speaking hypothetically about dogs

[johnb]

I had a confrontation with a woman who lives down the street from me today, imagine that. She is one of Cary's special dog walkers, the kind who thinks your yard is there for her dogs excrementory enjoyment.

She remains in the street but her leash has got to be 2 -3 hundred yards long because this dog, well, maybe 6-8 feet long, the mutt is not at the edge of anything.

I've noticed that when no one is out but her, ie, she doesn't see anyone outside watching her she won't clean up old rover's feces. When someone is present she makes a nice show with the plastic bags.

That said, old fido drops his filth in eveyrone's yard, but hers, the kicker is she has a fenced in yard in the back. Old fido has taken a liking to my neighbors yard where there are half dozen kids, his and others, playing. If they don't object that's their problem as far as I am concerned, but old fido also likes my yard. Specifically the spot where the kids sit around the stop sign waiting for the school bus.

This evening I confronted her and told her to take her dog elsewhere. Her response was stunning in it's arrogance and utter contempt for other people's property.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Some of you know me. :evil:

I of course very loudly ordered her out of my yard and told her she would be prosecuted for trespassing and violating the animal control laws for brining her filty mutt to defecate/urinate in my yard if found again. The old crone immediately began calling me obscene names. She was furious that I objected to her bringing her mutt into my yard for the pursposes she and old fido had in mind. The important thing though is not whether I am an ahole or not as she claimed, but where and when did we loose respect for other people's property ? Or am I imagining things were better in days gone by?

This filthy woman knows the children in our area gather at that corner to catch the school bus Monday through Friday and yet that is the very spot she makes a bee line for so her dog can defecate and urinate where they congregate.

Any parents out there that enjoy their kids wearing the scent of canine feces and urine on their clothing? It's not like she is the only one that does it, I've asked numerous dog walkers to keep their animals out of my yard and the response is usually ignorant and arrogant, they all seem to think their right to have a dog obligates others to provide the defecation/urination spaces for their animal.

Do neighborhoods with homeowners associations have a better way to deal with this than the nonresponsive CPD?

[Karen]

My opinion. You had every right to tell this sob to get her **** dog off your property. That's not just being an irresponsible dog owner, but irresponsible, obnoxious human being if you ask me. No dog owner should ever let their dog do his business on other people's property. But it happens sometimes when you take your dog for a walk so PICK IT UP!!!

I have a similar neighbor who not only has her dog do it's business in other people's yards, but thinks it's okay for it to jump all over the neighborhood kids, even if they are visibly upset by it. I guess she hasn't figured out that those retractable leashes can be locked. I've had to take MY dog inside my house when in MY OWN yard because her dog started jumping all over him. These people have no understanding of common decency because they are living in their own little clueless world. ie they are narcisistic idiots.

If I were you I WOULD call animal control on this lady next time. Inconvience her like she is doing to you and the rest of your neighbors. And invconvience her OFTEN. :twisted:

But there are considerate dog owners out there too. These people give the rest of us a bad name. :x

[kellyc]

This kind of crap makes the good dog owners look bad. I have heard of people collecting a dog's waste and putting it on the owners front step after some time. But that seems like an awful lot of work to go thru for a bad dog owner. She probably wouldnt get it anyway. Sorry thats happening to you John. You know a well timed water sprinkler would make for some fun with that. When we walk our dogs in our neighborhood, we simply try to stay in the street so that doesnt become an option for the dogs. Now an undeveloped lot......or a fire hydrant...well.......

Kelly

[Brent]

John, not that this will make you feel any better, but we have people of her ilk in our neighborhood also, and I expect they abound elsewhere. I have also noticed the "clean it up only when someone is watching" syndrome. Yeah, that's really classy. We and other neighbors find dog poop in our yards all too often. If I catch the person doing it, I'll tell them the same thing you told Mrs. Snotty Pants.

I can tell you what one neighborhood HOA (mine) does: they put reminders in the newsletter to pick up after your pet, and they put up a couple of little signs along the common area where people walk their dogs reminding people to pick up after their pets. That is about as effective as you might guess.

[johnb]

I've got one of those disposable cameras near the front door now. Next time it occurs there will be photographic evidence taken and there will be a prosecution. I hate to push it but if the dog walkers have no respect for other people's property, they shouldn't have a dog or they should be prepared to be prosecuted.

