03-23-2009, 02:10 PM
decocritter wrote:
Big Guy, I just don't know why folks don't let the dogs go in their own yard and then walk them. Condo dwellers need to be extra considerate because of the proximity, but they are worse.
Roaming cats are starting to be a problem in the area also.
Deco,
Sounds like you are indeed dealing with a nutjob or at the least someone who is personality disordered. As far as the dogs are concerned... Dogs will be dogs, it's dog owners that need to be responsible. Our dog usually need to walk a quarter mile before the urge to purge kicks in.
We live in a pretty rural area with plenty of land between houses. She pees probably 8 times on a one mile walk, usually on the side of the road. Occasionally she will pull over to pee or poop right at someone's driveway, and when I see this happening I give her leash a yank and move her at least another 50 to 100' down the road before letting her unload. In more densely populated areas, or where someone is likely to encounter her pile, we pick it up in a plastic bag and put it in the trash when we get home.
Other people's dogs frequently pee ON my lawn or even against the wheels of my car in my driveway... which annoys me somewhat even though my own dog pees in our own yard. I accept it, since the pee doesn't seem to accumulate odor-wise, and I know it is natural for dogs to communicate this way... especially at the property boundaries of other dog owners. What really bugs me is when other dog owners let, or worse encourage, their dogs to crap on my lawn. Sometimes they just pretend not to notice, or look around to see if anyone else noticed (my office window overlooks the front yard.)
I equate allowing one's dog to defecate where it will impact other people to the same behavior of smokers who flick their cigarette buts out the window of a moving car... or anywhere throwing them on the ground, for that matter. It's general disrespect for others.
An appropriate response if someone took issue with where *my* dog was peeing or pooping (assuming it wasn't on my own property), would be to apologize and do whatever I could to remedy the situation (clean up poop, and avoid letting the dog stop there again.) It sounds like your neighbor has a pretty broad definition of "the commons" and what is acceptable behavior thereon... especially since it sounds like this is taking place on your lawn/driveway.