How Risky? Chicken Run Up Against Dog Yard

Typical 0.25 acre house & yard in a neighborhood setting.

I have a wide strip on the west side of the house that is too shaded for growing veg. It already has a privacy fence that would probably only need netting on top and hardwire mesh on the bottom/rim to turn it into a chicken yard for compost-making.

The problem? The neighbor's neglected/bored golden retriever continually walks its perimeter right on the other side of that fence.

Is there aaany way to make this work, or is this really just flirting with disaster? I'd really like to use that space for something useful as it's good for nothing but mowing right now.

I feel if I were in that situation that fence would not be enough barrier against a dog on the other side.

Years ago my neighbor had a rabbit in their backyard and my dog tore the fence up.  I have no idea what happened to the rabbit.

Dogs also like to dig.

It really depends entirely on the dog.  I have three big dogs, cats, and chickens.  All roam freely with each other and no one bothers anyone.  The dog may not bother them at all, or it may pester them incessantly.  If you can "borrow" a couple chickens and watch the interaction, it will give you a fairly good idea.  Just keep in mind that interest isn't necessarily aggression.  The dog will almost certainly be interested at first.  If you aren't good at reading dog language, and most people are not, maybe have someone experienced help you out.  A good dog trainer will be able to give you a fairly good read, but not a guarantee.

Agree with Trace, whether or not this is a safe situation depends entirely on the dog. Some have no predatory instincts and/or don't view the fence as a barrier they can get through/under/over. Others will hurt themselves because they are so determined to escape or to chase/kill (though they're in the minority, thank goodness).

I had my chickens directly on the other side of a 4' chain link fence with the dog yard for four years. Besides my own dogs, I had dogs coming over for training and boarding. None of the dogs ever tried hard enough to get over or under that I was worried. Many were fascinated by the chickens at first but then lost interest.

A privacy fence will fully deter most dogs... but you may not find out that your neighbor's dog is in the minority until it's too late.

You can pound rebar or fancy Dig Defence panels (https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-DEFENCE-Large-Animal-Dig-Barrier-25-Pack-DD3103225/315471588) to block digging, and take steps to make the fence unclimbable.  But that is expensive.

Borrowing some chickens and hiring a competent trainer to assess the situation are both excellent suggestions. You may need your neighbor's buy-in.

I would be concerned about going over the fence as well as under. But, as others have said, it depends upon the dog.