Neighbors Dog - Kalamazoo,MI

As long as they clean up, why let it bother you? There are a lot bigger things in life to worry about.
Be friendly and "neighborly". you may need a friend someday.

If it was the edge of my yard, I wouldn't mind. I would not want my neighbor or my neighbor's dog walking all over my rather large yard. I have dogs and children. The kids would find the poop and yell about it until I removed it and the dogs would go nuts because of another dog's scent. That would bother me.

I would tell the neighbor to stop before I bought a fence.

It depends upon where in my yard the dog was doing this. If it were near a property line, then no. If it was in the middle of my front yard, or right beside the house, yes.

I wouldn't care if my neighbor walked over to the edge of my yard to clean up. It would bother me if my neighbor was ROUTINELY walking around up near my house or in my back yard or anywhere that was close enough to windows that I would feel like someone could be seeing in my home.

Yes it would bother me. Yes, if they did not keep the dog in their yard after I asked them to, I'd put up a fence. Yes, it'd bother me that they were in my yard uninvited.

My two boys romp around in the grass all the time. I don't want residual dogsh*t in it.

ETA: I see you're going to put up a fence. That's GREAT! Please don't forget to file for a building permit from the city and call for a locate to ensure that you aren't digging up cable, power, water or sewer lines.

Yes. It would bother me enough to put up an ELECTRIC fence, but a fence really isn't an option for my front yard. Yes, it would bother me that the neighbor is just traipsing through my yard, especially if he has his own.

I do not have a dog. When I get to a point where I want sh-- in my yard, I'll put it there. Or get a dog to put it there. I like to be able to walk through my yard without having to focus on where I step.

I actually have had this issue. I came home at the end of one day to a woman standing at the edge of my yard with her phone at her ear and her dog ready to drop a load in my yard near the driveway. As I prepared to turn in, she just kept on like it was her yard and she was minding her own business. I should have pretended that I was going to hit her. Instead, I let down my window and calmly asked, "Will you please stop your dog there from shitting in my yard?" She turned and got her dog and walked away. I got the feeling that I'd inconvenienced her.

ETA (following your SWH): Applause, applause, applause! Get that fence up! There is actually an area at the end of our street that is wide open to dog-walkers, and they still stop at my yard (corner lot). One neighbor in my cul-de-sac actually stood outside in her yard while her dog was in mine. I chased hers away with a golf club and didn't see her until the dog was in her yard.

If I had said something to the neighbor that I would like them not to allow their dog to poop in my yard, regardless of if they come and clean it up, I would be upset. If i had never said anything to them before I would say something now like, "You know, i do appreciate you cleaning up after your dog's messes, but I'd prefer you not allow it to happen in my yard in the first place. When I see you walking around in my back yard my first thought is that I have a potential intruder and need to call the police." If you're met with resistance put up a fence and you won't have to deal with the problem any longer, but may have to deal with a new one, a strained relationship with your neighbor.

Also here in CA we can call Animal Control if neighbors allow their animals to use our yards for waste and they then can be fined, I know because our neighbor called on our cats. He was told he could trap any offending cat and turn it over to them, and that we would have to pay to get our cat back. You might want to look into your town's ordinances.

I'm a dog owner and I cringe when my dog takes me by surprise and starts to go in a neighbor's yard. So I understand both points of view. Overall I think it's wrong. He/she may be cleaning up but it depends on the type of poop to be honest. Sometimes it really is a very clean pick up. Sometimes it's just not... So then it depends if the neighbor has kids bc then it's a bigger issue for them (I assume you do) and then how big the yard is/how far from the house. Along the street I do think it's more acceptable. It can be tough to monitor perfectly. But really getting into your yard, walking up fairly close to the house etc, yeah, that's wrong. I really wouldn't be offended if someone commented to me and would feel badly. I think it's fine for you to say "hey, I know dogs don't get it and you always clean up but I'm not sure you can always get poop off grass and I have x little ones running around and falling so it's too easy for them to still get into some leftover poop. Could you just keep your dog from our yard? It always startles me too to see an adult walking in our yard unexpectedly." Technically, it is YOUR YARD. You have every right.

