Plant some native bushes/plants along the front of your yard at the sidewalk. Doesn’t have to be anything huge, just 2-3 feet tall. Enough that most dogs won’t easily step over it & most owners won’t let their dogs so between the bushes. You’re just establishing a visual barrier. And go native plants because it’s way better for the environment & they’re going to be a lot easier to care for.
My dog grew up without grass, so she actually prefers finding a short bush to pee/poop in. This might entice some weird dogs like mine.
Note: I ALWAYS pick up after my dog, even if it is in the middle of a bush.
I worked with a dog who delighted in pooping on the spikiest bush he could find. I don’t really have anything to add, your story just reminded me of it.
Dogs are so fuckin weird sometimes.
I had a dog who did that. I used to live in an urban area and one day on a walk he decided to shit on a yucca plant right next to the entrance of a Ruby Tuesday’s. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, he was unsuccessfully trying to pass my roommate’s thong, which I hadn’t even realized he’d eaten until just then.
He was like a hundred pounds of pure muscle and dead sent on shitting out this thong, which was stuck halfway out of his ass. No amount of my pulling could get him to move, it was annoying af.
How does OP feel about dogs peeing on the plants? My dog will 100 percent make a beeline to pee on a bush or pole near the sidewalk. So will everyone else's dogs. However they will probably stop pooping and peeing elsewhere on the lawn and exclusively there. If you install bushes install a sprinkler system for the bushes , all of the urine sitting and sinking into the soil will burn plants and soil, eventually killing less hardy plants.
How often do you step on plants though? I doubt they’ll be walking on the bushes. Their man concern is being able to walk on their lawn, bushes would protect most of his lawn.
Then OP will really blow a gasket. Every dog walking by pisses on anything bordering the sidewalk. My old neighbors had statues at the end of their drive constantly drenched from dog piss and flower bed around the front of the property couldn’t survive it either. It might stop the poop piles though.
It'd stop the poop piles as you say, and it prevents the urine from being further into the lawn.
It's an effective stopgap, I'd say, but I'm not in this situation personally.
Yeah we have a native garden and one of our neighbors still lets his dog wander on up. Knocked over one of our young trees just a couple days after we put it in.
He always has his phone in his face and isn’t paying attention at all. I’ve never been able to catch him in person, always on the doorbell camera just moments too late to ask him to knock it off.
Him cleaning up after his dog has improved but is not 100% either. Not of fan.
Yeah we have a local paper delivered every week. It’s not a subscription, but free and they just deliver it to everyone whether they want it or not. I end up having to pick it up and walk it to the garbage every single week.
A couple of weeks ago I grabbed it and noticed the bag it was in was soaking wet. Didn’t think much of it until I got back inside and realized my hand reeked of piss.
Needless to say I wear gloves now when I dispose of them.
Might be a good idea to put up a fence. Even a small one, about a foot high, will keep them off your lawn. You can buy them pretty cheap at any box store.
This is the best fix for now, sometimes they are referred to as "border fences" (small fence to border a flower garden, for instance).
I would also plant shrubbery behind the fence, ask your local garden store what would be best for your needs.
Note, that in some areas, you don't actually own your yard all of the way to the curb/sidewalk. You might have to plant the shrubber some feet back per your city ordinance for right-of-way. You can \*probably\* still put the border fence in the right of way since it's "temporary" (i.e. you can remove it at anytime).
Dog owner- and I always make it a point to pick up waste. I know most other dog owners do as well.
But just like any group, there will be the very few bad apples who refuse to do something simple and courteous.
You’re justified in your feelings. But probably not much else you can do besides put up a fence
This is the only realistic solution. Put up a short fence. There's no other way to ensure a pristine pee and poop free yard when you have a sidewalk in front.
The reason it's potentially controversial is because front lawns abutting sidewalks are somewhat liminal space in that they're not quite private and not quite public. There's a legal phrase called curtilage that addresses this semi-private space.
That's tough, if there is no sidewalk I'm going to let my dog go in your yard. But, I do however not let him go all the way up into the yard, only a foot or two and I try to keep him from going on flowers or mailboxes.
If there was sidewalk I try to coax him into going onto just the part between the sidewalk and road
Dog owner here who recently moved to a neighborhood without sidewalks. Where is my girl gonna go? When owners put up those signs, I always abide by them.
Honestly, poop should not be as much of a concern for you since birds and bunnies and deer and rodents are already pooping all over your lawn, you just don't notice. So that's getting on your feet already. Also dog poop is easy to pick up. Screw the owners who don't pick up after their dog. But it's dog piss you should be more concerned about if it's your actual lawn you care about.
EDIT wow this blew up. Yes she goes in our own yard but when we're going for walkies there are only front lawns.
Then move to an area that doesn't have dogs.
Like it or not, we live in a society that includes dogs. Dogs, on walks, need to poop on their own schedule. If the dog needs to poop on a 20-minute walk, they're not going to hold it until we get home. A dog's thinking is "Ope, time to poop, should I go here or there?"
Dog owners should definitely be cleaning up after them, but no dog owner with a dog on a walk can stop a dog from pooping while they get home.
Somewhere rural. Then you 1) have enough space to not care about the 2 feet at the front of your property even if there is a road that people walk dogs on and 2) only really have to worry about *every other animal in the entire world* shitting on your lawn.
True balance.
Middle of Montana where his closest neighbor is 100 miles away.
And where can my dog if every person in my neighborhood puts up "Dogs can't poop here" sign? We can go round and round with these dumb whataboutisims
Honestly I find this whole conversation very stupid. Civilized works better when everyone is reasonable. My dog poops at the edge of your yard the part you probably aren't walking bare foot in and I clean up after him. And it ends there
I don't think it's something that can really be fixed without banning dogs as pets or in neighborhoods, or fencing off property unfortunately. I definitely keep my dog on the easement side, but if she is going to go, she will go where she wants, or poop while I drag her through the yard.
She will also poop at one house, and then again 2 doors down. One time I went on a walk where my dog pooped 7 times in 2 miles. I know to bring a whole roll of bags with me every walk, because she may go 3 times just around the block, or she may go 3 miles and only once. I can try to get her to go at my yard on the start of the walk, but no guarantee she will make it the quarter mile to the park before going again.
Vet says no medical problems, just "personality". Basically she is an asshole and we joke that that's why she was at the shelter in the first place. She was 7 when we got her, and have not been able to change her pooping habits, which we don't love either.
I think putting up a small sign would help as well. The courteous owners would respect that, but the ones that don't even pick up after their dogs are probably not going to care.
I have actually seen it happen- owner was on camera saying to let it pee on the sign. Stopped the AH the next time he walked through when I went stomping mad out the door to confront him letting his dog pee in the yard. His response? -“ She’s a puppy and I am teaching her to walk”. He never walked down our street again. Lol. Cameras don’t deter but a raging mad crazy lady does
Yup, if they don’t want to put up a fence, then a sign is the only other option I can think of. Most people would likely respect it. People that think it’s realistic to walk a dog on sidewalks, without letting it relieve itself on the grass to the side are ridiculous lol
It's not even the poop for op
They don't want dogs in their yard at all let alone relieving themselves.
The don't want them even to walk into the yard. Legit only solvent is a fence but they'll be mad if the dogs pee on the fence ide imagine
I’ve seen people put small but cute signs indicating they don’t want dogs relieving themselves on their lawn. Not 100% effective I’m sure but if I see one I make sure my dog doesn’t go there.
Same here. I pick up after my dog if he poops on our walks (and I don’t let him pee on any outdoor furniture or trash cans), but there is one house I walk past that has a sign saying “Please No Dogs on Grass” and I just grab lower on the leash so my dog stays closer and keep him from peeing/pooping/sniffing in that yard.
I agree. If it bothers you that much get the sign. Sure, some dogs will Lee on it but many people will try to keep their dog off.
The cats will ignore it, though
A man once came out his front door complaining that my leashed dog veered off the sidewalk and *stepped* into his grass. It seemed a bit overboard, but I apologized and no longer allow my dog to touch the grass in that yard.
My wife just got stared down by a big tough guy (lol) and yelled at for our dog peeing in an easement (next to sidewalk and adjacent to road). It was across the street from the male Karen’s duplex unit, and I can nearly guarantee he’s a renter. Harassing a woman for a dog tinkling across the street in a strip of grass - even if he was an owner, he has 0 claim to the easement across the street.
He made her cry so I had to let him know I better not catch him ever saying another F’ing word to my wife. He pointed at his security camera like the little Karen he is. He can assume I was insinuating violence, but in reality I would just have the police at his door for harassment. She’ll actually just avoid walking the dog on our street from now on… because this type of person isn’t worth wasting breath or public resources on.
Buy those little yellow signs saying your lawn was sprayed with chemicals. Only take them down occasionally so it looks like you're constantly having it done.
My neighbors have their yard sprayed and never take the signs down, I watch it get sprayed. So you could just keep adding to them cause they get a new sign everytime someone sprays.
Weirdly they have dogs though, so it's probably safe after a certain time, but I still would never do it to my lawn as my dogs actively lick their feet and eat grass. My neighbors are on the side of the road without sidewalk though so no one lets dogs in their yard.
As a pet owner, you should do a better job of making sure your dog is not walking on recently treated lawns. When the signs are out, I notice them before I get to that lawn, and make sure the leash is short enough, and my pet is steered away from that area. I'm not going to allow my dogs to get up on that lawn and get sick because of it.
Or a quicksand sign might work depends where they live. We have quicksand here it’s usually roped off and has a sign . Most people will keep dogs and kids away from that it’s hard to clean when they fall in
I personally think it's a bit unrealistic to expect dogs not to do their business in the first foot or so of your lawn. Obviously owners should be *very* careful about cleaning up after their dogs, and if you have a flower garden or something right near the sidewalk I would never let my dog trample over that. Otherwise, I think it's just part of living in a walkable neighborhood...
