dogs and fences
Eve is 55, single, childless and works in a caring profession. She is a keen home-owner and gardener and it was a pity that new neighbors with a siege mentality spoilt her happy existence with an ugly dividing fence and barking dogs.
"I couldn’t imagine living in an apartment without a patch of earth to play with," she laughs. "I spend every weekend pottering in the garden and my hobby not only engages my mind but also my body -- I credit my trimness, fitness and bounding good health to all my outdoor activity!"
"When I moved to my present house in the suburbs I was delighted to find no fences whatsoever. Nobody had staked out their claim with fences or walls of any description. Only strategically placed bushes and trees around each house denoted where one property ended and another one started. It was the perfect setting for me."
"Fences between neighboring properties are not called dividing fences without good reason," concedes Eve, "but I just longed to have a place where a dividing fence issue was not going to mar an amicable neighborly relationship."
"At two other houses I’ve lived in I got involved in fence incidents," sighs Eve. "Both incidents involved replacement of an old timber fence that had fallen to pieces. The first incident occurred when a neighbor refused to pay half the cost of a plain timber replacement fence, and the second incident occurred when I refused to pay half the cost of an expensive brick wall that my neighbor wanted instead of a timber replacement fence. Not only didn’t I have the money for such a structure but I also objected to being brick-walled in."
"I want to live in a free society where neighbours trust each other."
"I deliberately chose my new house because it had no fences," says Eve, "and I was delighted to find that my new neighbors, at each side and at the rear, were friendly and helpful without being intrusive. I settled down very quickly to enjoy a home without dividing fences!"
"The first change to spoil this heavenly existence was neighbors at the rear announcing they were selling their property. Within six weeks of the ‘For Sale’ sign appearing on their property, the contracts were exchanged and they were gone. I was told a young couple had bought the house, but to this day I have yet to see them or hear them. What I did hear, however, was the sound of an electric saw early one morning."
"Thinking someone was doing some carpentry, maybe putting up a pergola" explains Eve, "I went to work as usual and returned to find the ugliest six-foot raw timber fence I had ever seen in my life at the rear of my new home."
"If that was not bad enough, a few days later the young couple moved in and I realized the purpose of the fence. They had two Rottweilers. I saw them - and they saw me - through the chinks in the raw timber fence."
"I did not need to see the dogs, though," laughs Eve, "I recognized the bark as soon as I heard it. And bark they did. Every time I went out to the back garden, to hang some washing or do some gardening, they greeted me ferociously."
"Gradually, the tolerance between the Rottweilers and me reached a comfortable level. They got used to me, and I got used to them. But they still barked ferociously at my visitors and this, actually, turned out to be an advantage."
"The existence of the Rottweilers actually increased my level of security," explains Eve. "I feel a lot safer with them around. Their bark is enough to scare away any intruder!"
"But I still look at that fence and groan. Soon after it was erected I planted bamboo in front of it. The growth has been phenomenal, as expected, but the cover has been sparse. I can still see the raw timber. It is unsightly."
"I suppose I could rip up the bamboo and wait forever for some thick growth greenery to screen it - or do a paint job on it," says Eve, "but it would be far easier to learn to live with it and that's what I intend to do."
"The path of least resistance is not always the best road to travel," says Eve, "but in the case of fenced Rottweilers it probably is."
"I have still not met my new neighbours, or know where in the world they came from to have such a siege mentality about living in harmony with neighbours."
"They may feel safe surrounded by high fences and ferocious dogs," sighs Eve, "but the rest of the people around here feel very threatened by the siege mentality they are bringing into our neighbourhood."
"I couldn’t imagine living in an apartment without a patch of earth to play with," she laughs. "I spend every weekend pottering in the garden and my hobby not only engages my mind but also my body -- I credit my trimness, fitness and bounding good health to all my outdoor activity!"
"When I moved to my present house in the suburbs I was delighted to find no fences whatsoever. Nobody had staked out their claim with fences or walls of any description. Only strategically placed bushes and trees around each house denoted where one property ended and another one started. It was the perfect setting for me."
"Fences between neighboring properties are not called dividing fences without good reason," concedes Eve, "but I just longed to have a place where a dividing fence issue was not going to mar an amicable neighborly relationship."
"At two other houses I’ve lived in I got involved in fence incidents," sighs Eve. "Both incidents involved replacement of an old timber fence that had fallen to pieces. The first incident occurred when a neighbor refused to pay half the cost of a plain timber replacement fence, and the second incident occurred when I refused to pay half the cost of an expensive brick wall that my neighbor wanted instead of a timber replacement fence. Not only didn’t I have the money for such a structure but I also objected to being brick-walled in."
"I want to live in a free society where neighbours trust each other."
"I deliberately chose my new house because it had no fences," says Eve, "and I was delighted to find that my new neighbors, at each side and at the rear, were friendly and helpful without being intrusive. I settled down very quickly to enjoy a home without dividing fences!"
"The first change to spoil this heavenly existence was neighbors at the rear announcing they were selling their property. Within six weeks of the ‘For Sale’ sign appearing on their property, the contracts were exchanged and they were gone. I was told a young couple had bought the house, but to this day I have yet to see them or hear them. What I did hear, however, was the sound of an electric saw early one morning."
"Thinking someone was doing some carpentry, maybe putting up a pergola" explains Eve, "I went to work as usual and returned to find the ugliest six-foot raw timber fence I had ever seen in my life at the rear of my new home."
"If that was not bad enough, a few days later the young couple moved in and I realized the purpose of the fence. They had two Rottweilers. I saw them - and they saw me - through the chinks in the raw timber fence."
"I did not need to see the dogs, though," laughs Eve, "I recognized the bark as soon as I heard it. And bark they did. Every time I went out to the back garden, to hang some washing or do some gardening, they greeted me ferociously."
"Gradually, the tolerance between the Rottweilers and me reached a comfortable level. They got used to me, and I got used to them. But they still barked ferociously at my visitors and this, actually, turned out to be an advantage."
"The existence of the Rottweilers actually increased my level of security," explains Eve. "I feel a lot safer with them around. Their bark is enough to scare away any intruder!"
"But I still look at that fence and groan. Soon after it was erected I planted bamboo in front of it. The growth has been phenomenal, as expected, but the cover has been sparse. I can still see the raw timber. It is unsightly."
"I suppose I could rip up the bamboo and wait forever for some thick growth greenery to screen it - or do a paint job on it," says Eve, "but it would be far easier to learn to live with it and that's what I intend to do."
"The path of least resistance is not always the best road to travel," says Eve, "but in the case of fenced Rottweilers it probably is."
"I have still not met my new neighbours, or know where in the world they came from to have such a siege mentality about living in harmony with neighbours."
"They may feel safe surrounded by high fences and ferocious dogs," sighs Eve, "but the rest of the people around here feel very threatened by the siege mentality they are bringing into our neighbourhood."
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