I love dogs, but if someone else's dog kept coming into my back yard to poop, I would be annoyed. Its my YARD, not a park, not a public space. Yes, I appreciate that you come and clean it up, but it shouldn't happen in the first place. I would totally put a fence up.

When we had a dog, our house was very close to our next door neighbor's. There was the occasional time that our dog pooped near the property line/in their yard, but it was very seldom...NOT routinely.

At least he picks up the poop but yeah, it would bug me that he can be bothered to pick up the poop but can't be bothered to keep the dog on a leash while they are out there so it's not coming into your yard - that's just rude, and even worse after you've spoken to him about it and he's still doing it. Best solution would be the fence - and it sounds like you've already taken care of that. Sometimes my dog has ended up in the neighbor's yard by accident and ended up taking a dump, but I made a point to clean it up immediately - and it's not happening all the time because I typically leash them when I take them out.

Hire a professional surveyor to survey your property and mark the property lines with a small border fence. Then no one has an excuse that they don't know where their property ends and your begins. Edited to add---before you put up your fence, you def. should get it surveyed. That way there will be no grumbling from neighbors that you're trying to "take" some of their yard.

As long as they pick it all up immediately, it wouldn't bother me. Of course it depends on the part of the yard -near the curb in the front yard by the street is fine, but if the dog was running into my backyard or something -that would be a bit weird.

If they kept it clean it would not bother me. I put up a fence because my neighbor chained up his dog so most of it was in my yard but damn if that man didn't know exactly where that property line was when he was poop scooping! :(

If they kept it clean then no, it would not bother me, but I might also give them a "patch" of my lawn as a joke!

Okay, when you put all of that into it - then yes it is wrong and I would put an end to it.

talk to your neighbour about it. If the dog won't stop coming into your yard to do his business, maybe ask your neighbour to come to your door and ask you if it would be a good time to check your yard for messes that his dog has made.

Yes it would bother me if it happened all the time. You're saying the dog is allowed to roam over to your yard unleashed? Not cool. I would ask that the dog be leashed on a length of leash that does not reach my yard. There are leash laws.

I don't mind at all if a dog being walked by the front of my house poops on the boulevard and the owner picks it up. It seems only common courtesy not to let your dog poop on the side of the sidewalk in someone's actual yard. I'll admit every once in awhile my dog drops a quick surprise on the wrong side of the sidewalk, which I always pick up right away. But 99% of the time, he poops on the boulevard (which I also always pick up immediately).

I do get irritated a lot when people walk their dog by on a very long leash and basically the dog is walking through the middle of my yard pooping and peeing, that is just not respectful. I don't care if they do pick it up, they aren't even trying to avoid the dog messing in my yard. That is just rude.

Since it's your backyard and your neighbor doesn't seem to respect your space, I sure would consider a fence.

It would bug me but not enough to say anything for fear of making the neighbor mad and him not cleaning up any more.

I live in CA. Everyone has fences here. So, a neighbor walking around in my yard would scare the heck out of me.

It would bug the hell out of me! I do have a dog that will not poop in her yard so we walk her. I have never gone into someone's back yard. She will pooped in the front. I view the front as community and the back is private. We ALWAYS clean up and she doesn't do her business in one yard all the time. Several others walk their dog and they clean up after them. Its the ones that don't that piss me off!

Put the fence up. You will be much happier and you will have more privacy. Your neighbor might get annoyed. Too bad!

Nope - no bother since they are cleaning up after the dog.
I would, actually, appreciate their effort.

Yes (even cleaned up it stinks).
Yes.
No.

Yes it would bother me but I would be thankful that they are at least picking up the mess and you don't have to. We share a yard with 7 other houses and at one time one of them had a dog and he would let it go in the courtyard and not pick it up that was very annoying. I think that putting up a fence is a very wise destion.

Good luck and God Bless!!!

