{"id":742480,"date":"2026-07-04T09:02:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T09:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/742480\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T09:02:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T09:02:27","slug":"orange-county-hoa-sues-family-for-altering-fence-to-protect-pets-from-predators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/742480\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange County HOA sues family for altering fence to protect pets from predators"},"content":{"rendered":"

After watching coyotes repeatedly invade <\/a>their property and kill seven beloved goats, one Orange County family says it finally found a way to keep the predators out, only to end up in a legal fight with its homeowners association.<\/p>\n

Steve and Karen Blume, who live on a one-acre property in Nellie Gail Ranch<\/a> in Laguna Hills, are being sued by their HOA <\/a>\u2014 after Steve raised the backyard fence beyond the community\u2019s six-foot height limit without first getting approval.<\/p>\n

When the coyotes still got in, he installed blinking lights. CBS LA<\/p>\n

The Blumes said the options proposed by the HOA would cost thousands of dollars. CBS LA<\/p>\n

Desperate to stop the attacks, the Blumes first added mesh, increasing the fence from six feet to eight feet. CBS LA<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coyotes were just jumping over the fence and killing my goats,\u201d Steve Blume told CBS<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Steve and Karen Blume, who live on a one-acre property in Nellie Gail Ranch in Laguna Hills. CBS LA<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a horrible thing to go out there and see your goats ripped apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desperate to stop the attacks, Blume first added mesh, increasing the fence from six feet to eight feet.<\/p>\n

When the coyotes still got in, he installed blinking lights.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t work either.<\/p>\n

His final modification finally ended the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put a 45-degree angle at the top of the fence, which made it about nine feet high, and that completely kept the coyotes out of the yard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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He also argued that other laws require him to protect his animals. CBS LA<\/p>\n

Aerial view of Nellie Gail Ranch nelliegailranch.org<\/p>\n

The successful fix, however, also landed the family in court.<\/p>\n

Blume acknowledged he never sought HOA approval before making the changes, but said he was dealing with an emergency after losing seven pets.<\/p>\n

He also argued that other laws require him to protect his animals.<\/p>\n

The family said they are also baffled that a nearby tennis court fence on their property is permitted to stand as high as 15 feet to keep tennis balls from rolling down a hill, while their coyote barrier has become the subject of a lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is comparing the life of a goat to a tennis ball,\u201d Karen Blume told CBS. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, the HOA said it tried to reach a compromise before filing suit, claiming the Blumes \u201crefused to make any changes to the non-compliant fence and have declined to participate in mediation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blumes said the options proposed by the HOA would cost thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

The association is now asking a judge to order the family to comply with the neighborhood\u2019s six-foot fence restriction.<\/p>\n

The successful fix, however, also landed the family in court. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n

Some argued the family knew what they were signing up for. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The dispute has also ignited debate online, with many Reddit users questioning whether HOA rules should take priority when homeowners are trying to protect their pets from repeated attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe HOA needs to take a step back and work with the owners to find a solution that works for them,\u201d one commenter wrote. \u201cThe chain link fence is and was a temporary solution to find out what it takes to keep out coyotes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others argued the family knew what they were signing up for when they moved into an HOA community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I can\u2019t really have any sympathy for people on 1 acre estates in Laguna squabbling with the HOA they agreed to live under about protecting their pets from the nature they decided to live near. I feel like everyone involved in this situation is a rich out of touch a**h***.\u201d<\/p>\n

One commenter suggested an old alternative instead: \u201cIf only they had a solution that\u2019s been around for centuries like dogs that are born to protect livestock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another stripped away the noise, boiling the entire controversy down to a single, missing ingredient: common sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an easy solution, don\u2019t move into an HOA neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

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