#135 - Great Dane Disaster

This past week we've had something super exciting happen at our house. Just to clarify...I'm being sarcastic and here's why...the neighbors directly behind us brought home two full grown Great Danes to leave in their backyard and they barked nonstop for three straight days and nights before they calmed down a tad.

These neighbors have a backyard half the size of our backyard and now it's housing two massive Great Danes. Now...I'm a dog lover, but these dogs are way too big for their environment. The neighbor is a single woman and she has this nice sized metal shed on one side of the backyard that the dogs are using as a super-sized dog house.

Since those dogs were brought home to this lucky address, directly behind my house, it's been so much fun around here.

First of all, our other neighbors have dogs and we are both polite dog owners, letting our dogs in and out for brief amounts of time because we all live so close to one another. If I let Howdy outside and he gets on a barking binge, I have him come back inside. No need to drive the neighbors batty.

However, the Great Dane household has been not so caring about all of us who live around here. In fact, the dogs were dropped off into the backyard by some scroungy looking guys, then we've not seen anyone for days.

This morning, I went outside to let the chickens out of their coop. The Great Danes began chiming in with their terrifying "WOOFFF, WOOOOOFFF, WOOOFFF," and Howdy is ready to protect me, but I know he'd be a doggie treat in one bite to those horses in the next yard. Still, Howdy's posture is ready to do battle.

The chickens come down their ramp, one by one as I spread feed in the yard and as I am moving backwards, spreading feed, I notice an entire six foot wood picket fence that the Great Danes have busted down...which means that Belle the Yorkie could fit through the gap in the fence easily, and with her fighting mentality, she'd be yanked through the hole faster than the speed of light and probably would be swallowed whole.

Then, it hits me that the chickens LOVE to peck the growing grass all along the fenceline and it would only be a matter of time before they found the hole in the fence and the Great Danes found a squawking appetizer.

So, I gathered the chickens up and had to put them all safely back into the coop. A big pain! Yes, the crazy woman on the block with the chickens in the backyard is outside in her robe letting the chickens out of the coop early in the morning while two Great Danes bark ferociously at her, but then she just starts running around the yard three minutes later as she puts all the chickens immediately back inside the coop. Brilliant.

The feeling I get at seeing the picket knocked down by the heads of the Great Danes is so awesome. Such a great way to wake up. I found something to wedge against the gap in the fence, but one of the Great Danes would not let me near the fence, he'd lower his head growling at me through the empty space where the board is missing as I approached. One little "bump" and the next fence picket will fall forward and the demon dogs would have a buffet at their disposal.

Deputy Dave repaired it when he got home, but he too had trouble approaching the fence. We both eyed the other fence pickets while KNOWING they will NOT hold up to these two Great Danes over an extended period of time.

This neighbor has several parts of her fence deteriorating, but a couple of stretches have boards nailed to the posts on her side of the fence. So, a while back, Deputy Dave even purchased a couple of fence pickets to replace the rotting boards and he politely slid them over into her yard over the fence so that they would lay against her back fence, directly leaning against the rotting boards. Since the expense was paid for with the boards, all the neighbor had to do was nail the new board to the fence. But, the boards disappeared for some other use...they were not used as was clearly needed. So, we are not paying for any more boards.

But, I have a feeling that we aren't the neighbor cringing the most. At least we have our yard space buffering us, somewhat, from all of those double-barking sessions that last for hours on end. And, I have great sympathy for the neighbors on either side of her, especially the neighbor who added an outdoor room at about a minimum of $20,000. this past year, even paying to have the roof of the outdoor room perfectly tied in with the roof of their house so it all looks uniform. Yep, I think this outdoor room will not be as enjoyable with the Great Danes barking nonstop just a few feet away. And, the other neighbor has bedroom windows in close proximity to her yard which must be miserable as these dogs bark so powerfully that you can easily hear them five houses down.

My real estate background cringes at the sight and sound of these dogs crammed into the backyard behind us because once we get the For Sale sign in our front yard to sell our home, I know that potential buyers will be going into the backyard and they won't be able to carry on a conversation because of the Great Danes. I would need a distracting water feature that has the power of Niagara Falls to re-direct a buyer from hearing the angry Great Danes. Then again, the backyard chickens might have them so freaked out that the Great Danes are a distant thundering sound.

Miss Speckles trusts Howdy, even when he is in
butt-sniffing mode. Augh!

I can see how people on farms and ranches love their fences and their cross fences. Fences, fences and more fences...along with good guard dogs and a little protection hung comfortably at the hip. At least in the country I'd be far enough away from neighbors that I will not have to lie in bed listening to their two new HUGE dogs throw a fit all night long. Hearing a dog bark in the distance is so much better than hearing two bark within 30 feet of your house, nonstop.

I think we should have zoo rules around here ---- for the anxious dogs barking in the adjoining yards all night, we should be allowed to shoot darts loaded with a safe sedative at these dogs. Oh how horrible! How could I even think such a thing about those precious dogs who keep us awake all night and then destroy all peace during the day as they head-butt the fence until it comes down? Anyway, I'll wager a bet that those dogs are really tired and need a good night's rest. Any zoo-keepers out there with an extra set of darts on them? Weight is approximately 120 pounds each...so, the dart needs to have just the right amount of sedative.

This isn't possible? Oh well.

For now, I'll be jealous of the zoo keeper's supplies as I dream about the power I'd have with a couple of feathered darts aimed through a hole in the fence. Nighty-Night.

Oh yes, since I'm back into my drugged dart daydream, I might as well conjure up the extra darts for the days we show the house to prospective buyers.

The thought of flying darts loaded with sedatives is so unlike me, but it sure feels good to have an aim and fire daydream when you've been sleep deprived. I think there's too much "Texas" in me, and I'm plain tired.

Beyond the barking, I can't imagine what her backyard will look or smell like within four months. These dogs are not getting any attention, they are not being walked, they are not allowed inside the house whatsoever...they are stuck outside to live in their new surroundings with obvious high anxiety.

At the least, I hope she has a pitchfork and a compost pile because it will be getting thick, really fast, in that small yard. Since we've not seen our neighbor in the backyard, not even one time since the Great Danes have joined our community, I wonder...What's the point with having these dogs? The guy we saw dropping the dogs off might be a boyfriend, a brother or friend who needed a temporary place for the dogs to stay. At least, that's what I am hoping. Temporary, very temporary.

I guess we'll see what happens over the next few days. We're trying to be patient. I'm not so sure the other neighbors will do the same since they are even closer to her yard. But, this coming weekend, we might have to have a discussion with our neighbor and confront the issue of fence destruction caused by her monster dogs so that I may go into my own backyard and feel safe and so the little ones can go into the backyard and not worry about a massive dog barreling through loose boards.

This is such a good lesson for Stefie to see...Monster dogs need supervision, especially when they must live in close proximity to neighbors that you might not want to tick off...you might need neighborly help one day...you might enjoy having neighbors that don't sport the evil eye at you every time you walk out your door because they hate your dogs and you. These monster dogs need lots of food and lots of space to process that food; the fencing needs to be strong and in good condition to withstand a bit of Great Dane pressure and the barking tendencies need to be kept in check so that it does not become everyone else's problem. And, monster dogs need love and affection just as a small cute Yorkie does...they can't be left in a backyard and forgotten while everyone else in the neighborhood, is again, acutely aware of their presence.

Just another day in Paradise here folks! Regardless, I am content, yet still eager to get moved to the country. I think the holidays will distract our plans because we will be so busy entertaining, but once the New Year rolls around, we will be rolling ---- OUTTA HERE!

It won't be long...power tools and the smell of fresh cut wood...here we come baby!