After enough complaints to animal control the animal can be branded a nuisance dog and the owner compelled to evacuate the animal from the city. Whether they would do that for situations like this or for those dog owners who turn their dog out and let it roam the neighborhood I don't know, but will find out.

[johnb]

"Now an undeveloped lot......or a fire hydrant...well......."


Kellly,

Be careful, the city has an easement to place street signs, fire hyrdants, etc in most yards. That does not give ANY private citizen the right to access those devices. If someone has a telephone pole in their yard no one has the right to trespass onto that yard and afix a yard sale sign to the pole.

I don't have a telephone pole in my yard but I do have a stop sign and a fire hydrant. Being that mine is a corner lot I've had some of these jerk real estate agents place 'Open House' signs in my yard pointing down the road to some property they were selling. Never has a single one of these slugs ever asked. I take the signs up immediately and tear them apart and throw 'em away. I've also got idiots attaching signs to the stop sign post. At first I did nothing, til I noticed they never came back to remove their 'lost dog' or 'yard sale' sign. Now I remove them immediately as well, they get torn up and handed back to the owner with a demand to stay the hell off my yard.

[johnb]

I submitted the following today. If, after it gets published, you see a large fire coming from Scottish Hills and a mob armed with rocks and pitch forks you will know what occured. :evil:

John
-------------




I had a confrontation with a neighbor of mine this weekend. This individual is, sadly, typical of Cary dog owners, the kind who think your yard is there for their dog. This dog walker remains in the street but the leash allowed the mutt to be well into my yard.

Like the majority of dog walkers, I've noticed that when no one is out, ie, the dog walker doesn't see another person, he or she won't clean up their dog's feces. When someone is present they make a nice show with the plastic bags. I have seen this particular dog walker leave quickly after it's dog left my neighbor a present without cleaning it up, the kicker is the owner has a fenced in yard. This particular mutt has taken a liking to my neighbors yard where there are half dozen kids, his and others, play outdoors almost daily. If they don't mind or object it's not my place too. My objection is that this mutt also likes my yard. Specifically the spot where the neighborhood kids sit around the stop sign waiting for the school bus at the intersection of Brookgreen and Balmoral. This individual knows that the children in our area gather at that corner to catch the school bus Monday through Friday and yet, that is the very spot that mutt is taken too to defecate and urinate, right where they congregate.

This past Saturday evening I approached this person and stated that the dog needed to be taken elsewhere, removed from my property not too return, whether the mess was cleaned up or not is irrelevant. The response was stunning in it's arrogance and utter contempt for other people's property.

"Don't tell me what to do!" was the immediate retort. At first, the dog walker didn't even bother trying to pull the mutt out of my yard.

I, of course, ordered this person out of my yard and stated that a repetition would be grounds for prosecution for trespassing and violating the animal control laws for bringing that filthy mutt to defecate/urinate in my yard again. In a scene reminiscent of confrontations with numerous other dog walkers, this one began calling me obscene names. This individual was furious that I objected to having my yard turned into a public facility for their animal.. I don't care what the opinion of another law breaking, trespassing dog walker may be or what obscene names I may be called. What bothers me is how contemptuous these people are of other people's property.

Where and when did we, as a people, loose respect for other people's property? Or am I imagining things were better in days gone by? The fact that people have a right to own a dog does not impose an obligation on other people to allow their yards to be used by dog or cat owners in this fashion. I've had enough plants killed at the edges of my yard by dogs urinating on them. It bothers me that I am stuck taking a shovel out to scoop up the dog feces left around the trees and fire hydrant in my yard. I'm tired of having cats prowling through my yard on the hunt for the birds around my bird feeders. I gave none of the owners of these animals permission to have their animal in my yard. Hence, they are in violation of the city's animal control ordinances. When has ANY dog walker ever asked another homeowner for PERMISSION to take their dog onto that homeowner's property? Why do these people assume they have the right to trespass without reproach? How many have to be prosecuted before a bit of common decency will be observed by Cary's dog walkers? People that turn their dogs and cats loose to roam or who take their animals on someone else's property to relieve itself should expect nothing less than a citation with a court date on it. Since they have nothing but disregard, if not outright contempt, for their neighbors, their neighbors should not accept that rotten behavior. It's time to demand better, make the Cary Police Department Animal Control Officers earn their pay.

Don't walk your dog until AFTER it has urinated or defecated in your own yard. Of course, for most dog walkers, that defeats the purpose of taking the dog for a walk.

