Any polite ways to handle my neighbor letting his dog crap in my yard

Maybe 15 years when we lived on the west coast, the neighbours used to let the dog out to run around and do its business with no supervision. He used to run next door and crap on my lawn. I mean, who wouldn't right? You don't crap where you eat.

Anyhow, I was putting up the Christmas lights with the ladder. As I'm coming down the ladder, I notice what looks like dog shit on each run. I'm thinking... wtf?!?

I get to the bottom of the ladder and check out my shoes. Sure enough, they're covered with dog shit. Then I look around at my lawn and spy the mounds of shit with my footprints in them. Then I notice there's another mound about every square meter.

I simply lost it.

I went to the shed and grabbed a garden spade. I hunted down every piece of dog shit, fresh or aged, picked it up with the spade and threw it at the neighbour's house, aiming the fresh ones at the windows. I made sure to get some on the front door and front steps.

Upon reflection, I realized that wasn't especially neighbourly.

But the damn dog ever shit on my lawn again. :-)

Say, "Your dog has been leaving presents on my lawn." You don't need to be devious or clever...just one calm sentence, polite and face-to-face.

I AM YOUR NEIGHBOR - Not really but I am guilty of letting my dogs out front and they shit in my neighbors yeard.

1. Old man neighbor asked me to clean it up a couple of times. Then he started shoveling it into my driveway when I was at work. I would come home and there would be dog shit all over my driveway. Got the point loud and clear. Now I try and walk through his yard at least once a day and clean up the dog crap.

2. Homebody dork next door has talked to me about it but I just don't feel the same. He NEVER takes care of his front yard. He mows his grass about three times a year (we live in the south and it needs it twice a week in the summer). He NEVER rakes his leaves and his house is an eyesore with a mulch pile covered in a blue tarp that has been in his front yard for going on two years now. Anyway, he left me a hilarous note last year that said in effect - I don't have pets, I shouldn't have to clean up your pets shit. If your dogs shit in my yard it should be cleaned up before it hits the grass. I brooded about this for sometime - but now I make teh effort to clean the dog crap up out of his yard.

3. In my defense (if there is - and there is probably no defense to my behavior) I think that having two big dogs in front of my house is a deterent against theives and burglars. It also keeps cat ladies cats on her side of the street.

But at the end of the day - I am in the wrong. I do an adequate job of cleaning up after them but should do better. I'll try harder - but I won't lose any sleep over it.

Finally, I would talk with your neighbors first. Then I would shovel teh crap into their driveway. It works. Just think how pissed his wife will be when they come home from a fancy dress party and have to tip toe through their driveway to avoid the shit bombs. She let him have it!

Good luck!

Tell your neighbor via PowerPoint.

dog food laced with rat poison.

I love this idea and am going to use it, at least dumping the crap on their driveway. These particular neighbors have 15 cats. They used to crap in my garden in the back yard after my first dog passed away until I got another one. I talked with the neighbor who said how does she keep them from jumping the fence? I said how about keeping them on a leash. I was pissed. Anyway no more crap in the backyard, due to my dog being there, but they have continued for years to crap in the front. Once I put all the crap in a bucket and dumped it by the side of their driveway, but nothing happened. Your point is well taken, there is no reason for me to remained pissed about this and ignore it. Consistent action will be taken from now on.

Reading your rationalizations about your dog crapping in other people's yards gives me a view into the thinking of the neighbors with the cats. Summing up, they just don't give a crap. It is time to get their attention.

Free Advice wrote:

Put the dog's crap in a clear plastic bag, like a sandwich bag or something. Twist tie the bag to the dog's collar and send him home. Do this as often as possible. Eventually the dog owners will get the hint.

Don't let the dog owners see you do this. For all they know it could be any number of neighbors sending the crap home with Fido.

HAHAHAHA do this. Best solution so far. Take pictures of the dog with crap tied around his neck if you do this.

Entice the dog with some treats, apaint it's body white while it's eating the treats and then send it home.

Every time the dog comes to crap it will look for more treats and more paint.

Ban Bananas wrote:

I have 2 big dogs who take BIG dumps

I am very tired from finals and read that as "I have 2 big dogs who take EL G dumps"

HRE wrote:

Tell your wife that since she doesn't like the way you want to deal with it the problem is hers to solve which includes clean up.

I actually took care of this once by tossing one load back into the neighbor's yard, just the yarrd, not the roof or steps and that was the last time their dog ever bothered our yard.

This is a sensible suggestion.

The various revenge fantasies outlined in this thread are funny--I laughed in spite of myself--but they're also illegal most of them, and they're guaranteed to create bigger problems than they solve. Why do that? Isn't the idea to live in peace here, unmolested, rather than up the ante, creating new aggression, a new set of bad feelings?

The real question for the revenge fantasists is: How could you let a little dog poop lead you to behave so badly? I don't know about you, but I don't want to give a f-ing pooch that much power over me. I'm a decent guy. Damned if I'll toss that out the window for an animated hairball.

