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The kids next door keep leaving toys in your back yard. Your other neighbor's landscapers, unclear about property lines, butchered your prize weeping cherry and trampled your dahlias. The dog from across the way trots out of his yard to use yours as a potty box, and your own cats risk life and limb every time they chase the squirrels across the street.

Maybe it's time for a fence.

Humans are territorial creatures. We tend to mark territory as "ours" with physical barriers. Masonry walls, live hedges, and various fences can all clearly mark what is "mine" and what is not. Of these, fences are often the least expensive, the quickest to erect, and the easiest to maintain.

The type of fence you construct will depend on your reasons for erecting a fence. The most common reasons for wanting a fence are 1) to keep pets and kids in - or out, 2) privacy, 3) safety, and 4) aesthetics.

1) Pets and kids
Pets do not understand human boundaries, and are all too willing to set their own territorial boundaries that may take in multiple yards and a busy road. Not only will your own dog roam if allowed to, but other dogs may enter your yard to dig, play, or start a fight. For their own safety, it's best to keep pets confined in a fenced yard, and to take the dog out on a leash for excursions further afield.

Children, too, may push parental limits regarding where their yard ends and the neighbor's begins, especially if a neighbor's yard is a little wilder than yours, with plenty of shrubbery to play cops and robbers in. Small children are in danger of running out into the street, heedless of traffic, if they're not either watched constantly or behind a secure fence. A fence also protects a child from roaming dogs that may or may not be friendly.

For kid and pet protection, you'll need a fence high enough that your dog can't jump it and your kids can't scramble over it. Nor should there be any means for a dog to dig under a fence. Chain link fences are often used for creating a secure yard without losing visibility, but active children and clever dogs can often figure out how to use the meshes as toeholds and climb over. The mesh at ground level can sometimes be pushed out, allowing escapes. A solid board fence may be a better option. If painted or stained properly and regularly, it will last for years. Or look into newer vinyl fencing or plastic lumber for low-maintenance fencing.

Cats present a challenge, since they can often climb board fences. A secure outdoor play area for cats requires

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