New Neighbor Challenge

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Island_Oak

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We had new neighbors move in across the street this summer. Being relatively new ourselves, I welcomed them with some bakery items and found the wife to be very friendly and appreciative. The problem: her husband takes their dog out for daily walks that inevitably result in it relieving itself in our yard. I have numerous circular “burn” marks in our lawn now, not to mention with 3 kids who regularly play outside, it frankly disgusts me to have that in the grass they’re rolling around in (one of the many reasons I have no animals.)

Being obviously offended myself, I would nontheless like to find a way to resolve this without alienating anyone and in the spirit of neighborliness. Any suggestions?
 
Island Oak:
We had new neighbors move in across the street this summer. Being relatively new ourselves, I welcomed them with some bakery items and found the wife to be very friendly and appreciative. The problem: her husband takes their dog out for daily walks that inevitably result in it relieving itself in our yard. I have numerous circular “burn” marks in our lawn now, not to mention with 3 kids who regularly play outside, it frankly disgusts me to have that in the grass they’re rolling around in (one of the many reasons I have no animals.)

Being obviously offended myself, I would nontheless like to find a way to resolve this without alienating anyone and in the spirit of neighborliness. Any suggestions?
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When I walk my dog, I take along a few ziplock bags. I turn them inside out. When my dogs have an accident, i put my hand into the inside out bag, grap the poo and pull it into the bag, turning the ziplock rightside out as I do. (I hope that you understood that) Perhaps, you could ask your neighbor if he had ever thought of this trick. You could explain that you had seen it on the internet and thought that it was interesting, but as you don’t own a dog you were wondering if it worked. Maybe he will get the hint.

As far as ruining your grass-cat lovers don’t hate me- are there a lot of cats in your neighborhood? Cat urine can cause havoc on areas that they use. I own a cat, but I keep her indoors out of respect for my neighbors and my cat’s own health.
 
Perhaps you could invite your neighbors over for dinner of coffee or something like that. Be hospitable to them, as you already have been. Then, you could just ask very politely that they not allow their dog to go in your yard. You can express your concern, just as you did here, about your children playing in the yard and you not wanting it to get all over them.

I think if you’re kind and compassionate to them, they’ll understand.

Scout :tiphat:
 
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deb1:
As far as ruining your grass-cat lovers don’t hate me- are there a lot of cats in your neighborhood? Cat urine can cause havoc on areas that they use. I own a cat, but I keep her indoors out of respect for my neighbors and my cat’s own health.
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Uh…actually, yes there are some and I do see them roaming from time to time. Didn’t even consider that possibility…Lucky I asked for an opinion before I stomped across the street. :o …and I suppose the only way to keep the cats away is to welcome the occasional dog into my yard?!
 
Or, if you want to avoid having to ask the neighbor, put up a little picket fence. Or if you don’t want to do that, you can make that part of your yard into a flower bed (I really doubt that he’d let his dog go as far as stepping into the bed). 🙂 We have problems like that too, because we live at the end of the street, and we’ve tried everything, even asking didn’t work! So, what we did, was put rocks and cactus down where they kept letting their dogs go. :o
 
Do you live in a neighborhood where there is a neighborhood association? Perhaps you could ask them to send out a notice to everyone asking to clean up after their dogs. Or, you could contact your town hall and ask them to do the same. Chances are these people know what they are doing is slightly unethical. If you ask them nicely to pick up after their dog and get offended then they are in the wrong and will hopefully realize that. On the other hand, they may be very apologetic. You are in the right in this situation.

A simple Keep off the Grass sign could work wonders too. :o
 
Our town has an ordinace against this stuff…I just kindly remind them of that and the next time I catch them I take a photo and give it to the health dept. and they get a ticket …after paying a $50 ticket they quickly learn my grass or flowers are not their pets bathroom…so they either stop or do not pass my house…problem solved! 😃
 
I have my yard entirely fenced. It solves a lot of problems. Now that I have dogs, it keeps them in, but before I had dogs, it kept them out. It also gives privacy.

My policy with neighbors is to be friendly but not too friendly. I am tolerant, but will bring something up nicely rarely. Once I mentioned that I could hear the game on a radio, or could hear some music and they were very accommedating and nice. Another neighbor had a dog that howled 2 hours straight while they were gone, and I mentioned it. That took care of it.

I always phrased it saying “you probably didn’t realize it but…” then fill in the blanks. And, truth is they probably don’t realize it.
 
“Good fences pay for your labors.
They make good neighbors.”
 
Go over with another tray of goodies that you “just happened to make extra of”, along with a supply of plastic bags (grocery, or the ones newspapers are delivered in) and say, “I thought you might like these, because I noticed that you didn’t seem to have any when your dog poops on my lawn” and then you can take it as far as you want from there, depending on their response.

The burn circles on the grass are likely dog urine. Cats tend to prefer places a little more “private” than right on your front lawn, and the quantities produced would be different.

Good luck! I am trying to work up the nerve to approach my neighbor about their little dog’s prolonged and frequent YAPPING!
 
