She was careful though,kept wolf dog locked away from us in backyard during our visit- however the dog nearly attacked her son once, her small dog stopped it.
She must muzzle the dog when treating his ear mites, she found the animal as a stray 4 week old pup in a ditch, she lives way out in the forest, perfect settings for such a hybred to be spawned, From what I hear a Vet told her it was a wolf cross and needed to be PTS for everyones safety she refused, people have told her its a bad idea but she don't listion.

Gina - I wish more dog owners were like you! Thank you!

Sheryl

The OP would love my father's dog. We call him "poop-shy". He will only poop in his own back yard. When i dogsit while they're on vacation, he will not poop for 5 days. If i take him home to HIS yard, he will.

I still carry the bag when I walk him, that way I don't get dirty looks from people, but I know there's nothing coming out of that dog.

How can a 170 pound wolf hybrid be fed poorly?

I'm glad to see people bothering to walk their dogs. Many dog owners don't.

Dogs have to defecate and urinate, they are just built that way.

If the walker picks up the feces after his dog, no sweat. The dog had to go? Then for pete's sake, let him go and let it go. If you make some friendly comment about the dog, you very well might make two new friends and nobody can have too many of those.

If the dog urinates, well, that is part of the price of living with other people. Their pets pee and sometimes has to do it right at the spot where your grass starts and sometimes it will leave a mark which will turn that small patch of grass yellow.

We don't want our pets defecating or urinating in our homes, so it seems to me that we can't get too picky about which handy toilet they use outdoors -after all, they are animals and the whole outdoors IS their toilet. As long as we pick up the feces, it has to be ok. There is no flush handle outdoors.

Or, as suggested - build a fence that prevents the dog from squatting on your property, if the neighborhood allows for that. Mine doesn't, not in the front of our property.

If you want to live in a neighborhood, you have to be willing for a little give and take. A dog urinating on your grass seems awfully small beans compared to the problems you could be having and probably will, over time.

I'd like to add that this post is made under the assumption that of course, the dog owners always have a leash on their dog. Dogs and cats should never have the run of any neighborhood and should be turned into animal control if they do.

I am a dog lover but as I read thru these posts I truly do believe that the sense of entitlement and nonacceptance of our own responsibilities has not been more evident than it is right here.

A homeowner who takes pride in her property is angry because other people are walking dogs and permitting them to use her property as a bathroom and SHE is to spend money to put up a fence. To me, that is ridiculous. This is not her problem to rectify, those walking the dogs should have the common sense and respect for another's property to curb their dogs.

Over the weekend we were at a huge market area, there were dogs everywhere, sorry, leave the dogs at home. I nearly tripped because of a leash, the owner never said a word. One guy ignored a sign on the door that said Only Service Dogs Permitted....the owner tossed him out of the store. These are food stores! Animals are not permitted! Geez.

What I don't like is when someone owns a breed of dog that naturally attracts attention. I recently saw a woman with an English Mastiff that was still a puppy but weighed about 165 lbs. She had zero control over this animal. He was wearing a thin nylon collar that looked more suitable for a Poodle, and she kept asking her daughter (she was maybe 12) to help her restrain him. The dog was waving his tail in everyone's faces and kept coming toward mine and the only comments the woman kept making was "Ohhhhh, he knows you have a female there, he can smell it!"

Just because you think your dog is cute doesn't mean everyone else does, and you may choose not to have your animal spayed or neutered, but control it. If you bring said animal to see the vet, maybe you should wait outside instead of making everyone in the waiting room hold their animals up from your animal.

I just read these posts and I find them interesting.

The OP is obviously a person who has a very nice piece of property and demands everybody stay away. To me, she's every bit as inconsiderate as some of the dog owners. If a dog poops and it is picked up right away, there is ZERO chance any "bacteria" will do any harm.

