I'm having an issue with my neighbours.  They have an american bulldog X staffie who is a very nice dog, very friendly, but is a persistent escapologist.  Last week he dug out under their new front gate and came over to greet my dogs as I was walking my second lot - including my fear aggressive belgian, who literally walked right into him as we came out the door.  She panicked and snapped and bit his nose.  I put mine back in and took him back and got a weak apology.  Spoke to the dog warden and asked him to hold off on doing anything for now, as we are getting a bit of fence sorted soon and I don't want to fall out with them - I'm buying the bulk of the materials and they are putting it up.  At the moment, there's a 20ft stretch of unsecure mesh up.  My dogs are not allowed near it.  I made it very clear to next door that this stretch is not secure enough for their dog - if he leans on it, as he does sometimes, he'll come through it.  It's a temporary solution using what I have left that's useable.  What was there was a load of unfixed panels against the mesh and a post to hold it up, which was snapped under repeated storms.  It's their boundary, but that's my bit of materials.

I've just looked up from sorting my guys' food and there's next door's dog, ambling around my garden because yet again, as has happened every day since the temp fix was in place, he's been shut out in the garden unattended.  As he was last week when he dug his way out.  I've been round again and told the woman to get him back in, which she has done but again as before, she's made no attempt to secure the mesh.

I've left a message for the dog warden to call me again and I'll be telling him to go ahead now - he was going to write a letter about the consequences of their dog escaping (being caught and taken to the pound, in the main).

What else can I do or can he do?  I just know that dog will be left outside by himself again and most likely at some point today - they just don't bother to watch him.  And there's no excuse - they have a big secure dog run at the other end of the garden.

Replacing the fence might stop today's event happening again - or it might not.  Everything they've done to fix each escape has just stopped that route, he always finds another.

If your paying for the materials anyway if I was you I'd just put up my own wall In Your garden next to the fence. That way you will know he won't be back in your garden and you want have to rely on them keeping the fence sorted. If their dog damages your wall they are responsible to pay for it which if that happened they would likley then make sure to keep their own dance sorted so they don't have to pay you for your wall.

Update to this, as I forgot to reply before.

I can't afford to just build my own wall - I can't afford to do anything.  I had to borrow money to pay for this one stretch of fence.

The dog has escaped several times since - the new bit of fence is up but within a week, he dug under the old mesh a foot along from the end of it.  I'd put some metal poles in to try and stop him (I'd dug out a bramble root so softened the earth a bit), so he just dug through the grass next to them.  No attempt again by next door to block the hole or do anything to prevent him doing it again, so I've buried some more mesh down into the hole to stop him.

The dog warden has now sent his letter, they should have had it yesterday or this morning (I got mine yesterday).  I've just come home to let mine out to find their dog shut out and trying to dig under the fence where I buried the mesh.  When he couldn't do that, he tried to push between the mesh and the fence where it overlaps.  No sign of the neighbours, even after I shouted at the dog (and shouted his name so there was no mistaking who I was shouting at).  I've now had to stack up a load of pallets that were going to be part of my dog yard fence to stop him pushing through, and pile old mesh and brambles along the clear stretch of fence (where I'd taken the brambles from, to allow the neighbours to get the new bit up) in a bid to stop him.

I don't know what else to do.  They clearly don't give a cr@p about what he does or if he's hurt, and just before the new bit of fence went up, they told me that when he was staying with the bloke's mum, he was kept outside, she'd had to fortify a stable to stop him escaping, and when one of her dogs attacked him, he nearly killed it.  They didn't tell me this before, only that he got attacked and didn't fight back.  He won't start a fight but if that's how he'll finish one, it's got me scared to hell for my dogs' safety as two of them would go for him if they found him in the garden.  I can check, but that doesn't mean he won't come through while we're out there - that's what he was trying to do today.

I need to ring Dog Law for legal advice but until then (not open at weekend) what else can I do?  I do not want to have to wait until something happens between the dogs for action to be able to be taken, because that "something" could well result in serious injury to one of my dogs and certainly mental scarring, because both of the ones who would definitely go at him have pre-existing issues with dogs.  And one other that is likely to at least get grumpy, has a slipped disc and other problems and even if he doesn't attack her, he is a serial humper and ruddy huge so he'll cause her severe pain at a minimum.