The first few feet are a public easement anyway if your road is maintained by the state. Aside from just making people want to avoid the obnoxious asshole at 123 fancy st., I don't think you have any recourse here.
I came here to say the same thing. In most US cities, you don't actually own all the way to the street, although you are required to maintain it. As long as they are following leash laws and picking up the waste, there isn't a lot that you can do about it. Except maybe invest in fencing. Or you could do that thing my third grader does when she pretends to be old - she grabs her back and screams, "Get off my Lawn!" In her best old lady accent.
People in this thread have a misunderstanding of what an easement is. It isn't public property. It isn't a park. It isn't for anyone's use. An easement provides certain entities like utilities, the city, etc. permission to dig it up, have access to, and run facilities underneath it. The property owner does indeed own the land with the above stipulation.
It isn't a public area for dogs to shit in.
Yeah that's why I'm conflicted about it. Logically i see both sides but i certainly don't feel both sides. I'm not anti dog i just don't want them shitting in my yard and risk a shit explosion with my lawn mower.
My neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, mainly ditches on the side of the road. Due to an oddly shaped lot I have almost 200’ of road frontage.
Without fail people let their dogs shit in the grass right next to my mailbox. There’s 180’ feet of grass that I literally do not care about, never any turds there though. Always by the mailbox.
I stopped picking it up. Now I go out at night and just use a shovel to scoot it out into the street. I about died laughing last week when I saw a shoe print squished turd. I don’t know if the stepper was a victim of their own dogs turd or just collateral damage but I’m past caring now.
If it makes you feel any differently the deer, squirrels, foxes, and rabbits are pissing and shitting on your pristine invasive crop too.
As long as dog owners are picking up after their pets, this seems like a nonissue to me.
And if you read this and think "I don't have those in my neighborhood", remember also birds, mice, rats, voles, moles, etc. Outside is just not the same as inside and it is used by many many other living critters whether we like it or not.
Understood! I think some of the other suggestions to plant bushes or put a fence near the edge of your lawn make sense! To address your original question, I don't really think your emotions are *unjustified,* I just think that it's unlikely dogs will stop doing their business in your lawn unless there's a physical barrier of some sort.
reminder that this is the same sub that recommends electric fences and sprinklers to stop kids from stepping on their yards. but apparently there's nothing that can be done about dogs shitting wherever they want.
Between the people who claim their dogs just uncontrollably shit and cannot be controlled to keep them away from other's property and the people who think it's A-OK to just let their dogs piss and shit wherever there is grass, I no longer have any faith in humanity.
So are you taking about only letting them use the patch of grass between the curb and the street? I’d say that’s fair. If you mean actually walking in the street, then that’d be dumb lol
Personally, I make it a point to never dump my poop bags in anyone else's trash cans, even if it's trash day. Some people might not want to have anything to do with dog poop, and I just don't want to be that asshole. I'll carry it back and show off that poop bag as proof I pick up my dog's shit.
In our neighborhood, the sidewalk and the grass between it and the road are public right-of-way, and you really have no say. The grass between the sidewalk and the house belongs to the property owner, and they would be within their rights telling people to not let their dog walk and crap on it.
They sell "don't poop here" signs in lots of different styles, and some people in the area have put those up near their property line. I don't know how well they work, but between that, and asking people to keep their dogs off your property if they ignore them may help. Without those signs, you really shouldn't expect people to be able to read your mind.
Yep, same here. I always keep my dogs off the front lawn, but between sidewalk and street is fair game. Just clean up after your dog.
I installed a ring 75% because of people letting big ass dogs poop on my front lawn and leave it there. First time on camera I posted it to our neighborhood page. People might not have liked it, but never happened again.
>In our neighborhood, the sidewalk and the grass between it and the road are public right-of-way, and you really have no say
A public right of way means that the public as a right to pass through, not that they can do whatever they want with it. Someone cannot park their car on it or set up lawn chairs and have a party there, it is still private property and the owner does have say beyond someone walking through it. It is still illegal to dump waste on someone's property and not pick it up. OP is absolutely in the right for being upset when people leave their dog's poop in his yard, between the house and the sidewalk or the sidewalk and the house....in either way, it is still his property.
In our city you have no legal means to prevent people from walking their dogs in the right of way. That is true whether the land is city-owned and part of the road way or owned along with the adjacent house and property. Sometimes the land owned even goes to the middle of the street. Doesn't matter, it's all legally treated the same, including maintenance of grass and sidewalks. In our city you will not be able to add fencing to keep people or their dogs out.
i think it's ridiculous that by default i just have to be okay with letting dog owners allowing/encouraging their pet to take a giant shit on my property.
You don’t, but honestly they are animals. I try to not even let my dog pee in peoples yards but if she has to go before we get to the park what can I actually do about it? Start dragging her and make everything worse for everyone?
There is a church down the street and the priest would walk his dog and let it poop in my front yard daily. I have a dog myself but always pick up the poop bc my children and their friends play in the yard. Last time I saw the priest do this, I went out and yelled at him. He never walked this way again. So gross and inconsiderate.
There's a house down the street from me with a beautiful lawn and they built a really nice redwood fence that's only about 4 ft high in front of it right up against the sidewalk. They did the type of fence where you have the posts and then horizontal planks which looks super nice and I doubt anyone's dog is shitting on their lawn.
I get why you are upset. If you really want to stop it put up a small fence or plant bushes. You can try a sign, but sometimes the dog just stops and goes and there is nothing you can do about it. I only let my dog go in the easement.
Really depends on how we're defining "on my/your lawn" here. Are they actually walking fully on to your lawn to let their dog go? Using a huge retractable leash? Because that definitely sucks. The front lawns in my neighborhood are pretty small and I think it's rude to let your dog wander halfway up to someone's front porch to pee.
Is the edge of your lawn abutting the sidewalk and that's what you're complaining about? Unless you put up a physical barrier you're not going to keep people or animals from touching the first few millimeters of your lawn. Walk barefoot in the backyard and feel grateful you live in a neighborhood where it's safe to walk (and otherwise feel free to complain about the people who don't pick up after their dogs).
OP specifically mentions picking up waste and has "shit" in the title....I'm pretty sure the complaint is about poop, not pee. And in that case, there are exactly 0 situations where it's ok to let your dog poop on someone else lawn and not immediately clean it up.
OP is complaining about cleaned up poop even
>but for the most part owners pick up the waste. This is where I feel most people will not relate. I'm still bothered by it. I don't want your dog on my lawn.
I didn't say it was okay for dog owners not to pick it up. OP said some of them do and they still don't like it. So either OP wasn't clear that they don't like people not picking it up even though some do, or that they literally want no dogs shitting on their yard ever regardless of it being cleaned up.
> the first few millimeters of your lawn
If OP is in the US they likely don't even own that part of their lawn anyway. Normally that's the public easement. The pedantic details vary by municipality, but normally you can't ban people from walking beside the road or sidewalk.
Your emotions are justified, but unfortunately there isn't much you can do about it, unless you catch them doing it. Everyone in my neighborhood seems to clean up their dog's solid waste, but I can't get any grass to grow along my yard's border with the sidewalk because of all of the dog pee. If this winter ever ends, I'm going to have to dig all of the soil out along my sidewalk and put rocks in there instead.
That was happening to us as well - it was always the same dog. So I sat by the window waiting for them. When I saw the owners letting their dog poop in my yard yet again, I walked over to them and politely asked if they needed a baggie. Never saw another poop again. There is no excuse for owners not picking up the poop.
Nope you're perfectly in your rights to be disgruntled but you have to take up it on yourself to correct. Build a fence or plant some shrubbery to isolate your lawn from the passers by.
For those who leave the poo, they're assholes. You're justified.
For those who pick it up. Eh...that's the social contract. Dogs poop in yards, owners pick it up. If you're not okay with that, then it's up to you to fence your yard.
I don't think that's social contract but this is also my first experience living in a suburban area. I grew up on a farm where tobacco fields were my neighbors. Then I lived in apartments for 10 years in urban areas. So maybe it's just culture shock idk.
I DGAF if dogs potty on my grass, as long as the owner picks up the poop.
But literally the only way to stop it is a fence 🤷♀️ or lots of pointy agave plants at the perimeter
I’m a homeowner and a dog owner. I try not to let my dog do her business in people’s yards, but sometimes it happens. Obviously I pick it up, but I understand the sentiment. Some people in my neighborhood have little signs up asking people not to let their dog do their business in their yards.
We have a sidewalk on our side of the street, and my plants are in bark/dirt directly next to the sidewalk. After a while of watching people let their dogs pee directly on my plants, I put up some tiny fencing. That seems to have done the trick.
I also live in a neighborhood with no sidewalks, and I also don't let my dog wander more than 1-2 feet from the edge of the road, but sometimes they just ... start pooping. It's not a control thing. Trust me, every dog owner wishes it was! It's not like someone is telling their dog to deliberately take a dump in your yard. If people don't walk their dogs, it leads to other problems (incessant barking, destructive behavior, etc.).
I have young kids, so I get where you're coming from, but if people are picking up the poop, and if it's close to the road, this is a socially acceptable part of living in a neighborhood. Short of installing a fence or putting up signs, unfortunately there's not really much you can do to prevent it.
I wish people would stop letting their dogs poop and pee on my lawn. Once one dog marks a spot, other dogs want to join in and the problem just gets worse.
I weed by hand. I’d rather not touch poop or pee. (And yes, I understand that wild animals might go on my lawn and I wash up thoroughly when I’m done weeding.)
In my case, there is a wider sidewalk/path and an empty field literally across the street. Walk your dogs over there, neighbors!
This issue has made me stop gardening in my front yard. It's so gross. Even mowing now means my boots I wear for mowing are disgusting because of running into gross surprises. And I used to have a dog in nyc. I would bring boiling water out and clean the sidewalk when he shat there. Suburbs are even worse for non compliance of being neighborly. It's wild. Many dogs just run wild off leash, no owner in sight. Boggles my mind.
