Dog Shit War

[flangeismyfaveword]

This should prob be wwud but im new to this so hope I will be excused?!
For several weeks both my neighbours(either side) and I have been plagued by dog crap outside our gates or along the fence. None of us had any clue as to the culprit. Although my next door neighbour had his suspicions.
Anyway last night I returned home from work about 7.30pm and caught the dog in the act! I must say that I have been cleaning this shit up every other night for a few weeks and am mighty pissed off ( I have a dd with lots of blinddistracted friends who have trampled the crap throughout my house and my neighbours. Anyway I recognised the dog as from the big house over the road and decided to talk! The owner insisted it wasnt his dog, coudn't be his dog as it never, ever got out and that I was obviously seeing things?!!! What do I do next?
I know its not the poor dogs fault and I have no real aversion to dog shit until its on my carpet! But why must I be the one to clean?

[worraliberty]

Next time you see the dog is out alone, knock and point this out to them

Oh and insist visitors remove their shoes

[TheFarSide]

If it is his dog, it probably won't happen again now he knows you're onto him.

Could you mount a round-the-clock vigil with your neighbours so you can get a photo, then contact the council with the evidence.

Our council encourages residents to report dog shit incidents. There was also a great campaign by local mothers who were fed up wheeling their buggies through the shit - lots of people put up "you wouldn't shit on your own doorstep so don't shit on ours" notices in their windows. It still happens, but nowhere near as bad as before.

[AgentZigzag]

Love your title

[LineRunner]

Report him.

[worraliberty]

lots of people put up "you wouldn't shit on your own doorstep so don't shit on ours" notices in their windows

Eww that's a bit 'chav' for want of a better word.

Can't they substitute the word 'shit' for 'poo' or something?

I'd hate to think of little kids reading and repeating that slogan

[TheFarSide]

It's not chavvy, it's direct.

Some of the more twee residents have the "you wouldn't s*t on your own doorstep so don't s*t on ours" version.

Anyway, it seems to have worked.

[DogsBestFriend]

Remind the neighbour that a straying dog is liable to end up in the pound and if not collected (and release fee paid) within 7 days he may well be "put to sleep". If the dog has no tag on his collar this is an offence too.

Given that this is a genuine consequence of allowing a dog to stray, please for god's sake don't call the dog warden for this purpose, it's not the poor dog's fault and he doesn't deserve to die. Instead call the dog warden and ask him to have a word with the neighbour. Many councils now have Dog Control Orders and can legally impose actions and sanctions.

Be aware though that not all councils have a dedicated dog warden nowdays, owing to cutbacks.

[worraliberty]

I don't see what's twee about not wanting kids to see the word shit in a slogan when they're walking down the road.

I imagine there'd be uproar if CBeebies were to carry a similar ad

[Saggyoldclothcatpuss]

You could rig up a cctv to watch the fence, then he wont be able to deny it!

[flangeismyfaveword]

dogsbestfriend - I wouldn't dream of calling the dog warden - the dog in question is a lovely old dog that ahs been on our street for years and all the kids love her - hence the reason that I dont mind too often the picking up!

However the neighbours either side of me are elderly and not able to pick up - hence they feel bad that it is up to me also they do not go out much so are not at risk from the crap carpet!
I just find it unreasonable that the owner cannot see that it is his dog doin the doo' x

[TheFarSide]

Fair enough Worra but "you wouldn't allow your dog to poo ... etc" doesn't have quite the same impact

And we're not chavs in this street, we're middle class.

[AgentZigzag]

They'd be within their rights to worra if the rumours I've heard about Doodles off the Tweenies are anything to go by

[DogsBestFriend]

There's no reason why you shouldn't call the DW to have a word though, and to warn the owner of the consequences of allowing the dog to get out and crap everywhere. Besides, you'd all feel awful if you did nothing and pooch got run over.

I own 3 dogs (the names a bit of a giveaway, isn't it?!) but still don't see why an owner should behave as this one is.

[pjmama]

If it's a regular occurrence, I'd collude with the neighbours to watch and try to photograph it. Then show the dog owner the pictures and tell them u will report them if it happens again.

[OpinionatedPlusSprogs]

Get environmental health onto the scumbag. Good luck. Take photos of the dog in action as evidence.

[thursday]

i hate dog owners like that. do they ever walk the poor dog or just let it out to crap on the street and back in again? i spend my entire life (it seems) telling ds to mind the dog poo and trying watch where he's walking as well as where i'm wheeling dd and i'm walking. rage doesnt cover it. and i spend an equal amount of time reminding ds that it's not the dogs fault, its the owner. the school is on a pedestrian path and is plagued by it. the children draw posters that are put up but apparently these dog owners dont care. which of course we knew already, or they wouldnt bloody do it.

OP there's no reason on earth why you should be happy to pick up this dogs poo just because you like the dog, and neither should you eldery neighbours. owners responsibility and if he doesnt do it then dog warden/police it is.

[cabalamat]

If you get any more unwanted "deposits" on your property, maybe you could return them to the rightful owners by posting them through their letterbox :)