What should I do about our duplex neighbor’s friendly but destructive dog?

What should I do about our duplex neighbor’s friendly but destructive dog?

We rent a duplex. There is only 1 fence surrounding the entire house’s perimeter. We live in the front half, our neighbors live in back and have been there for some 20 odd years. They have a 5-month-old pit bull, but leave it outside for the majority of the day. It eats anything that’s on our porch, digs up our flower bed in front, jumps on us and gets us muddy after it’s been digging, poops all over our sidewalk, and it ate our internet cable attached to the wall, for which we had to get repaired. We forgive most but would really like to “use” our porch area. Legally, what are our rights?

Asked on March 11, 2012 under Real Estate Law, California

Answers:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.