So a dog pees. Unless she lives in a community where there are dozens of dogs going in the same spot on her lawn, there will be no damage to the lawn. Yes, a female dog's urine can kill grass, but there has to be a lot in the same place.

Get a grip lady!

I have two dogs. One is a Chow Chow and she goes on MY property before we go for a walk. But where I live that really makes no difference since we live at the end of a dirt road in Vermont. To us, friendly neighbors are FAR more important than some pee.

Just some info.

Squirrels poop in her yard,
Chipmunks poop in her yard,
Mice poop in her yard,
Rabbits poop in her yard,
Birds poop in her yard,
CATS poop in her yard!

It's called life.

I agree. It's quite rude for dog owners to allow their dogs to use your property as a toilet. Even if they pick it up.

I make sure my dogs go potty in an appropriate place before we go on our walks. I don't live in an urban environment so this is quite easy for us. I can't speak as to how easy it might be if we lived in an apartment complex.

Even with that being the case, dogs aren't robots and they might just have to go potty again. It happens. Especially since movement also induced movement of the digestive system. Since many dogs won't go on concrete, they would pick a lawn. So it has happened on occasion that we have slip ups as we're passing a neighbor's house. I'll call them off but if they can't hold it, they go. Then I pick it up. We don't make a habit of this. But what could I possibly do to prevent the occasional slip up?

Granted, that probably isn't what the OP is experiencing, at least not most of the time.

People are inconsiderate. You find dogs using your property as a nuisance while I find free roaming cats using my property as a bathroom (and more) a problem.

It's your lawn that you obviously don't want used as a toilet. I don't see why you shouldn't be entitled to this. I don't see why you should be out the money for a fence to prevent this. That just sucks. Have you tried a sign asking people to keep their dogs off the grass? Or a sign that says something like, "Smile. You're on camera"?

If you don't care about neighbor relations, you could sit on your porch with a hose and spray the dogs and owners who stop to let their dogs relieve themselves.

Check the laws then take their picture. If they get smart with you, tell them you just wanted proof. In my city of 360,000 people there is no trespassing law. Anyone can walk through my yard and even climb over my fence, but if they break that fence or cause any damage, that is criminal trespassing. That is against the law. I don't mind dogs using my yard if the owner picks up the poop. I would mind if they let the dog come up and pee on my porch, that is ridiculous. My husband and I were in the basement playing pool and someone walked by and let their dog poop in the yard and they didn't pick up. He banged on the window and told them to keep the dog out of our yard. He felt really bad when he found out it was the new neighbor who had just moved in. LOL

I cant understand why people cannot accept people that do not care for animals in their house. We have friends that have three big dogs in their nice new house. We have communicated to them we do not like the dogs barking sniffing and trying to get in our lap when we visit. If they would just put the dogs in another room when we visit. All we hear from them is how cute and lovable there dogs are and weird we for not liking them. I think pet owners are humanizing animals and ignoring humans more than ever.

It's her property, no one else's business.

"Just some info.
Squirrels poop in her yard,
Chipmunks poop in her yard,
Mice poop in her yard,
Rabbits poop in her yard,
Birds poop in her yard,
CATS poop in her yard!
It's called life. "

I never notice that stuff but when the dogs repeatedly come through an area and bowel movements are scattered all around, you're stepping in human size feces. It's just not necessary.

I think there is quite bit of difference between a dog doing No. 1 and No. 2. Local code says you must pick up when your dog poops on someone yard. No problem, I agree. At least most of the time. But what if your dog has a very runny deposit? In that case, a disposable glove and plastic bag won't improve things much. At one point I carried a plastic bottle of sawdust to sprinkle. Non-woodworkers might sub some shredded leaf material.

But what a about a dog urinating on someone lawn? Not against code that I can tell.

A guy once berated me for letting my dog tinkle on a plant one foot from the road. This was a non-blooming broadleaf plant under the mailbox. I figure if you plant something one foot from the street, next to your mailbox post, you've not much to complain about. Some water and nitrogen left behind. But the guy who complained was not the homeowner, but his next door neighbor.

