To not want a dog in shared garden?

[Dotty07]

We have a shared yard at the back of our house that is shared with 2 others neighbours. A new neighbour recently moved in and has a dog. The dog uses the garden space as a toilet, he does now pick up poo after many discussions but the dog pees everywhere and in everything. We can have anything out as he just lets it pee on whatever, including my back door!

AIBU to not want a dog using the back garden at all, it’s very small and the dog is big, is it just me?

I would be more annoyed at the dog running at me than the pee issue tbh. I am not afraid of dogs and have one myself but i wouldn't like someone else's dog over annoying me all the time. It seems unfair that the neighbour has full use of the shared space while you don't, because of his dog. I would be very annoyed.

@TibetanTerrier

I can’t go out when it’s in the garden as the owner doesn’t try to stop it approaching us

So it's not just the peeing/pooing, you don't like the dog at all?

She doesn't have to like a random dog

@Dotty07

Unfortunately the garden isn’t grass, would maybe be better if it was. It’s a slabbed yard. Pee just sits and drys out.

Can you spray it with dilute Jeyes Fluid or similar? At least it would disinfect it.

@Tonemeth

Why do kids get precedence? He should pick up the poo, but other than that it's a shared garden, others kids dont trump someone's dog.

Because kids don’t piss in the garden every day. If they did, then the other people who shared the garden wouldn’t like it.

I hate the assumption that everyone is fine with dogs coming up to them. I especially don't like big dogs and couldn't enjoy a space if the owner just assumed everyone was fine with it. If I had one I'd call it away from people unless they were obviously interested in attention.

I would hate this. The dog pees over everything and the owner is a shit owner. Poor dog, not getting walked anywhere else. I'd be looking to sell as soon as possible. If the owner is that unreasonable about the dog, he's probably a crappy neighbour too.

Shared outdoor spaces can be a basket of trouble.

I'm surprised his rental agreement allows him to have a dog. Shame the LL is no help.

What kind of dog is it? I feel like it makes a huge difference if it’s a pug, Labrador or bulldog!

It’s quite hard to tell if you’re overreacting without being there tbh—if it’s a friendly lab then he’s being an asshole to not be more considerate of people who don’t like dogs, but dog pee is not exactly the end of the world (the ground outside is a medley of different animal piss and shits! Bird poo, cat pee, rat piss, etc) and if it massively bothers you then I don’t think there’s anything wrong with suggesting the yard needs to be hosed down weekly. But if he has a large, threatening fighter breed dog that should be muzzled, that is a totally different situation

But ultimately it’s a shared garden and there needs to be a bit of give and take on all sides. Personally I’d much rather share with a (non dangeorus!) dog than with kids as I find them irritating, but I wouldn’t try to restrict people letting them free roam either. Likewise people doing exercises or oldies sunbathing in bikinis!

@Onjnmoeiejducwoapy

What kind of dog is it? I feel like it makes a huge difference if it’s a pug, Labrador or bulldog!

It’s quite hard to tell if you’re overreacting without being there tbh—if it’s a friendly lab then he’s being an asshole to not be more considerate of people who don’t like dogs, but dog pee is not exactly the end of the world (the ground outside is a medley of different animal piss and shits! Bird poo, cat pee, rat piss, etc) and if it massively bothers you then I don’t think there’s anything wrong with suggesting the yard needs to be hosed down weekly. But if he has a large, threatening fighter breed dog that should be muzzled, that is a totally different situation

I’m not sure of the kind of dog, some kind of mixed breed but would say it is a bit bigger than a Labrador.

Yes yard defiantly needs cleaned, on the odd occasion he hoses it just ends up hosing water down piss everywhere.

I’m not sure if this kind of behaviour whether deliberate or not is classed as anti social?

I would have a chat with Shelter about legal rights and also look to see what the leasehold for your flat says. Who owns the freehold?

This really isn’t on and I’m very surprised by some of the responses on here.

If someone posted that they let their child run lose in the shared yard, and the child was ruining neighbours property, other posters would rightly say that the parent should keep their child under control. This is no different, the dog owner is not controlling the dog, and is being massively unreasonable.

@recrudescence

I'm on the fence here.

I trust you have the landlord’s permission.

🤣🤣

@BlueTimes

I would have a chat with Shelter about legal rights and also look to see what the leasehold for your flat says. Who owns the freehold?

I’m in Scotland, I’m not sure that would count here?

WOW.
I have a dog and a garden.
I would NOT be happy in OPs situation, as I know just how much wee etc the dog does in the garden.

No it is not the same as random cats and pigeons. A big dog produces a lot of wee. He is allowing it to wee on everything, so lovley, come out side and sit on a bench where the feet stink of wee, and if you are really loucky there is a puddle of wee at the foot.

It is far worse that it is not grass as the wee sits and doesn't soak away.
And picking up poo is not enough.
If children use the garden, the poo needs picking and cleaning.

The dog owner has a responsibility to keep the shared space clean from his dogs wee and poo.

I am astonished at the number of people who think it is OK.

Ugh, you have my sympathies. I find it so gross when dog-owners let their dog wee on the pavement and don't wash it away so there's a little pool of wee left

Really?

What does your lease say about the use of shared spaces. Can the garden be split between each property, even if it's just an informal arrangement.

No, leasehold doesn't exist in Scotland

I suggest you check your household insurance policy to see if you have legal expenses insurance. If so, it would probably cover getting advice from a solicitor, and perhaps court action

Also, landlords require to be registered with the local authority. In some circumstances, local authority can revoke landlord's registration, although I think this is extremely unusual

This is disgusting and in the summer the smell will be far worse. You need to speak to the LL and check they know the dog is in property, then complain dog wees and poos in yard and only poo is cleaned up. What is owner going to do if dog has diarrhea?

What do the letting agents say, does the flat owner know what is going on.

It’s horrible behaviour OP - totally inconsiderate and potentially dangerous if the dog is becoming aggressive and thinks you are encroaching on their space.

I’m so so sick of irresponsible dog owners. Walking around where I live (with two small children and a buggy) has become a nightmare from dodging shit - literally every few meters. Piles of it, smears of it - disgusting, tiresome and time consuming cleaning the buggy / children down when it inevitably gets stepped in. I don’t let my kids wee or poo and leave it lying around and I have no idea why the 10s of irresponsible walkers in my area think it’s ok for them to do exactly that (we live somewhere generally considered ‘nice’). Disgusting people and I hope in the future there is a way of prosecuting every single person who leaves shit in the street. You have my full sympathy and I hope you get sorted ASAP.

I am going to give Shelter a call today to see if this behaviour would fall under anti social. If it does I will also ask who do I complain too if the LL will not deal with the issues.

It really isn’t a dog hating issue, I don’t mind the dog, but it’s the neighbour using the dog I have issues with.

I have exactly the same problem - 2 in our block have dogs and let them piss all over it. It burns patches in the grass/on plants and has stopped me sitting on the grass.

However it is allowed to keep pets and they do (mostly) pick up the crap unlike previous neighbours. If it is fouling dog wardens may be able to help.

It is annoying especially if you're the one cutting grass etc. Neighbour 1 is a total dodger though so hoping the police will catch up with him soon.

Or dogs allowed as per your deeds???? That makes a huge difference to what you do.

Love dogs. I don’t think you are unreasonable at all.

I had the same problem and reported to the dog warden as the dog was aggressive and my toddler couldn’t go in the garden. The police got involved and were going to charge the owners with having a dog out of control but as it was a pit bull and therefore illegal, it was seized and destroyed. The police and dog warden both took it very seriously. It might be a shared space but owners have to have their dogs under control