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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want front lawn used as local dog toilet?

27 replies

tulpe · 26/10/2010 08:54

Let me begin by saying I am a dog owner so this isn't a general bashing dog owners thread.

This morning I find one of my neighbours allowing her dog to run riot on my front lawn (unfortunately deeds state we are not allowed to close it off with fencing otherwise I would). Also dog marking it's territory - ie peeing on my plants and tearing up my lawn by scratching at the turf.

I called out for her to remove her dog and she retorted that it wasn't doing any harm and stomped off with dog in tow.

AIBU to think this is (literally) a foul thing to allow your dog to do?

How would you deal with this situation?

I don't see how she could even begin to justify it. Am so angry.

I would never let my dog pee or poo in someone's garden.

OP posts:
mumblechum · 26/10/2010 08:55

TBH, I'd take my dog and let it pee and tear up her lawn in front of her and see how she likes it.

bruxeur · 26/10/2010 08:56

Air rifle.

ayjayjay · 26/10/2010 08:59

YANBU hopefully when gets home and has a think about what she's done she'll be too embarrassed to repeat this behaviour.

Original poster
tulpe · 26/10/2010 09:01

Mumbechum - I am seriously considering that option. Thing is, this street has very few front gardens - most people have a small flower bed at front. Ours is a corner house and lawn goes right the way around the side and front. I often find people wandering around on it - thinking they are right to do so. Wondering if now is the time to appeal against the terms of the deeds but no idea how long that would take.

But in the meantime, what do I do?

OP posts:
Original poster
tulpe · 26/10/2010 09:02

Ayjayjay - that's what DH thinks. However if i had been embarrassed I would have apologised profusely not shouted at the wronged party.

OP posts:
OsbegaEthewulf · 26/10/2010 09:04

I'd bung bloody great spikey plants in; that'll larn it Wink

Hammy02 · 26/10/2010 10:01

Shove it through her front door. After all, as she said herself, "its not doing any harm".

NerdyFace · 26/10/2010 10:03

YOU go take a pee on her lawn and shout "IS THIS DOING ANY HARM?!

Suda · 26/10/2010 10:24

BRUXER [hgrin] [hgrin]

HauntingTheTardis · 26/10/2010 10:25

Could you plant something round the perimeter of your garden - lavendar bushes, for example, that won't grow up too high and constitute a hedge, but that will make it very obvious that the lawn is a private garden, not public grass?

WRT this woman - keep the hose handy and decide to water your lawn and plants if her dog sets a paw on your grass!

I'm a dog owner, and live in a cul de sac where none of the front gardens are fenced off - I assume we have a similar restriction to yours. I would not dream of letting my dog wee or poo in someone else's garden - if she did, I would clean up the poo, apologise for the wee and take more care another time. Nor would I let her do anything more than sniff at someone else's plants from the pavement, and I don't let her go on other people's gardens if at all possible.

My mum tells the story of coming out of her house to find a dog owner lifting her dog over our fence so it could do its business on our front lawn - I think that dog owner was sent away with a flea in their ear!

NonBlondGirl · 26/10/2010 10:44

We put some wooden garden edging at bottom of the lawn - not sure if you are allowed this if your not allowed a fence?

Examples - www.wickes.co.uk/Fencing/Garden-Edgings/icat/fedgings

Stopped it for a while for us - now they do it at the bottom of the drive or they ignore edging and let dogs on anyway.

Locals have no shame - they do this even when we are right by the window and nothing we say seems to make any difference.

Most of the other gardens are paved over which we'd love to do if and when we have the money.

We also get cat shit in both front and back gardens - so spend a fortune on trying to deter the cats in the back so the DC can play out there without getting smothered.

There are plants we can try for the cats - but we seem stuck with the dog issue.

EauRouge · 26/10/2010 10:54

I'm having a similar problem although I haven't caught the bastard culprit in the act yet. We are sick of having dog poo on our lawn, it's definitely not a hedgehog or a cat. I planted a hedge a couple of years ago to stop children from playing football and sitting on my front lawn and it seems to have worked a bit but a dog that's not on a lead won't take any notice.

I would contact your local council and ask for advice from the dog warden, you have asked this woman nicely and it doesn't sound like she's going to take any notice.

Hammy02 · 26/10/2010 11:08

Put the dog in a wheely bin

NonBlondGirl · 26/10/2010 11:27

Apparently some of the 'get off' crystals deter dogs as well as cats

www.pestfree.co.uk/get-off-my-garden-crystals.htm

I can't use the crystals in the back garden because of the DC but I supposed I will just have to try in the front. Yea yet more money to pay out because of other peoples pets Sad.

LittleMissHissyFangs · 26/10/2010 11:33

Nonblond, that stuff does work though, i had dogs and cats crapping on my garden, put a couple of doses down for a while and in the end they got used to the idea that our front garden was not their territory.

I got a sonic repellent for the back garden.

I have not had a cat in back garden since, and the front garden was poo free.

mousymouse · 26/10/2010 11:35

brambles as a low hedge around the lawn? or some other spikey plant like rose hip?

taintedpaint · 26/10/2010 11:39

Failing to see why the air rifle 'joke' was remotely funny, but that aside....

YANBU.

However, I don't know what the solution is since a fence is not an option.

NonBlondGirl · 26/10/2010 11:54

Nonblond, that stuff does work though, i had dogs and cats crapping on my garden, put a couple of doses down for a while and in the end they got used to the idea that our front garden was not their territory.

That is good to know. It may well be the best idea for us for the front then.

We have two sonic cat repellents in the back garden, citrus impregnated sticks, citrus sprays for the back garden, various plants ect - it either moved the poo problem round a bit or sorts if for a while then it comes back again.

It is not a big garden but there are a huge amount of cats in the area.

LotteryWinnersOnAcid · 26/10/2010 12:11

YANBU. I am a dog owner and would never dream of allowing this. Can you put a sign up or something? Are you allowed to plant hedges around the edge of the area? It isn't technically a fence...

HauntingTheTardis · 26/10/2010 12:18

I'm planning to put a border of lavendar or something similar round our lawn at the front. I don't have a problem with dogs pooing there (ie, they don't poo there, not they do and I don't have a problem with it), but people parking on my neighbour's drive (she runs a business from home) have driven over my lawn before now!

I have commented to the drivers both times I managed to catch them, and neither seemed particularly apologetic - the impression I got was that I was making an unneccessary fuss! [hshock]

hophophippidtyhop · 26/10/2010 12:30

My mum had this problem, the owner just let the dog out to poo and it always did it in my mums garden. One day my mum finally had enough, scooped it up in a trowel and dumped it on the woman's doorstep. Nothing was ever mentioned and it didn't happen again!

BlueCupcake · 26/10/2010 13:33

Put the owner in your wheelie bin.

Suda · 26/10/2010 14:38

air rifle and wheelie bin 'jokes' both funny but only if directed at dog owner not dog.

Suda · 26/10/2010 14:39

Agree BLUE - sorry didnt see your last one -duh.

FeedjoToTheMummies · 26/10/2010 14:42

YABU, what about the dog's canine rights? WinkGrin

no, YANBU

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