Dogs who are not under control of the owner is certainly a problem. Not much in my area, although we did have a pit bull mix attack.

But what surprises me is the lack of concern that walkers, dog walkers, bicycle riders, runners have about their own safety. No all the streets in my area have sidewalks; yet 75% of these folks have no flashlight, vest, reflective strobe. Nothing. I have a reflective vest (actually two), three or more good flashlights (strong, strobe built-in, adjustable beam), and one wrap-around reflective band. The dog has two or three collar lights. I don't like these. Any time a dog sneezes or shakes water off, the light changes mode (on to off).

I gave the couple across the street a strobe light, since they always walk at night. They never used it once that I know of.

What can you say?

I think there is quite bit of difference between a dog doing No. 1 and No. 2. Local code says you must pick up when your dog poops on someone yard. No problem, I agree. At least most of the time. But what if your dog has a very runny deposit? In that case, a disposable glove and plastic bag won't improve things much. At one point I carried a plastic bottle of sawdust to sprinkle. Non-woodworkers might sub some shredded leaf material.

But what a about a dog urinating on someone lawn? Not against code that I can tell.

A guy once berated me for letting my dog tinkle on a plant one foot from the road. This was a non-blooming broadleaf plant under the mailbox. I figure if you plant something one foot from the street, next to your mailbox post, you've not much to complain about. Some water and nitrogen left behind. But the guy who complained was not the homeowner, but his next door neighbor.

Dogs who are not under control of the owner is certainly a problem. Not much in my area, although we did have a pit bull mix attack.

But what surprises me is the lack of concern that walkers, dog walkers, bicycle riders, runners have about their own safety. No all the streets in my area have sidewalks; yet 75% of these folks have no flashlight, vest, reflective strobe. Nothing. I have a reflective vest (actually two), three or more good flashlights (strong, strobe built-in, adjustable beam), and one wrap-around reflective band. The dog has two or three collar lights. I don't like these. Any time a dog sneezes or shakes water off, the light changes mode (on to off).

I gave the couple across the street a strobe light, since they always walk at night. They never used it once that I know of.

What can you say?

Some people just don't understand that dog is not just for Christmas

Robertz, where I live, homeowners are required to maintain that strip of land between the sidewalk and street. Most people in my neighborhood, myself included, install plantings to beautify the area. I had multi-colored coleus and many other plants there this last year. I actually had to install a "No Dog Pooping" sign, because, despite the fact that I'd obviously made an effort to beautify the area, people were allowing their dogs to crap on it. Not runny deposits, either.

As for dog peeing, have you never noticed the "burn" spots that dog urine makes on grass?

I love dogs, and my neighbors used to own dogs. They said there was never any reason to have their dog poop or pee on other people's yards....their dog did that at home before they took him out.

I am somebody who actually works in the garden in warm months, and there's nothing worse than encountering a load of crap that you were not prepared for in your garden. The same goes for people who let their cats out. Nothing more foul than cat/dog crap on my hands. Please be considerate.

rmlanza : Yes it is.. Even if you pick it up there are remnants and i don't want my kids playing in the grass that your dog just pooped on.

What about cats that run loose and spray or cap in yards? I would rather someone pick up their dog cap that smell a stinking cat.. I have two dogs and I keep them in my own yard or walk them in an empty lot but we do pick up after them, do what my neighbor did pick it up , put it in a bag and go dump it out on their porch, that never happened again

I am a service dog partner - I am disabled and have a mobility service dog. Service dogs are taught from puppyhood to ONLY pee or poop ON COMMAND. So, before going on any errands or on a "walk" (I ride a mobility scooter), my dog goes out and I give the cue. Sometimes it takes a bit of time and several reminders, but we don't leave the backyard until the dog responds to the cue. Also, on walks, she remains in "heel" or "side" (service dogs need to walk both on the left (heel) and right (side). I keep her off even the corners of yards. There are a few wooded areas we pass that I do allow her to investigate, and if she poops, I pick it up and dispose of it back at home.