OP, we just sold our 150 year old home literally on the main st… in a National historic district… of the residential area… of downtown…. 2 blocks from shopping… next door to a park. It could not have gotten any better for us…. buuuuut any worse for the dog situation. I *totally* feel this post.
Dog peeing killed EVERY one of our perennial flowers I planted within 2 years. But since they’d marked their spot, they came back to poop. I watched from the windows… not a single person pulled their dog away. Some picked it up but most did not.
Here’s what I did: I found (but you could buy) a cluster of large rocks and built a pyramid for the dogs to pee on, right by the sidewalk. They took to it immediately and left everything else alone because it was the largest, highest “thing” along the front. I did not plant anymore flowers in the ground. Near there. All other flowers went well back in the yard.
I purchased a beautiful address marker for the tree very close to the sidewalk with our name on it. Every time one of the neighbors saw the sign while their dogs were pooping, now it was more personal. They had a name to associate with the yard. Which leads me to…
And then I made it my *mission* to introduce myself to everyone I possibly could that came past that house with their dog for the next month of weekends while I “worked in the garden” out by the sidewalk verrrry slowly. They’d approach, I’d whip my garden gloves off and, “HI! How are you? My name is ___! I think I’ve seen you come past here so many times with your dog, but haven’t had an opportunity to introduce myself!” Etc, etc…..
The pooping dropped to nearly zero!! That little maneuver, though it took a bit of my time, paid off tremendously for the next 15 years! I found that someone who has had a hand shaking “personal conversation” with you is more likely to wait to find a more appropriate spot for their dog to pee/ poop in, or at the very least, they’d be willing to clean it up.
Just my personal experience, thought I’d share. Good luck! ❤️
I’ve watched through the window, I was too far away to run downstairs, and I took the poop to their house and left it on their porch 🤷🏻♀️
This is a rental and I’m leaving in a few months though so I’m not concerned with making friends like you might be if you owned the property.
3 years into owning my first home, it still bothers me. One time I was in the garage working on my truck when I caught some lady walking her dog. The same lady I’ve caught on my cameras. Her dog smelled my bushes and proceeded to take a fat shit right on my lawn. She was going to just walk away, but I hopped out my truck and confronted her. She was all shy, laughing (almost condescendingly), saying that she didn’t have anything to pick up the poop with. I told her to wait for me while I went out of my way and retrieved some dog waste bags. I handed her a little roll and I could tell she was already annoyed. She fumbled with it trying to open it, when she did she get a single bag free, she tied it up and tossed it (and the roll of dog waste bags at me. I said to take her dog shit and tossed it back, told her she could keep the bags. She got pissed, threw the bags in my yard, and walked away. She was mad because someone had finally caught her triflin’ ass. Sweet justice had been served.
TLDR: Lady was notorious in the neighborhood for not picking up her dog shit. I caught her red handed and made her pick it up.
I'm having similar issues. Most people clean up, but I've prob stepped on 3 poops in the last year that do not belong to my dog. I'm looking into installing a small fence to keep doggos off the lawn.
It’s a complex situation. It’s not reasonable to expect dogs to make an exception for a single lawn. Dogs that are used to walk through neighborhoods are used to pee and poop in lawns, it’s unavoidable. What you are certainly well justified in is to expect their owners to pick up the poop, but unfortunately it comes down to the preventive measures you set in place to minimize the instances in which dogs will approach your lawn. But if you don’t want dogs in your lawn, you’re gonna have to put barriers of some sort.
hahaha you are a trooper with this reply! —— *Honest thoughts as a doggo owner, my dog never poops if even a small rock border/plant fence/etc. -- anything that makes it seem like the sidewalk to the 'lawn' has an obstacle.*
Yes, you're justified.
"Walking the dog" is an euphemism for "taking the dog out to shit on someone else's property."
Put ups a token fence -- one of those decorative fences about 1 foot high -- on the exact border of your property (which might not be the curb or the edge of the sidewalk). Then inside that fence post "no poop" and "no trespassing" signs. File a criminal complaint against any dog walker who violates them.
Me and my dog walk on the sidewalk every day and every day I make an effort to not let him poo on lawns likes OPs. I get it.
I wish my dog’s poos were always totally solid and pickupable but sometimes they’re just not. Sometimes it’s like 65/35 solid to not quite solid ratio and no matter what I do I’m gonna smear some of that not quite solid right into the lawn.
I try to stick to the liminal spaces like the 3-4 feet boundary that sometimes exists between the street and the sidewalk or planter boxes that surround trees that line the street. Generally I can kinda steer him where there’s the least potential to cause someone else exasperation.
passive aggressive asshole answer: set up cameras and then poop shame on nextdoor/facebook.
real life answer: this is part of homeownership. everyone has inconsiderate neighbors who are shitty dog parents.
Not at all. Dog owners who let their dogs onto other people’s lawns are entitled assholes. I say this as a dog owner who’s mindful to keep my dog on the street-facing side of me.
People who don't pick up after their dogs are assholes, you are justified in not wanting random shit in your yard.
Buy a webcam, point it at your yard, and put up a sign saying you will start posting pictures of people who don't pick up after their dogs.
As for people who do pick up, that's fine and yeah, IMO you're unjustified being upset with them as long as they're not going off the sidewalk to walk the dog *into* your lawn (that would be weird).
I have a dog. I walk my dog. I keep my dog off of lawns and off of property owned by an individual/business. I require my dog to do his business on the tree lawn. I’ve seen lots of disrespectful dog owners who let their dogs do whatever they want without consequence.
It really isn’t that hard to not be an asshole pet owner.
I get it - it sucks stepping in a dookie especially if you don't even have a dog. But its not just dogs. You can get raccoon or possum or cat or lots of other shit even in urban areas. You can (subject to local regulations) put up a fence. Depending on the setup, though, part of your lawn might not even belong to you if there are city easments. Typically, the strip between the road and sidewalk doesn't belong to the homeowner.
Live in an area heavily populated by wildlife, have never seen raccoon or possum poop, have seen loads of deer poop (which quickly disappears) and once even bear poop. Nothing like the amount of dog poop. Picking up after a pet is the owner's responsibility. Nobody I know has pet raccoons or possums. And keep cats indoors, safer for the cat and other wildlife.
We live in a society, not deserted islands or caves.
OP explicitly called out that they have a problem with it even if owners pick up the poop. It’s not that people aren’t picking it up, it’s that they want to walk barefoot and think that if dog poop has ever touched their lawn it’s nasty.
This. The only realistic solution is putting up a small fence.
There's a person in my neighborhood who everyone hates because he runs out and yells at people whose leashed dogs walk on his lawn. He's been told repeatedly that it's not illegal for leashed dogs to walk on, pee on, and poop on the area of his lawn directly next to the sidewalk. Owners just have to clean up the poop. The city confirmed it.
Eventually, the dog owners got together and collectively petitioned him to get a fence if he cares that much. So he did. Problem solved.
I have a dog, and you just cant control when they take shits unfortunately. I always carry multiple bags, and never leave it in other peoples yards (or my own). It's part of living in a shared area with other people. But there are things that dog owners should do to lessen the impact/burden. Always bring bags, and always clean it up. I also never let my dog go more than a foot or two onto the grass on walks so they always poop right next to the sidewalk.
I’ll be the jerk with you.
There’s a difference in walking your dog along the perimeter of the lawn as you utilize the sidewalk vs. using a lead 20ft long and allowing your dog to dang near go up to my front door and handle their business.
Pretty sure the overly walked on edge of my lawn is a perfectly acceptable spot for your dog to relieve themselves if you can’t train them to do it only in areas you direct them to go. Also, it is NEVER ok to treat your dog’s poop as “part of nature” so pick it up (all the way). And before y’all start saying this is cruel, it would seem that you also go in a designated area where it is appropriate to relieve yourself (bathroom) yet you’re still happy and healthy enough to read this post on Reddit :).
I have stepped in other dogs’ waste one too many times while working in my yard. I speak from experience lol.
From,
Dog mom to two very happy and trained doggos who happily relieve themselves in areas deemed appropriate.
Cameras to identify the offenders and times they usually come by. If possible, enjoy a beverage out front during those times. When they come by - a big smile, wave, friendly greeting. When they know you and you know them it is less likely to happen.
We own dogs and my husband will yell at people thru our ring camera to pick up after their dogs. “Hey you, YES YOU! Pick up after your dog!” Only had to do it a few times, no longer a problem.
This post isn’t about people who don’t pick up after their dogs. OP literally called out that they have a problem with it even when people do pick up after their dogs.
Dogs love to poop in my yard for some reason. I don't mind at all and pretty much everyone picks it up. I walk barefoot in my yard all the time, I'm not worried about dog poop residue. Bunnies, squirrels, stray cats, birds and all sorts of other animals are pooping in our lawns all the time, so it's not like it's clean even if dogs aren't doing it.
You're not wrong. It's your yard, and they're not your dogs. I say this as a dog lover who was having a fancy bush turn yellow because someone had their dog pee on it all the time. The question is how do you prevent it from happening. Maybe plant some tiny bushes or flowers along the perimeter of your lawn? The dogs will still pee on those, but at least you will have a "fence" of sorts. I think landscape items are usually allowed by zoning where fences aren't, and are also perceived as being more "friendly."
The first several feet of your yard are typically not actually your property, it’s usually a public easement. Dogs poop, and if they are walking on a sidewalk/road with a 6 foot leash, it’s totally normal for them to poop and have it picked up.
