'My neighbours risked my dog's life to do some maintenance work - I'm raging'

02 September 2023 , 11:55

893     0

The woman was fuming at the lack of safety (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

If you're lucky enough to have a garden as part of your property, you'll know how important it is that your garden is a secure and safe space - especially if you have kids or animals. This means that fences should be secure, and any potential dangers are mitigated. But of course, your neighbours may also get involved in the maintenance of fences, so what would you do if they removed the fence without your prior knowledge, making it unsafe for your dog?

One woman was left dumbfounded when her neighbours did just that, meaning that her dog could've easily escaped the confines of her outdoor space - potentially putting the family pet in danger.

The fuming dog-parent to Mumsnet to ask people if they would have given their neighbour a heads up if they were undergoing some work that could potentially impact them. "If your next-door neighbour was replacing their fence bordering your garden, and it was going to take two days to put the new one in, and you had a dog, would you expect them to mention it to you?", she questioned.

The angry woman continued: "And if, whilst there was no fence up they put their ladder in your back garden to reach some parts of their back hedge, would you expect them to ask your permission? Or at the very least tell you out of polite courtesy?

"My next-door neighbour has done this very thing, with plenty of opportunities to speak to me. Yesterday after the fence was finally put in they arrived home as I was leaving to go somewhere. They could quite clearly see I was in my drive and completely ignored me. I'm really not sure if I’ve offended them in any way, or if there's been some kind of misunderstanding, but I've racked my brains and really can't think what it could be."

'I don't want children staying up late at weekends - I really need adult time'

People were quick to point out that this could definitely be considered as inconsiderate - especially because of the family pet that was put in potential danger due to the situation. "Yes, they are being unreasonable", someone stated. "Sounds as if they knew they were being out of order and were too chicken to talk to you about it first. We have neighbours like this. They look down at their feet if they're in their front garden and other neighbours walk past. Then they get their super-noisy drills and grinding thing for cutting paving slabs out on a Sunday morning. Every weekend."

"It sounds like he finds you irrelevant, sadly", another pointed out. "Shocking behaviour from them, especially making your dog vulnerable with no fence." But someone else said that their having a dog "is not their problem", but the ladder on the property is "rude."

Do you have a similar story to share? Email: [email protected]

Danielle Kate Wroe