Replies to '12/24 Nasty Neighbors'
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September 19, 2007, 2:10 pm PDT
 Quote From: lcb81860 My family and I have lived in our Long Island neighborhool slightly over two years...we LOVE our new home and FINALLY have room to breathe (we previously lived in a 900 sq. ft. "shoebox" for 6 years...a little TOO close for comfort for a family of three, two Labs and 1 cat!). Anyhoo...my family and I are the type of people who, for the most part, keep to ourselves and mind our own business, yet I do wave to my neighbors or chat for a few minutes at the mailboxes on occasion and will even take in mail, newspapers, etc., when requested. HOWEVER there is one family a few doors down who has alienated pretty much EVERY ONE on the block! They have called the cops to complain (most recently on US this past February when they felt that our 16-yr. old son had too many friends over our house to "hang"), filed complaints on others with the Town, made idle threats (even went as far as approaching another neighbor's property brandishing baseball bats FOR NO APPARENT REASON), "talks trash" about others (including us) behind backs and pretty much thinks they "own" the block (even though they're NOT homeowners!). The main culprit of this brood (we'll call him "Kenny K") is the patriarch and the splitting image of Charles Manson!!! Needless to say, Kenny K's a little bit PSYCHOTIC & scary! This past summer, someone bashed one of our car windows overnight and even though Kenny K was THE FIRST person who came to mind who would be capable of doing such a thing (we later found out that it wasn't him, but a former trouble-maker school friend who our son no longer "hangs" with); even the local police officer, who came to our house to investigate the matter, when asked if we had problems with any neighbors and my husband mentioned Kenny K. replied "You mean "the CRAZY one?"!! Kenny K. is the type of person who attemps to be "Mr. Community"...every year his family sets up quite the impressive Halloween Haunted House display (the downside of this is that it brings kids over in droves who "egg" and spray shaving cream on other properties), and every single weekday morning he's outside like a (obnoxious) "cheerleader" when the school buses pick up his and other children. However, he's underhanded; nice to your face but will STAB you in the back in a heartbeat when you're not looking; he can't be trusted!
Another neighbor who is becoming a problem lives right next door. They leave their two dogs (a vicious Pitt-mix and Presa Canario) out the ENTIRE day (from 7AM); whenever I let my two Labs out in our backyard several times/day to "do their business" (they won't stay out unless we're out there with them) the barking/carrying on between the two sets of dogs begins and it's only a matter of time before their aging, shoddy stockade fence dividing the two properties collapses and those two dogs get into our yard AGAIN...they've already broken through once several months ago; fortunately I let my dogs inside in time before they were attacked! I've approached this neighbor THREE times nicely about resolving this matter and their attiude is that WE should keep OUR dogs away from that side of OUR yard and that the little Pitt-mix" is "harmless"! Three strikes; they're OUT I'll eventually take pictures of the conditon of their fence from our side and report it to the Town and let THEM handle the matter.
As much as I LOVE our new home and community amenities, I'm slowly getting to the point of unhappiness/disharmony and it's only a matter of time before we pack up and move AGAIN (much to my husband's dismay). I'd rather it NOT come to this!
