Here, you need this!

Live on condo, and neighbor in next building allows her dog to run and poop wherever it decides. Had the condo association send her a letter telling her THAT IS A NO NO!

Sounds like you and I are on the same soapbox. I think dog owners don't realize that there's nasty stuff in their dog's feces that gets left behind on my lawn even if they "scoop" it up!

And, cigarette butts are not biodegradable and have been found in the stomachs of birds, marine life and little kids who happen to ingest them occassionally.

My dog does her business on my own property or in a field and I pick up my own doggy's dodo. I don't like picking up other dogs business but if they attempt to get it with a plastic bag then I don't mind if there is a bit of remnants. It washes away, the grass grows and the leftovers are quickly gone.

Before I got cancer, something like that might get me really annoyed, now I don't let the small stuff in life bother me.

The simple fact is that dogs need their exercise and they aren't intelligent enough to know which neighbours will object and which ones won't mind where they go to the bathroom. If nature calls, it calls.

My main issue is with cat owners who let their cats use my garden as a litter box. At least responsible dog owners pick up after them.

Heather, I understand where you are coming from and yes it is small...but...

I don't use pesticides, herbicides out of consideration for animal life and the environment. I take a lot of time caring for my lawn and like to know I can walk barefoot on it if I want to. To me it's disrespectful of any animal owner let their animal do their business on my property. I own a cat who is indoors and has a litterbox - I have a number of cats visiting my yard but fortunately I've yet to find any droppings anywhere from them. In Scotland cats were using my garden as a litterbox - one from next door. I tossed that cr@ap back over the fence after asking the owner to come over and clean it up or corral their cat.

This woman should shorten the leash and pay attention to her dog. I am half a block from an animal park area so there is no need to let her dog do his business on my lawn.

The fact of the matter is fecal matter is still left on my lawn and it's not pleasant at all. Especially when the stuff is soft and cannot be properly picked up. I never let my dog do her business on any lawn - ever. She did it on the street if it was urgent. And I picked it up - long before poop and scoop was demanded.

There's a ton of dogs walking in this area - if I let one owner do it, they might as well all do it.

It's upsetting to me. Big time.

(((((McPeg)))))

Call your city hall and ask, but here in my town (and I believe it's probably true in all towns), the city owns the property 10 feet in from the curb - you don't. It's called an easement, so legally you can't do anything about it.

I know - I filed a complaint with our city, and that was the response - basically, that piece of real estate isn't yours, so there's nothing you can do - that doesn't make it right, but .........

Peg, I sure understand your frustration. I sure wouldn't want to step in that area barefooted, or kneel on the ground near a flower bed, where doggie doo had been, even if it was picked up. I know occasionally mine get very soft stools.

I've often wondered just why a dog would 'have' to go do-do on someone's property, when on a walk. Can't they hold it until they get to a more opportune place, or back home? Inside dogs hold it, when left inside alone, waiting for their owners to come home and let them out. Crate trained doggies don't do their business in their crate, unless left entirely too long.

Humans, almost always, can hold it until they can get to a restroom facility. Hmmm...might be something to ask about over on the Pet Forum....doggies holding it...not humans.

Some sign ideas
more signs
and more signs
and last but not least

Sue

I'm always in bare feet--inside and out--plantar fasciitis permitting (LOL).

As long as the owner picks up their dog's mess, I don't mind. After all, it IS the outside. Besides dogs, you've probably got lots of other wildlife. I live in a megalopolis and we have: squirrels, raccoons, possums, foxes, rabbits, chipmunks, the occasional dear, loads of birds. I love seeing any/all of them in my yard--and no one goes around behind them, cleaning up, so I figure I'm coming out ahead if the dog owner has a plastic bag in their hand.

Dogs go outside, when and where they get the urge. I've never really known one who was trained to go in one specific spot. Look, we all have our issues that make us nuts--not saying yours isn't important, just trying to maybe show that it's not quite as important to all? and maybe the dog owner just doesn't know how upset you get? Have you tried speaking calmly to her, and seeing if the 2 of you could come up with a compromise?

We've already told her before. Now I'm going to print and put up my sign on either edge of the lawn. If I can find some of those wire garden edgings that are cute from the dollar store I'm going to clean them out and edge my lawn with those as well - they're easy to pull up to mow and then return.

Enough is enough in my books. I grew up with a dog and she was never allowed to even walk on peoples lawns.

I do appreciate the comments and I have calmed down today. I'm going to try to approach this in a diplomatic way - bad behaviour does not build a good community so I should be pleasant no matter what.

Cheers,
Peggy

Put a little hedge around your property?

Yeah, dog poop, cigarette butts, and one more...chewing gum on cement. Some people are not considerate.

