Anyone dealt with "those" neighbors?

Why not all 3? berkeley 'em

By the letter of the law (code) sometimes the dogs are in violation, so I do understand that.  However my issue is they are d bags for the sake of being d bags.  The dogs stay in the yard and one of them is supremely febile, as in we have to put him down soon.  They scream, literally, if someone parks even partly in their way.  Just a-holes.  I'd love to go the pumpkin seeds route but they literally point the camera directly at the house and watch the video.  I'm liking the IR idea. 

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

So dogs are actually in violation means they are SOL, HOA rules don't care if they are sick, them's the beans. Don't know what parking violation they have written up but if they're due access to a certain setback or access, well then they have a right to complain everyday about it if it's blocked. HOA house lives by HOA rules. Same as someone who moves in next to a racetrack then complains about the noise. Best to know them inside and out, get her (your) house 100% in line, then light them up for every single thing you can find. They can be legal and dicks but in an HOA, gotta play by the rules or find the loopholes, which might be very specific or elusive depending on verbiage. 

Morning glory seeds are smaller and might be more subtle to get on the lawn. 

It would be awful if squirt guns filled with vinegar, water, and dawn mixture happened to spray onto their lawn while playing.

Seriously though, I'd be combing though the HOA rules trying to find something they are violating. I'd also install some visible security cameras (real or fake) point toward their house, maybe even install them while they are home, the same way they have cameras pointed at your ex. 

RealMiniNoMore (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Appleseed :

I see your pumpkin seeds, and raise you bamboo shoots.

Why not both?

johndej said:

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

So dogs are actually in violation means they are SOL, HOA rules don't care if they are sick, them's the beans. Don't know what parking violation they have written up but if they're due access to a certain setback or access, well then they have a right to complain everyday about it if it's blocked. HOA house lives by HOA rules. Same as someone who moves in next to a racetrack then complains about the noise. Best to know them inside and out, get her (your) house 100% in line, then light them up for every single thing you can find. They can be legal and dicks but in an HOA, gotta play by the rules or find the loopholes, which might be very specific or elusive depending on verbiage. 

Yes and no.  Dogs are not against the rules and it's not an HOA thing.  It's a county thing.  They are not calling the HOA, they are calling animal control.  Just about everyone in the neighborhood lets their dog in their yard without a leash.  These people are being dicks for the sake of being dicks.  Apparently another neighbor got into a big shouting match with them a few weeks ago. 

Appleseed said:

RealMiniNoMore (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Appleseed :

I see your pumpkin seeds, and raise you bamboo shoots.

Why not both?

Even more exciting when they cross-pollinate and end up with a copse of bamboompkins

In reply to NickD :

They called today because my 14 year old nearly blind and disabled black lab was just standing in the front yard.

Well then.  Put a leash on the dog and let it stand in the front yard.  With the leash on the dog and no one holding the leash.  

At what point is the neighbor breaking nuisance laws by calling the authorities all the time?  Maybe it is time for the authorities to stop responding to these waste of time and money claims.

BTW, do you know anyone with a big delivery truck that could "break down" in front of the neighbors house for a few days?

Just start spreading the rumor that the husband started being an ass after your ex refused to sleep with him. 
 

For the ultimate revenge get elected to the HOA and start flagging them for everything. Pass a resolution saying no cameras allowed, etc. 

Cameras thing has to be some sort of violation, not necessarily HOA or county but general privacy.  If it isn't, get it added to the HOA rules.  

In reply to jmabarone :

Anything in public view can be recorded.

In reply to Stampie :

Except audio.

Although it does make me wonder if an HOA is a private or public space.

If you have to pay membership dues and abide by rules more restrictive than local law, I personally would argue it's private, but I'm not a lawyer, I just used to drink at a lot of private clubs where I had to pay dues and abide by extra rules.

There is no shortage of "those neighbor" videos on YouTube. I happened into this channel fairly recently: 

https://youtu.be/OMxzwK1POpw?si=Rgc8TpcOek_IHbPc

I grew up next to those neighbors. The mother was nuts/evil and I don't know how my parents maintained their composure. She rotated several husbands through during my childhood. One of them was nice but he didn't last long. A couple of quick stories:

My first memory of her: I was maybe 5 years old and beat her daughter (same age) in a big wheel race. She dragged me home by my arm screaming at my mother because I didn't let her daughter win. 