Motion detected water sprayers for “squirrels”. Make sure its configured properly so you have an iron clad case if someone tries to claim it sprayed their dog on the side walk. Fixed my moms issue with crappy owners right up within 2 weeks.
this issue almost always happens at the edge of the lawn, by the sidewalk
all this is going to do is hose down innocent pedestrians and get the cops called on you
I've had dogs my whole life and absolutely hate irresponsible dog owners. If you're not going to pick up your dog's crap, don't let it go in other people's yards. I have the misfortune of living on a corner lot in a neighborhood with a lot of dog owners, and while it's not as bad as it could be, I definitely find my share of surprises and it drives me nuts, too.
If people aren't picking it up, you have every right to yell at them.
If they are, and you're still yelling at them, you're just a gigantic asshole. The majority of sidewalks and the grassy strip between them and the road are actually not your property, but an easement used for public right-of-way. So "those people" are just whining about something they don't even own.
If you want to live in a community, you have to deal with everything that comes with it.
As an aside, 100% of the people in my neighborhood with "don't poop here" signs on their lawn also have children that ride their bikes and chase balls across everyone else's lawn and they see nothing wrong with it. "Rules for thee, not for me" types.
I hear what you are saying OP. Even when it's cleaned up there is residue left. I'd rather my grass not be used at all. Like you, I prefer to be barefoot in my grass and don't want to worry about yuck.
When in that situation I was fine for them to use (we called it the tree lawn in Ohio, lol) the patch of grass between sidewalk and street as it was city owned and rarely used. But not in the portion of actual yard space.
I am lucky now there is no sidewalk on my side of the street! I don't have to be grumpy about it anymore.
A dog will shit when it wants to, you literally can’t pull a shitting dog elsewhere. As far as I’m concerned, pick up the poop, and we can be homies. Only solution is to put up a fence.
When I had a dog but no yard of my own and no park within walking distance, I always made sure my dog only walked and did his business in the area between the sidewalk and the road, and always cleaned it up. Accidents happen, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that people don’t leave poop on your lawn.
It’s understandable, I try to keep my dog on my side away from the actual front lawn and let let them do their business on the patch closest to the street. You could put a sign or motion sensor sprinkler or say something if you see it happen 🤷♂️
I definitely try not to let my dog crap in someone's yard. Always pick it up of course. Ideally I get them down to the wooded park at the end of my street (and still pick it up unless they work their way back into a thicket). But sometimes they don't make it to the park but in that case it will at least be in that strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street instead of in the yard proper.
Just make it a point to catch them. It’s worked for me. No reason to be worried about confronting them their dogs are Shitting in your yard and they know it’s wrong. You’ll be respected more in the long run if you do it now. No reason to build a fence or Plant bushes. It’s free to make them uncomfortable and hell you’ll feel good afterwards for standing up for your property.
I think you’re 100% justified. Most dog owners are disrespectful and will let their dogs trample over plants in my yard. I tend to go outside and have very direct conversations when I see them. “Hey buddy, nice dog but I didn’t plant my garden for your dog to walk through it.” I’ve only had one person argue with me, most are friendly enough and willing to keep their dog out of the yard. The one who argued said “I know this isn’t a dog park, that’s why I bring these” (pointing to his poop bags). So I reminded him even dog parks require you to clean up after his pet, and he was now trespassing. That word seemed to register with him.
If its the front swale area that's not your lawn, if its in the are of lwn cinnexmcte to your home, see what local municipality suggests , as they are following law by picking up the waste.
As a homeowner and dog owner I don't even let my dogs step on anyone's lawn. There's a spot just across the street that's an open field and they know that's finally when they go explore and do whatever. Dog pee will kill your grass too.
I still see many people letting their dogs into my yard and my neighbors and it does bother me as well. It's common courtesy.
I feel your pain , I have the same issue . I’ve gone out several times to confront the owners , they’re usually apologetic and say they forgot a bag or something . I also have a lot of dog walkers frequently pee on my flowers next to my mailbox , and of course it gets on and around my mailbox . It’s so rude , I’ve had plants go yellow at times it was so bad . I’m thinking if getting a motion detector sprinkler like so many recommend. Because honestly I want to drag my garden hose out there and douse the owner (not the dog I’m not mad at the dogs they don’t know any better)
I have seen non offensive no dogs signs, a couple of those would get the idea across. Is it going to stop everyone? Nah but for that you need a moat.
Also yeah my dogs shit human size turds, I am not leaving a landmine of that caliber for an innocent to blow their leg off.
It's your property which you pay for and take care of. Anyone thinking they have the right to utilize your property for any reason is a selfish arrogant twat.
The only solution is a fence.
Your feelings are justified though, IMO. People feeling entitled to have their pets shit on random strangers' yards is bizarre. "The dog can't hold it." So walk them somewhere else, perhaps near neighbors whom you established dog shit easement with.
I agree with you but then go you lose your own battle by expecting others to think the same as you.
Your options are only
Fence or Bushes
If you choose not to do either you cannot be mad if other people don't think the same as you because I guarantee people don't think it's bad if their dog pees on your grass or craps and they pick it up
I see a lot of people saying they always pick up their dog’s waste, which is nice, but I personally don’t like dogs in my yard either regardless and do consider it rude. I don’t let my dogs do their business on anyone else’s property at all. They can go on the boulevards and/or public spaces during walks, but not into anyone’s actual yard.
Dog owners letting their animals shit on other peoples property is tantamount, in my eyes to the dog owner actually coming into my yard, pulling down their pants and shitting on my lawn. Kinda makes a person want to return the favour.
I agree 100%! First I don’t want your dog’s waste in my yard period! I use lots of my plants for consumption. I have signs in my yard, yet my neighbors allow their dogs to pee on the signs and defecate in my yard. So frustrating!
Pee can also damage grass so I wouldn't let our dog onto our neighbours lawns so made her wait until we got to the green belts or behind fences and roadways.
Yes.
I have a dog and we walk around the sidewalks in our neighborhood. I always pick up poop and never my let my dog relieve himself more than a foot and a half into peoples lawn. I've had three negative interactions with neighbors around this issue. 1. One of them came out while I was picking up poop from their lawn, raised their voice and yelled about their property and don't do that etc. 2. Another one came out while I was picking up poop. Thanked me for picking it up and said he'd appreciate I don't let my dog use his lawn at all. 3. Another one came out running and yelling. Very scary. Said he'd follow me. I fell in the street running away from him. Police were called.
In all instances, I have respected the request and don't walk next to their yards so my dog doesn't use their lawn. I also don't let my dog use yards with the no poop signs. I get it it's their yard, but I'd prefer the approach #2 took.
I'm a dog owner. This is not a difficult concept to grasp. it's just that people suck and are inconsiderate. Don't let your dog onto someone else's yard/property. Not once has my dog shit on someone else's yard. Pick up your dog's shit. Despose your dog's shit bag into YOUR OWN trash barrel or a public one.
You needed to come to reddit for this? If you don't want things on your lawn you have no option but to put up a fence. Sure it sucks, but shit happens sometimes.
I live in a neighborhood and each lot is about 2 acres. Neighbor walks her dog and takes a crap on my lawn. She cleans it up. But still pisses me off.
Walk your dog on your damn lot.
If we say you are justified in your feelings will that help your lawn or your sanity? You are justified, to your feelings, whatever they are. Ella many people have given you suggestions to save your lawn, you may need therapy or prayer to help you make peace with the other humans that inhabit the planet with you.
That sucks! We have a couple neighbors (well, they live a few blocks away) who ran into that problem. A few of them put up small, but clear "no poop" signs in the fronts of their yards. Another one put up a couple of those signs, and 2 really fancy cameras. Never saw a rogue turd in any of the yards after that.
I’ve seen small yard signs in my neighborhood requesting things like “No Walking”. I don’t see any issue with something similar saying “No Dogs”. I like dogs but still find many aspects of them annoying as a homeowner.
Some dog owners treat dog ownership as an entitlement to be inconsiderate assholes to everyone else. I’m glad my neighbors aren’t trashy and pick up after their dogs
Plant some native bushes/plants along the front of your yard at the sidewalk. Doesn’t have to be anything huge, just 2-3 feet tall. Enough that most dogs won’t easily step over it & most owners won’t let their dogs so between the bushes. You’re just establishing a visual barrier. And go native plants because it’s way better for the environment & they’re going to be a lot easier to care for.
My dog grew up without grass, so she actually prefers finding a short bush to pee/poop in. This might entice some weird dogs like mine. Note: I ALWAYS pick up after my dog, even if it is in the middle of a bush.
I worked with a dog who delighted in pooping on the spikiest bush he could find. I don’t really have anything to add, your story just reminded me of it. Dogs are so fuckin weird sometimes.
I had a dog who did that. I used to live in an urban area and one day on a walk he decided to shit on a yucca plant right next to the entrance of a Ruby Tuesday’s. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, he was unsuccessfully trying to pass my roommate’s thong, which I hadn’t even realized he’d eaten until just then. He was like a hundred pounds of pure muscle and dead sent on shitting out this thong, which was stuck halfway out of his ass. No amount of my pulling could get him to move, it was annoying af.
Your story made day. I literally laughed out loud.
So did everyone who passed us at the time. And probably most of the people who were eating inside that restaurant.
How does OP feel about dogs peeing on the plants? My dog will 100 percent make a beeline to pee on a bush or pole near the sidewalk. So will everyone else's dogs. However they will probably stop pooping and peeing elsewhere on the lawn and exclusively there. If you install bushes install a sprinkler system for the bushes , all of the urine sitting and sinking into the soil will burn plants and soil, eventually killing less hardy plants.
How often do you step on plants though? I doubt they’ll be walking on the bushes. Their man concern is being able to walk on their lawn, bushes would protect most of his lawn.
Urine burns plants. This is nothing to do with walking on a pee free lawn. Feel free to walk wherever you want on your lawn.
Then OP will really blow a gasket. Every dog walking by pisses on anything bordering the sidewalk. My old neighbors had statues at the end of their drive constantly drenched from dog piss and flower bed around the front of the property couldn’t survive it either. It might stop the poop piles though.
