Fencing in your yard

We have a fenced yard have big irish wolfhound-sized dog and even though we are in a subdivision it is other people's animals running all over here, cats and dogs .

Thankfully I don't have the neighbors cats in my veggie garden thanks to my dog almost consuming the cat when it came over (pees out in my front bushes thought that is a another story).

For us a fence is a necessity. With your landscape, especially toward the back I would want to do it too. I know it can be expensive, maybe you could do a smaller wooden pickett-type fence across the back or something. Of course it seems like everything is expensive. Our last house we had a wooden privacy fence, this house 5 foot chain link - I could not believe how much the chain link was. All in all it is worth it as we have a pool now too.

Perhaps in some communities a fence doesn't look pretty. And--- for real--- some fences are poorly installed and/or ugly. Some associations have rules against them.

All that stuff said : we put in a nice red cedar picket fence recently to try and keep critters out of our gardens, and to keep the doggies in. We also put in a lovely wooden arbor. I love it. It's turning a soft silver-gray and looks quite warm and homey.

I debated for years, and I am sorry I waited so long. It was costly, but less than I thought it would be. I think it was $5,000 altogether---but it's a large space. It looks very, very nice! Much nicer than I thought it would look. Plus, I planted punches of climbing vines and roses. The roses are already looking lovely-- even though they are still closed, they are climbing up the trellis--- and I know they, the scarlet runner beans, and squashes etc etc over the fence are going to look sooooo nice! I can hardly wait for the color burst!

We're getting a fence put up next week and I'm THRILLED. Now ds and the dog can play in the yard without me having to constantly herd them both back from the front yard towards the street. Plus it will keep stray dogs out, which is a problem in our neighborhood as well.

ETA: our yard is 3/4 acre and very steep as well (we joke about selling lift tickets in the winter). It has a large flat portion on the side of the house, though, perfect for playing and running and playsets. We're forking out about 4k for the fence. Worth every penny, IMO. We're also screening in our porch and adding a ceiling fan. Both to encourage more outside time.

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This is a good idea if money is really an issue. If you can afford it though, I'd fence in the whole yard. It won't be any time at all until your dd wants to explore the entire yard. I admit I was resistant to fencing in our yard due to the expense. But dh convinced me and now I am *so* glad! We live on a busy road, so the privacy fence allows me to let the children out to play in the back yard without worrying about strangers seeing them or my youngest running into the road. In the summer, the fence buys me hours of time alone in the house, which is a real sanity saver for me some days! I do go out sometimes too -- we have a garden, etc. But if I had to be outside with them *every* time, they would go outside far less often, which would really be a great loss for them. They go out every day that it is nice in the summer. Plus, I believe that time together *without* me is important to their relationship as siblings, and time outside alone (which they get occasionally) is equally important to their inner development. The fence allows these benefits for all of us. I say go for it!

good fences make good neighbours.

as much as the communist in me hates fences (in so much as the need for private property disgusts me) in theory, in practice, we have a fence between our "bad" neighbours and ourselves, and it is a sanity saver. our other side is good neighbours and we have greenery (a very wild line of trees and bushes). So, our property is not enclosed but it is bounded. is v. nice with the babe, espec as he is naked much of the time.

We just fenced in our yard. Words can not express how much joy that fence has brought us all.
I LOVE my fence.

Fence it.

What are you going to do when your child is tossing a ball out there and it rolls over the cliff and your child tries to go after it ? How fast can you get between the cliff and the child? How fast can your husband move after an impulvise running toddler? Kids move so quickly, once they get going it is hard for htem to stop, and if you have another child in the future and have to keep eyes on 2 kids..well, let me tell you how much you will love your fence then !

You don't have to fence the entire way to the cliff, of course, but it just seems smart to me to make things as safe for the baby as you have for the dogs!!

Also, even if oyur child is not a dasher or a runner, if your child has friends over nad one of htose children is an impulsive dasher/runner/taking of- type, a fence will help you or that childs parent reach them before they end up tumbling over the side of oyur cliff into the brush and getting really hurt.

I have 2 kids, and one child was content to stay close to me and play. The second child , however, LOVES to take off, and I am greatful that we have a fenced in play area, because with out it she would have taken off a number of times. She is growing out of it a bit now, but she STILL runs away from me and if I callher thinks it is a great gaem and runs away even faster. I am glad I have an area on our property where I can let her play and actually relax a bit and enjoy playing with my kids..not just stand there over top of her the entire time, hoping to be close enough to catch her before she dashes onto the road or worse.

Please , fence it, even just part of it. You will be SO GLAD you did... I promise ! Fences are a good thing !