Rough week in the country.

[Steppenwolfe]

<Sigh>, glad that week is over.

I grew up in the country and kind of knew what to "expect", my wife did not, and it's always been her dream to live here, but we just had a rough week of "problems with the country" that took it out of me. Reminded me why I left, even though I don't regret the decision to move back, it's hard when they all hit at once.

The worst, my wife and I used to be really avid bikers (when we lived in the suburbs), we moved to the country, and there were a million things to do, so we got out of it a bit. Well, first ride of the season yesterday, dog runs out of the yard, chases us, get's hit by a car going 60MPH in the other direction. Right behind us, hear the smack, with the dog's family in the front yard screaming. It was awful. That was either dog 4 or 5 that got hit chasing me on a bike, I don't remember, but living in the suburbs, I rode 10,000 miles had had 0 hits (or even close calls). All the dead dogs on my head are from riding in the country.

Next up, a few months ago, a game camera and a deer stand appear on the property on the trails that we cut through the woods. Well, took it down this weekend, looked at the pictures, and, low and behold, the game camera belongs to the next door neighbor, Mr. "Howdy" I'll do anything for ya; including sneaking onto your property and setting up cameras. So now I've got to deal with this; and, given it's the directly across the street neighbor, that's gonna be fun. Also, adding a little more fun to it, and I wouldn't believe it if it didn't happen, but that same neighbor, on end of the "dog killing" ride.. His dog runs out in the street after us on the bike and almost gets hit. So I've got to talk to him about that too, which should be a blast, because, if we keep riding, we're gonna get his dog killed too.

The country would be great if nobody else lived there. No offense intended, I have a feeling this forum is mostly full of the people I'd love to meet/know who wouldn't sneak onto my property and hunt/bait the deer or let their dogs run free and get hit by cars. But there's a lot of that in the country, and it makes your world a little less good; I just wish it hadn't all hit at once this week.

Dude, you live in South Carolina, not to mention not far from bubbaville ( Spartanburg) . We lived in SC for 25 years, not far from Gaffney, where dogs run free, none of them are fixed, and your neighbor thinks your land is really his land, 'cause he grew up hunting there. Lay low, and put those bikes away... get an rtv.

 

[Overtaxed]

where dogs run free, none of them are fixed, and your neighbor thinks your land is really his land, 'cause he grew up hunting there.

Unfortunately, some of this is accurate. The worst thing about the country is often the people who live there, although, as always, there are very significant exceptions (some of the people we've met here are great). The best thing is, you don't have to see/interact with them very much. The same sh**ty people live in suburbia, it's just that there they have the threat of the law, an HOA, or a bored neighbor to end their stupidity. Out in the country, a lot of that stuff doesn't exist anymore.

 

[Deere Dude]

We moved to a country home with a long driveway a few years ago. My wife like to walk so we had a back road right in front of the house so this would be perfect for walking or riding bikes, way out in the sticks.

The first time walking at the end of the driveway we walking 100 yards and the neighbors dogs, who were fenced in really started carrying on a racket. There were 5-6 dogs, very large rotties and labs. Oops we can't go that way. We turned around and walked past our driveway and made it about 200 yards and 6 neighbors dogs met us on the road and started really carrying on. We backtracked and now we just walk back and forth on our driveway. Sometimes you just can't win.

 

[CobyRupert]

The first time walking at the end of the driveway we walking 100 yards and the neighbors dogs, who were fenced in really started carrying on a racket. There were 5-6 dogs, very large rotties and labs. Oops we can't go that way. We turned around and walked past our driveway and made it about 200 yards and 6 neighbors dogs met us on the road and started really carrying on. We backtracked and now we just walk back and forth on our driveway. Sometimes you just can't win.

Are you saying you can't walk down a public road because of your neighbors dogs?! Oh h*ll no! I wouldn't put up with that for 10 seconds.
Depending on where you live (and accepted practices) I'd have an official take care of that or take care of it myself.
Either win the dogs over with kindness, force owner to contain them, or give them a dirt nap. But no way in h*ll do those dogs have more rights than you.
The number of dogs to danger factor is non-linear. One dog can be dangerous, two dogs are MORE than twice as dangerous, and 6 dogs is way beyond trouble.

 

[CobyRupert]

Thing around here have changed over the last few decades. When I was a kid growing up and rode my bike 6-7 miles, I could expect to get chased by dogs 3 to 4 times. I use to carry a 2' stick (with a spike in it) named "Persuasion" across my handlebars. (i.e. "If you bite me dog, I'm biting back! Fair is fair!") I never had to make made contact with it as most lone dogs back off. It's when you have 2 or more and they circle on you that things get interesting.
Nowadays I can ride 15-20 miles and not see a single dog outside (or a person or even a kid playing for that matter).