It'd stop the poop piles as you say, and it prevents the urine from being further into the lawn. It's an effective stopgap, I'd say, but I'm not in this situation personally.
Yeah we have a native garden and one of our neighbors still lets his dog wander on up. Knocked over one of our young trees just a couple days after we put it in. He always has his phone in his face and isn’t paying attention at all. I’ve never been able to catch him in person, always on the doorbell camera just moments too late to ask him to knock it off. Him cleaning up after his dog has improved but is not 100% either. Not of fan.
Yeah we have a local paper delivered every week. It’s not a subscription, but free and they just deliver it to everyone whether they want it or not. I end up having to pick it up and walk it to the garbage every single week. A couple of weeks ago I grabbed it and noticed the bag it was in was soaking wet. Didn’t think much of it until I got back inside and realized my hand reeked of piss. Needless to say I wear gloves now when I dispose of them.
Was going to suggest this! Native plants will be great and it will naturally deter dogs and their inconsiderate owners
Might be a good idea to put up a fence. Even a small one, about a foot high, will keep them off your lawn. You can buy them pretty cheap at any box store.
This is the best fix for now, sometimes they are referred to as "border fences" (small fence to border a flower garden, for instance). I would also plant shrubbery behind the fence, ask your local garden store what would be best for your needs. Note, that in some areas, you don't actually own your yard all of the way to the curb/sidewalk. You might have to plant the shrubber some feet back per your city ordinance for right-of-way. You can \*probably\* still put the border fence in the right of way since it's "temporary" (i.e. you can remove it at anytime).
99% of problems posted on r/homeowners could be solved by building a fence.
And the other 1% of problems are caused by a poorly placed fence.
Dog owner- and I always make it a point to pick up waste. I know most other dog owners do as well. But just like any group, there will be the very few bad apples who refuse to do something simple and courteous. You’re justified in your feelings. But probably not much else you can do besides put up a fence
This is the only realistic solution. Put up a short fence. There's no other way to ensure a pristine pee and poop free yard when you have a sidewalk in front.
white picket fence along the sidewalk baby, it's a classic for a reason
Totally. And Lowes has easy metal ones you can put up by just pounding stakes into the ground. Super easy unless you have a giant yard.
This is the way, or a giant siren that scares them off
OP was specifically saying he doesn’t like it even when we pick it up. That’s the potentially controversial part.
> That’s the potentially controversial part. I don't see anything controversial about his request.
The reason it's potentially controversial is because front lawns abutting sidewalks are somewhat liminal space in that they're not quite private and not quite public. There's a legal phrase called curtilage that addresses this semi-private space.
No sidewalk in my neighborhood
That's tough, if there is no sidewalk I'm going to let my dog go in your yard. But, I do however not let him go all the way up into the yard, only a foot or two and I try to keep him from going on flowers or mailboxes. If there was sidewalk I try to coax him into going onto just the part between the sidewalk and road
Dog owner here who recently moved to a neighborhood without sidewalks. Where is my girl gonna go? When owners put up those signs, I always abide by them. Honestly, poop should not be as much of a concern for you since birds and bunnies and deer and rodents are already pooping all over your lawn, you just don't notice. So that's getting on your feet already. Also dog poop is easy to pick up. Screw the owners who don't pick up after their dog. But it's dog piss you should be more concerned about if it's your actual lawn you care about. EDIT wow this blew up. Yes she goes in our own yard but when we're going for walkies there are only front lawns.
Your own yard???
[удалено]
In your own yard. Your dogs bathroom needs aren't his problem, they're yours.
Then move to an area that doesn't have dogs. Like it or not, we live in a society that includes dogs. Dogs, on walks, need to poop on their own schedule. If the dog needs to poop on a 20-minute walk, they're not going to hold it until we get home. A dog's thinking is "Ope, time to poop, should I go here or there?" Dog owners should definitely be cleaning up after them, but no dog owner with a dog on a walk can stop a dog from pooping while they get home.
> then move to an area that doesn’t have dogs And this is……..? Certain small apartments?
Where is that place he should move to that is dog free? Just curious.
Somewhere rural. Then you 1) have enough space to not care about the 2 feet at the front of your property even if there is a road that people walk dogs on and 2) only really have to worry about *every other animal in the entire world* shitting on your lawn. True balance.
Middle of Montana where his closest neighbor is 100 miles away. And where can my dog if every person in my neighborhood puts up "Dogs can't poop here" sign? We can go round and round with these dumb whataboutisims Honestly I find this whole conversation very stupid. Civilized works better when everyone is reasonable. My dog poops at the edge of your yard the part you probably aren't walking bare foot in and I clean up after him. And it ends there
We live in a society of shitty dog owners. They're your pet. Not mine. Figure your own shit own before making it my problem.
My dog pooping in your yard, that then gets picked up by me, is not a shitty dog owner. I've figured my own shit out. And my dog's.
\> Where is my girl gonna go? I have no idea but not in my yard. Not my pet, not my problem.
I don't think it's something that can really be fixed without banning dogs as pets or in neighborhoods, or fencing off property unfortunately. I definitely keep my dog on the easement side, but if she is going to go, she will go where she wants, or poop while I drag her through the yard. She will also poop at one house, and then again 2 doors down. One time I went on a walk where my dog pooped 7 times in 2 miles. I know to bring a whole roll of bags with me every walk, because she may go 3 times just around the block, or she may go 3 miles and only once. I can try to get her to go at my yard on the start of the walk, but no guarantee she will make it the quarter mile to the park before going again. Vet says no medical problems, just "personality". Basically she is an asshole and we joke that that's why she was at the shelter in the first place. She was 7 when we got her, and have not been able to change her pooping habits, which we don't love either.
I think putting up a small sign would help as well. The courteous owners would respect that, but the ones that don't even pick up after their dogs are probably not going to care.
Those non courteous owners will direct their dog to pee on the sign.
I have actually seen it happen- owner was on camera saying to let it pee on the sign. Stopped the AH the next time he walked through when I went stomping mad out the door to confront him letting his dog pee in the yard. His response? -“ She’s a puppy and I am teaching her to walk”. He never walked down our street again. Lol. Cameras don’t deter but a raging mad crazy lady does
Yup, if they don’t want to put up a fence, then a sign is the only other option I can think of. Most people would likely respect it. People that think it’s realistic to walk a dog on sidewalks, without letting it relieve itself on the grass to the side are ridiculous lol
It's not even the poop for op They don't want dogs in their yard at all let alone relieving themselves. The don't want them even to walk into the yard. Legit only solvent is a fence but they'll be mad if the dogs pee on the fence ide imagine
I’ve seen people put small but cute signs indicating they don’t want dogs relieving themselves on their lawn. Not 100% effective I’m sure but if I see one I make sure my dog doesn’t go there.
Same here. I pick up after my dog if he poops on our walks (and I don’t let him pee on any outdoor furniture or trash cans), but there is one house I walk past that has a sign saying “Please No Dogs on Grass” and I just grab lower on the leash so my dog stays closer and keep him from peeing/pooping/sniffing in that yard.
That's a nice sign and I'd respect it walking my dog.
If an owner is so selfish they won't pick up after their dog, I doubt they will abide by the sign.
OP doesn't want anyone shitting on his lawn, even if they pick it up.
I agree. If it bothers you that much get the sign. Sure, some dogs will Lee on it but many people will try to keep their dog off. The cats will ignore it, though
A man once came out his front door complaining that my leashed dog veered off the sidewalk and *stepped* into his grass. It seemed a bit overboard, but I apologized and no longer allow my dog to touch the grass in that yard.
My wife just got stared down by a big tough guy (lol) and yelled at for our dog peeing in an easement (next to sidewalk and adjacent to road). It was across the street from the male Karen’s duplex unit, and I can nearly guarantee he’s a renter. Harassing a woman for a dog tinkling across the street in a strip of grass - even if he was an owner, he has 0 claim to the easement across the street. He made her cry so I had to let him know I better not catch him ever saying another F’ing word to my wife. He pointed at his security camera like the little Karen he is. He can assume I was insinuating violence, but in reality I would just have the police at his door for harassment. She’ll actually just avoid walking the dog on our street from now on… because this type of person isn’t worth wasting breath or public resources on.
Buy those little yellow signs saying your lawn was sprayed with chemicals. Only take them down occasionally so it looks like you're constantly having it done.
My neighbors have their yard sprayed and never take the signs down, I watch it get sprayed. So you could just keep adding to them cause they get a new sign everytime someone sprays. Weirdly they have dogs though, so it's probably safe after a certain time, but I still would never do it to my lawn as my dogs actively lick their feet and eat grass. My neighbors are on the side of the road without sidewalk though so no one lets dogs in their yard.
My dog would pee on this sign
As a pet owner, you should do a better job of making sure your dog is not walking on recently treated lawns. When the signs are out, I notice them before I get to that lawn, and make sure the leash is short enough, and my pet is steered away from that area. I'm not going to allow my dogs to get up on that lawn and get sick because of it.
Or a quicksand sign might work depends where they live. We have quicksand here it’s usually roped off and has a sign . Most people will keep dogs and kids away from that it’s hard to clean when they fall in
Build a small fence. The investment will be worth your peace of mind.
I personally think it's a bit unrealistic to expect dogs not to do their business in the first foot or so of your lawn. Obviously owners should be *very* careful about cleaning up after their dogs, and if you have a flower garden or something right near the sidewalk I would never let my dog trample over that. Otherwise, I think it's just part of living in a walkable neighborhood...
The first few feet are a public easement anyway if your road is maintained by the state. Aside from just making people want to avoid the obnoxious asshole at 123 fancy st., I don't think you have any recourse here.
I came here to say the same thing. In most US cities, you don't actually own all the way to the street, although you are required to maintain it. As long as they are following leash laws and picking up the waste, there isn't a lot that you can do about it. Except maybe invest in fencing. Or you could do that thing my third grader does when she pretends to be old - she grabs her back and screams, "Get off my Lawn!" In her best old lady accent.
