AITA for laughing at my neighbours face after she told me she will get my dogs removed?

In a quiet rural corner, where horses graze and guard dogs patrol, a 42-year-old woman’s peaceful equine center becomes the stage for a heated neighborhood showdown. When a neighbor’s child sneaks over the fence—despite repeated warnings—and gets cornered by her well-trained guard dogs, the mother’s threat to have them removed is met with a laugh and a sharp reminder. The fallout? Rumors swirl, and the local paper brands her the villain.

This Reddit tale gallops into a clash of boundaries, responsibility, and small-town drama. The woman’s firm stand to protect her property sparks a question: was her laughter a justified jab, or a step too far? Let’s saddle up and ride into this neighborhood feud to find out.

‘AITA for laughing at my neighbours face after she told me she will get my dogs removed?’

I have seen a similar post here, however I have a slightly different issue.  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 fieldsand 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. Because of all the above and alongside with security cameras, we also have 4 guard dogs (causasian and middle Asian shepards) 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. 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.

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On Friday they have managed to get through during the evening, so our dogs cornered them and didn't let them move. 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 and 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 a**hole.

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When a neighbor’s child trespasses and faces guard dogs, laughter might not be the best response, but it’s hard to blame the OP for her reaction. Running an equine center alone, she relies on her four well-trained guard dogs to protect valuable horses and maintain safety. The neighbor’s child, repeatedly warned against climbing the fence, ignored boundaries, leading to a scary but harmless encounter. The mother’s threat to remove the dogs, instead of addressing her child’s actions, shifted blame unfairly.

The OP’s laughter, while sharp, stemmed from frustration with the neighbor’s entitlement. The dogs, trained to corner intruders without harm, did their job, and the police confirmed the OP’s rights. As animal behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell notes, “Guard dogs are a legitimate security measure for rural properties, but clear signage and communication with neighbors are key to avoiding conflict.” A 2022 study in the Journal of Rural Studies found that 60% of rural property disputes arise from unclear boundaries or expectations.

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This situation reflects broader issues of neighborly respect and responsibility. The neighbor’s failure to control her child’s trespassing escalated the conflict, while the OP’s retort could’ve been calmer to avoid rumors. Dr. McConnell suggests proactive steps like visible “guard dog” signs to prevent future issues.

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

Reddit’s hoofing it with some bold takes on this equine estate drama, and they’re not holding back! Here’s what the community said:

RighteousVengeance − NTA. You are allowed to have guard dogs that protect your property, as the police have said. And even better, your dogs didn't harm the child, only cornered them. But if that child attempts this again, you might want to consider pressing charges. This was trespass. And you'll also have a report.

ChlopNaSchwal − NTA. I'd press charges against the kids / mother and report them to social services if she can't make sure the kid doesn't tresspass, can she handle the kid at all? She wants to fight, have a fight.

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FakenFrugenFrokkels − NTA. You have a fence for a reason. That kid’s parents have clearly not taught them what boundaries mean. They are TA.. The neighbors are lucky your dogs are so well trained they only cornered the intruder and didn’t shred them.

FitOrFat-1999 − NTA. But maybe write a letter to the editor or invite the reporter to your place for the other side of this story? I'd also point out that the kid could have been seriously hurt if he tried to ride a horse, which I bet he'd have done if not stopped by the dogs. Stupid kid. Stupid mother.

[Reddit User] − Sounds like the dogs aren't even trained to attack people, just stare then down or chase them off?. Doesn't seem particularly unreasonable to me.. NTA.

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MidCenturyMayhem − The kids got off easy this time. The neighbor should worry more about her kid's n**ty trespassing habit than your dogs. What's going to happen when the kid decides to trespass somewhere where the property owner has a firearm instead of a dog? She's misplacing her anger.. NTA.

luffy-s-strawhat − NTA you warned them not to do it yet they still did it.Your dogs didn't hurt them they just made sure they don't move around your property. The mom should teach her children that no means no. And waiting for the police took some time why didn't anyone go to your door or called you so you could take the dogs away sooner?

[Reddit User] − NTA, you warned them. They chose to let their children continue to tresspass into someone's property. it's the parents fault. People are too entitled. Obviously I don't know your location/laws but I know where i'm from you have to have clear signs saying there's a guard dog at every entrance/fence, to cover yourself. so if you haven't i'd reccomend you do that.

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PerniciousBeast − NTA. Your dogs are behaving the way they are supposed to. Her child is not. She can't act like a clown and not expect to be laughed at.

Malgorath666 − NTA and if it's in print it can be called liable depending on where you are, I'd contact a lawyer asap.

These fiery opinions pack a punch, but do they rein in the full story, or just stir up more dust in this neighborhood spat?

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This tale of guard dogs and trespassing kids is a wild ride through property rights and neighborly tensions. The OP’s laughter at her neighbor’s threat was a bold move, but her stand to protect her equine center feels justified. It’s a reminder that boundaries—fenced or not—matter, and respect goes both ways. What would you do if a neighbor’s kid kept sneaking onto your property? Share your thoughts—how do you handle boundary battles?

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