Interesting world we live in. There is another active thread on here about good neighbors. Sorry you have these.
I don't know if getting a rooster would actually put you out of compliance, but I agree with your initial thought. Don't go out of your way to make all your neighbors mad. You have to continue to live there and I see no benefit to you or your family to be surrounded by people that wish you were gone. And just as a matter of personal pride, since you have the high ground, I'd try to keep it. I would not stoop to their level and start doing things behind their back.
I personally don't think the world becomes a better place for anyone, especially your family, by you risking giving validity to their complaints, alienating your other neighbors, illegally tape recording them, or giving them tainted food so they can win a lawsuit against you or give you a criminal record. But that is just me. I had a friend that got into one of these wars with their neighbors. Since my friends took the photos pointed down the middle of a public street, they were complying with the law and the photo was legal. If the camera had been pointed at their opponent's house, they would have been guilty of invasion of privacy, a legally punishable offense. You do have to be careful.
Nifty, LynneP, and Wombat all give pretty good advice. You'll have to decide which route suits you the best. I think I would first get a copy of the complaint to see exactly who it is and what they are saying. I'd sure hate to think badly about the wrong people. You lose big time if you do that. I'd certainly engage them in conversation about the complaints. You might take the nonconfrontational approach and say that somebody is complaining, the police have found that you are in compliance and that you'd really like to know what the complaint is so you could maybe fix it. Or you could say that the police have found you in compliance, you know it is them complaining, and what can we do to fix it is up to you and your personality. How they react tells you how you interact with them in the future. But I would be all sweetness and politeness, would not get into a shouting match with them but politely walk away if they start, and I would be very careful to not make any threats. If it goes well, I would not talk about it with my neighbors. Why create a neighborhood feud if it can work out. If it does not go well, I'd make sure all my neighbors knew my side of the story.
I had a neighbor that kept a boat in the front yard, which was illegal but no one complained. When they sold the boat, she complained to the police about other neighbors that kept a boat in their own front yard. And she was such a sweet lady when she was not on the juice. I tell this to say, be careful. You really don't know what you are dealing with. But definitely keep the legal and moral high ground.
Good luck!
I don't know if getting a rooster would actually put you out of compliance, but I agree with your initial thought. Don't go out of your way to make all your neighbors mad. You have to continue to live there and I see no benefit to you or your family to be surrounded by people that wish you were gone. And just as a matter of personal pride, since you have the high ground, I'd try to keep it. I would not stoop to their level and start doing things behind their back.
I personally don't think the world becomes a better place for anyone, especially your family, by you risking giving validity to their complaints, alienating your other neighbors, illegally tape recording them, or giving them tainted food so they can win a lawsuit against you or give you a criminal record. But that is just me. I had a friend that got into one of these wars with their neighbors. Since my friends took the photos pointed down the middle of a public street, they were complying with the law and the photo was legal. If the camera had been pointed at their opponent's house, they would have been guilty of invasion of privacy, a legally punishable offense. You do have to be careful.
Nifty, LynneP, and Wombat all give pretty good advice. You'll have to decide which route suits you the best. I think I would first get a copy of the complaint to see exactly who it is and what they are saying. I'd sure hate to think badly about the wrong people. You lose big time if you do that. I'd certainly engage them in conversation about the complaints. You might take the nonconfrontational approach and say that somebody is complaining, the police have found that you are in compliance and that you'd really like to know what the complaint is so you could maybe fix it. Or you could say that the police have found you in compliance, you know it is them complaining, and what can we do to fix it is up to you and your personality. How they react tells you how you interact with them in the future. But I would be all sweetness and politeness, would not get into a shouting match with them but politely walk away if they start, and I would be very careful to not make any threats. If it goes well, I would not talk about it with my neighbors. Why create a neighborhood feud if it can work out. If it does not go well, I'd make sure all my neighbors knew my side of the story.
I had a neighbor that kept a boat in the front yard, which was illegal but no one complained. When they sold the boat, she complained to the police about other neighbors that kept a boat in their own front yard. And she was such a sweet lady when she was not on the juice. I tell this to say, be careful. You really don't know what you are dealing with. But definitely keep the legal and moral high ground.
Good luck!