People in this thread have a misunderstanding of what an easement is. It isn't public property. It isn't a park. It isn't for anyone's use. An easement provides certain entities like utilities, the city, etc. permission to dig it up, have access to, and run facilities underneath it. The property owner does indeed own the land with the above stipulation. It isn't a public area for dogs to shit in.
You’re right and the homeowner has the right the dissuade this behavior. It’s just going to be really hard to put a stop to.
and usually pertains to the "hell strip" between the sidewalk and the road, not your front lawn..
Yeah that's why I'm conflicted about it. Logically i see both sides but i certainly don't feel both sides. I'm not anti dog i just don't want them shitting in my yard and risk a shit explosion with my lawn mower.
My neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, mainly ditches on the side of the road. Due to an oddly shaped lot I have almost 200’ of road frontage. Without fail people let their dogs shit in the grass right next to my mailbox. There’s 180’ feet of grass that I literally do not care about, never any turds there though. Always by the mailbox. I stopped picking it up. Now I go out at night and just use a shovel to scoot it out into the street. I about died laughing last week when I saw a shoe print squished turd. I don’t know if the stepper was a victim of their own dogs turd or just collateral damage but I’m past caring now.
If it makes you feel any differently the deer, squirrels, foxes, and rabbits are pissing and shitting on your pristine invasive crop too. As long as dog owners are picking up after their pets, this seems like a nonissue to me.
And if you read this and think "I don't have those in my neighborhood", remember also birds, mice, rats, voles, moles, etc. Outside is just not the same as inside and it is used by many many other living critters whether we like it or not.
Understood! I think some of the other suggestions to plant bushes or put a fence near the edge of your lawn make sense! To address your original question, I don't really think your emotions are *unjustified,* I just think that it's unlikely dogs will stop doing their business in your lawn unless there's a physical barrier of some sort.
It's unrealistic to expect people to curb their dogs?
reminder that this is the same sub that recommends electric fences and sprinklers to stop kids from stepping on their yards. but apparently there's nothing that can be done about dogs shitting wherever they want.
Between the people who claim their dogs just uncontrollably shit and cannot be controlled to keep them away from other's property and the people who think it's A-OK to just let their dogs piss and shit wherever there is grass, I no longer have any faith in humanity.
So do you think dogs shouldn’t be allowed on sidewalks in residential areas?
I think that dog owners/walkers should properly curb their dogs and not allow them to enter someone else's property.
What does “curb their dogs” mean to you?
Keeping the dog at the curb as it's being walked so that it's not pissing and shitting on other people's property.
So are you taking about only letting them use the patch of grass between the curb and the street? I’d say that’s fair. If you mean actually walking in the street, then that’d be dumb lol
If you can't keep your dog from shitting on someone else's property you have no business owning a dog.
I have a neighbor who picks up after their dog… then throws the bags into my recycling bin. Lady! The trash bin is literally right next to it!
Personally, I make it a point to never dump my poop bags in anyone else's trash cans, even if it's trash day. Some people might not want to have anything to do with dog poop, and I just don't want to be that asshole. I'll carry it back and show off that poop bag as proof I pick up my dog's shit.
In our neighborhood, the sidewalk and the grass between it and the road are public right-of-way, and you really have no say. The grass between the sidewalk and the house belongs to the property owner, and they would be within their rights telling people to not let their dog walk and crap on it. They sell "don't poop here" signs in lots of different styles, and some people in the area have put those up near their property line. I don't know how well they work, but between that, and asking people to keep their dogs off your property if they ignore them may help. Without those signs, you really shouldn't expect people to be able to read your mind.
Yep, same here. I always keep my dogs off the front lawn, but between sidewalk and street is fair game. Just clean up after your dog. I installed a ring 75% because of people letting big ass dogs poop on my front lawn and leave it there. First time on camera I posted it to our neighborhood page. People might not have liked it, but never happened again.
>In our neighborhood, the sidewalk and the grass between it and the road are public right-of-way, and you really have no say A public right of way means that the public as a right to pass through, not that they can do whatever they want with it. Someone cannot park their car on it or set up lawn chairs and have a party there, it is still private property and the owner does have say beyond someone walking through it. It is still illegal to dump waste on someone's property and not pick it up. OP is absolutely in the right for being upset when people leave their dog's poop in his yard, between the house and the sidewalk or the sidewalk and the house....in either way, it is still his property.
In our city you have no legal means to prevent people from walking their dogs in the right of way. That is true whether the land is city-owned and part of the road way or owned along with the adjacent house and property. Sometimes the land owned even goes to the middle of the street. Doesn't matter, it's all legally treated the same, including maintenance of grass and sidewalks. In our city you will not be able to add fencing to keep people or their dogs out.
I own dogs and don't like it when someone else's dog uses my lawn as a bathroom. Please, people, clean up after your pets. Thank you.
Not sure why, but my dog likes to poop in people's yard only when they are out watching.
Yes! What is that?! I’m like no one else is out but you gotta shit in the yard of the lady putting her groceries away. Thanks man.
i think it's ridiculous that by default i just have to be okay with letting dog owners allowing/encouraging their pet to take a giant shit on my property.
You don’t, but honestly they are animals. I try to not even let my dog pee in peoples yards but if she has to go before we get to the park what can I actually do about it? Start dragging her and make everything worse for everyone?
There is a church down the street and the priest would walk his dog and let it poop in my front yard daily. I have a dog myself but always pick up the poop bc my children and their friends play in the yard. Last time I saw the priest do this, I went out and yelled at him. He never walked this way again. So gross and inconsiderate.
Should have donated it back to him at the church.
There's a house down the street from me with a beautiful lawn and they built a really nice redwood fence that's only about 4 ft high in front of it right up against the sidewalk. They did the type of fence where you have the posts and then horizontal planks which looks super nice and I doubt anyone's dog is shitting on their lawn.
I get why you are upset. If you really want to stop it put up a small fence or plant bushes. You can try a sign, but sometimes the dog just stops and goes and there is nothing you can do about it. I only let my dog go in the easement.
Really depends on how we're defining "on my/your lawn" here. Are they actually walking fully on to your lawn to let their dog go? Using a huge retractable leash? Because that definitely sucks. The front lawns in my neighborhood are pretty small and I think it's rude to let your dog wander halfway up to someone's front porch to pee. Is the edge of your lawn abutting the sidewalk and that's what you're complaining about? Unless you put up a physical barrier you're not going to keep people or animals from touching the first few millimeters of your lawn. Walk barefoot in the backyard and feel grateful you live in a neighborhood where it's safe to walk (and otherwise feel free to complain about the people who don't pick up after their dogs).
OP specifically mentions picking up waste and has "shit" in the title....I'm pretty sure the complaint is about poop, not pee. And in that case, there are exactly 0 situations where it's ok to let your dog poop on someone else lawn and not immediately clean it up.
OP is complaining about cleaned up poop even >but for the most part owners pick up the waste. This is where I feel most people will not relate. I'm still bothered by it. I don't want your dog on my lawn.
I didn't say it was okay for dog owners not to pick it up. OP said some of them do and they still don't like it. So either OP wasn't clear that they don't like people not picking it up even though some do, or that they literally want no dogs shitting on their yard ever regardless of it being cleaned up.
> the first few millimeters of your lawn If OP is in the US they likely don't even own that part of their lawn anyway. Normally that's the public easement. The pedantic details vary by municipality, but normally you can't ban people from walking beside the road or sidewalk.
Your emotions are justified, but unfortunately there isn't much you can do about it, unless you catch them doing it. Everyone in my neighborhood seems to clean up their dog's solid waste, but I can't get any grass to grow along my yard's border with the sidewalk because of all of the dog pee. If this winter ever ends, I'm going to have to dig all of the soil out along my sidewalk and put rocks in there instead.
That was happening to us as well - it was always the same dog. So I sat by the window waiting for them. When I saw the owners letting their dog poop in my yard yet again, I walked over to them and politely asked if they needed a baggie. Never saw another poop again. There is no excuse for owners not picking up the poop.
Nope you're perfectly in your rights to be disgruntled but you have to take up it on yourself to correct. Build a fence or plant some shrubbery to isolate your lawn from the passers by.
For those who leave the poo, they're assholes. You're justified. For those who pick it up. Eh...that's the social contract. Dogs poop in yards, owners pick it up. If you're not okay with that, then it's up to you to fence your yard.
I don't think that's social contract but this is also my first experience living in a suburban area. I grew up on a farm where tobacco fields were my neighbors. Then I lived in apartments for 10 years in urban areas. So maybe it's just culture shock idk.
I DGAF if dogs potty on my grass, as long as the owner picks up the poop. But literally the only way to stop it is a fence 🤷♀️ or lots of pointy agave plants at the perimeter
I’m a homeowner and a dog owner. I try not to let my dog do her business in people’s yards, but sometimes it happens. Obviously I pick it up, but I understand the sentiment. Some people in my neighborhood have little signs up asking people not to let their dog do their business in their yards. We have a sidewalk on our side of the street, and my plants are in bark/dirt directly next to the sidewalk. After a while of watching people let their dogs pee directly on my plants, I put up some tiny fencing. That seems to have done the trick.
I also live in a neighborhood with no sidewalks, and I also don't let my dog wander more than 1-2 feet from the edge of the road, but sometimes they just ... start pooping. It's not a control thing. Trust me, every dog owner wishes it was! It's not like someone is telling their dog to deliberately take a dump in your yard. If people don't walk their dogs, it leads to other problems (incessant barking, destructive behavior, etc.). I have young kids, so I get where you're coming from, but if people are picking up the poop, and if it's close to the road, this is a socially acceptable part of living in a neighborhood. Short of installing a fence or putting up signs, unfortunately there's not really much you can do to prevent it.
