There is a very nice family renting the house next door. They are super-friendly, but I've been having some issues with them since they got their dog.
The renters have been letting the dog go poop on the "property line," half the time in my yard, half in theirs. When I first noticed the poop, I ask the women if she could have her boys take the dog somewhere else. She made a major point of checking to see if he went on their property or mine. It's funny, though, because -if- my neighbor's had a drive-way (black-top has long since crumbled away!), the dog would be going on the drive-way! The only real grass there is MINE.
In any case, as time went on, they did a better job of picking up the poop, but two weeks later, I ended up stepping in some while mowing my lawn. My in-laws were in town, so I ignored it --till a few days later.
So here I am, going to get my hose (which just happens to be located in the dog's pooping area!), and there is a giant pile of poop in MY YARD --a good 2 feet in. I ended up showing my husband, and the neighbor noticed and came over.
We asked her if she could have the dog go somewhere else, as I didn't want my two year old to come around the corner of the house and step in poop. I also told her I stepped in poop while mowing the lawn. She told us that she didn't want the dog going in their GIANT back yard because people go back there and she didn't want anyone to step in it!!! At this point, I lost it, got angry, and yelled, "but it's OK for me to step in it?!?"
Needless to say, I walked away to cool down, hubby continued talking to her, and a few days later she and I made up, literally hugged, etc.
Well, yesterday, what do you know, there is poop on the side again. No, it isn't in MY yard --if it was I would have called the city and made sure they got issued a citation. But it is still in the location we talked about, technically, like I said, my side-lawn, their driveway.
As it happened, the actual owner of the house's brother (the acting landlord) was around yesterday, and I told him about the problem. Bad move on my part, but when he said what excellent tenants they were, I said, "well, I have a problem with them."
Needless to say, the lady living there is now giving me the cold shoulder. Acting landlord brother said something to her, and now she is pissed.
What do I do? They will be living there another year, at most. I enjoyed being friendly, almost like friends, but it pisses me off that they think the property line is an appropriate place for their dog to go poop. It isn't, not when I have two small kids under the age of 3 that are outside ALL THE TIME. We have a fenced in yard, and this area is right outside of it, but like I said, that is where my garden hose is, etc. --to say nothing of the chive and sage plants my daughter loves to pull leaves from.
Thanks Everyone!!
Hubby and I had a long chat last night, and we decided that if any poop ends up on our property again (as it will since the dog goes on the property line), we will kindly reminder her again, and when she brings up rights, we will then kindly tell her that if she wants to make it about rights, then she should keep in mind the city's ordinances on burning yard waste, and on dogs crying/barking during the day and night. Hubby also plans on telling her point back how antisocial and un-neighborly her behavior is, since it seems to totally escape her.
This is exactly why the city has poop ordinances, after all, and they break about three of them at least once a week. I'm a SAHM, so I have no problem documenting some of these and getting her landlord fined, if she is serious about making it about rights and not about being neighborly.
*****
Well, today, while mowing my lawn, I smelled poop. Low and behold! A pile of poop DIRECTLY ON MY LAWN. Where was it? up against the fence. So, now that I've asked them to not poop next to my house, they have the dog pooping on my property against my fence.
I went over and just said," we have a problem, there is poop on my property." She then called for her boys (17, 19, 21) and asked them if one of them let the dog poop on my yard. I told her, it is there. She came out to look adn told me "Steve," i.e. landlord's brother, said it was OK to poop next to the fence. I said, "that's my property. You made it about property rights, and it's on my property," I then showed them where the property line was. One of her boys then said "why don't you take care of the property on this side of the fence then?" I said, "I do, I sprayed it for weeds at the beginning of the summer and put down mulch. I then will do a fall clean-up."
Neighbor kept saying," Steve told me we could go against the fence." I just said," you made this about property rights, that is my property."
I came inside and called the city. I saw her looking at the property line a few hours later.
This is absolutely ridiculous. They have 1/4 of an acre of land and insist on putting the poop near my house, in my yard. All she has to do is take the dog into her GIANT backyard. I mean, seriously?