The service dog organization that provided my dog (and the replacement that I go to training camp for in 2 weeks) is very emphatic about responsibility. This, of course, is very different in many ways than simple pet ownership. A service dog must be able to behave in public, even in restaurants. Pets usually don't go to restaurants. Service dogs are certified for public access, and the handler has to be trained to handle the dog in public places (hence, training camp!).

I love that sign's website, but my virus program wouldn't let the home page open because of a possible virus . Luckily the link above is for the second page. I will have to order a couple of them because there is an irresponsible pet owner in our neighborhood who even walks into people's yards, allows the dog to go potty and then leaves the evidence! I'm looking up our municipality's laws as soon as I leave this site!

"Service dogs are taught from puppyhood to ONLY pee or poop ON COMMAND."

There's no rule for every team. Some dogs go off stimulus control when off duty. Such as my own.

"Service dogs are certified for public access,"

Your service dog may be, but not all service dogs are certified. The ADA doesn't require it.

I have read most all of the comments, and see that most are in agreement. Not much problem when the dog owner picks up after their dog. Complaining about urine is another thing. Unless a dog urinates repeatedly I the same place, it really should not do harm. However, I think the dog should not be allowed to urinate directly on any kind of ornamental plants.

I have 3 dogs that are well trained to follow commands, and are taught to relieve themselves in designated areas. However, there have been occasions that they have had to go in other than a designated area, and both me and my wife pick up after the dog. Carrying bags has become as necessary as carrying my wallet.

Before I married I lived in rather crowded conditions, where homes were built less than 20 feet apart. I had no pets, but my neighbors did. I too disliked mowing grass and stepping in feces. My solution to the problem was to construct a small picket fenced area 12' x 12'. It was under a large shade tree near my garden and my water spigot. I placed a sign on the roadside of it letting my pet loving neighbors that they could allow their pets relieve themselves here, as well as drink water from the spigot. I put up a small box with a roll of bags for their convenience as well. That gesture made a whole world of difference in attitude for all concerned. The cost was minimal as I used old pallets for the fencing.

It has been my observation that railing on to and about the offending dog owners, not only stresses the owner and the animal, but it comes back on you as well.

Please do not err in thinking that I never get irritated. Stupid gets me livid, especially when that special kind of stupid culminates in personal attacks or name calling.

Jay

I love animals but...... when I had dogs,they did their business on my property !!!! I was the one that chose to have a pet !!!! a lot of ppl have allergies, or take pride in their lawns, why infringe on their rights? It has turned into a war. At one point when my dog was alive, a dog would pee on my mailbox, sooo my dog would go there to show possession, then other dogs etc. to the point that I dreaded getting my mail bc of the odor. come on ppl I know you love your pets, but not everyone is you. you are the one that chose a pet, you should be able to provide for it w/o infringing on other ppl !

WOW is all i can say. you are so rude yourself for even saying this.... I dont care if a dog pees in the yard. better then the drive way or front porch right?.... i dont care if a dog poops in my yard just clean it up. if its near the side walk thats one thing. but actually up in the yard thats not right. where are dogs supposed to go? your being a little over the top dont yah think?

Where are dogs supposed to go? In their owners' yards, not mine. I had neighbors that took great care to keep their dogs from eliminating on THEIR property, and to do it on others. There were two or three of us who had to navigate fecal landmines at the end of our driveways to get mail from the mail boxes. One day I went over to have a word with the mother, who swore they never went on our property. Her son's footprints and the dog's went from our yard to theirs through the snow. He'd actually taken quite a tour of our yard and around the house, in addition to using our yard as a toilet.

As pointed out, show dogs and legitimate service dogs are trained to go on command. One colleague I worked with trained her dog to use a special area covered with bark mulch.