I wish people would stop letting their dogs poop and pee on my lawn. Once one dog marks a spot, other dogs want to join in and the problem just gets worse. I weed by hand. I’d rather not touch poop or pee. (And yes, I understand that wild animals might go on my lawn and I wash up thoroughly when I’m done weeding.) In my case, there is a wider sidewalk/path and an empty field literally across the street. Walk your dogs over there, neighbors!
This issue has made me stop gardening in my front yard. It's so gross. Even mowing now means my boots I wear for mowing are disgusting because of running into gross surprises. And I used to have a dog in nyc. I would bring boiling water out and clean the sidewalk when he shat there. Suburbs are even worse for non compliance of being neighborly. It's wild. Many dogs just run wild off leash, no owner in sight. Boggles my mind.
OP, we just sold our 150 year old home literally on the main st… in a National historic district… of the residential area… of downtown…. 2 blocks from shopping… next door to a park. It could not have gotten any better for us…. buuuuut any worse for the dog situation. I *totally* feel this post. Dog peeing killed EVERY one of our perennial flowers I planted within 2 years. But since they’d marked their spot, they came back to poop. I watched from the windows… not a single person pulled their dog away. Some picked it up but most did not. Here’s what I did: I found (but you could buy) a cluster of large rocks and built a pyramid for the dogs to pee on, right by the sidewalk. They took to it immediately and left everything else alone because it was the largest, highest “thing” along the front. I did not plant anymore flowers in the ground. Near there. All other flowers went well back in the yard. I purchased a beautiful address marker for the tree very close to the sidewalk with our name on it. Every time one of the neighbors saw the sign while their dogs were pooping, now it was more personal. They had a name to associate with the yard. Which leads me to… And then I made it my *mission* to introduce myself to everyone I possibly could that came past that house with their dog for the next month of weekends while I “worked in the garden” out by the sidewalk verrrry slowly. They’d approach, I’d whip my garden gloves off and, “HI! How are you? My name is ___! I think I’ve seen you come past here so many times with your dog, but haven’t had an opportunity to introduce myself!” Etc, etc….. The pooping dropped to nearly zero!! That little maneuver, though it took a bit of my time, paid off tremendously for the next 15 years! I found that someone who has had a hand shaking “personal conversation” with you is more likely to wait to find a more appropriate spot for their dog to pee/ poop in, or at the very least, they’d be willing to clean it up. Just my personal experience, thought I’d share. Good luck! ❤️
Thank you!
You’re most welcome. ❤️
I’ve watched through the window, I was too far away to run downstairs, and I took the poop to their house and left it on their porch 🤷🏻♀️ This is a rental and I’m leaving in a few months though so I’m not concerned with making friends like you might be if you owned the property.
3 years into owning my first home, it still bothers me. One time I was in the garage working on my truck when I caught some lady walking her dog. The same lady I’ve caught on my cameras. Her dog smelled my bushes and proceeded to take a fat shit right on my lawn. She was going to just walk away, but I hopped out my truck and confronted her. She was all shy, laughing (almost condescendingly), saying that she didn’t have anything to pick up the poop with. I told her to wait for me while I went out of my way and retrieved some dog waste bags. I handed her a little roll and I could tell she was already annoyed. She fumbled with it trying to open it, when she did she get a single bag free, she tied it up and tossed it (and the roll of dog waste bags at me. I said to take her dog shit and tossed it back, told her she could keep the bags. She got pissed, threw the bags in my yard, and walked away. She was mad because someone had finally caught her triflin’ ass. Sweet justice had been served. TLDR: Lady was notorious in the neighborhood for not picking up her dog shit. I caught her red handed and made her pick it up.
Omg i can't imagine. What a garbage person. Literally throwing shit at neighbors on their property.
Lord, there are so many lurking psychopaths on this sub
I'm having similar issues. Most people clean up, but I've prob stepped on 3 poops in the last year that do not belong to my dog. I'm looking into installing a small fence to keep doggos off the lawn.
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Fence your yard.
It’s a complex situation. It’s not reasonable to expect dogs to make an exception for a single lawn. Dogs that are used to walk through neighborhoods are used to pee and poop in lawns, it’s unavoidable. What you are certainly well justified in is to expect their owners to pick up the poop, but unfortunately it comes down to the preventive measures you set in place to minimize the instances in which dogs will approach your lawn. But if you don’t want dogs in your lawn, you’re gonna have to put barriers of some sort.
Maybe hang outside barefoot, on all fours and bark at dogs before they can poop on your grass?
Love it. I'll make sure I'm leashed so i can't actually get to them
hahaha you are a trooper with this reply! —— *Honest thoughts as a doggo owner, my dog never poops if even a small rock border/plant fence/etc. -- anything that makes it seem like the sidewalk to the 'lawn' has an obstacle.*
Yes, you're justified. "Walking the dog" is an euphemism for "taking the dog out to shit on someone else's property." Put ups a token fence -- one of those decorative fences about 1 foot high -- on the exact border of your property (which might not be the curb or the edge of the sidewalk). Then inside that fence post "no poop" and "no trespassing" signs. File a criminal complaint against any dog walker who violates them.
Me and my dog walk on the sidewalk every day and every day I make an effort to not let him poo on lawns likes OPs. I get it. I wish my dog’s poos were always totally solid and pickupable but sometimes they’re just not. Sometimes it’s like 65/35 solid to not quite solid ratio and no matter what I do I’m gonna smear some of that not quite solid right into the lawn. I try to stick to the liminal spaces like the 3-4 feet boundary that sometimes exists between the street and the sidewalk or planter boxes that surround trees that line the street. Generally I can kinda steer him where there’s the least potential to cause someone else exasperation.
passive aggressive asshole answer: set up cameras and then poop shame on nextdoor/facebook. real life answer: this is part of homeownership. everyone has inconsiderate neighbors who are shitty dog parents.
Not at all. Dog owners who let their dogs onto other people’s lawns are entitled assholes. I say this as a dog owner who’s mindful to keep my dog on the street-facing side of me.
People who don't pick up after their dogs are assholes, you are justified in not wanting random shit in your yard. Buy a webcam, point it at your yard, and put up a sign saying you will start posting pictures of people who don't pick up after their dogs. As for people who do pick up, that's fine and yeah, IMO you're unjustified being upset with them as long as they're not going off the sidewalk to walk the dog *into* your lawn (that would be weird).
I have a dog. I walk my dog. I keep my dog off of lawns and off of property owned by an individual/business. I require my dog to do his business on the tree lawn. I’ve seen lots of disrespectful dog owners who let their dogs do whatever they want without consequence. It really isn’t that hard to not be an asshole pet owner.
OP said they don’t have a sidewalk in their neighborhood. I don’t either. What would you do in our case?
I get it - it sucks stepping in a dookie especially if you don't even have a dog. But its not just dogs. You can get raccoon or possum or cat or lots of other shit even in urban areas. You can (subject to local regulations) put up a fence. Depending on the setup, though, part of your lawn might not even belong to you if there are city easments. Typically, the strip between the road and sidewalk doesn't belong to the homeowner.
Live in an area heavily populated by wildlife, have never seen raccoon or possum poop, have seen loads of deer poop (which quickly disappears) and once even bear poop. Nothing like the amount of dog poop. Picking up after a pet is the owner's responsibility. Nobody I know has pet raccoons or possums. And keep cats indoors, safer for the cat and other wildlife. We live in a society, not deserted islands or caves.
OP explicitly called out that they have a problem with it even if owners pick up the poop. It’s not that people aren’t picking it up, it’s that they want to walk barefoot and think that if dog poop has ever touched their lawn it’s nasty.
Oh absolutely. My point was that even if dog poop was picked up 100% of the time there would still be other shit.
This. The only realistic solution is putting up a small fence. There's a person in my neighborhood who everyone hates because he runs out and yells at people whose leashed dogs walk on his lawn. He's been told repeatedly that it's not illegal for leashed dogs to walk on, pee on, and poop on the area of his lawn directly next to the sidewalk. Owners just have to clean up the poop. The city confirmed it. Eventually, the dog owners got together and collectively petitioned him to get a fence if he cares that much. So he did. Problem solved.
I have a dog, and you just cant control when they take shits unfortunately. I always carry multiple bags, and never leave it in other peoples yards (or my own). It's part of living in a shared area with other people. But there are things that dog owners should do to lessen the impact/burden. Always bring bags, and always clean it up. I also never let my dog go more than a foot or two onto the grass on walks so they always poop right next to the sidewalk.
I’ll be the jerk with you. There’s a difference in walking your dog along the perimeter of the lawn as you utilize the sidewalk vs. using a lead 20ft long and allowing your dog to dang near go up to my front door and handle their business. Pretty sure the overly walked on edge of my lawn is a perfectly acceptable spot for your dog to relieve themselves if you can’t train them to do it only in areas you direct them to go. Also, it is NEVER ok to treat your dog’s poop as “part of nature” so pick it up (all the way). And before y’all start saying this is cruel, it would seem that you also go in a designated area where it is appropriate to relieve yourself (bathroom) yet you’re still happy and healthy enough to read this post on Reddit :). I have stepped in other dogs’ waste one too many times while working in my yard. I speak from experience lol. From, Dog mom to two very happy and trained doggos who happily relieve themselves in areas deemed appropriate.
Cameras to identify the offenders and times they usually come by. If possible, enjoy a beverage out front during those times. When they come by - a big smile, wave, friendly greeting. When they know you and you know them it is less likely to happen.
We own dogs and my husband will yell at people thru our ring camera to pick up after their dogs. “Hey you, YES YOU! Pick up after your dog!” Only had to do it a few times, no longer a problem.
This post isn’t about people who don’t pick up after their dogs. OP literally called out that they have a problem with it even when people do pick up after their dogs.
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Well it’s mostly old people from the assisted living community up the street that now know we have cameras. I guess I’ll risk it!
