There’s One in Every Neighborhood: Do Billings People Make Good Neighbors?

Originally published Aug. 10, 2021

It always seems like there is one in every neighborhood...

I have been dealing with this guy for over 20 years and I've been pushed to the brink. Every single year I have to repair all the damage his cows cause to my fences due to his neglect and starving of his animals. I never wanted to call the sheriff because it's something he should already be doing. If you can't take care of your stock you shouldn't have it, plus abuse and neglect is a different animal, so to speak.

The picture on the left is the difference between my pasture and his. The picture on the right is some of the damage done by his animals trying to find forage because they are starving. I go through this every year when I'm about to move into the fall area. It's not the fault of the animal, it's the fault of the one with the brain that should know better.

At first, I wanted to see if dueling was still legal in Montana, but that might not go over well with the kids. Plus, my grazing provided him the grass he needed until I found the damage. You can see the tracks from him retrieving his animals but no repair is being done.

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If you're moving into an area, find out what your neighbors are like. Talk to others there and find out about what problems you may have. Maybe someone in town has a rooster, that could get old quickly, or even a chronic barker can cause real problems. All my neighbors are great except for one and it's starting to get under my skin. I'm sure everyone has that one in their area too.