I wouldn’t make a big production out of a simple request like this myself. Just wait for the next time you see them, then work your request casually into the conversation. Say something like “By the way, you probably didn’t realize it but your dog is going potty in my yard, I’ve noticed” Simple as that! I’ve lived 12 years in my neighborhood, btw. Get along with them all. 🙂

Your alternative is to live with the problem, which is a viable one. If you can tolerate it, then by all means do so. But if it’s going to really keep irritating you, then say something. It’s really not that hard, I promise you. I’m not even an assertive person, I’m very non-confrontation by nature. But, I care about my living space and my home enviornment alot, so have learned to say something to neighbors occasionally.
 
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Mystery5:
Just wait for the next time you see them, then work your request casually into the conversation. Say something like “By the way, you probably didn’t realize it but your dog is going potty in my yard, I’ve noticed”
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That’s probably the best solution, along with mentioning your concern about your children coming into contact with the urine when they play in the yard.

The urine-burn spots are very unlikely to be from cats. Cats generally won’t urinate right on the grass; they will look for an area that is only dirt, dig in it, go, and cover it up. Cats have a strong instinct to cover their waste; they don’t want to be detected by other cats.

Not to be gross, but if you find very slimy-looking, uncovered, black poops, they might be from a skunk! (I sometimes find these “presents” from my resident pair, Pepe and Meme LePew. 😉 )

Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
Dear Carol Ann,
May I recommend a ‘no odor’ trap, made specifically with skunks in mind? I’ve found this, in combination with a deep tub of water, disposes of the varments without offending the neighbbors. 😃 I’ve successfully trapped (and drowned) over 50 of them. Late summer is the best time, to get them before they can bed down for the winter, if you live in a place where they hibernate.

Notice that the sides of the trap are inclosed, so you can move the trap without getting sprayed. :cool:

http://www.crittercontrol.com/catalog/media/No-Odor_Trap.gif
 
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Mystery5:
I’ve successfully trapped (and drowned) over 50 of them.
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:bigyikes: Aaaaccck! I don’t want to hurt them! (I’m a good little Franciscan, aren’t I? 😉 ) I don’t mind my little stinky buddies! Actually, I hardly ever smell skunk at all. They never show themselves during the day, and if they happen to see me coming during the night, they run for cover. I’ve never even come close to being sprayed. And the babies are awfully cute! All I ever see is the one family’s worth, so they’re not getting out of hand, luckily. 🙂

**Crazy Internet Junkies Society
**Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
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CarolAnnSFO:
The urine-burn spots are very unlikely to be from cats. Cats generally won’t urinate right on the grass; they will look for an area that is only dirt, dig in it, go, and cover it up. Cats have a strong instinct to cover their waste; they don’t want to be detected by other cats.
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Not always the case:( . We have a male cat in our neighborhood that considers himself King of Everything. He pees right out in the open, presumably to say "this is mine…and so is this…and this too).

he also like to pee on my Nanking Cherry bush…ewwwwwwwwwwww.

Malia
 
I have never used it, but I think there are some products to keep animals from eliminating in certain areas. It might be worth a try.

Also, if that neighbor’s dog is peeing there, then I bet a bunch of others are too… which is probably why the grass is dead.

I hope you can find a way to resolve this issue without causing a neighborhood feud. It seems you have received some great suggestions…good luck!

Malia
 
Feanaro's Wife:
Not always the case:( . We have a male cat in our neighborhood that considers himself King of Everything. He pees right out in the open, presumably to say "this is mine…and so is this…and this too).

he also like to pee on my Nanking Cherry bush…ewwwwwwwwwwww.

Malia
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That sounds like an unneutered male – he’s probably spraying, as opposed to regular urination. Marking his turf is exactly what he’s doing. The best remedy for that is neutering, but if he’s a feral, a stray, or the pet of somebody who doesn’t care, that’s not likely to happen. Once the spraying habit is well-developed, neutering doesn’t always get rid of it, either, although it makes the odor less noticeable. I’ve been lucky so far; with all the feral cats around here, I’ve never had a spraying problem in my yard. But then, the cats are just as nocturnal as the skunks, and I imagine the kitties like to give Meme and Pepe LePew a wide berth!

**Crazy Internet Junkies Society
**Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
Dear Wife,
Good point about other dogs also marking the spot. I’ll bet you’re right, we all know dogs mainly pee to mark important spots! 😃

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Ground Black pepper spread on the ground also keeps the local fido population away…
 
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Mystery5:
Dear Carol Ann,
May I recommend a ‘no odor’ trap, made specifically with skunks in mind? I’ve found this, in combination with a deep tub of water, disposes of the varments without offending the neighbbors. 😃 I’ve successfully trapped (and drowned) over 50 of them. Late summer is the best time, to get them before they can bed down for the winter, if you live in a place where they hibernate.

Notice that the sides of the trap are inclosed, so you can move the trap without getting sprayed. :cool:

http://www.crittercontrol.com/catalog/media/No-Odor_Trap.gif
Click to expand...
Here is a stupid question, don’t you have to take them out of the box to drown them? WOuldn’t they spray you at that point?
 
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