My neighbors have two dogs which they allow to run around in our yard. I have spent countless hours and money on my gardens and don't want dogs running around wrecking things. The dogs are not well trained nor are the owners responsible pet owners. I am not the only neighbor that does not want the dogs running around leaving deposits and wrecking plants and shrubs. Our city does have pet ordinances which the owners ignore.

I am wondering if anyone here used the solar ultrasonic dog repellers and how well they work, also which brand name works best. We are thinking of trying some of these for our yard. We do like dogs just not running around recklessly in our yard.

The pest repeller will only work if you throw it hard enough and your aim is perfect. Don't waste your money.

Your neighbors are breaking the laws, rules and ordinances. Photograph, document dates, times, damage done, cost of plants, etc. Call the Police, Animal Control and the Health Department to report the problem. Your neighbors have the responsibility to either leash their pets or put up an adequate fencing system to contain the animals on their own property. Sure, fencing is expen$ive!! Good fences make good neighbors but good manners are free. Most homeowners have a lawyer they can call; ask your lawyer to write a simple letter telling them to cease and desist. This usually works as most people are afraid of lawyers, mostly cause they can't understand all the whereas and wherefore.

Some areas have laws requiring neighbors to pay 50% of fencing. Call your city hall and start asking questions about what you need to do to fix it. Have a lawyer write up the aforementioned letter and have all the neighbors sign it, not just you. This will go a long way, when they see that multiple people are going to take action, not just no-body-little-ol-you. There is power in numbers. As far as the dogs go, you will probably have to get fencing to keep them out if nothing else works and you don't want to take a more legal approach. I understand that some neighbors you just don't want to get mad at you. So putting up a fence may be all you can do. Chainlink is usually affordable and will last a very long time. If you can afford the extra, put up 5ft instead of 4. I have seen very large dogs go over the 4ft and it is not that much difference in the cost-the labor should be the same either way.

If you have enough open space, the Scarecrow motion-detector sprinkler works great, even in the dark! They're available on Amazon, seems lots of companies are making them now and the prices range from $35 to $90. I have the original one that is now $90 but I've had it for at least 15 years. It still works like a charm. Down side is plant leaves moving in the wind can set it off, so you need to set it up in an open space facing away from your plants.

That being said, I do think you should be getting together with the neighbors and calling for legal help on this. Dogs roaming free just is not a safe situation and irresponsible people simply shouldn't own dogs.

I am not going to put up a fence in our yard and here we do not have to pay half of the cost of a fence that a neighbor puts up. They can put up a fence on their property at their costs if they want since it is their dogs causing the problem, we do not have a dog. Our city has a limit of four feet on the height of a fence.

I do know how law enforcement work as my DH worked in the field. We will notify our city office and I have already talked to a city council member. I just want to know how effective the solar ultrasonic dog repellers might be in keeping out dogs.

I do totally agree about dogs running free and someone getting bit or injured. We will escalate this if we have to, the city is going to have the city attorney send letters to those not abiding by ordinances.

We have decided to give the ultrasonic repeller a try as a back up as it may take awhile for law enforcement to get this resolved as they give some warnings with fines and then impound the animals.

Thanks for the replies, if anyone actually uses the ultrasonic repeller we would like to know your experience with the product or any tips. The scarecrow sprinkler will not work for placement in our yard.

On other threads here on ATP I believe the general consensus was that the ultrasonic repeller may work temporarily. The critters eventually get smart and avoid the small area served by the contraption, or they become immune to the effects of the device.

That being said, since you are asking for assistance from the city attorney, it would be good for you to be able to say, "Look, I tried everything including this sonic pest repeller...$90 out of pocket!!... and nothing works well enough for me to feel safe in my own yard".

Edited to add: Use the key word 'moles' and you may find the threads where folks were talking about the devices.

The ultra sonic thing will not work to your satisfaction. Here is how I solved a similar problem before I got a fence. First get a copy of the city/county ordinance addressing roaming dogs and learn your rights. In most cities/counties it is illegal for your animals to roam. I started logging, on a calendar when the dogs came in my yard, any damage they did and if they pooped in my yard. I also took pictures. After three weeks I called animal control and had them come over and showed them my log and pictures. If you can get other neighbors to participate in logging incidents that will go very far in helping your case.