[Karen]

When we walk our dogs in our neighborhood, we simply try to stay in the street so that doesnt become an option for the dogs.

That's what we do too. And if I had to make an estimate, about 75% of the dog owners in my neighborhood do the same thing, even the younger kids who walk their dogs. It's just the few who let the dogs wander on other's property, and don't clean up after their dog that, again, make most dog owners look bad. I find most dog owners in my neighborhood very respectful...

Karen

[dhyatt]

John,
If they had a dog park to visit, they'd probably leave your yard alone :D

(Sorry, I couldn't pass on that one. It was just too good...)

[Brent]

I submitted the following today.

John, submitted to whom? Cary News? It's too long for a letter to the editor; maybe they'll publish it as a column if you send them a picture! :)

[snip]


to defecate and urinate, right where they congregate.

BTW, this is my favorite part -- it sounds like something Jesse Jackson would say! :lol:

[kellyc]

"Now an undeveloped lot......or a fire hydrant...well......."


Kellly,

Be careful, the city has an easement to place street signs, fire hyrdants, etc in most yards. That does not give ANY private citizen the right to access those devices.


I promise you...the only fire hydrants my dogs are allowed at are the ones along a busy street such as Maynard, where the hydrant really isnt in a persons yard...I just dont like my dogs going in someone's yard, simply for the fact of my own dog's safety. I have no idea if you have recently put something in your yard, such as a pesticide or herbicide that could harm my dog or myself. Just not for me.

Kelly

[johnb]

That's a safe and respectful stance Kelly.

I am wondering if all the jerks with dogs moved into my neighborhood. Our ratio is flipped....3/4 allow their dogs in other people's yards and 1/4 stay on public property (road or the sidewalk where there are sidewalks).

I was beginning to feel grateful for the dog owners that alllow their dogs in my yard but at least keep them on leashes since there are a number of dog/cat owners who allow their animals to roam.

[johnb]

Brent,

Yep the Cary News, Keith King.

So if you see it it'll either be severely edited OR there will be a picture of the south end of a north bound horse next to it. :)

[johnb]

--to defecate and urinate, right where they congregate.

-BTW, this is my favorite part -- it sounds like something Jesse Jackson would say!

That is pretty good eh? I missed it entirely till you pointed it out.

Although, the reality is that it's rather filthy and disgusting.

A Cary Police Department animal control officer is in motion today, we're solving some problems. ;)

[Wuptdo]

Mr. John,

As you know, once a dog has marked it terrority (your yard), all the rest of the dogs will offer greetings as well (it's a dog thing). Your yard sort of becomes the community cesspool. However, let me offer you two suggestion to keep the little doggies away. 1) spread a combination of mothballs and sulpher around your yard (it's supposed to work on snakes too) or 2) spray you yard down with a amonia and water mix (it's good for your grass too). You may not be able to change the dog's owners routine, but it will change the dogs.

Keep up the good work -- the "law" is on your side.

Wuptdo

[johnb]

Thanks for the tips....

...you used a term that really makes me irritated..."marks it's territory"....the bad thing is, the dog wouldn't think it was it's territory if the dog owner would just obey the law and have a minimum of common sense and / or decency about them.

[johnb]

By the way all, IF you make a complaint to Cary animal control, you better do it via email....they don't like that, it leaves a "paper trail" for accountability....I've already got one Cary animal control officer telling me actions would be taken and Cary PD officer coming in later revealing information that was "off script"...when caught in a, well, let's call it an abuse of the truth, using and keeping emails makes it painfully obvious that one of the last things the animal control officers really want to do is enforce the law, unless you have a dog of a breed they think looks dangerous....

Chows, dobermans, German Shepherds, et al, get held to one standard while labs, poodles, and spaniels get a different standard....so much for the equal protection nonsense...:)

[Karen]

Chows, dobermans, German Shepherds, et al, get held to one standard while labs, poodles, and spaniels get a different standard....so much for the equal protection nonsense...:)

That in itself is ridiculous. My kids love playing with my friend's 2 dobermans. The owners know my children well, and have done an excellent job introducing "playtime" with the dogs and my children. The dog I'm more concerned about scratching, biting, or hurting my kids is my neighbor's cocker spaniel who she has no control over, and thinks it's cute for her dog to jump all over my kids.

The issue should not be the breed of dog but whether or not the the OWNER is following basic laws, and common sense in owning the animal. The focus of Animal Control should be the PERSON not the breed of animal.

Karen