Dear Neighborhood Dogs:
I will never forget the moment you two first appeared in our backyard, trotting around and sniffing everything with great enthusiasm. It was so cute and unexpected. Adorable even – especially when Annie pointed at you and yelled, “Doggies!”
The thing is, when you came back the next day, and then the day after that, and then the freakin’ day after that, it got a whole heck of a lot less cute. Please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not saying you aren’t cute dogs. You are. Very much so. Clearly you have good owners who take good care of you. That’s why I don’t understand why the heck won’t stay with them in your our damn yard!
You see this tiny little dog?
Her name is Rigby, and she was very excited to move into a home with her own backyard to run around after six and a half long years cooped up in an apartment.
You know what Rigby doesn’t like? You big, stinky dogs running around her territory and keeping her out of her own backyard.
Rigby also isn’t a fan of your running past our sliding glass doors at six a.m. and forcing her to defend her castle with loud, toddler-waking barks. My husband and I don’t like it either. Especially the “toddler waking” part. It’s not cool, neighborhood dogs.
You know what else isn’t cool? Your stomping through our flowers and bushes with careless abandon and leaving our property looking like the over sized dog crap one of you left beside our lounge chair yesterday.
So here’s the deal, dogs. Stop acting low class. Like mutts. Have a little respect, stay in your own damn yard, and keep out of our space. Don’t make Rigby have to call up her posse of Maltese dogs to take you down. Because they will. Or my husband will.
Consider yourselves warned,
Heather (the lady who screams at you from the windows to “Go!”)
Teki says:
This is a HUGE freaking pet peeve of mine and I have dogs! I’d start by dropping by and nicely asking them to keep the dogs out of your yard, poop is no ones friend. Mentioning you have a toddler and you’d rather she didn’t step in their dog waste. And it that doesn’t work, REPORT THEM. They clearly are NOT responsible owners (or they would leash them/pick up poop/etc). And remember the old saying ‘good fences make good neighbors’. Darn dogs!
karen says:
How are they getting in? Find a way of stopping them getting in to the yard.
One of our neighbours lets his dog out very early every morning (5.30am) and follows him up and down the road, seeing him go in other peoples gardens and not stopping or doing anything about it. My husband wants to scrap up all the poop and dump it back in his garden…my husband is very evil!
DefendUSA says:
He should. It’s the only way that inconsiderate dog owners get it. I have often gone out and thanked my neighbors who do poop scoop!!
Heather says:
They are getting in through a drainage ditch that runs through our property. They just go right under the fence.
Lissa says:
String a bit of chicken wire fencing under the fenceline where the ditch is, then they can’t get under it.
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
This is why fences make good neighbors!
AmyinBC says:
You nailed it Lynn!
Kristen says:
I have a friend that had the same problem…except the owner was walking the dog on leash, and stopped right in front of her to let her dog poop. She scraped up the poop, and sent it to the people with a note that read “You forgot this when you stopped by.” Hasn’t happened again.
Nia says:
HAHA! Love it!
Nicole says:
Before we got our fence the neighbors dog would poop in our yard. Dh would go outside, pick it up and throw it up on her deck.
Shan says:
Oh no..what a pain in the rump! We live in a neighborhood but it is rural..ish. So there are dogs running free…our backyard is fenced..but it doesn’t stop our dogs from barking like craaaazy when other dogs come to visit. Adorable picture by the way!
Jessica says:
I bet those dogs are reading this right now and keeping their distance :).
Heather says:
They’d better be.
DefendUSA says:
When I was a kid, my aunt had a pool. She also had a sign…Please don’t pee in our pool, we don’t swim in your toilet.
I have trouble with a dog who gets in my recycle bin and bike helmets, and she leaves mega effing turds. It’s quite unpleasant to blow the leaves and rake knowing I will eventually find the prize shit left behind. Next time the dogs do their duty in your yard, bag it up and go put it in the doorstep and leave a kind note attached…I policed this up for you from my yard so my toddler wouldn’t step in it. Please poop scoop from your own yard from now on…it would be greatly appreciated as I know my dog uses her own yard or you can kindly return the favor. It works. Every. time.