They aren't nice at all, nice people don't not only allow but want their dogs to shit on their neighbor's house (well on the lawn next to it, anyway).
Screw the being friendly. Call the village, call the cops, keep calling until they clean up their act....
I'm really fed up with inconsiderate people like that....
Could you put in a small boarder fence in this area? I know the ideal solution would be that this woman would start being a good neighbor and responsible and polite pet owner, but for some people that just will never happen. I would not feel bad talking to the land lord about it, and if I found any more poop in that area I would get my shovel, pick it up and put it by their porch until they get the point. If that does not work, I would put it on their porch!
I was just reading about dog repellents that you can apply to grass. It even suggested cayenne pepper as a safe & humane repellent. Check out ehow.com "How to Keep Dogs Off Grass." While it may not solve the relationship with your neighbor, at least you won't have dog poop in your yard. Good luck and I'm totally with you as far as not wanting neighbor dog's poop in my yard!
If there's poop on your side of the property line, then it's fair game. Pick it up with a plastic baggie and leave it on their porch for them. If that doesn't work, then pick it up and toss it onto their side of the property line (don't care "where" it lands, like windows etc.)
Okay, so this is really agressive, but it felt good to type it. Your post pissed me off FOR you. I wouldn't put up with this at all. Of course, if it's technically on their side of the property line then there isn't much you can do about it except call the health department if they leave it for too long.
Check the town by-laws for dogs - should be on your town website. In our town there is no leash law but just a law stating dogs are to be under "the owner's control at all times" (we live very rurally). We took pictures of the dog on our property and then called the animal control officer (also listed on our town website). The dog officer takes over the problem and contacts the owners to say there are anonimous complaints. The other thing we can do is tie the dog up and have the dog officer come take it away (since the dog obviously was not under owner's control). That creates a $100 fine in our town. Every time we see the dog on our property now (friendly but poopy) we leash it and call the dog officer. I do not care about being friendly with people who ignore decency/responsibility and then make you feel like you are the jerk for asking them to do the right thing.
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They are having poop in your yard on purpose.
They ignore you.
You didn't speak to the actual Owner... you spoke to the Brother.
So, when is the Owner (not the brother) going to be around???
Talk to the Owner/Landlord.
Or, put it in writing and send him a letter...
You have a fence as you said... is it a chain-link fence? So then, that is how the poop comes onto your side...
Could you put up a solid fence? for the bottom half of the existing fence, to prevent the poop from their yard coming into your side???
As you said, the pile of poop ends up TWO FEET into YOUR yard.
I would NOT like dog poop in my yard either... especially it it was being done on purpose....
you are not the person at fault here.
And yes, I am a pet lover too and have always had pets of all kinds. Still, I would NOT like it if that happened to me.
Hello, we have the same problem we have yorkies and let them out to potty in the front sometimes, well yorkies are little dogs which make little poops. well I was walking in the yard with my dog and there was this huge pile. at first we thought stray dog then it kept happening, finally one day I cought it. our neighbor across the street was letting there lab come poop in our yard then calling it back over. I got my video camera,taped the dog going in our yard and the neighbor calling it back. later I bagged the poop with a note and put it on their porch and I called animal control and they gave them a warning. the animal control lady I talked to said it's not just a matter of them letting there dog poop in your yard, it's a helth issue. you don't know what there dog might have such as a virus or worms and if your dogs eat it or your kids step in it and drag it in the house they could all be sick. so I would say nice or not they have been warned more than once and they are ignoring and taking advantage of you. so you can either tell them again with a warning of calling animal control or talk to the landlord himself, or just call animal control and get it over with. my guess is that will be the only thing that gets threw. good luck and I hope it all works out.
I’m speechless! Seriously?? This woman is unbelievable!
Regardless of where she thinks it’s o.k. for her dog to poop, it is her responsibility to clean it up!
How the heck did you control yourself enough that you didn’t slap her?? LOL! Just kidding but really, your story left me speechless.
She needs a lesson in neighborly manners!