Just thought that I would add my 2 cents. We live in a deveopment and many of us walk our dogs. I get really upset when people with the retractable leashes allow their dog to come and lift their leg on my mailbox post. I have flowers planted in there and I am trying to get a vine or two up the box. Nothing however grows well because of the urine deposits. I got mad the other day and told my dh that I should go out and ask the latest guy where he lived so I could bring my dog to pee on his mailbox. He just shook his head. It does get to me , but I try to realize that the dog just goes where he has to. But , Murphy only pees in his yard. He will hold it til he gets home. Dh says he is like me. I HATE to have to GO somewhere other than home.

We had a dog who owned our back yard and he used a corner behind the hedge to releave his self. The kids played in the rest of the yard with no fear of stepping in a pile. Brownie was the smartest dog I ever saw and altho he has been gone for over 30 tear I will never try to replace him.

I like this one. LOL!

Gayle

LOL!!!! I love that one,Gayle.

If you've already told her how you feel about it and she STILL lets her dog poop in your yard she's the one that's out of line. Yes, some people don't mind but you have said that you do, and she knows it.

If she has a set schedule, you can always turn the sprinkler on that part of the yard......or ambush her with the sprinkler when the dogs stops to do his business.....

Well I certainly understand why you're pissed Peg.

I feel the same way,and live in the city in a ground floor apt. where every dog for 3 miles around leaks and craps about 7' from my patio..

I erected one of the dollar store fences to stop them from coming into my so-called little piece of paradise;it didnt go over well with some of the tenants,but too bad,so sad,sorry for your luck.

I can't stand the thought of walking bare foot where some dog has crapped...picked up or otherwise--there is STILL remains.

Mcpeg - I am completely with you on this. I have had 3 dogs at one time and they did their business in my yard before we went for a walk.

I'm normally a fairly easy going person. But I have no tolerance for dog owners who let their dogs do their business on my lawn. We have a grass strip between the sidewalk and the street and that's where our township states a dog may go - but the owner still has to clean up after it.

I have gone out after seeing an owner let his/her dog 'dump' in my yard and handed them a plastic bag and told them to clean it up and take it away.

Once I cleaned it up myself and caught up with the owner and said "Excuse me - you left this in my yard" and then handed it to them.

We have a few dogs who get loose on a regular basis and head to my yard. I clean it up and leave it on their front porch with a copy of the township's scooper and leash law attached.

My favorite ones though are the people who walk their dogs when it's dark out. They can't even see it to clean up after it. I have to use a flashlight when I take my dogs out at night.

There's no excuse for people who don't clean up after their pets. Good for you mcpeg - I hope your fence works.

I would watch for the person and run out and snap a pic of the owner and the dog while it's pooping (and immediately post it here, lol). If the owner thinks she's not doing anything wrong, then she won't mind her photo being taken. You could make a big sign for your lawn with that picture and the big red circle with a line across. Large copies of photos are pretty cheap these days. Don't know if it would work, but it would be fun, lol. Linda

I agree with Heather and Azzalea. I go barefoot more than I wear shoes in the yard.

Dog owners should clean up after their pets. If the world was perfect, all dogs would poo in their own yards. However, occasionally stuff happens in places we don't intend for it to happen.

But I have a question for those who fear the residue because they want to walk in their yards barefoot. Does the fecal matter from squirrels, rabbits, snakes, and birds bother you? While I have no facts to back me up, I suspect that you can catch more strange diseases from a wild animal than you can from a domestic dog. Stepping in bird poo is just as disgusting as stepping in the remains of dog poo. Canadian geese poo is nasty stuff and tends to be spread over more real estate than dog poo.

Please don't get me wrong, I feel your pain. I've pretty much given up of ever having plants around my mailbox due to it becoming a place that every dog that passes by marks. We try very hard to keep our yard nice looking, but there are some things it's just not worth gettin upset about.

And I wish they'd ban those extenda leashes.

Oh my this is quite a touchy issue!
I could not find any more of the 3 foot dollar store fency things yesterday, and I have calmed down. There are still other dollar stores to look and at the very least I can still erect something on the corners and post the sign. I do love the idea of snapping a photo but again...

I don't want to add to a negative community feeling since I have very good neighbours at this end. Don't want to appear to be a grouch. She normally walks her dog about 6:30 pm - a good time for me to 'water' outside. Besides, she does have a lovely dog and if I could nicely say hello, pet the dog and just mention again my concerns in a diplomatic way I'd probably see a better result.

If that doesn't work, then the gloves are off and I will be out with my camera and I will make a garden sign with one of those red lined circles over the top of it to embarrass her since I'm sure her neighbours also pass by walking home from the bus.

Okay, there's a little mean streak there (part of my obsessive depressive disorder - which I am working hard to overcome - NOT healthy at all).

Thanks for the tips and comments. It's always good to look at both sides of the coins. As for wildlife poop - I've not noticed any in my lawn or garden...but I'm sure they pee some where!

Cheers,
McPeg