DefendUSA says:
PS…trying to be nice as opposed to creating flack works out much better. I had neighbors from hell in Chicago that I tried to kill with kindness…it didn’t work, but at least I tried before I reported them for their own ridiculousness to the village.
MissyK says:
Oh man. I know how much of a pain in the butt that is! We used to have an older “gentleman” that would walk his dog each morning & let the dog do his business right in the corner of our yard and leave it everytime. I told him several times to stop & would you believe he just ignored me?! Gahh! Finally had to take it to our neighborhood office. It is a fineable offense where we live not to pick up after your dogs, even in your own yard.
I now have these funny little “No Pooping” dog shaped yard signs. They get the point across with humor.
Candy says:
Try and see if you can change your neighbors’ behavior through kindness, like some of the other posters have said. However keep in mind if that does not work, you’ll probably have to call Animal Control and have these people’s dog’s picked up.
The fact they let their dogs run free without incident so far is very lucky on their part, no dogs hit by a car etc, but their dogs are infringing on your yard and leaving “presents” and its not fair to you.
Jen @ lifelove'n'wine says:
Definitely say something (kindly) to the owners. Hopefully that will help.
Robyn says:
“Clearly you have good owners who take good care of you.”
?????????
Good owners don’t let their dogs run free and unsupervised through a neighborhood. Yes, dogs can get out sometimes. Good owners figure out how they’re getting out and then make changes to prevent it.
Heather says:
Well, good owners in that these dogs are clearly well fed, well groomed, etc. But yes, I agree.
Jennifer says:
I have three dogs and I would never let them just run around the neighborhood like that. It’s very irresponsible. Dog owners who don’t pick up their dog’s poop drive me crazy. I agree with the other posters – definitely say something to the owners. Since your home was vacant for so long they may not be aware that it’s become an issue for you. And research installing a fence!
Jess says:
Time for a fence?
Heather says:
We have one. There is a drainage system that goes through our property and the dogs get in through that.
Jess says:
Wow. Your yard must be totally awesome to go through all that trouble to get in!
Rebecca says:
This makes me so glad we have a fence around our yard. We don’t have a dog but we have a cat that I like to take on walks in the back yard. She is leash trained and loves going outside to explore.
Heather says:
A cat on a leash is awesome! We have a fence but the dogs get in through the drainage system.
Hope says:
I’d ask the neighbors politely to keep their dogs out of your yard. Maybe bake them a treat and pop over and say ‘you probably don’t even realize this…’ That way it’s not confrontational and you hopefully keep them as a good neighbor.
I have resorted to delivering the poop back to the original owners, but only after exhausting all other methods. People don’t remain friends once poop starts being delivered.
Megan says:
Poor Rigby. The thought of her looking sadly out at her long yearned-for backyard as those dumb dogs are taking over it is so sad. Get that posse, Rigby!
Jenb says:
I have a nice 6 foot fence around my yard, so no dog issues. But now I have cat issues! There are a couple of neighbors that give their cats free reign. I have a couple of bird feeders in my back yard. They scale the fence no problem and wait under the feeders and kill the birds. Not nice at all. I don’t think this is any better than dogs running around. Though their droppings are at lease smaller!
Allison says:
That wasnt my cat was it?? Unfortunately, there is no real way to train your cat to stay in the yard……
Heather says:
We have a fence too, but there is this big drain ditch so they get in that way. So annoying!
Kate says:
My parents’ neighbors had this wonderful black lab when we were growing up who never left the neighbors yard. She was a wonderful dog, and we all really liked her. When she passed (I was probably about 10 or 11 at the time), they got a second black lab who was a nightmare. She wouldn’t stay in their yard, she jumped the fence and came into our yard, and she tormented our dogs. My dad kept talking to the neighbors, but they pretty much ignored him. So for the first about four years of that dog’s life, we put up with her jumping into our yard, tormenting our dogs, digging in our front yard, et cetera.
The only reason my dad never reported the dogs was that he’d have to call county animal control and it would’ve caused a massive battle (they’re unincorporated; there’s no village to report them to).
