He only wanted to give his dog a day in his backyard before putting her down. However, things didn’t go as planned when his neighbors decided to light a fire so close to them!
One Brave Dog
A few months before OP (Original Poster) shared this story, his “lovely older pitbull” was fighting cancer, and he had made the painful decision to put her down. She was low on energy, moving was difficult for her, and getting her to eat was nearly impossible.
One Last Beautiful Day
Because of that, he wanted to give his dog one last day in their backyard; it was one of the only things he wanted to give her. So, the day before she was about to be put to sleep, OP set up a tent in his backyard early in the morning and filled the inside and outside with things his dog loved.
Neighbors’ Interruptions
However, when OP was setting things up, he noticed the neighbors behind their home placing sticks and leaves in their fire pit. Usually, OP wouldn’t care, but the poor dog was already having trouble breathing at that point.
Asking Them Nicely
So, OP figured it wouldn’t be an imposition to let the neighbors know his current situation and asked if they could postpone the burning for that day. The wife told him they would just be burning a few things to clear their yard, saying it wouldn’t last very long.
OP added, “She gave me some level of understanding about the dog. With that, she lit up the fire, and the smoke billowed into my backyard.”
Not Today, Please
For context, the neighbor’s house is directly behind OP’s property since he has about a 100-foot by 100-foot backyard, and the neighbor’s is about 50 feet long and 100 feet wide.
Additionally, OP doesn’t mind if people are burning things around him. He isn’t particularly fond of it, but “if it makes them happy, it also makes him happy.”
One More Ask
A few hours passed, and OP noticed that his neighbors were still outside, adding more things to the fire. So, he approached and asked them again, kindly, trying to be as patient and understanding as possible.
But they just said they were almost done.
A Wonderful Day That Was Cruelly Interrupted
A couple more hours later, there was already a raging fire outside. OP could visibly see the husband pointing at his home, yelling, and adding no longer leaves and sticks but actual campfire logs.
At that moment, OP wasn’t angry but rather very sad. He said, “Poor dog isn’t going to have the last day we wanted to give her. We would take her somewhere else, but we don’t want to stress her, so we spend the rest of the day inside.”
Flames Left Unattended
Around nine o’clock in the evening, as the sun was setting, OP went out for a walk and noticed that the fire was still roaring. He also noted that for most of the day, while the fire was lit, no one was there to watch it.
OP wrote, “At this moment, I am now p***** off and start looking into state laws, city laws, and everything in between. From this, I found out that my city has an ordinance that clearly states a fire pit cannot be within 50 feet of a structure.”
Coming up With Solutions
If he wanted to, he could contact the city and have the fire stopped because it doesn’t matter where the neighbors would place it in their backyard, as it will always be within 50 feet of their home. However, OP thought that wouldn’t be permanent enough.
He added, “I was already considering getting a fence installed and already had multiple quotes. It was hard to swallow a bill for $15,000. But within 24 hours of this situation, guess what I paid for?”
A Revenge in Motion
OP ended up getting a fence, which will be installed within the next couple of weeks around the edge of his property, and the neighbor’s fire pit is no further away than 10 feet from his fence.
His final words were, “Can’t take a single day away from your fire pit for a dying dog? Well, enjoy never using it ever again.”
The Community’s Pieces of Advice
Redditors offered their condolences for OP’s loss, addressed the issue of the neighbor’s fire that was left unattended, and expressed concerns that if they make a fire again, his fence might be destroyed.
The top commenter said, “Beyond the location of the fire, in almost every state I know of, you have to be attending the fire, actively within sight of it and outside, the entire time it’s going, in addition to limits on how big it can be. I’m so sorry for your loss. Make sure you start calling every time they light that fire. You are now concerned they will burn down your fence because they have their fire pit so close.”
Serves Them Right!
The community also agreed with OP and said that the neighbors deserved his revenge.
A Redditor said, “Brilliant revenge, crap neighbor. Every time you go out in your newly private yard and breathe fresh air, think of your puppy. Sorry for your loss.”
Another one wrote, “I’m so sorry about the loss of your beloved dog. Screw your selfish neighbors for not giving you one day. I hope they enjoy never having a fire pit again.”
What I’d Rather Do
Some people shared similar experiences and what they did to get back at those who wronged them.
“I had something similar happen where I live. Neighbors were burning things, and smoke was billowing into my yard. My solution was to buy a huge industrial fan. Anytime they light something up, I put the fan on and blow all the smoke back into their yard. It’s pretty satisfying, not going to lie,” a commenter said.
Been Through the Same Thing
Some Redditors empathized with OP as they have also experienced losing their beloved pets.
A Redditor wrote, “I’m so sorry for the loss of your sweet pitbull. I lost mine to lymphoma 11 years ago and can barely speak about her without crying to this day. I am also very sorry you live near people without empathy. I believe in karma, and they will get back what they put out.”
Another person shared, “I am so sorry you didn’t get the last day you had planned. F*** your neighbors. Put up cameras because you know they are still going to use the fire pit. We had to let my dog go this summer. He could hardly breathe, and we couldn’t be outside much because of wildfire smoke. I still grieve not being able to give him the last day he deserved.”
Do you have neighbors that are similar to OP’s? If you were him, what would you do?
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This post first appeared as He Begged His Neighbors to Extinguish Their Fire So His Dying Dog Could Spend One Last Day Outdoors, but They Showed No Sympathy. So, He Ensured They Learned Their Lesson! on Quote Ambition.
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