Landlord liability for neighbor's dog?

[Aly W.]

I'd appreciate any input here. I'm under contract for a rental house where the next door neighbor (a renter) owns a large dog. The fence between the 2 backyards is low enough for the dog to jump over, which I saw it do when I first viewed the property.

The dog is large and loud. I asked the tenant if it was aggressive and she said no, it doesn't bite, it just barks. I told her I saw the dog jump the fence into my future yard. She said she asked her landlord to put up a higher fence and he refused. He told HER to do it. So he's obviously aware of the dog and the issue.

I'll be renting out the house, and the renters will have children. I plan to contact the owner of the tenant's house, but I'm sure if I want to protect my tenants, I'll have to put up a higher fence myself. My realtor feels that way too.

Does anyone have any input on whose legal/financial liability it is to contain the dog? The dog's owners? The owner of the tenant's house? Me?

Thanks in advance