I’d talk to the neighbors. You have a dog and a young child and they’re obviously not bothered by letting the dogs wander. And if they keep it up, report them to someone. I mean, I wouldn’t say to go to animal control, but if you have a town/HOA you can report them to, do it. Because obviously this just isn’t good for you, or Rigby, or anyone.
It always shocks me how dog owners (cat owners, too) are comfortable letting their animals just run and wander. That really upsets me, as an animal lover.
debi says:
People who let their dogs run free to bark and poop in others yards have no consideration for others. I have found that asking nicely rarely changes this. Paying to get their dog out of lock up usually does. I always want to be friends with all my neighbors and it is hard to make that call but it is your yard. I thought you had a fence. I’m glad these dogs aren’t pit bulls. We have a real problem with them in New Mexico. I wish you the best.
Lisa_in_WI says:
Pit bulls unfortunately are the “dog du jour” for people to fear these days. As with any breed, bad owners=bad dogs. Back in the day it was German shepherds, rotweilers or dobermans. Pit bulls actually used to be called Nanny Dogs because they are so good around kids.
It just makes me sad that these dogs are so villified. Many of the pit bulls that Michael Vick mistreated are sweet, kind, and adoptable. I just ask that you place the anger where it (in most cases) belongs — on the owner of the dog, whatever breed it might be.
Alison says:
Unfortunately, Lisa, you’re right. Pits have become the whipping dog, so to speak for the current day. And yet, we recently adopted a pit who could not be more kind and loving toward our 2YO daughter.
Dogs are no different than humans, in the respect that we all come with the capacity for violence and bad behavior. It’s how we’re raised, treated and loved that determines whether or not we use that capacity for violence.
giselle says:
Thank you Lisa and Alison!!!
I feel the same way. Pits can be so wonderful and sweet and loving. Bad owners make bad pets, not the other way around.
Heather – I think you should definitely talk to the neighbors. Calling animal control sucks because if those people don’t care, the dogs get put down. I know it’s a sad fact of life, but I hate it anyway.
Heather says:
We do have a fence. There is also a drainage system so the dogs shimmy in through that.
Lisa_in_WI says:
Have you been able to get close enough to them to see if they have tags? Then you could at least call their owners and ask them politely to keep the dogs in their own yard.
Becki says:
Call the owners. Chances are if this happens daily they will do NOTHING. They are hoping the dogs will poop where THEY don’t have to pick it up.
Tell them if it doesnt stop you will be calling the Pound.
It is likely the only way it will stop.
Trisha says:
Aww yes, the owners who love and take care of their pooches so much that they let them roam the neighborhood and poop in everyone else’s yards, try to breed with every dog they see and bark at your back door for some attention. Yes, we have a few of those on our block too!! Sorry All I can say is try to talk to your neighbors if you know who the owners are and if nothing else call you local ASPCA if it gets out of hand.
Evil Twin's Wife says:
We moved from an inconsiderate dog owning neighborhood to a new county 7 yrs ago. They have a noise ordinance and will gladly send animal control to pick up dogs or cats wandering aimlessly or barking constantly. In 7 years, I have seen about 4 dogs running amok and 2, maybe 3 cats. We don’t hear barking, we don’t have mulch that looks like a cat box (or smells like it).
I would call your city representative and alert them of the issue. The rude neighbors never have to know who called, but maybe the situation will be handled. Good luck!
Kristin says:
Oh my I feel your pain Heather! I’ve been battling this same issue for a while now. My little 5 pounder stands no chance against our neighbors’ 60+ pound dogs who wander through our yard constantly. One even attacked my dog in our OWN DRIVEWAY. I have tried talking to both neighbors – the one who attacked my poor little one is good about things. The other one? Not so much. She is a piece of work and I’ve tried to talk to her several times nicely to no avail. Although I shouldn’t have expected much since this is the same woman who doesn’t even watch her kids in the neighborhood – she doesn’t know when they’re in other people’s houses (they just let themselves in), or peeing in the puddles down the street at 2 years old (yes that happened when we moved in!). It’s such a tough situation because you need to protect your dog but you don’t want to start trouble with neighbors either. But your dog has a right to feel safe in her yard! It makes me so angry. Let me know if you resolve it – I’d love to get some pointers!