The neighbors got a warning citation which explained the situation and their responsibility. They did nothing. I continued to keep my log and called animal control again two weeks later. The next citation the neighbors got cost them $50.00. The third time animal control came out the dogs were confiscated and neighbors fined - I don't remember the amount but it was a lot.

An alternative is to get a dog trap, catch them and have animal control come pick them up - the owners will have to pay to get them back. Most animal controls actually have traps you can borrow at no cost.

Here is something else you need to consider. Your neighbors will retaliate and you will make an enemy for life. If they are vindictive it can get scary - especially if they have guns. So think this through very carefully before you do anything.

Xeramtheum said:

Here is something else you need to consider. Your neighbors will retaliate and you will make an enemy for life. If they are vindictive it can get scary - especially if they have guns. So think this through very carefully before you do anything.

That is why fences make good neighbors.

I agree with almost everything in the previous post by Xeramtheum with one small exception. If we do nothing because we fear retaliation we are allowing others to break the law. We, by our inaction, send the message that we are condoning their behavior. We all need to live and work within the law; make the currents laws work for us.

When you notify your animal control department you should also go to the local court and file a form for 'good neighbor bond' (or something like that). It is similar to a restraining order except that, since you are neighbors, it is not about keeping their distance but it is about obeying the law. After the form is part of the records, if anything happens such as vandalism or retaliation, the police can step in and make an immediate arrest. This was all explained to me when I had to deal with my 'neighbor from Heck'...and he is behaving much better now.

In my neighborhood I would be up to my knees in orphan dog poop if I did nothing. I am that crazy lady who hands a person a doggy poop bag and says, "You ARE gonna pick that up, RIGHT???" So far no one has refused and no on has retaliated.

The laws vary from state to state and each city has it's own ordinances. My DH is dealing with serious health issues and I am not going to add to his stress. We will deal with this calm step by correct step for our area without causing a uproar.

I like Elaine's suggestion of a motion sensor sprinkler, there's a video of one working (cat, dog, deer, raccoon) here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I have used the sonic pest repellers for whatever nasty burrowing creature is (mole? vole? not sure) digging in my yard and have had some luck with them. My experience has been that the battery powered ones work better than the solar ones. But I don't know about the ones for dogs. (We have 8 ft chain link fence, thank you. ) Now if they made one that repelled obnoxious neighbors.....

Thank you Woofie that is what I wanted to know, we did order one that is battery operated with adjustable ultrasonic sound for different types of animals. The reviews were mixed it seemed those who did some sound adjustment and gave it a period of time to get the settings had better results.

I have not noticed the dogs recently so perhaps they no longer let them run. They keep them confined when they are not home, then leave them out for a run before confining them again perhaps they already heard that folks are not pleased. We want the unit to use as a bit of a deterrent if and when they run around unleashed.

We put up a 4' tall woven wire fence on the border of our property that borders the neighborhood and that pretty much stopped the dog problem for us. As was said before, there are lots of options but nothing beats a good fence.

You might try a simple sling shot and arsenal of rocks or bb's. A little sting in the behind might discourage the dogs from your yard. I used this tactic on a yappy little sheltie who was confused about where his turf ended and mine began.

Hopefully you've also had a conversation with the owner - communication is often key. Calmly let them know about the damage being done, and ask the neighbor what might be a good solution. Perhaps bring a gift plant to the conversation as a show of good will. As others have noted, a neighbor-war is never pretty.

I so agree with Dave, that "nothing beats a good fence." Although many dogs can (pretty easily) go over a 5 or 6-foot fence, usually that is to get out of an area that they are confined in, not to get into an area; a 4-foot, or maybe even lower, fence will likely deter them from going into your yard, unless there is something there that is extremely attractive to them (like maybe if a male dog wants to get to a female that is in heat)

I have a 2-1/2 foot fence around my veg garden that my 2 big collies (think "Lassie") totally respect, and one of those cheapo flimsy "border fence" things (about a foot tall) around my perennial flower bed, which also keeps them from running through that...

call the cops. or at least call animal control. ive done it many times on my inconsiderate neighbors who believe they're the only people living on this plantet. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Snohomish County, Washington State, its illegal to let your animals, be it dog, cat, or tree sloth, off your immediate property without being on a leash. period. not to mention is downright VERY un-neighbor friendly. especially if you have a nice yard.