Doesn't matter where their dog poos, they need to pick it up. It's their dog! Is this woman an idiot? She thinks her dog's poo is your responsibility if it's in your yard? Something tells me she's several cards short of a full deck. Check city ordinances and call the authorities.
Umm...big yard is the place for the dog, not in the neighbors yard or on the property line, thats a little childish!
My brother takes a pooper-scooper & a garbage bag and does the backyard once a week...these people need to do the same thing, and it sounds like they are just being lazy!
I think this is when you pick your battles - do you want friendly neighbors next door, or do you want no poop and a cold uncrossable boundary? Can you put up a line that makes it clear to the poor clueless dog that 'over there is where it's okay and don't cross over to do your business here'
There is a quote that goes something like "Fences make good neighbors" and this is a very clear example of why.
I was going to say check with the owners, because a lot of places that are rented out forbid dogs because of the damage they can do to the house and property. We don't allow pets in our rental property, and if someone complained to me about something like this, it would mean my renter is violating their rental agreement.
You could try one of those motion sensor sprinkler things. Turn it on when you are not out there. When it senses movement, it will turn and squirt and they are pretty good at startling animals so they leave the area.
The dog across the street poops on our yard sometimes, and it's supposed to have a shock collar on. As others have said, some don't care, some don't think to check on batteries, some are absolutely clueless, letting the dog out and not watching to see where it goes.
I throw it back over to their yard. I like the repellant idea. Subtle and yet likely very effective. Try that one. Again, some people just don't get it so there is no use beating your head against a wall. Take a deep breath, and double the strength of the repellant. Good luck, D.
get a paper bag, place the poop in it and set it at their door. If that doesn't stop it, forget the bag. That may sound harsh, but I know what you are going through! Keep throwing it back to them, or go put it in THEIR back yard. They go the dog, it is their responsibility. BTW, I am a dog owner/lover.
I had a neighbor's cat that kept pooping in our front yard, we couldn't have the window or door open because of the smell, and our yard stunk. My husband did the bag of poop for them. It sat there for a week! Didn't solve it for us, so just putting it in their yard so that they actually have to clean it as opposed to just throwing the bag away may work better.
We have the same problem by us, we have a neighbor who lets their dog out the front door and the dog runs down to our front lawn he then pees and poops on our lawn and they call him back!!! I have asked them to stop doing that and they said "he is only peeing" What, yes right on my flowers and killing them and you are not watching what the hect he is doing. Since this is a small dog and we have have two Saints and a Bloodhound we where thinking about "sharing" some of their poop, lol!!
J.,
I know this is annoying and it IS rude that they don't pick yup their dog's poo.....but it IS their property. You said so yourself. Is your hose on their side? Maybe I'm confused.....I've re-read your post a few times and can't get a handle on what is where. Sorry.
I guess you could get a survey done and mark the border.
Seriously? The talk of how nice they are really doesn't matter anymore. Get some paper bags or plastic one from the grocery store and a shovel, scoop it up and toss it by their front door. If they don't get the hint then they are brainless idiots. If I stepped in it once it would have been put all over their door knobs. The dog is THEIR responsibility, their dog's piles is also THEIR responsibility. So what if she gives you the cold shoulder. You are not her girlfriend and if you really want her to "like" you again, then keep doing what you are doing. Ignore the fact that she's a bee-atch and move on with your lives. Sorry, I had a dog once too, I know you have to pick up their stuff, tha's life. And they are only renting, the brother/landlord is just as much of a rude jerk as his sister/renter is.
That is absolutely ridiculous. I think the crux of the issue is exactly as your insulting neighbor put it - she doesn't want to be stepping in poop in her OWN yard.
To mitigate the situation, what if you bought a small fence to extend the property line in the side yard area? Not permanent with posts, the kind that are maybe a foot or two high, more decorative? I know you shouldn't have to pay for it but it might make your quality of life better.
I would get a pooper scooper and FLING it in their yard. She will quickly get the point and stop this bad behavior.
Stand your ground. If they have dogs and not an enclosed backyard, they (especially since the boys are old enough) should pick up the dog doo each and every time the dog goes).
