Dog poo-ing on our garden every morning and evening. AIBU to say something?

[LucyLime]

We live in a quiet area with just three houses in a sort of cul de sac. We are part of a small estate but at the bottom of it. Nobody comes down here unless they live here or are delivering something really.

However there is a cut through at the top and every morning and evening for the past week, a woman has started appearing from this cut through and walking past our house with her large dog. And every morning and evening, this dog is doing a poo on my front garden.

It cocks it's leg on my bushes and had a wee and then settles down for a poo. And yes - she does stand there watching and picks it up

The reason I know? We have security cameras. The reason I've not said anything to her yet? I have annoyingly either been asleep/ in the shower/ in the garage/ out shopping. Nearly managed it this morning but by the time I'd opened my front door, she was turning the corner and I wasn't about to screech!

So ... onto my AIBU. My DH thinks that as she's picking it up then meh, not a massive deal. I think differently - I don't want my front lawn used as a dog toilet and I think it's bad manners to allow your dog to do this. Once I sort of get - but this is now becoming a pattern.

AIBU to literally stake out my camera notifications today and ensure I can get to my front door and ask her to stop immediately? Or just ignore it?

@Dinnafashyersel

We used to have this problem but now our neighbour has a dog who marks his territory by peeing on the wall on his way out we don't. Other dogs are better at controlling each other than many dog owners it would appear.

The dogs are competing for dominance of the same territory, this is what your dog is doing when it craps outdoors, marking it's territory! if you let your dog please itself it will extend its territory as far as it can this is why dogs need to be controlled, many of there instincts are antisocial

She must know the dog had got into a routine of going a wee and poo on your garden. So she should just walk wide or along the road past your bit, so he goes there instead.

Such bad manners.

Shame the dog doesn't live next door because then you could chuck the crap over a fence where it belongs.
So selfish letting a dog shit willy nilly and aksidisgusting so next time the dog fouls someone else's property take the owner to task and spray the dog with a cold hosepipe

At least she picks it up. How can that be frowned upon when cats can go wherever and no one is held responsible? Yes, I am aware that the owner is not with the cat at all times, but still think it's double standards. I find it a lot more annoying that people's cats crap in our back garden daily and obviously they are not picked up but anyone but me. I'm tired of having to patrol the garden before letting my DS out into it.

Of course she is doing something wrong! There will be smears left and it's totally unacceptable. She knows it's wrong and you should tell her strongly it's not on and report to police if she continues as a form of harassment.

There is an example of double standards. The post above saying too bad they don't live next door, you could throw it over the hedge. Imagine I did that with cat crap. I'm sure I would be the one labelled unreasonable.

Of course YANBU.

Good luck catching her OP.

As a one off I wouldn't care as long as it was cleaned up (accidents happen to the best of us no matter how perfect a pet owner you think you are) but it's unacceptable that this dog owner has allowed it to develop into a habit and appears to be encouraging it. That's unbelievably rude!

I would also go out and talk to her, and if that doesn't work you may need to get a fence.

Another dog owner here-

I would never let my dog so much as put a pampered paw in someone else's front garden-let alone use it as a loo!!
That is not ok at all OP.
It would really bother me as it is very entitled behaviour!

It's not even about the shit. She shouldn't be letting her dog in your garden full stop. Whenever my children try and balance on people garden walls etc I always try and explain it's somebody else's property. Tell her to take her dog elsewhere for a shit.

@Hillary111

A dog goes when it needs to go, this cannot (in most circumstances) be helped. Yes, you can try and drag the dog mid-shit but sometimes this isn't always possible. A number of times my dog has started to go without me realising and by then it's too late... what should i do? Hold my hands underneath to catch it?!

If you forgive the pun this is uninformed crap 💩. How do you think guide dog owners cope?

Dogs can be trained or encouraged where to go. The can easily be distracted with treats until they learn. Some are trained to only go in the gutter. It is all about how much effort the owner puts in.

As long as I pay attention and have my dog walking close and tell him no until we reach an appropriate place to toilet he is fine.

There may be dogs with medical issues which cause toileting urgency, but if this is a problem outdoors it would be a problem indoors too.

