Redditor Gets Asked By Neighbor To Pay For Fence So That Their Dog Would Stay In Their Yard, Asks If They Are An A-Hole For Refusing

Some backyard projects turn into neighborhood drama fast, especially when one person’s cleanup turns into someone else’s problem. That is exactly what happened when a Redditor and his wife removed a big, old bush from their yard and suddenly found themselves in the middle of a fence dispute.

The neighbor says the missing bushes used to keep their dog contained, and now they want the Redditor to help pay for a real fence. The Redditor, though, says it was his property and he should not have to cover the cost of fixing a problem he did not create.

Now the whole thing comes down to one awkward question, who is responsible when a backyard change affects the next house over?

Here's the sitch:

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This is the scenario according to the post.

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Isn’t OP so thoughtful? Putting his neighbor’s feelings first before stating his message.

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The Redditor and his neighbor are clearly not on the same page about who should handle the fence issue.

Conflicts between neighbors often start small, then get messy once money and property lines enter the chat.

Well, the point of all this is it was their lawn. There’s a point.

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Emphasis on “our property” and the whole sentence points out that it wasn’t their obligation to pay for anything.

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Let’s check some comments from our Redditors.

That’s about everything.

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That is where the comment section starts taking sides.

Some people think the neighbor should have planned better for the dog.

Dogs come with great responsibility.

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His dog, his fence, his pay...

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Unless…

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It really does come back to whose yard it was in the first place.

Responsibility is doing a lot of work in this argument.

Well, was it also shocking to pay for something on your own property because your neighbor told you to?

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But also this…

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Now here’s a tip!

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And of course, the dog is still the real wildcard here.

This is similar to the neighbor who lost the dog while dog-sitting, then demanded payment.

That is why the whole thing feels so petty and so avoidable at the same time.

All we know is that it was OP’s backyard. He’s free to add or remove anything in it.

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Right.

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Unless you share a backyard, maybe? But this isn’t the case.

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That is the part a lot of commenters keep coming back to.

It is hard to argue with someone about a fence they never agreed to build.

However, it doesn’t hurt to be considerate too.

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At least we all know that OP is open to talking through things.

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Another take on the situation.

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Still, the neighbor seems to think a compromise should be on the table.

That is where the debate gets a little more complicated.

But yeah?

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We’re going the legal way.

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It’s a case-by-case situation!

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Now the comments are drifting toward property lines and what counts as fair.

We’re reading…

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Totally fun, yes!

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They should check that out.

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At this point, everyone wants the missing detail that settles it.

Someone find where that property line is! Please!

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Finally, somebody talked about the dog!

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Again… U N L E S S.

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Another finally. That was such a bush that it kept their neighbor’s dog.

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We just have to wait for that additional information from the OP. If we all knew where the property line is, that would solve the problem of who will pay for that fence.

We also have to talk about that scurrying dog and how it’s scared of that fence! What a fun way to redo your backyard.

Now, what do you think? Comment down your thoughts, or share this article for all your family and friends to see!

This one is really about property lines, expectations, and a very unhappy neighbor.

The fence debate is not going away anytime soon.

OP’s fence refusal feels similar to the friend demanding OP split a vet bill after a dog fight.