If a ball went in their yard, she wanted our parents to come to the door to apologize and ask for the ball back. Being little kids, we'd just grab it and run while she screamed at us from her front porch. She was always watching and would be on the porch the moment the ball crossed into her yard. 

Their phone was often disconnected due to non-payment. She once asked to borrow our phone for an emergency and that progressed to her expecting us to come over and get her when a call for her came in. She was furious when my folks cut her off. 

At ~15 y/o, my friend and I were walking past their house when another couple of younger kids - knowing that we'd catch heat from the crazy people - rang the neighbor's doorbell and ran. The then (and equally nuts) husband came outside screaming and grabbed my friend and I by the collars. Responding to this was one of the only times I ever saw my stepfather (the great man who raised me) lose his cool. The neighbor made the argument "if you're in the bank when the bank is robbed, you are an accessory to the fact!" That remains a joke in our family today - nearly 40 years later. 

She showed up on our doorstep beaten and bloody from this same husband. Even after all of the crap, my parents took her in and kept him at bay until the police arrived. And then, like crazy people do, she moved him right back in after she bailed him out. 

And my favorite: I was always taught to respect my elders and to leave any response to my parents. As a result, I hadn't said much to her in response to her behavior over the years. We moved out of the neighborhood when I was 16 years old. When I was 18 or 19 a couple of friends and I were visiting her across-the-street neighbor and started a pickup game of basketball. At one point the ball rolled into her yard and without thinking, I just walked over and picked it up. Suddenly I felt like a kid again when she came outside in a screaming fit of rage. I paused for a second, and then unloaded a whole childhood of anger in the most colorful words possible. It was glorious. She ran inside crying and immediately called my mother to complain about my behavior. My mother realized at that moment that she no longer had to deal with her as a neighbor and followed my lead.

Know any pregnant women that'd be willing to pee on a stick and send it in the mail? obviously they have cameras, so you just dropping it off would break the charade quickly. HOWEVER, the mailman comes and goes. Why not spread a little chaos? 

Mndsm said:

Know any pregnant women that'd be willing to pee on a stick and send it in the mail? obviously they have cameras, so you just dropping it off would break the charade quickly. HOWEVER, the mailman comes and goes. Why not spread a little chaos? 

Damn. That's a good one!

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

johndej said:

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

So dogs are actually in violation means they are SOL, HOA rules don't care if they are sick, them's the beans. Don't know what parking violation they have written up but if they're due access to a certain setback or access, well then they have a right to complain everyday about it if it's blocked. HOA house lives by HOA rules. Same as someone who moves in next to a racetrack then complains about the noise. Best to know them inside and out, get her (your) house 100% in line, then light them up for every single thing you can find. They can be legal and dicks but in an HOA, gotta play by the rules or find the loopholes, which might be very specific or elusive depending on verbiage. 

Yes and no.  Dogs are not against the rules and it's not an HOA thing.  It's a county thing.  They are not calling the HOA, they are calling animal control.  Just about everyone in the neighborhood lets their dog in their yard without a leash.  These people are being dicks for the sake of being dicks.

What are the pet restraint laws/ordinances? If you're in violation, then you're technically in the wrong. It does not matter who else does it or how old/feeble the dog is. If you're not in violation, then you may have recourse if you can prove they're lying about it.

RevRico said:

In reply to Stampie :

Except audio.

Although it does make me wonder if an HOA is a private or public space.

If you have to pay membership dues and abide by rules more restrictive than local law, I personally would argue it's private, but I'm not a lawyer, I just used to drink at a lot of private clubs where I had to pay dues and abide by extra rules.

The "no audio" thing is interesting.  Don't most of the doorbell type cameras capture audio? If so-the next time authorities show up about an off leash dog ask what proof the neighbors have? If it's video, tell the authorities you would like to file charges against the neighbors for illegally recording you.

Its not illegal to record people in public, there is no expectation of privacy when you're in a public space. I would argue that being outside in your front yard is considered public space.

I have cameras in my front and back yards, and while I have them aimed such that they mostly see my yard, there is some overlap. They're there more so I can keep an eye on my pups (in the back yard) and so I know when someone is in my yard or at my door.

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

I'd love to go the pumpkin seeds route but they literally point the camera directly at the house and watch the video.  I'm liking the IR idea. 

But, pumpkin seeds could be dropped from a drone, especially one that is just above the camera's field of view.