I would find that very annoying especially since they con't to do it after you have talked to them about it. I have an extremely inconsiderate neighbor that had two dogs. Both would constantly get out and come over into my yard and get into my fenced in backyard to either play with our dog or fight with him. This was happening all hours of the day and night. When I confronted him about it, he said that there's no leash law. In other words, it was my problem! Mine was a bit more extreme but I understand your frustration. I also find it extremely frustrating that you have to pay for a fence in order to keep other people's dogs out of your own yard because they are irresponsible. Luckily for us our neighbor got rid of one of the dogs (the main one that caused most of the issues) but he replaced it with another dog so he still has two but they are both chained up in his fenced in backyard. They are chained b/c they can escape their fenced in area but at least they are trying to contain them. I feel bad for the dogs but at least they aren't in my yard anymore. Sorry that you are having to deal with that but it sounds like in your case a fence will work. Good luck!

Yes it would bother me. I would definitely appreciate the owner coming to clean it up, but it would annoy me that the dog was pooping in my yard. I wouldn't want the neighbor in the yard unless we were friends. So yes, I would put in a fence and ask the neighbor to encourage their dog to use their OWN yard to poop in.

I'm glad the neighbor picks up after their dog.
That is very nice.
Here's the thing: dogs do not know property lines.
I would put up a fence.
Especially if you are planning to have a garden.
Here's why: it will keep most varmits out esp said dog.
It's not the dog's fault.
It's the builders fault for not separating property lines w/fences.
Whomever thought of that idea did not like privacy.
Not a fan.
Esp if I had a pool. What if a neighbor kid came over & god forbid fell in.
Again, I would invest in putting up a fence. I like boundaries AND privacy.

Why r u complaining at least he's picking the poop up most dont

Yes it would bother me. I did have a neighbor coming over to our yard. Or cutting across our lawn, or riding their ATV on our driveway and across our lawn. It's rude of neighbors to do that. I was able to curb the one, and ultimately to ATV stuff stopped too. Didn't have the dog problem tho.
If you have no qualms about approaching your neighbor, do so and ask if he/she could leash their dog to contain its poops to their yard because this does bother you. They should respect property lines anyway. Tell the neighbor you appreciate them picking up the turd, but even better would be to leash their dog so it wouldn't happen. Add that otherwise it would be expensive to put up a fence.
It's just rude that they simply let the dog out w/out going out WITH the dog.

Updated

I posted a response a short while ago, but thinking about it more I decided to add some more thoughts. I see this recurring on Judge Judy. And at this point, you've tried neighborliness. Next step, as someone suggested, look into area ordinances. I would also get a few estimates for various types of fences and decide which one YOU would prefer if push came to shove, take the estimates to your neighbor and present your neighbor with your findings and preferences. Your preference would of course be NOT to have a fence but that said neighbor would show responsibility and respect and keep the dog leashed for its bathroom purposes.

Showing the estimates to the neighbor is so that the neighbor knows that you will expect them to foot the bill. And trust me, Judge Judy would back you up. Explain that you wouldn't want to be forced to call Animal Control, or the cops (as there's an uninvited trespasser in your yard). Maybe a serious intent voiced would get the neighbor to grow up and act responsibly. It's a lot cheaper to leash the dog in his/her own yard, than the cost of bailing the dog out of the pound, paying for trespassing citations, or paying for the price of a fence.
Good luck on it!

No that would not bother me. I would think that I have a VERY nice neighbor. I would not even consider a fence and would just wave and say thanks, we appreciate it!! We have a neighbor who has an older dog who likes to come poop on our property and no one picks it up. The dog does not discriminate though - he does it to all the yards!

Yes, this would bother me. A LOT.
The main reason it would bother me is that I don't have a dog. Therefore, I shouldn't have to put up dog pee or poop in my yard. I wouldn't be thrilled about other people roaming around in my yard either.

That said, at least your neighbor picks the poop up. I lived next door to someone for 8 years who never once did that.

At any rate, the fence should solve the problem.

Best wishes.