I have a small, corner piece of property that I take a lot of pride in. I work hours and hours on my yard, gardens, and the dozen rose bushes that outline my yard. It's my hobby, and I weed, dead head my plants, mow, and trim, in this area several times per week. The neighbor directly across from my house walks out his front door 3-4 times per day, brings his dog 2-3 feet onto my property, and lets his dog pee and poop in my yard and on my rose bushes. Yes, more often than not, he picks up the poop. However, it's still gross to think about when I am working out there. I have never actually seen his dog relieve himself on his own property, which is double the lot size of mine. At night, he actually uses a flashlight to make his way across the narrow road onto my property. I am a single, female homeowner. The only other yard he occasionally takes his dog into is the widowed, elderly woman who lives diagonally from me. Interestingly enough, he never let's his dog on the male homeowner's properties on either side of my house. The man is a bully. I have confronted him and asked him to please not allow his dog on my property, because it is leaving burn spots on my grass and rose bushes. He began yelling, insisting the first 3-4 feet of land is town property and that he can do what he wants on public property. (Which is incorrect) Personally, I love dogs and grew up having many dogs & cats. We never let our pets go on anyone's property but our own. I do not see why he cannot let his dog do its business 3-4 times per day, in his own yard. There are several other neighbors who walk their dogs down our street and they walk them in the center of the road. I have never witnessed one of them allow their dog to use my yard or any of my neighbors as their dog's personal dump area. If I wanted an animal to pee and poop on my property 3-4 times a day, I'd get my own dog. I don't see why that makes me a horrible person. I wouldn't walk up to his car after he spent the day washing and waxing it...spit on it, and then wipe it off. (But I would love to see the look on his face!) I don't blame the dog...I blame my irresponsible, inconsiderate neighbor.

Have you just gone over there and told them that while you love dogs, you notice that they walk it to your garden to do it's business, and since you weed barehanded, it really bothers you, and ask if they can not bring it over to your yard to go potty. Tell them you are a germaphobe, and while you know they are trying to be courteous and pick it up, it really bothers you. most likely they will stop if you ask nicely.

I totally agree about dogs, I have had dogs all my life and i'm very respectfull of other peoples property. I also have cats and anyone who thinks they can stop a cat from pooping in their soil is a better man/women than I am. Cats at least cover up their mess and it's a lot smaller than any dogs.

I live in an urban area where homes are very close together, less than a meter between homes. There are a lot of dogs in the neighborhood. Actually I'm very impressed with how well most people deal with their dogs. The dogs seem to mostly be trained, on leash almost all of the time, and the owners pick up after the dogs really quite well....Most of the time.

However I have a garden on in the middle of a nearby block, and the side of the property is on an alley. The only thing on the lot is the garden. Across the street is a windowless factory. There is only one house on this block. So my garden has few "witnesses". The amount of dog poop that winds up there is stunning. I thought maybe it was stray dogs or dogs just let out the door on their own at night--- because my neighbors otherwise seem so commendable about cleaning up after their dogs. But I just don't ever see dogs out loose. Therefore, I think people are deliberately choosing not to clean up there in my garden where there is no house and no perceived social pressure to clean up. Most often the poop is within a few feet of the fronting sidewalk of on the alley on the side. That suggests the dogs are leashed with a human companion. I'm disappointed in my dog walking neighbors.

I wear lugged boots when I work outside, and yiii!, is that dog poop hard to get out from the crevices.

Probably everyone reading here does clean up after their dogs, all the time, not just when you think you might be seen. Please, lets keep up the ethic to do so.