OXO If we could only choose our neighbors. I, too, have had my share of the bullies. When nothing else worked and the city grew tired of my last neighbors allegations,even resorted to calling the city on my dogs which stayed in my back enclosed fence yard ALWAYS. he decided to move. YEAH!!!!!! We are talking repeated remarks when my daughter was outside,etc. He put the word nasty to shame. I still get a very uneasy feeling when I think of him. I finally resorted to having a sign in my yard saying " WE ARE BEING THREATENED BY A NEIGHBORHOOD STALKER" Childish, maybe. Over the top, absolutely. But when it came time for him to put his house on the market to sell, I think he realized what we had been going through. (maybe) And as far as the Pitt mix, are they vicious? Or is that your preception? Dogs, all breeds, are the responsibility of the owner. More people are bit by small, yapping dogs than big ones. Big ones do more harm, though. I dont believe there are bad dogs. Just bad owners. Why dont you replace the fence, panel by panel. picket by picket. I know that is what we had to do and it was worth the slow amount of time it took. |
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December 23, 2007, 10:43 am PST
Quote From: lcb81860 My family and I have lived in our Long Island neighborhool slightly over two years...we LOVE our new home and FINALLY have room to breathe (we previously lived in a 900 sq. ft. "shoebox" for 6 years...a little TOO close for comfort for a family of three, two Labs and 1 cat!). Anyhoo...my family and I are the type of people who, for the most part, keep to ourselves and mind our own business, yet I do wave to my neighbors or chat for a few minutes at the mailboxes on occasion and will even take in mail, newspapers, etc., when requested. HOWEVER there is one family a few doors down who has alienated pretty much EVERY ONE on the block! They have called the cops to complain (most recently on US this past February when they felt that our 16-yr. old son had too many friends over our house to "hang"), filed complaints on others with the Town, made idle threats (even went as far as approaching another neighbor's property brandishing baseball bats FOR NO APPARENT REASON), "talks trash" about others (including us) behind backs and pretty much thinks they "own" the block (even though they're NOT homeowners!). The main culprit of this brood (we'll call him "Kenny K") is the patriarch and the splitting image of Charles Manson!!! Needless to say, Kenny K's a little bit PSYCHOTIC & scary! This past summer, someone bashed one of our car windows overnight and even though Kenny K was THE FIRST person who came to mind who would be capable of doing such a thing (we later found out that it wasn't him, but a former trouble-maker school friend who our son no longer "hangs" with); even the local police officer, who came to our house to investigate the matter, when asked if we had problems with any neighbors and my husband mentioned Kenny K. replied "You mean "the CRAZY one?"!! Kenny K. is the type of person who attemps to be "Mr. Community"...every year his family sets up quite the impressive Halloween Haunted House display (the downside of this is that it brings kids over in droves who "egg" and spray shaving cream on other properties), and every single weekday morning he's outside like a (obnoxious) "cheerleader" when the school buses pick up his and other children. However, he's underhanded; nice to your face but will STAB you in the back in a heartbeat when you're not looking; he can't be trusted!
Another neighbor who is becoming a problem lives right next door. They leave their two dogs (a vicious Pitt-mix and Presa Canario) out the ENTIRE day (from 7AM); whenever I let my two Labs out in our backyard several times/day to "do their business" (they won't stay out unless we're out there with them) the barking/carrying on between the two sets of dogs begins and it's only a matter of time before their aging, shoddy stockade fence dividing the two properties collapses and those two dogs get into our yard AGAIN...they've already broken through once several months ago; fortunately I let my dogs inside in time before they were attacked! I've approached this neighbor THREE times nicely about resolving this matter and their attiude is that WE should keep OUR dogs away from that side of OUR yard and that the little Pitt-mix" is "harmless"! Three strikes; they're OUT I'll eventually take pictures of the conditon of their fence from our side and report it to the Town and let THEM handle the matter.
As much as I LOVE our new home and community amenities, I'm slowly getting to the point of unhappiness/disharmony and it's only a matter of time before we pack up and move AGAIN (much to my husband's dismay). I'd rather it NOT come to this!
OXO Go ahead and take your pictures. It's the only way to accomplish anything. Talking nicely to them anymore won't work! You will have to go to court and find out whose responsibility it truly is.
I don't own dogs, but my neighbors do. Last spring, I wound up in court. I was cited for abusing my neighbor's dogs. They had three Labs. The city has a regulation that only 2 dogs may reside on each property, due to its size. Otherwise, you must have kennel license--and live outside city limits. This regulation is fair to the owners and their dogs. I wanted to be a good, non-complaining neighbor. It became impossible. The dogs favorite sport was excessively barking and jumping up on the fence--which was only about 4 feet tall. Every time I opened the back-door, this happened. I was uneasy in my own backyard feeding the wild birds and the squirrels. Sometimes, they attacked because I walked into the kitchen because that's where the back-door is located. I was cited for throwing the container for the squirrel food at the fence. ( I can't hit anything) It didn't land on their property. But the neighbor came out and made an obscene gesture. I responded as unladylike as she had. The courtroom laughed and laughed because I answered the direct question. (The judge thought it was funny because this was the only case he heard all day not involving drugs or alcohol) By then, the charges had been reduced from dog abuse to disturbing the peace. I was found not guilty because the law in my state requires the presence of children for foul language to be considered disturbing the peace. I explained to the prosecuting attorney that at the time of my alleged public disturbance that the dogs were barking so loudly that I was guessing every other word my neighbor said. "She may or may not have heard me, but I suppose she could read my lips well enough to get my meaning, mighty fine."
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