Well, I suppose I should take another try at making friends with the dog. Although planting something on the fence sounds good too. What kind of dog? Big and red. A longish-haired retriever sort of dog. She's a pretty dog, really. They've also got two Shelties, and old one that stays on the porch and a young one that's just learning to bark at me. Talking to the owners isn't likely to happen. It's sort of odd, I son't think I'd know them if I saw them, but I don't like them. The woman is constantly yelling at her kids -- "I hate you", really pleasant stuff like that. The kids mainly ignore her, so I guess yelling is the worst she does. If I'm out splitting wood or something for a while, she'll come out and yell at the dog! That's sort of funny. A solid wood fence has some appeal in that it would keep us from hearing that woman so much. I think I'll try growing something on the fence, AND making friends with the dog. I don't think she's a mean dog, just bored. They leave her out all day and night, as far as I can tell. David