I am also fed up with rude dog owners. I have a dog of my own and would never allow her on another person's property for any reason. I live around stupid ignorant people that come out of their homes with their dogs and go straight to a neighbors house to let their three dogs go on that persons property instead of their own. Even if they pick up the poop from their dogs they still have no right to be there in the first place. My dog has all its shots and not sick how do I even know you take care of your dog health wise. your dog could be ill and when mine goes out, in its own yard, it could get something that would require me to pay vet bills because of anothers ignorance. Stay the H off other people lawns and stop being ignorant and rude and think you are entitled. You have a lawn USE IT.

That is really strange. Have to wonder what they're thinking. I would also be concerned about fleas and ticks being brought onto my yard by the other dogs.

I would think you could ask the police to issue a warning to those people to stay off of other people's properties.

At the edge of the property is still irksome, mailboxes included. If it's on my lawn at all, it's wrong. Always clean up the solids, no excuse not to. On my lawn, whether their paws hit it or not, is beyond rude. How do dog owners feel about cats spraying in their yard? I don't let my cats outside, so it won't come from me, but I've seen a lot venom about that. I work hard to make my lawn and gardens look nice. I don't want brown spots and do what I can to avoid it. Your dog ruining that for me is really wrong. I work hard for your lawn to look nice, keeping my cats off it it. Reciprocate. Please?

It's nearly a century in Internet time since this article was published, but I think it's more pertinent than ever. From the comments that I read, there's quite a bias towards "get over it," as if those who choose not to have dogs have some moral responsibility towards the animals they chose not to have. If someone doesn't want a dog on her/his property, that's that. There's no "what's the big deal if....?" The person who asks that question has already decided it's not a big deal. No one else is obliged to feel that way.

Loud, incessant barking; unsanitary defecation on private property; menacing behavior; and lately, as covered by the many news reports across the US, even dog maulings--accompanied by the stunning, "You must have done something because my dog would never..." The dog issue in the US is reaching a boiling point. Many owners aren't responsible enough to own animals that have their own minds and needs, and whose behavior often conflicts with the peace of the community. Having a dog is a privilege, not a constitutionally guaranteed right. Don't impose your pleasures on others who don't want to participate. If you cannot control your animal 100% of the time, then you shouldn't have it. The rest of us did not decide to have dogs; you did.

It's time for citizens who're fed up being told we're obliged to abide dogs' disruptive behavior to band together and lobby for far stricter laws and penalties for breaking existing laws because dog owners just don't care that they and their beloved pets are disrupting the lives of the rest of us, as evidenced by the tone of several of the comments here.

One person on here say if you don't want dogs on your property put up a fence. WHATTTTTTTTTT Why should I have to spend money to put up a fence when its YOU that is the problem. You can't control your dog to keep off my property why make it my fault and think I need to spend money when you should know its wrong I really think people know its wrong but just rude and don't care. Put up a fence and your dog will probably lift its leg to pee on that too. UGH I find it hard to believe that the person that is doing wrong always tries to blame the victim

Now, there's a name for what the OP and some others are displaying: it's called "territorial aggression", and is caused by too many animals (ie. humans) being crammed into too small a space. Like a subdivision, for example.

City living and overcrowding is a huge source of stress for some humans; Those of you who resort to online tirades, rudeness, sarcasm or verbal chest-pounding, who "see red" or wish for "open season" on dog owners (or anyone else) either don't have the "tolerance" gene or have been under this stress for far too long. Maybe a move to a larger property without neighbours is called for, particularly if you live in a jurisdiction without gun control laws...

Just sayin'...

flowerful, you make me think, you find it acceptable for dog owners to ignore control of their pet. I hope that's not true. Everyone of us is responsible for our dogs and cats and any other pet we own.

The people on this thread who get so upset when a dog pees on their grass probably should be living a greater distance from their neighbors. If that bothers you then the smell of your neighbor's BBQ, his kids splashing in the pool, the sound of his lawn mower, etc mush drive you crazy. And that's no way to live.

