Neighbours

We are lucky to live in a great neighbourhood with many wonderful neighbours. We have friends on this street who are constantly doing nice things for us, and in return we help them out too. The people we don't know that well keep to themselves (which is probably why we don't know them). I'm grateful to be surrounded by so many nice people, but this post is about a different type of neighbour. The one right beside us (not the good one on the other side).

Let me tell you about our luck with that particular house. When we moved in, it was the owner who lived there. He had parties all the time with very loud music. That was annoying, but bearable. Then he rented it out to a single mother, who let her dogs use our front lawn as a bathroom. For almost a year I couldn't let J and E play out front because if I don't have a dog, I'm not picking up dog poop. She was evicted and as horrible as it is to say, we were a little happy about it.

Until the next ones moved in. They've been there a month and a half and they have three very large, very loud and very neglected dogs. They are left in the backyard for hours at a time, barking and fighting with each other. I was woken up last week at 1 am by the dogs in the backyard, and they left them there until 2 am.When they are tied up out front, they growl and lunge at people. I've heard of two instances when they almost attacked  children because they got off the leash. I didn't see either case, so I can't do anything about it.


As a mother, I'm pretty concerned that there are three huge and vicious dogs right beside us. Granted, one of the neighbours has asked if the dogs had bothered us, but that was two days after they moved in, and they hadn't bothered us yet.

As if that's not enough, I'm not even sure how many people are living there. I think it's eight, but so many people come and go all the time we can't keep track. Although I could go on about the living situation over there, that's not the point. I won't judge anyone for the choices they make or situations beyond their control. I don't have the right to do that.

What I do have the right to do is keep my kids safe, and I don't think that's going to be easy if they stay there much longer. The dogs are one thing, but there are other factors. Every person we've seen go in and out the driveway goes really fast, and the one woman we know lives there all the time doesn't look when she's pulling in or out. I've witnessed two almost-car accidents and she nearly hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk. I've already decided the kids and I are playing across the street while she's there, because I can't expect two boys to always be on the watch for one careless driver.

The other issue is not what's going on in the house, but outside of it. Yesterday I witnessed what looked very much like a drug deal in the driveway, at 2 pm. Now my eyes aren't what they used to be, but I did see money traded for a bag of something white, and I don't think it was two tsp. of sugar. Like I said though, if they do that inside their house, I can't say a thing, but five feet from my front porch on a sunny afternoon....that's a different story.

My husband was there but because of the angle, he didn't see it. We have decided to put up with the dogs for now, because a noise complaint is much less serious than what we may have to complain about. If either of us see anything like that again though, we are calling the police. I want to talk to her about her driving because it's ridiculous how unsafe she is, but I think it would only make her angry, not careful.

One thing's for sure though. They won't be there forever (it's a rental, after all) and I hope the next tenants are a little more considerate.