of Neighbors Like Yours. There Are Getting Better, Tho. But, We Had To Fence Our Yard About 1000 Feed On This Corner To Get There.

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WOULD THAT ALL WOULD FOLLOW THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND PARTAKE OF HIS GOODNESS.

Yes it's illegal, at most you'll get a fine, probably just a warning. "he" can't prosecute you, all he can do is tell the postmaster.

We get the occasional meandering dog or cat, cats mostly. But they're more than welcome here, as long as they don't cause any trouble. If they stick around to long (dogs mostly) I put them in our outdoor kennel and put a sign at the end of the road. Someone always comes along and picks them up. If they caused any trouble I'll tell the owner, and 9 times out of 10 this was a rare case where the dog got out by accident. I do tell them I can't tolerate their pets causing any trouble so politely tell them to keep them under control. Remember, I may be in the same situation some day and would appreciate the help of my neighbor as well.

But, make no mistake, if that animal comes back and causes trouble again, it is the last time that happens.

You COULD get into trouble for placing something in a mail box. Back years ago I worked for the census and we told the statue which made a federal crime for anyone other than an authorized member of the USPS (and box owner) to place anything in or on the mail box. Through out the training it was pounded into trainees heads they were not to put anything in or even ON a mail box and if caught doing so they'd be fired.

Now with that said I seriously doubt your local postmaster would do anything, other than maybe tell you not to do it again, if the box holder complained.

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Remember, when seconds count. . .
the police are just MINUTES away!

Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. . .Davy Crockett

Paul, that describes me too! And every time a neighbor has told me of a problem, I have done my best to fix it, if I was the one causing the problem (once someone complained about my dogs -- we didn't have dogs, we had rabbits. They apologized, we all laughed, that was the end of it.)

This man, OTOH, is not interested in being neighborly, he's interested in being right.

Mamita, I agree with everyone that said, turn yourself in. If the Post Office even cares, they will give you a warning. Then, go after the dog in a legal manner when it gets on your property. Call animal control, if you can. run him off, if you can. If none of that works, SSS.

This man might live close to you, but he is not, by his choice, you "neighbor."

Call animal control... they can do the dirty deed!

We have leash laws up here in Alaska and if animal control gets called out for loose dogs, they will leave a warning the first time they have to come out. If they need to come out a second time, there is a $100 fine, the third is a $200 fine and .... well, you get the idea.

This is what I would do...especially seeing as how the guy is being a turd.

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Lori

Does your state have any laws about dogs chasing deer?

Are there any deer around you?

Perhaps a call to the local game warden..........saying that you thought you saw his dog chasing a deer......

One state I lived in, he would get a visit from the game warden warning him of a rather large fine....

just my thoughts............

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"When you are having dinner with someone and they are nice to you, but rude to the waiter, then this is not a nice person.".....Dave Barry

Just wondering...Is the Dog small enough to fit in the Mailbox? If you are already in trouble, Go for the Style Points!

I LOVE this idea!

To the OP, putting a note in his mailbox was against the law, report yourself, tell the postmaster you had no idea it was a crime and that you will not repeat the behavior in the future. My neighbors often hand-deliver mail to me by way of our mailbox and it's no big deal; but we are all friendly. It's obvious that the old guy is just blowing smoke, but get that issue out of the way so that you can deal with the REAL issue of his dog running loose. Since you have a leash law, you have a leg to stand on with this. The next time his dog comes over, catch him (throw a lasso around him if you have to) and call animal control. They will eventually come out, make take a few hours, might even be the next day if they are slow. Then they will take the dog to the "pound" and it will be out of your hands. Let them communicate with the animal control officers. He can blow all he wants in their direction and deal with their response.

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

Do not turn yourself into the Post Office. They will not fine you or attempt to prosecute you for one simple note. If you continued to put mail in another's mailbox without proper postage, you would receive a warning letter and possibly a postage due notice approximating how much postage revenue would have been lost to your "delivery". However, unless the postal carrier notices and keeps track of your postage-free communiques, your neighbor is just p....ing in the wind with his threats as he cannot effectively prove that you tampered with his mail. Tampering with mail IS a felony offense and involves delaying, stealing or opening someone else's mail intentionally. He appears to be a blow hard, and an ignorant one at that.

I'm sure the USPS will be more aggrivated at him for wasting their time with a trivial complaint than at you for leaving a note in his mailbox.

DONT TURN YOURSELF IN!!!
At that point your postmaster HAS to do something and it will be a big pain in his butt!
He is goona hate you for the paperwork way more than puting a note in the box one time!
Not to mention you might face fines and jail time that HE REALLY doesnt wanna HAVE TO DO.
So give the poor postmaster a break!

First of all, don't turn your dogs on this maverick. One dog, okay, but not two. With two dogs, when the maverick shows submission (if he will with two dogs on him), the two will not stop. It's just a madhouse of teeth. Second, don't bring the postmaster into this. Either lure the dog into your car and take him to the animal shelter, or lure him into your car and return him to the owner when the owner gets home. The second option is more neighborly. Tell him you are worried that one of your dogs will break loose and go after his dog.