@schreibdave Why are you and other dog owners entitled to command the rest of us to accept local laws being broken? In my neighborhood, it is a municipal law that dogs be on leashes in public AND that owners keep dogs off private property. Why should anyone move because some dog owners feel entitled to break the law? Is it acceptable to you that others invade your private property and when you become alarmed tell you that you should move somewhere else if you don't like it? What part of "private property" is so difficult to understand?

Don't be disingenuous: BBQ and kids splashing in pools are not illegal. Breaking noise or pollution ordinances is. Please don't conflate your personal tastes with legal obligations. The US is a land of laws. This is what we tell others who come to the US and expect our local governments to defer to their cultural laws, so it should work for all US citizens, too.

Wowser, this ten and a half year old thread has returned again. Well, ha! I have another rude dog walker story from just a couple days ago. I was making a grilled cheese sandwich when I looked out the back window where I caught glimpse of a woman watching a dog in my garden. The dog looked like a German shepherd dog so I thought maybe the dog was a stray and the woman was afraid of it. But she walked back and forth a bit, so I gathered the dog was hers. Then she sat down on the curb to watch and wait! I kept one eye on my grilled cheese and one on the dog. After a bit the dog moved to where I couldn't see it, then over to the woman who put a leash on it. The woman had apparently unleashed her dog to let it go relieve itself in my garden.

I went to the front of my house and soon came the woman who had let the dog poop in my garden. I asked her if she had cleaned up after the dog. She spoke nonsense words, not yes, not no, so I just told her that she should clean up after the dog. Then she told me that she could not because she only had two plastic bags and the dog had gone three times. Oh, good grief, I don't know if that means she let the dog go three times in my garden and only cleaned it up twice. I have not been out to see what awaits me.

It especially bugs me that she let the dog off the leash to be free to poop anywhere it wanted to in my garden while she sat and waited for it. Hope she stuffs her pockets full of plastic bags next time she take the big dog for a walk!

@Matthias Lang According to the "logic" of many dog owners, you should have just minded your own business and not been so discourteous as to confront the owner, even politely. After all, dogs are just being dogs and their imperatives trump your legal property rights and any municipal ordinances.

Blog sections like this one are still active 10 years later b/c this issue has only gotten worse in the meantime. Good luck to you.

And the problem still continues. Only I think it's getting worse. I'm so happy I came across this forum. Just needing to vent! I can't believe how many dog owners are so disrespectful and inconsiderate. Now I love dogs, but I just can't have one. I have met many respectful owners so I'm not complaining about all the dog owners (but you have to admit there are a few that make most owners look bad).

I have been dealing with the same issue, asking neighbours to just respect our property and to use the city side grass for their pets business. As long as they pick up on the city side (because we still need to maintain), I don't mind. But on our own lawn, the kids like to play on there and one of them has health issues so we were asking to have owners direct their pets over to the other side because as someone above mentioned, even after cleaning, there's residue and some people leave leftovers. My kids have stepped in some. Even after cleaning, other dogs can smell and they will be tempted to do the same thing. I like to do gardening so I don't really want to be smelling urine all the time and finding poop hidden behind bushes.

As for pee, I get it's not always easy so I try to be reasonable with that, but when I find the same neighbours using it as a habit, you bet I'll say something. Our lawn has spots all over, and our plants are burned as well from all the dogs passing by each day. They have to remember, it's not just their dog! We have been simply asking just to direct pets to the other side. It's not like I'm saying you can't even let your dog do its business on that side (which we still have to maintain).

I think we have been really patient and nice. We had tried to figure things out from our end like using natural deterrents but nothing worked and even thought of a fence. At one point I was frustrated and thought, why the hell am I doing all this and spending money I don't need to spend just because someone is being rude and ignorant. Someone said that we were showing entitlement. I didn't know how to respond but laughed. Sorry, it's my right as a property owner. They say "my dog has the right to pee and poop wherever they want." So your dogs' right to pee everywhere trumps my right as the property owner? OK sure. Again, we have asked nicely. A few neighbours know and have been more mindful. But some still let their pets pee on the plants disregarding our requests and signs.

