Abuse from the neighbour

Do you ever look back to when you were a teenager, and think, I didn't think life was going to be like this? Well, I do. I promised myself that I wouldn't get up and go to a job I hated every day just for a paycheck, and yet, at the tender age of 27 that's what I find myself doing. I promised myself I'd be nice to everyone, and yet I'm drawn into all the office politics and resentment towards managers that everyone else feels. I thought I'd get on with my neighbours, and yet in the last two days one had stoof in the street and shouted abuse at me twice.



The problem is this is the third house we've lived in without a secure fence in the garden. In the first house there was a gap to an alleyway. In the second there was no fence between ourselves and the neighbour because he'd taken it down as part of his renovation (he didn't seem to mind playing with our dog in his garden though). Now, in this house, there is a small gap at the end that the dog can get through. Each time it hasn't been our responsibility to maintain the fence but we really need a secure garden to let out our dog.

Yesterday I came home from a horrendous day at work, and let my dog in the garden. Usually he ignores the gap but this time he found his way out of it. After about 2 minutes I looked for him in the garden, and then went to the front of the house and saw him on the street. The neighbour was out there and he started shouting and swearing abuse at me. I apologised for dog being out on the street but he shouted "Don't you say sorry. You get that F****** dog in or I'll smash it in. I want to talk to your hubby!". I was really scared and when I got back inside I was really shaken. Then someone came and knocked on the door but I was too scared to answer.

This morning, the same neighbour started shouting abuse at my boyfriend in the street as we both left for work. My boyfriend said he wouldn't have him shouting abuse and that he will call the police. I know the dog shouldn't have been out the front of the house and I'm going to stop letting him in the garden until the neighbour changes the fence, but I'm scared he's going to continue shouting abuse and threatening me in the street now. We're good people. We don't want to cause trouble. We just have a lot on at the moment.

The thing is, I know my dog wouldn't hurt anyone, but I understand that they don't. I would never let my dog out on purpose to scare people and I'm really upset that he got out. I know he has got out before as my boyfriend forgot to lock the back door and the dog opened it himself. I know we're partially in the wrong but I'm getting scared to leave my house now.

Have you ever had any problems with your neighbours? What did you do about it?