I just posted an anonymous letter to a neighbour. Oh God. Panicking.

[LetterPostie]

I live in a Victorian terrace with a back lane. There's a man who lives about 20 doors down from me who let's his dog shit in the back lane.

It's hard to confront him because he lets his dog out into the back lane, then he buggers off back into his house. So its not like he's stood there while the dog's shitting so you can say "Oi, mate, your dog just shit, pick it up".

Anyway, I'm sick of it.

So today I posted (like into the post box, not through his door) an anonymous letter which says the following:

"Dear [Man]

A group of neighours from [My Street] and [Next Street] have seen [Dog's Name] fouling in the back lane on multiple occasions.

It's selfish, it's a public health hazard, and we're sick of it.

We have gathered photo and video evidence that its [Dog's Name] doing this. If you don't start picking up after [Dog's Name], we will be sending the evidence to the dog warden team and environmental health at the Council.

Yours,
Neighbours"

I was feeling all brave and bold about it. But now I'm panicking that I actually went through with it. 😂

Could you go out with a spade and scoop up the mess and throw it into his garden? I don’t know if this legal.

Stoat about with a shotgun ahooting squirrels and you’ll be tasered and in custody pretty sharpish

I don't think it's legal and if any of it hit him you could be charged with assault.

Stupid suggestion

• provocative
• daft
• disproportionate
• likely to escalate quickly

According to OP, that's what he's doing. Whether it's actually true or not (someone else has also said it's not), that's what she appears to think is happening.

With that in mind, she also considered a good idea to send him an anonymous letter on behalf of her neighbours, without their knowledge or consent, claiming to have non-existent evidence she's going to use against him.

She's not going to be on the receiving end of any backlack that results from her actions because she lives 20 doors away. More likely he'll pin his sights on a much nearer neighbour as the author of the letter and if he gets nasty, it won't be OP who bears the brunt.

Posters on here tend to be very brave with other people's safety.

Well done!

DH confronted a nasty man who's dog kept crapping on sons front lawn, just ambled through the gate and did his business. DH had parked up and caught him. The man threatened to thump him. Husband turned round pointed at his car saying please do it's all being filmed on the dash cam. Man scuttled off but the pooping stopped.

Good for you, this is actually a sensible way of dealing with it. Hope it works!

So, he doesn't bother to take the dog for a walk? Poor dog.

Put it in a paper bag and set it ablaze.

Are you on social media? There was a post local to me over lockdown. They had seen the dog's owners not picking up knew where they lived. So they put a sign in front of it with their address on a sign & posted a picture on Facebook. When it got dark they even added some lights. The post stayed up a couple of days of course the comments were entertaining to read.🤣🤣🤣 The offender's eventually returned to pick up the 💩💩💩.

I wouldn't recommend this especially with how dry it's been. Don't want an arson charge hanging over your head.

Never ever admit to anyone you sent the letter. Even to people you think you can trust. 🤐

How is it not anonymous if she didn’t put her name ?

Think about it re why he probably has a very good idea who the author is…. The OP lives next immediately adjacent to the shitty path.

and she’s been pissed off about this for some time and obviously been a familiar presence on the lane whilst his dog has been shitting. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t become quite used to the OP’s presumably disgusted looking face and tuts!.

The OP has said there's about 90 houses next to the lane. She has also said that he lets the dog out and goes back inside, so unless the dog is going home and telling him who he's seen whilst he's been in the lane on his own doing his business, the bloke isn't going to know.

No, he’s going to think it’s some other poor bastard out of the multiple possible suspects OP obliquely referenced in her anonymous letter.

Meanwhile, OP sits prettily in her home 20 houses away, safe from any of the fall-out.

So all these people aware of it and grumbling about it
and not one has actually just said “could you please pick that up”?

90 houses live adjacent to the lane

how on earth can the op be sure that this chap is responsible for all this dog shit?

Exactly. I know he’s unlikely to go “Ok sorry” and never do it again, but you have to start with the basics before you escalate it. The council are unlikely to entertain any complaint if nobody has tried addressing it first.

It’s all a bit odd

with 90 houses adjacent to it… this is a looonnng path, hut the op is sure it’s him and has witnessed it many times

well done you!!!!

@Sidebeforeself where do you get that information from please?

There are dog fouling laws in place, in the UK (not sure if you’re posting from elsewhere), and the responsibility is not on the general public to take steps in advance of reporting any issues.

It is illegal not to be in control of your dog. If someone walked down that lane and the dog attacked, he would not be there to stop it.

It is also illegal to allow your dog to foul public areas and not pick it up.

dog poo is a nuisance and a public health hazard.