We never really wanted to put out a sign saying no pee or poop but eventually we had to (at least for the plants). One neighbour laughed and said whatever and she has been the same one letting her dog pee/mark in the garden and another fully saw the sign and had her unleashed dog pee in front of the sign on the plants. Passive aggressive? Funny thing is they say it's hard to pull their pet away. But yet when her dog went to sniff another dogs' pile of crap she tugged him away so quickly. It's not that you can't, its just cause you don't want to. I had to actually finally speak to neighbours when they ignored the sign and now some think we're the a**holes. Whatever happened to being respectful and just being able to compromise?

** I also hate those with the retractable/long leashes and the owners just keep walking on not looking back at what their pets are doing on people's property and then letting the leash drag on for over 6 feet!

Charley, what city do you live in and what size yards do you and your neighbors have? I am a dog owner and a lawn Nazi. Around here (Syracuse NY), so long as you clean up the poop, people dont seem to mind. At least I have never heard anyone complain. Even second or third hand. But if someone did complain, I am sure that dog owners here would mostly avoid that property like the plague. I'm just wondering where you live that makes people respond differently.

@schreibdave We are in Toronto, Ontario. Honestly, like I said, we didn't mind poop before as long as they cleaned up, but then when my kid stepped into some a few times because neighbours weren't cleaning well and leaving some behind as well, one dog had loose poop, we just decided to ask them to try and do it on the blvd side. We were trying to be really nice about it and thought asking would be no problem. I'm just getting to know this neighbourhood and it seems like many people in this area have dogs and most don't want to clean up and even if they do, they bag it and leave the bags around the neighbourhood. And many feel their dogs have the right to do it anywhere because it's a dog.

I don't know...I've really tried to understand things from a dog owners side as well and trying not to be unreasonable. Maybe I'm just naive to think ppl would just understand and be respectful? In regards to the pee, again we were only asking not to pee on plants (as they are dying) and with the lawn if they can direct to blvd it would be great because so many dogs pee and poop on it daily. Kids play there. Sometimes neighbours let their pets come up to the garden and poop and I only notice that when I'm doing gardening (which isn't pleasant to find). I just feel frustrated, can we ever try to compromise? Is there ever a balance? I wish dog owners and home owners can just work something out without one side being so extreme with the other. I've read articles where homeowners will yell at ppl to get off the property. We were not like that at all. We tried to explain. I've also read and have seen when dog owners see signs they get upset and purposely have their dogs pee on it or leave poop beside. But why do that? Why can't we just all be respectful to one another?

Maybe that's a city thing. Here in the burbs going on rural area, I think people would steer clear after one mention. Too bad.

@schreibdave I guess so. So different from the neighbourhood I grew up in.

Charley, i might get flak for this but whatever i can’t stand dog owners who let their dog crap in other people’s yard... i saw a news article where one owner had the same issue. his solution-

he sprinkled hot pepper powder on his property. Dogs didnt like it.

Maybe try that. You have the patience of a saint because i would resort to somethibg more sinister if they did not respect my wishes... lets just say they would get a lot of poop on their yards. Fair is fair. ;)

@monika2024 Thanks for this comment, Monika. No one would tolerate strangers walking onto/into their property to do their business. Just because dogs can be fuzzy and cute is no excuse for EXPECTING the rest of the community to make an exception for them. We shouldn't have to explain why we don't want other people's animals defecating on our property. Sheesh.

@monika2024 Thank you! It drives me nuts seeing people do that and feel like its okay to.

I have heard of hot pepper powder as well. I'm kinda scared that it would hurt the dogs when they sniff or would they be able to smell if afar and avoid? I am starting to lose my patience tho. The poops I find behind my plants, I think might be from those neighbours that have those retractable leashes and let their pets roam down one end of the block while they are at the other end. So frustrating.