The hardest thing here is also the best course of action. You've said your neighbors are nice people. Take the risk of speaking to them, clearly and peacfully, as though you actually want to create community with them rather than making war with them. They probably don't know their dog is doing this. Enlighten them. (It's possible, of course, that they won't believe you--will think that it must be one of the other neighborhood dogs--and so it might not be a bad idea to take a photo, or, better yet, a little video, just in case they raise this objection. Don't bring it along for the first conversation; just have it in reserve, so you can mention that you've got it if they raise this objection.)

Rather than knocking on their door, you might wait until you see them pulling into the driveway or coming out the door or hanging out in their backyard, then ask if you can talk to them. Better yet, wait until you see them walking their dog, if they do that. That's an obvious opening for this sort of conversation. Then tell them what's happening and ask, "What can we do to keep this from happening?" Maybe you need to erect a fence. Maybe they can leash the dog. (Does your community have a leash law? Many communities do.)

Golden rule. Risk an honest exchange. Don't start off like Dirty Harry. That's silly, counterproductive, and illegal. Don't let the smelly little animated hairball (aka, their dog) get your goat.

You can escalate later (dynamite, ground glass, etc.) if need be.

Fabio fan wrote:

I would grab him and her by the ear ... drag them to the sauciest poop and rub his and her noses in it. Grab some and slap some on top of head for good measure.

"I've got a stomach full of white dog poo...and now you lay THIS shit on me?"-stepbrothers

dog craps in my yard wrote:

Big dog, big craps and yet the couple is very nice, extremely polite, we share driveways basically but this is getting to me. My wife will not let me go off on the guy or leave a big steaming one on his front doorstep. Any ideas on how to deal with this and still be neighborly types. this is not a one-off, its now a pattern for the dog and we all know what that means. advice please

No, there are no polite ways... You have to use the same methods that one must use here in order to deal with the asshats that accuse everyone and their mother of either being gay or juiced.

...Actually, you already answered your own question.

Just tell your neighbor politely and nicely.

Then use the glass bottles option.

Now I try and walk through his yard at least once a day and clean up the dog crap.

Dear Your Neighbor,

FYI, letting your dog crap on someone else's lawn and then picking it up is bad. My kids play on our lawn, and I don't like it that there is dog crap debris left there, that they might roll around on. Your dog is trespassing, so keep him off.

I also hate it when people let their dogs piss on my lawn. For the same reason stated above, and also because some dog piss kills the grass and leaves brown dead spots on it.

I love dogs, but I hate dog owners. They are a bunch of selfish, thoughtless assholes who assume everyone else loves fido as much as they do. We don't.

Go into the yard and collect some nice specimens and bake them a cake or some cookies

dog craps in my yard wrote:Big dog, big craps

Get used to it. That's exactly what BO is doing to the Am. people.

upthe track wrote:

dog craps in my yard wrote:Big dog, big craps

Get used to it. That's exactly what BO is doing to the Am. people.

You so f***ing need a therapist...

This makes me angry. I own dogs, I love dogs and I can not understand why some people do this kind of thing. I deal with this kind of thoughtlessness on a daily basis when I am running on trails which are not leash free zones or anything like that. Constantly dogs will make me slow down, wait till their owner figures out I,

A. do not want the dog to chase me/bite me

B. do not want the dog to be lead away from their owner

But people don’t get it. I have been told by a owner of a angry looking Aussie which was chasing me “Don’t worry he is a herding dog!!!” To which I said than get your @!ing herding dog under control… the irony is that I have lived in a household which has a Collie kennel, I have trialed herding dogs and shown them I know what they are capable of and they are capable of biting someone just like any other dog.

Before you own a dog, fence off your yard even if you plan on walking them. Why? Because there will inevitably be days when you can’t, so why not have an area where the dog has privacy and is safe to do what it needs to do? In fact, I will not sell a dog to a person without such a rudimentary precaution. Besides the courtesy of the neighboors, what about the safety of your dogs? Dogs and cars do not mix, period. Yes, dogs can learn how to avoid getting hit, but I would not risk it anywhere. I live out in the stix and I always shocked about the number of dogs who run out on to the road when I am driving. It’s a hazard to them, it is a hazard to me because I would do all I could not to hit the innocent animal.

So for all of you irresponsible owners; grow up, and get a fenced yard.

There is a French guy in my neiborhood that got really fed up with people not picking up after there dogs. This guy made several sticks about 2 feet in height sharpened one end like a stake. On the other end he tied a blue poop bag onto the stake with a rubber band.

When he takes his dog for a walk whenever he sees an unattended poop he drives that stake into the ground next to the poop.

After awhile people started picking up there poops more and it seems to have been a good solution without confrontation.

Good luck

Wait until it hardens and use you pitching wedge....clean yard and better short game.