 

[Paddy]

I'll never understand the mentality of moving "out to the country" then building your house right on a major road.

The only traffic I can see from my house is one neighbor comming and going when the leaves are down and boat traffic on the river; maybe 1 boat a week in season. I own all of 10 acres (half across the two track I share witht he neighbors), so you don't need a whole section to get a little privacy either.

Groo,

I agree. We live on a private 1 mile long gravel road. City folks have moved out to the lane and then complain about the dust. They want us to drive 5 mph. They have 10 + ac but built 70 ft from the dust bowl. Now it's my problem??

Oh and yes, we need to also drive slow so their kids and dogs can romp in the road.

 

[Overtaxed]

Thing around here have changed over the last few decades. When I was a kid growing up and rode my bike 6-7 miles, I could expect to get chased by dogs 3 to 4 times. I use to carry a 2' stick (with a spike in it) named "Persuasion" across my handlebars. (i.e. "If you bite me dog, I'm biting back! Fair is fair!") I never had to make made contact with it as most lone dogs back off. It's when you have 2 or more and they circle on you that things get interesting.
Nowadays I can ride 15-20 miles and not see a single dog outside (or a person or even a kid playing for that matter).

Well, maybe your neighbors learned, if you don't want dogs/kids to get hit by cars, put them in the backyard? Or put up a fence?

As I said, I grew up in the country, so yeah, I've had my share of dog chases. Had a few that ended with a dead dog. 2 that were a menace that were "dealt with" by a good'ol boy down the street "that dog won't be bothering you anymore". And plenty more that ended with just a chase, a sprint for me, and "fun" had by all (I suppose).

In the suburbs/cities, you can't pull this stunt, a dog outside near the road will be reported within an hour. Now, I hate a lot of aspects of that, I hate that there are people waiting breathlessly by the phone to call to cops, but, in this particular case, I do like the results (no dog chases, no dead dogs). In just about every other case, I couldn't stand it (getting into a fight with the HOA over the shade of brown my door was painted, for example). So it's not to say they don't have their pros/cons, they do. It's just that dead dogs really bother me, and my wife, is just not able to take it. Dogs are our kids, and we don't "shrug off" a kid getting hit by a car, even if it's not ours and it's not our fault. That's how she feels about it, and I, in many ways, feel the same way, even though I know that most of our neighbors view their animals very differently.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I'm not into the blame game, but it's fairly easy to teach dogs that the road is off limits. I have had bicyclists, livestock and pedestrians on the road in front of my house, and my dogs have never bothered any of them. They may stand in the front yard and bark, but that is all. I'm not going to have a dog get killed on the road. I also teach them to stay away from rattlesnakes, and not to pee in the house. It's all part of being a dog owner.

As for the tree stand and the game camera, anything abandoned on my property goes to the dump. No exceptions.

 

[tcreeley]

For a few years I lived in a lake camp area that was wooded and low income. People had their shepherds, coon dogs - some loose, some not. The roads were close and people were scraping by. Only one murder in the time I was there, my old landlord chased down his buddy after a night of coke and wife messing.
We had two young kids and my wife babysat. We also had a two year old morgan stallion who I would longline up and down the dirt roads and over to a local park - mostly every day, and later I drove him. He wasn't a safe horse and I kept a tight hand on him, quick to growl "get up here" and snap the lunge whip as I walked past people's yards and houses. Later I rode him everywhere. No one ever complained, and no one ever hassled us.
I pretty much ignored everyone - and my wife and I just did our thing. You create a presence, not worrying about fitting in, and not caring. We were friendly enough- just never went out of our way. -- The new "old" neighbors get accustomed to it, and go along with their own lives

 

[Overtaxed]

I pretty much ignored everyone - and my wife and I just did our thing. You create a presence, not worrying about fitting in, and not caring. We were friendly enough- just never went out of our way. -- The new "old" neighbors get accustomed to it, and go along with their own lives

Pretty much exactly why I moved out here, I don't want to impede on your life, you don't impede on mine. Which is near impossible to do in suburbia. When we moved there, a few years later, our neighbors put in a pool. Did everything right, got all the permits; but, OMG, what a nightmare that was for me. A few months of skid steers and jackhammers/blasting trucks about 10 yards from the window of my office. It wasn't there fault, there was no other way to do it, but that's exactly the thing I wanted to get away from, put a 100ac buffer between me and anything else anyone else wants to do. I put in a barn, and I suspect most of my neighbors, if they didn't see the trucks on the road, don't even know. Which is great, that's freedom to me, and that's what makes the country great.

And that's exactly what I do, say "Hi", if I saw something that required letting them know, I would; if I saw they were without power and we had it, I'd go over and ask if they needed anything. But I'm not going out of my way, either to win them over (I just don't care), or push them away (by setting up cameras on their property, for example).

Just let me be, and I'll be happy to do the same for you.