@Port1aCastis

Shame the dog doesn't live next door because then you could chuck the crap over a fence where it belongs. So selfish letting a dog shit willy nilly and aksidisgusting so next time the dog fouls someone else's property take the owner to task and spray the dog with a cold hosepipe

I don't think you should be cruel to the dog, the fault is entirely with the owner. To those raising the issue of cat soiling, I can see that this is also problem which needs to be addressed but I have no idea how it could be

those dog owners who say they can't help where the animal chooses to soil are we to assume that your dog regularly soils inside your house?

I wouldn't let my dog do that. Fair enough if I don't notice in time but if I see that she needs to go I try and find some place that isn't a garden. I tend not to walk streets anyways.

@Thehawki

Hmm.. I think she isn't necessarily doing anything wrong if your garden is right near the path. I would go out of you have the opportunity and be polite about it. Tell her you understand she can't really decide where her dog poops but can she move the dog onto the path so he's not poopong in your garden.

After that if she hasn't stopped, it might be time to put in a very low fence as a deterrent. As a dog owner I see both sides, as I'm assuming she hasn't even thought about it being your garden, so don't see much reason to go all guns blazing. But it's your garden so I would also do as you asked once I realised.

I'm also a dog owner and I think your position is ridiculous.

Certainly, I can't decide where my dog prefers to poo or wee but I absolutely control where they do it. One of mine will only go to the toilet on grass so make sure our walk includes public areas with grass, let her go and then clean up. There is absolutely no way I would let her enter someone's garden at all, never mind to wee or poo.

Op - speak to her and ask her to stop letting her dog into your garden. If she doesn't, I would suggest a motion activated sprinkler.

[quote LucyLime]@Hoppinggreen yes private garden and very obviously so

I'm really heartened to see that the majority of dog owners consider this bad manners and would never let their dog do it. I was surprised at the first few responses thinking it was no big deal. Just goes to show that there are people out there who let their animals do anything [/quote]
Same as parents really. Most parents are responsible and bring their children up to show consideration for others. A small minority (obviously barring special needs) let their children do whatever they want.

It''s not unreasonable to expect that people control their dog and don't let it shit on your lawn. It's not like it's happened once, and was an accident. I wonder if the people that are suggesting that you should 'just put up a fence' are those that have a load of spare fencing, some spare concrete for footings and the required tools in the shed... plus of course the spare day or so that you would need to erect it? Of course you shouldn't have to spend your time and your money because a lazy dog owner can't be bothered to supervise her pet.
OP - I hope that you can catch the dog owner this afternoon and explain how out of line this is.

@Runnerduck34 it isn't on the boundary . It is slap bang in the middle of my garden. Sometimes directly under the windows at the front of the house - that's how close it is. Unfortunately our living room is at the back of the house so I'm relying on a camera Ping to go and have a word with her

@FanFckingTastic thank you! We can't have a fence - we also don't want a fence! Oh I'm poised already! That dog will want a second walk soon surely?!

You do promise to update OP? Please don’t be one of those OPs who takes all the advice and then never comes back!

@OchonAgusOchonO good point. I wouldn't allow my kids to waltz over someone's garden either - and they're definitely not pooing on it!

[quote LucyLime]@Runnerduck34 it isn't on the boundary . It is slap bang in the middle of my garden. Sometimes directly under the windows at the front of the house - that's how close it is. Unfortunately our living room is at the back of the house so I'm relying on a camera Ping to go and have a word with her [/quote]
I wouldn't take the first few responses in AIBU seriously.

I pretty much skim over the first five, as they're almost always ridiculous.

I think that some dog owners get so used to handling dog shit that they forget how utterly disgusting it is. Hopefully she will be apologetic and reasonable.

Dogs are 'livestock', allowing your livestock onto other people's land is trespass, the owner is liable for any damage caused. Give her a disk with footage of her dog repeatedly shitting along with a receipt for lawn treatment.

My NDN thinks he's a dog expert. His dopey choc lab would wander all over our cul-de-sac without a lead (dog expert doesn't need to use leads). I sent all my camera footage to the council & called the dog warden ever time his dog was out wandering shitting/pissing all over. He got fined. Dog expert was not happy so being a ten Bob millionaire, he paid the fine but didn't change his behaviour. He eventually got threatened with court & being banned from keeping dogs. Dog expert now begrudgingly behaves himself.

@CheetasOnFajitas oh I'll update.

In fact here is the culprit in the act!!! Anyone who recognises this bottom let me know

PS I daren't post a full image for obvious reasons