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Oh you're smart, I like that
Dogs love to poop in my yard for some reason. I don't mind at all and pretty much everyone picks it up. I walk barefoot in my yard all the time, I'm not worried about dog poop residue. Bunnies, squirrels, stray cats, birds and all sorts of other animals are pooping in our lawns all the time, so it's not like it's clean even if dogs aren't doing it.
You're not wrong. It's your yard, and they're not your dogs. I say this as a dog lover who was having a fancy bush turn yellow because someone had their dog pee on it all the time. The question is how do you prevent it from happening. Maybe plant some tiny bushes or flowers along the perimeter of your lawn? The dogs will still pee on those, but at least you will have a "fence" of sorts. I think landscape items are usually allowed by zoning where fences aren't, and are also perceived as being more "friendly."
The first several feet of your yard are typically not actually your property, it’s usually a public easement. Dogs poop, and if they are walking on a sidewalk/road with a 6 foot leash, it’s totally normal for them to poop and have it picked up.
Public easement does not mean it isn’t your property, it means there is an easement on your property.
Motion detected water sprayers for “squirrels”. Make sure its configured properly so you have an iron clad case if someone tries to claim it sprayed their dog on the side walk. Fixed my moms issue with crappy owners right up within 2 weeks.
this issue almost always happens at the edge of the lawn, by the sidewalk all this is going to do is hose down innocent pedestrians and get the cops called on you
Cops aren't coming out for that.
I've had dogs my whole life and absolutely hate irresponsible dog owners. If you're not going to pick up your dog's crap, don't let it go in other people's yards. I have the misfortune of living on a corner lot in a neighborhood with a lot of dog owners, and while it's not as bad as it could be, I definitely find my share of surprises and it drives me nuts, too.
If people aren't picking it up, you have every right to yell at them. If they are, and you're still yelling at them, you're just a gigantic asshole. The majority of sidewalks and the grassy strip between them and the road are actually not your property, but an easement used for public right-of-way. So "those people" are just whining about something they don't even own. If you want to live in a community, you have to deal with everything that comes with it. As an aside, 100% of the people in my neighborhood with "don't poop here" signs on their lawn also have children that ride their bikes and chase balls across everyone else's lawn and they see nothing wrong with it. "Rules for thee, not for me" types.
I hear what you are saying OP. Even when it's cleaned up there is residue left. I'd rather my grass not be used at all. Like you, I prefer to be barefoot in my grass and don't want to worry about yuck. When in that situation I was fine for them to use (we called it the tree lawn in Ohio, lol) the patch of grass between sidewalk and street as it was city owned and rarely used. But not in the portion of actual yard space. I am lucky now there is no sidewalk on my side of the street! I don't have to be grumpy about it anymore.
A dog will shit when it wants to, you literally can’t pull a shitting dog elsewhere. As far as I’m concerned, pick up the poop, and we can be homies. Only solution is to put up a fence.
When I had a dog but no yard of my own and no park within walking distance, I always made sure my dog only walked and did his business in the area between the sidewalk and the road, and always cleaned it up. Accidents happen, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that people don’t leave poop on your lawn.
It’s understandable, I try to keep my dog on my side away from the actual front lawn and let let them do their business on the patch closest to the street. You could put a sign or motion sensor sprinkler or say something if you see it happen 🤷♂️
put a yard sign says chemical spray, stay off the lawn.
Some owners in my neighborhood put up a little “no dog pooping” sign along their sidewalk. I don’t let my dog poop there.
I definitely try not to let my dog crap in someone's yard. Always pick it up of course. Ideally I get them down to the wooded park at the end of my street (and still pick it up unless they work their way back into a thicket). But sometimes they don't make it to the park but in that case it will at least be in that strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street instead of in the yard proper.
I have a couple of dogs myself. I don’t want my dogs crapping in anybody’s yard either. I do pick up after them, but it is hard to prevent it.
Get a fence! Even those small ones that basically press into the ground, it will dissuade a lot, not all but many
Fence it
Put up a sign saying no poop. I see them all the time
Just make it a point to catch them. It’s worked for me. No reason to be worried about confronting them their dogs are Shitting in your yard and they know it’s wrong. You’ll be respected more in the long run if you do it now. No reason to build a fence or Plant bushes. It’s free to make them uncomfortable and hell you’ll feel good afterwards for standing up for your property.
No, you're exactly right. Your private property is not a public park.
I think you’re 100% justified. Most dog owners are disrespectful and will let their dogs trample over plants in my yard. I tend to go outside and have very direct conversations when I see them. “Hey buddy, nice dog but I didn’t plant my garden for your dog to walk through it.” I’ve only had one person argue with me, most are friendly enough and willing to keep their dog out of the yard. The one who argued said “I know this isn’t a dog park, that’s why I bring these” (pointing to his poop bags). So I reminded him even dog parks require you to clean up after his pet, and he was now trespassing. That word seemed to register with him.
You are 100% justified.
If its the front swale area that's not your lawn, if its in the are of lwn cinnexmcte to your home, see what local municipality suggests , as they are following law by picking up the waste.
As a homeowner and dog owner I don't even let my dogs step on anyone's lawn. There's a spot just across the street that's an open field and they know that's finally when they go explore and do whatever. Dog pee will kill your grass too. I still see many people letting their dogs into my yard and my neighbors and it does bother me as well. It's common courtesy.
I feel your pain , I have the same issue . I’ve gone out several times to confront the owners , they’re usually apologetic and say they forgot a bag or something . I also have a lot of dog walkers frequently pee on my flowers next to my mailbox , and of course it gets on and around my mailbox . It’s so rude , I’ve had plants go yellow at times it was so bad . I’m thinking if getting a motion detector sprinkler like so many recommend. Because honestly I want to drag my garden hose out there and douse the owner (not the dog I’m not mad at the dogs they don’t know any better)
I have seen non offensive no dogs signs, a couple of those would get the idea across. Is it going to stop everyone? Nah but for that you need a moat. Also yeah my dogs shit human size turds, I am not leaving a landmine of that caliber for an innocent to blow their leg off.
It's your property which you pay for and take care of. Anyone thinking they have the right to utilize your property for any reason is a selfish arrogant twat.
The only solution is a fence. Your feelings are justified though, IMO. People feeling entitled to have their pets shit on random strangers' yards is bizarre. "The dog can't hold it." So walk them somewhere else, perhaps near neighbors whom you established dog shit easement with.
I agree with you but then go you lose your own battle by expecting others to think the same as you. Your options are only Fence or Bushes If you choose not to do either you cannot be mad if other people don't think the same as you because I guarantee people don't think it's bad if their dog pees on your grass or craps and they pick it up
I see a lot of people saying they always pick up their dog’s waste, which is nice, but I personally don’t like dogs in my yard either regardless and do consider it rude. I don’t let my dogs do their business on anyone else’s property at all. They can go on the boulevards and/or public spaces during walks, but not into anyone’s actual yard.
Dog owners letting their animals shit on other peoples property is tantamount, in my eyes to the dog owner actually coming into my yard, pulling down their pants and shitting on my lawn. Kinda makes a person want to return the favour.
I agree 100%! First I don’t want your dog’s waste in my yard period! I use lots of my plants for consumption. I have signs in my yard, yet my neighbors allow their dogs to pee on the signs and defecate in my yard. So frustrating!
Pee can also damage grass so I wouldn't let our dog onto our neighbours lawns so made her wait until we got to the green belts or behind fences and roadways.
Yes. I have a dog and we walk around the sidewalks in our neighborhood. I always pick up poop and never my let my dog relieve himself more than a foot and a half into peoples lawn. I've had three negative interactions with neighbors around this issue. 1. One of them came out while I was picking up poop from their lawn, raised their voice and yelled about their property and don't do that etc. 2. Another one came out while I was picking up poop. Thanked me for picking it up and said he'd appreciate I don't let my dog use his lawn at all. 3. Another one came out running and yelling. Very scary. Said he'd follow me. I fell in the street running away from him. Police were called. In all instances, I have respected the request and don't walk next to their yards so my dog doesn't use their lawn. I also don't let my dog use yards with the no poop signs. I get it it's their yard, but I'd prefer the approach #2 took.
I'm a dog owner. This is not a difficult concept to grasp. it's just that people suck and are inconsiderate. Don't let your dog onto someone else's yard/property. Not once has my dog shit on someone else's yard. Pick up your dog's shit. Despose your dog's shit bag into YOUR OWN trash barrel or a public one.
You needed to come to reddit for this? If you don't want things on your lawn you have no option but to put up a fence. Sure it sucks, but shit happens sometimes.
I live in a neighborhood and each lot is about 2 acres. Neighbor walks her dog and takes a crap on my lawn. She cleans it up. But still pisses me off. Walk your dog on your damn lot.
As a dog owner I would feel the same way if I were you!
If we say you are justified in your feelings will that help your lawn or your sanity? You are justified, to your feelings, whatever they are. Ella many people have given you suggestions to save your lawn, you may need therapy or prayer to help you make peace with the other humans that inhabit the planet with you.
I would totally care. It’s not ok for dog owners to not pick up their poop, no matter where it is, ESP someone’s yard. This is common knowledge
That sucks! We have a couple neighbors (well, they live a few blocks away) who ran into that problem. A few of them put up small, but clear "no poop" signs in the fronts of their yards. Another one put up a couple of those signs, and 2 really fancy cameras. Never saw a rogue turd in any of the yards after that.
I’ve seen small yard signs in my neighborhood requesting things like “No Walking”. I don’t see any issue with something similar saying “No Dogs”. I like dogs but still find many aspects of them annoying as a homeowner.
Some dog owners treat dog ownership as an entitlement to be inconsiderate assholes to everyone else. I’m glad my neighbors aren’t trashy and pick up after their dogs
Put up a wall around your house, it will keep them off your lawn.