When I planted a tree at my daughter's school, I was afraid that the hundreds of kids on the playground would pull twigs off the small tree and rip the bark. So I planted some other plants at the base of the tree to distract them. I planted mini-roses not for the thorns, but so the girls could come and pick flowers instead of leaves and twigs off the tree. And I planted a lavender, and a daisy so they could pick those flowers too. This was on a school playing feild with hundreds of kids at recess, so I did have to put three tree stakes around it, and I wrapped three foot tall hog wire around that. The flowers grew right through the 4" hogwire until you couldn't see the fence, and the flowers were picked off right up to the fence line. It's almost like the kids 'mow' or hedgeprune the bushes and leave the tree alone, even though they could easily reach it.

Another Floridian here. Have to admit that I got a bit ticked off while reading the beginning of this thread just like the other Floridian did. Some people here think that just because the breed of lizard prevalent in their state/city is well mannered and doesn't poop all over their stuff in droves then it can't happen to other people elsewhere. Well let me tell you something, here it Florida we have these chunky little curly tail lizards who can't be described as anything other than predatory poopers. The little bastards love nothing more than to take steamy little lizard dump all over a human inhabited area. They will literally avoid most the space in my back yard and front yard dedicated to nature and pick the small paved areas and particularly the areas that we humans walk over the most... as if they're doing it on purpose to show us who's really boss. It's really messed up... The local green lizards poop where they're supposed to, zero issues with them. Even the giant green iguanas know their place. But these invasive brown curly tail lizards from the Caribbean are massive anti-human a-holes. I am tired of sweeping up their crap every time I want to use the patio and dodging their tiny shits each time I leave home through the front yard. If anyone has suggestions for how I can keep them in the grassy areas and off the pavement, or better yet how I can give them a serious case of constipation I am all ears.

That's cruel to keep a large dog in a place like that. They need space to run, which I imagine is why they let it run. Just because they look mean doesn't mean prove they are mean dogs. Actually, my experience with Rotts has been very good. They do look impressive to someone who might want to do you harm though. You could go talk with the police and ask why they're not doing anything and what it will take. I'd ask them to verify the animals are properly vaccinated, especially since they're running loose. If they turn them loose immediately after the police leave, tell them that, and ask them to stop back 5, 10, 15 minutes later, whatever it takes. There's going to be a "hostile" environment no matter what you do. These people sound like too many irresponsible dog owners who feel that nobody should tell them what to do. I'd go for the police to verify vaccinations, actually the landlord should be taking part in this too. I'd send a letter putting the landlord on notice of the issues and that they will be held responsible in the event of a bite and especially from an unvaccinated animal. Is there anything in the lease? There's usually an issue of peaceful enjoyment of property that can result in someone withholding rent. If the renter is feeling threatened, I'd start calling the landlord *every* time. Day or night, knock on his/her door if needed. Probably start calling and knocking on the door of the neighbor too, cheerful and perky, hey you probably didn't know but your dog is loose, don't want him/her to get run over or anything! I know you'd want to know about it... I like the airhorn idea. Every time the dog is out, point it into the neighbors' place and give it a blast! But only after trying the perky approach. Are they collared and identified? If not, you could contain the animal and call animal control to pick it up, giving them a nice bill to have to pay. It's called hitting them in the pocketbook. Have they done any damage? Take them to small claims court. This requires time and effort but might be what it takes. You could also mention to them that you're putting out poison for the rodent problems and wouldn't want their dog getting into it or anything. Mail carriers used to carry a product called Halt that was for dogs. Vinegar sometimes will repel. Ammonia will to at times but might attract them to mark their territory too to override the ammonia. Chili powder can be effective, but anything like that can cause problems to people if it's breezy. Places like Petsmart & Petco carry various products but some need to be applied daily. Sometimes a shaker will repel them. Some washers in a 1# metal coffee can and shake it - makes a loud rattle and most dogs will avoid it. Some are repelled by citrus smells. A can of citrus air freshener sprayed toward them has a double effect, the hissing and the smell. Don't get it in their eyes though, it's not the dog's fault the owners are trash. There's other suggestions but again, it's not the dog's fault. The best thing of course is to get the owner to be responsible. If working with them in the spirit of a good neighbor doesn't work, then perhaps enticements might work. Some people, nothing works. Another thing is to check with the local City ordinances. How many dogs are allowed? Work on the council to do something to regulate animals. Usually helps to be close to an election for that to get some action.

I can't imagine any Rose being thorny enough that it will deter a dog crazy fence fighting. They will only feel the pain after the fact and you will have the vet bills. Have you tried shock collars? Or bark-activated sound?