I would download many different MP3 frequency sounds from youtube, heighten the volumes (decinbles) on 2 week trial version videopad editor and place speaker outside & try that, no idea if any of that would work but worth a try.
Theres numerous sounds you can download from youtube
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Have you got any patio Slabs or large boulders to which a dog cant normally move

Hmm tough one. If they are paying that little attention to their dog and fixing the problem I'd be tempted to on Monday remove those pellets so it's just their fence then when he does get in take him down the council offices to the dog warden (either you or someone else). As far as your neighbour knows your gate could have been open and he could have gotten out and pick up by the warden. Then your nabours would have to pay to get him back which may get them to get it sorted if they keep having to pay to get the dog back each time he gets out. Unless they choose not to get him back that is, I knew someone who did that once.

I need to ring Dog Law

I think you should get whatever vid evidence you can of the events you descibe, under the dda you only have to feel threatened.
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Do you have an outside tap and hose in your garden? I'd soak him, full force of the hose, everytime he goes near the fence, would that put him off trying to get through?

Electric fencing !!! Do you have tack shop or livestock feed shop etc near you as they stock electric fening tape .poles etc or have look on roberstion country lesuire website they have it
few good zips will stort b....g out

ONG no no no, better to catch dog & handover to dog warden, then it will cost owner to get dog back. To punish the dog is a big NO the dog is the innocent party, better to hit owner in the pocket

Do not out electric fencing up, not sure you can on a boundary for gardens anyway.
Nikita I know you wouldn't go down that route anyway but for anyone reading it don't do that!!!

Catching the dog and handing to dog warden I your best bet id say

Nikita I know you wouldn't go down that route anyway

I think you have misunderstood nikitas' post, she is asking for suggestions as to what 'to do' to completely solve this problem before her own dog gets killed by the other dog - some of us have given our own suggestions.....maybe you will now offer your own constructive advice on what 'to do'?
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Clearly showing you don't read there Hethspaw. My suggestion is above and I've also agreed with another poster too.
Tut tut before you get up on your high horse I suggest you actually digest the whole thread.

Neighbour from hell that lives across round staffie dog always getting out he lives it out all night when he drinking this dog has killed other dogs and attacks dogs too
the dog wardon keeps taking it this goes on all time and the idot from hell never learns
i have had him in court 5times due to him standing at my front fence he thretnes to kill me and shots abusis he throws briks eggs bottles  at my windows
its been 5yrs of hell i am so scared at weekends when he drinking
police lawyers vitc support all invold
i got so fed up i put electirc fencing up on my front fence to try and deter him standing their
this has been going on for 5yr with his staffie escaping attackin and killing dogs and dog wardern takin his dog he gets it back then wardern takes it

What 'to do' as in what other options do I have in terms of enforcement, legal steps etc.  I'm not going to shock the dog because his owners can't be bothered to look after him properly, I want them to step up and take responsibility.  Not hurt the dog.

Plus, in case people have forgotten, I have dogs too - if I put up an electric fence, there's a good chance my own dogs might wander too close and get hurt.  I want my garden to be somewhere they can relax and enjoy themselves, not get an electric shock.

Very sory for mentioning it bad idea
do you have pound stretcher or bargin buys
they do pack of long it looks like 4ft high wooden panniling not sure of price but will be cheap
also coopers have long high fake headdching

Hurting them in the pocket is probably the only way to get them to be responsible....

on that note small claims court for damage done to your property?

What has the council said?  surely they are required to keep their livestock from straying onto other peoples property??? 

Some sort of enforcement notice they can serve.

Council put me on to the dog warden, although I haven't yet spoken to the local housing authority (LHA tenants), that will be the next step if he tries again.  I did speak to them some time ago and was just directed to the dog warden but I will put in a complaint anyway if it continues.  The dog warden has sent them a letter telling them in no uncertain terms that it's their responsibility to keep their dog secure regardless of who 'owns' the boundaries (on account of the dispute over the dividing fence).  The problem is that they can't do much about him coming into my garden because it's private property - if he gets out onto the road again they can catch him and take him to the pound.  But if he was to actually damage anything or hurt my dogs etc, it would all be a civil matter so I need to get legal advice on that front.  There doesn't seem to be a lot I can do to force them to prevent him getting out - it's all 'this is what you can when something has happened', hence me starting this thread!

Keep catching him and letting the dog warden take him. They'll only be prepared to pay to get him back so many times before they leave him there for good or they do something about it?