I would not call the postmaster. They probably really don't want to hear about it, honestly. Their job is to deliver the mail, and they probably aren't interested in getting dragged into neighbor disputes over dogs.

Is the dog friendly or slow enough for you to get close to him? If so, like another poster said, load him up and take him for a ride to the animal shelter. His owner will have to go and bail him out, which often makes people think twice about just opening the door and letting ol' Jake out untethered.

Here's another trick that works, if you can get close enough to him. Get a canister of pepper spray (you can get these at Walmart, sporting goods stores, etc.) if it is legal for citizens in your state. It is legal in most states, and if it isn't, it won't be sold in your local stores. Anyway, if you can get close enough (within about ten feet), go ahead and give him a nice spritzing all over his back. This may be enough to stop the dog in his tracks, or he may not even notice. If he's acting aggressively toward you, go ahead and shoot him in the face with it. It does work. Some people worry about it making the dog more aggressive, but that is not really an issue. I know, I'm an animal control officer - I use it, I've been trained in it, and I'm not speaking from heresay. I'm advising you as someone who is concerned about a dog coming into your yard and causing a fight between your own dogs. You did not say this dog was trying to come at you.

Here's the best part - when he goes back in his house, owners will be presented with a very real consequence to letting their dog run over hill and dale. It won't harm them or blind them or anything, but it will make them tear up and maybe cough a bit. It is pretty annoying. Just make sure you don't try this while your dogs are in the mix, so you dont get it on them and then into your house!

You have the legal right to use this kind of defense on a dog if you feel you or your family/property (dogs) are in jeopardy in all the places I've ever worked, and I think this would be common around the country. Besides that, all the neighbor knows is that the dog came back from wandering covered in something really nasty.

Hope this helps.

Nothing I posted was in jest. I have done the roadkill trick many times. Because I had thought the neighbor was a great guy or lady and would do something about it. BS! Every pet owner refuses to believe it's their pet causing the problem. And when fido or fifi comes up missing, you're the first person they suspect, if you complained in the first place. This is a growing problem as more and more people move to the country. Usually the first 3 things these ex urbanites do is cut down all the trees so they can watch the traffic on the road, start a dump on the back forty that will rival Mt Everest in a couple years and of course let their animals run free as God intended them to. You can't do much about the first two, but ole Donk is more than happy to take care of the latter.

I guess if this happened to me I would send a second letter legally by mail, in a nicer tone, maybe even comment about my last letter a little apologetically, and ask 1 more time that your neighbor confine his dog. I would restate the problem caused by his dog and nicely press the point about the consequences of allowing his dog to roam free.

If that doesn't help then I like the idea of catching the dog and having him sent to dog jail for his owner to bail out. If that happens and still the dog comes back, then I might resort to SSS, but only as a terrible last resort.

As my mother always used to say "You can catch more flies with honey, than you can with vinegar."

thanks, everyone. I hesitate to do any thing drastic, because as I told him ...sometimes a dog gets loose. it happens. I sure wouldn't want to give him just cause (by REALLY hating me) to shoot my dog on first sight. (should that rare time my dog somehow got loose by accident) better to just have him blowing hot air cause I made him angry.

I remember him telling me long ago that his dog 'needs exercise' so it's nice to let him run. ya...well when it's daily and the dog is here...I just lost it. I do understand ..the man is elderly so walking his dog for exercise isn't something he can do. still no excuse to let a dog roam.

meanwhile...at least he still likes hubby. hubby smoothed things over, but the stupid man made comments like 'he knows how women get'. hubby said it isn't worth starting a war over. (and we don't ever see this guy. he's not that close to us) I agree...but I sure do hate that guy!!!!!!!!!!! I'd like to show him just how 'women get'. lol

at least I know now not to put anything in a mailbox!

Is the owner old or infirm enough that he can't walk the dog safely, or sufficiently for it to get the calming exercise it needs? And perhaps his (fixed?) income precludes a suitable enclosure. Maybe this is a a good deed waiting for your neighborhood Boy Scout, Girl Scout or youthful church member. Sue

Why bother? You're risking your own safety, by getting angry on someone else's property.

There are simple rules to your problem. You've tried to play nice and observe the rules. The other side has thumbed their noses at the rules. The rules say that anyone that thumbs their noses at the rules, gets subjected to the terminal rule.

Wait the obligatory two months, without saying anything. Then, catch the dogs in a trap, relocate them three counties over, at a shelter. SSS. Very large gun... you don't want a wounded animal crawling home to the owner, and owner rememberizing you threatened his pooches.

I love dogs. We've got ? I really don't know!, dozen, two dozen? What time is it? Expecting more. But, loving my dogs, and my animals, I do not tolerate stray or neighbor dogs (if there owner has publically stated their opposition to following the dog rules). I shoot very large calibers, and when I shoot, there's no crawling home. Been about 8 years since I had to do bad things to canine trespassers.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming