'Neighbour's dog is making my home unliveable, I'm afraid to go outside'

A new homeowner says their neighbour's dog has caused so much trouble they are now afraid to go outside. Nightmare neighbours are a common problem many of us face, and this is exactly what one irritated resident had to deal with when they moved into their new home. Their neighbour's pesky pet has been causing havoc in the garden, who has since shared their horror encounters online.

While they had initially given up hope of dealing with the rogue pitbull, those who have heard their dilemma have suggested a possible solution. But it may be tricky to pull off as the original poster, who took to the r/NeighborsfromHell Reddit page, shared they didn't want to sour relations with their new neighbour. Despite complaining of the dog's frequent troubles, the neighbour says their pet is "harmless".

The original poster disagrees, however, and says the dog is causing too many problems. They wrote: "My neighbour keeps their pitbull chained outside all day. It keeps growling and barking at me and pooping in my yard.

READ MORE: Woman baffled after she 'got told off' by stranger for sunbathing

READ MORE: 'My neighbour screams at night but their children's silent action is even worse'

"I just bought my first house 2 weeks ago and I’m already having problems with my neighbor, specifically their dog. They have a huge pitbull and they keep it chained up all outside all day.

"The problem is, everyone in the neighborhood has small yards and the chain is long enough that their pitbull can come into my yard anytime it wants pretty easily.

"They have a chihuahua that they keep inside but they let their huge dog outside and don’t let it inside throughout the day.

"I don’t want to be afraid of going outside in my own yard, I don’t want dog s**t in my yard when I don’t even have a DOG! My yard should not be a minefield of dog s**t."

They described their garden as a "minefield" and added they are at a loss as to what to do. They explained they couldn't afford to put in a fence, and confronting the neighbour would leave a lasting bad impression.

They added: "My house was just built this year and I get that the neighbour is probably used to having that area to themselves but I want it to stop.

"I really want to put up a fence but I’m so low on money right now that I can’t afford one. I guess I’ll have to start some s**t with my brand new neighbour and make her my enemy to get anything done."

Members of the public had different ideas on what to do to deal with the dog, including contacting animal control, using an air horn, or resorting to good old-fashioned honesty. One person suggested: "Just call animal control at this point.

"It seems like neglect to leave this dog with no shelters or water. Plus, it crosses your property line. But it will help if you can build a fence at some point."

Another added: "The first thing I would try is carrying an air horn when you’re in the yard. If that doesn’t work, my next step would be bear spray. A colleague lost several fingers to a pit bull attack. Put up cameras for backup."

A third shared: "Tell her that the chain reaching into your yard is unacceptable and if she doesn't do something about it you will take further action.

"You should look into building a fence. You should call animal control if the dog has no shade, water, or if it comes into your yard. Oh, and fling the dog s**t into her yard or onto her house."