My red neck neighbors

I have some neighbors that fit the redneck definition to a "T." Now they are generally nice people and keep to themselves but every know and then they get on my damned nerves, this morning is one of those times.

During the day they take care of all their grandkids which means they have generally four or five kids in the yard ranging from 3 years old to 11 (which is actually their youngest daughter) but once those kids are out in the fenced in yard that is it. No one is watching them, there is no adult with them. Top that off with the fact they have 6 dogs, none of which weigh more then 15lbs, who run around barking at any and everything that walks by. We cannot even go in to the yard without having those little yap monsters start up.

Several times a week we have to ask the youngest girl, 3, to stop climbing the fence to try and pet our dog. This morning my wife and I were sitting in the rec room which is the back room of the house and we kept hearing what sounded like someone jumping up and down on the deck. We thought at first it might be the dog jumping around but when I looked out the window the dog was on the other side of the yard. I decided to check the deck out and there she was, the 3 year old who had climbed the fence and then up the stairs to the deck was playing on the deck. No adult in sight, no one to make sure she was safe and she could not get back down the steps on her own, my wife had to go out and help her down. Just about then is when her grandfather showed up to look for her. He did not say a word to us about it, not so much as a sorry and he certainly did not say anything to the girl about her inappropriate actions. No, instead he lifted her over the fence, let her loose on their side and then he went back inside to what ever he had been doing before.

It is an everyday event that we see this 3 year old wandering around the yard unsupervised. Worse is that we live right on a major street, our front doors are less then 10' to the street. I am at my wits end with this family and their wanton attitude towards the kids they "care" for. All I need is for this kid to fall off my deck or get hurt some other way in my yard because someone was not properly supervising them.

It is very frustrating and now it is to the point that we are discussing putting up a privacy fence. We do not want to cut the neighbors off but they apparently are not going to listen to our concerns about the kids coming in to our yard nor do they seem like they will be getting rid of the dogs anytime soon. I feel that my family is entitled to some peace and quiet and if the only way to get it is by putting up the fence then that is what I am going to have to do.