The whole “muh rights” thing is hitting home with me on a different level right now. Our farm is a hobby but also is a “deep prep”. As such, we rely on our livestock guardians to keep away predators.
We live on a little acreage, our neighbors have over 59 acres. Well, their kids (or grandkids) are teens riding ATVs right along our fence line, on our property. Normally, it’s no big deal, but they taunt our dogs and bring their border collie to run the fence just to make matters worse. This dog gets our dogs to run frantically back and forth against the fence. Then it gets my livestock agitated, some of whom are pregnant and do not need to be panicking. They wait to see if anyone is looking then they do this and when they see me they stop.
The problem is, our 6 mo the pups are large breed and do not need to run full speed constantly while they are developing, or they can get hip problems. We’ve seen it happen and it is devastating.
So I asked them nicely to stop, and explained why. They said sure (in front of an adult) then the adult left and they did it again. Saw me, and left.
So, I decided to make a barrier and put some brush against our fence, on our property, to keep their dog from egging on our our dogs. Their response was to bush hog a swath just next to my brush so they could keep riding next to my fence. This is 5’ from their own road, which they can ride to their heart’s content, or anywhere else on their 59 acres. This is them being jerks.
I just don’t want my dogs running the fence, and they don’t if the ATVs are 5’ away.
It is all about “muh rights”. They have the “right” to ride 2’ from my fence, and potentially damage my pups. Hubby does not think we should confront them because he believes things will escalate as they are rednecks to the extreme. So, I am getting ready to order $1000 worth of privacy fence, money we really don’t need to spend.
We have been nothing but courteous with these neighbors. It sucks that they have to be jerks over something like this. But again, sometimes it is not about what you are legally (or constitutionally) allowed to do, but what is the right thing to do.
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Bundles of razor wire along the fence line would be cheaper. :-)
Regarding your rude neighbors:
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams
Of course - it is the kid’s being jerks. Any chance if you spoke to their parents the parents would understand?