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Sometimes we read about arguments between neighbors that seems to have a lot of grey area. It can be easy to see both sides and to understand why no one is happy.
Then there are cases when one person is clearly right while the other is an a$$hole, but the wrong person ends up thinking they’ve overstepped.
I think this case is the latter kind, but let’s see what everyone else thinks after we drop the details.
OP runs an equine center with neighbors that are set a bit away, given their need for space. They rent stalls to private horse owners only, and they’re typically the only people on the property other than OP’s daughter and her daughter’s friends.
I (42f) live outside the big city together with my husband (50) and my daughter (14f). Our house is located further away from most of the houses in the neighbourhood as we also run an equine center. The center is not big and mainly for private clients stabling 18 horses, most of which are quite pricey. My daughters horses are also stabled there. The house, the yard, the fields and the arena are on the same territory which is fenced up.
Because of this and my husband going to work in the city and my daughter going to school there, I’m often left alone to look after the yard and make sure it is running. We also have staff members that look after the stables and horses and instructors teaching people how to ride, but as I said it is private so the owners normally need to make sure they call us before coming so their horses are ready and to avoid too many people.
We only provide services to the people who stable their horses at our place and don’t run a riding school since all the horses are private. Also some yard staff also live on top of the stables (there’s residential area with kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and TV).
Some of my daughters friends also have their own horses which are stabled there, so sometimes they can stay over at ours over the weekends or holidays.
They have four well-trained guard dogs who know who is supposed to be on the grounds and who isn’t.
Because of all the above and alongside with security cameras, we also have 4 guard dogs (caucasian and middle Asian shepherd) which we let roam free on the territory during night or when we don’t have a lot of owners around.
The dogs are familiar with all the kids (my daughter and her friends), the owners and the members of staff working at the yard, in fact they are very friendly to them. However they are guard dogs so they are ready to protect the property.
Even though a neighbor’s child had been warned more than once not to climb the fence, he broke that rule again one evening and was cornered by the dogs.
One of the neighbours kids became notorious at trying to climb over the fence to look at the horses, even after multiple warnings not to do that.
On Friday they have managed to get through during the evening, so our dogs cornered them and didn’t let them move.
OP did not learn of the situation until the police arrived, having been called by the neighbors when they could not get the dogs to back off.
The police told OP she did nothing wrong but the neighbor felt differently, wanting the dogs “taken care of” instead.
I have only find out about it after hearing police sirens coming to the property. Apparently they were cornered for a while and since the dogs won’t let them out, their mother had to call the police. I took the dogs away so the kids could go and the police officer said I did nothing wrong, since guard dogs are allowed. But the mother has tried to pull the card how traumatised the kids are and the dogs should be taken care of.
OP laughed at her and pointed out they had been warned to keep their kids away from the property, but the neighbor went to the papers and now OP feels her reputation has been tarnished.
I laughed and reminded her they have been warned multiple times. She started spreading the rumours and they made it to the local newspaper saying I’m the asshole.
Was she wrong, though? Let’s hear what Reddit has to say!
The top comment says OP was in no way wrong; her dogs are well trained and the neighbor’s kid was clearly in the wrong.
Image Credit: Reddit
Plenty of folks thought trespassing charges were in order.
Image Credit: Reddit
They might want to have a legal conversation with the paper, too.
Image Credit: Reddit
The law is there to protect OP, too.
Image Credit: Reddit
Some people are worried about the dogs too.
Image Credit: Reddit
I can’t believe they’ve managed to convince this person she did something wrong.
Would you have been made at your neighbor or your child if the kiddo had been yours? Tell us which and why in the comments!