Lisa_in_WI says:
If there is a dog rescue or No Kill animal shelter in your area (Humane Society and ASPCA will unfortunately put animals down before their time), consider contacting them. Maybe they can convince the owner to surrender the dog so they can find it a new home where it will be properly taken care of.
CorningNY says:
If these kids are running around unsupervised at such a young age, you should call Child Protective Services. The report may not be “indicated” but at least it may wake up the parents.
Txtingmrdarcy says:
Uggggggh this is one of my biggest “pet peeves.” (Pun slightly intended.) We have a fence for our dog, AND keep him leashed when he’s walked. It’s the law, at least in our area. Yet, there are still owners who persist walking their dogs without leashes, across busy streets and during the morning commute. Dogs are animals, and unpredictable. I don’t care how “well-trained” you think your pet is, you’re putting them in danger if you’re letting them walk off-leash around cars or through people’s yards. There’s no reason Rigby should feel intimidated in her own yard. You have every right to be irritated.
Jeanie says:
That’s just sad. Maybe you need to talk to the doggies’ parents. Uncomfortable, I know.
Beckie says:
I politely asked one neighbor to come clean up her dog’s poop so I could bring my daughter out in our yard to play. She did clean it up. (that was 30+ yrs ago. About 20 yrs ago, we would be awakened by a basset hound howling in our cul de sac every morning between 5 & 5:30 am. I found out that it belonged to a family four streets over. I called one morning at 5 am (& woke them) and asked that they come get the dog & that we would all appreciate it if the dog stayed home. Never had another problem, but I was prepared to call again. I was nice, but firm!
Richard says:
Sounds like bad owners if they are left to run around your yard. It’s a shame that people don’t have to pass a test to be able to keep dogs. They are wonderful pets, but irresponsible owners can be such a nuisance to other people.
That said, I’d rather loose friendly dogs than the hoodies with violent dogs you get round my way!
Alison says:
I agree, they do not have good owners if they are running around the neighborhood like that.
I’d call dog control. I really would.
Lindsey says:
Why is that bone hanging in mid-air in your picture??
We had a neighbor whose dog would bark at all hours of the night and early am. I would call them and wake them up, figuring if we had to be awake, so should they. So one night, after one of those calls, the big just-released-from-prison son came over banging on our door — it was a horrible scene. I sure hope you can resolve this issue. As others have said, you all shouldn’t have to put up with this stuff. Sad thing about home ownership — having to put up with ‘crappy’ neighbors sometimes. Best of luck!
Heather says:
It’s a Christmas ornament.
TracyKM says:
If this is happening repeatedly, then the neighbours obviously don’t care and you should just contact animal control. Once they’re in your yard, close your gates and keep them contained, then call.
If you’re not ready for that, try spraying them with a hose. Or dog repellent spray. Or leash them up, scoop up their poop, take them home, tie them to their front door and leave the poop on the doorstep.
How are they getting into your yard? Isn’t it secure so Rigby doesn’t escape?
I would love to know how people get the phone numbers of other residents in their neighbourhood! I’ve tried searching on line for my MIL’s phone number once when I couldn’t remember it, and couldn’t find that (and I know she’s not unlisted!). How do you find a number when you don’t have a name?
lorena (@lamaschida) says:
I can relate. My neighbor lets her dog run free in our condo’s shared outdoor space. Which drives our little dog crazy when it comes up to our back sliding glass door. Neighbor doesn’t even blink. Sigh…
Maybe, if they are tame, you can tie a note to their collar. Maybe a copy of this post! Good luck
Em says:
Oh how I can relate we have the same problem in our neighborhood and my hounds go bonkers at dogs running loose. Does your city have a leash law? If it does, kindly inform the owners about it, if they disregard your info then totally call animal control and report them. The dogs running loose are a nuisance to you and they could also get hurt by cars if they are hit, totally not safe!
Also, if they are scooting under the drainage ditch fence could you also contact the city to report your problem and let them know that the ditch fence needs repairs ? Good luck!