Driven5 said:

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

johndej said:

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

So dogs are actually in violation means they are SOL, HOA rules don't care if they are sick, them's the beans. Don't know what parking violation they have written up but if they're due access to a certain setback or access, well then they have a right to complain everyday about it if it's blocked. HOA house lives by HOA rules. Same as someone who moves in next to a racetrack then complains about the noise. Best to know them inside and out, get her (your) house 100% in line, then light them up for every single thing you can find. They can be legal and dicks but in an HOA, gotta play by the rules or find the loopholes, which might be very specific or elusive depending on verbiage. 

Yes and no.  Dogs are not against the rules and it's not an HOA thing.  It's a county thing.  They are not calling the HOA, they are calling animal control.  Just about everyone in the neighborhood lets their dog in their yard without a leash.  These people are being dicks for the sake of being dicks.

What are the pet restraint laws/ordinances? If you're in violation, it does not matter who else does it or how old/feeble the dog is, then you're technically in the wrong. If you're not in violation, then you may have recourse if you can prove they're lying about it.

I don't disagree with that. The point I'm trying to make is do you call the police every time you see somebody jaywalk? Or make a turn without using a turn signal? That's the level these people stoop to just because they want to be dicks.  The mom doesn't work, so she literally will sit and watch the camera, or watch the video when she comes home from errands. 

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

I may not have called the police for no turn signal, but certainly have been a dick to drivers that don't find signaling their intent worthwhile.

And after having two of my dogs and one of my young children (twice) injured by dogs whose owners didn't think THEIR dog needed to be controlled in public, and having found numerous 'lost' dogs who simply wandered away, I can also see where somebody might be pissed off and dickish about a bunch of neighbors all continuing to see their own dog(s) as the proverbial exception... And largely taking out that frustration on the easiest offending target(s).

We keep a cable looped around a tree in our front yard. It takes all of 3 seconds to bend over and clip it to the dogs collar.

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:  That's the level these people stoop to just because they want to be dicks.  The mom doesn't work, so she literally will sit and watch the camera, or watch the video when she comes home from errands. 

The house is next to dicks, and you can't raise grown people to not be dicks.

Your  ex's realistic options are limited to be exactly in compliance to every rule, then file a nuisance complaint OR to move away.

Coming here to vent will probably help you keep your sanity.

I think the suggestion to politely ask about their beef is the proper first step rather than instant escalation.

I had a neighbor complain to the city about SanFord when I just was getting started painting it. The city sent a letter and had a code officer stop by. I showed him that my paperwork was in order and that I had plates and insurance. I also showed that the bus ran and drove so he went on his way. 

Then, for the edification of my complaining neighbor, I fired SanFord up and moved it from the backyard where no one could really see it, to the front yard where they had the joys of looking at it every day. Front and center, in their face. I left it there for a month. My neighbors pretty much leave me alone now. 

Return their favor.

To do that you need to be in compliance in every way so when the authorities show up they realize it's a nuisance complaint. Read your HOA agreement and county/city ordinances. If it allows 2 hours of street parking, then park on the street for two hours every day. If it allows the trash cans to be out for 24 hours, leave them out for 24 hours. While following the exact letter of the rules, push all of them to the limits on everything you do. You want them to call the HOA and the county/city daily. 

Then turn it up to 11. 

The pregnancy test suggested above is a great place to start. You don't need a pregnant woman for that. Always positive pregnancy test. 

Perfumed letters to the husband would be about right. Maybe a pair of panties. 

I would also set up an ultra-bright infrared light. This would of course be for your cameras that may be aimed in the direction of their house. 

Any innocent little thing that you can think of to twist their tail. If they like cats and hate dogs, make a donation to a dog club in their name. If they are Steelers fans, put them on the mailing list for some other team. If they like a particular college, make a donation to a rival school to get them a thank you note from the school. If you can find their phone number, enter it in every marketing website you can find. Occasional mailers from Porn Hub would be a good one if you can pull it off. 

When they scream, smile and wave. When they call the HOA, send them a thank you note. When they call the county, bake them some cookies or a cake. Hand deliver them and tell them how much you appreciate the visit from the nice man from the county. It turns out you are cousins and you had a great visit.

The more reasonable you are when they lose their E36 M3, the more they realize that they are no longer controlling the situation. They are being controlled. That realization will send them into orbit. They lose the ability to make reasonable choices and show their true colors to everyone including the authorities. Once that happens, they lose the ability to have the HOA and the county/city back them up because no one will listen to them. 

If you run out of ideas, stop back by here. I love sending shiny happy people into orbit. I'm pretty sure this group has a lot of really great ideas that will help.