Now that we own a house instead of living in an apartment...we have our OWN yard, which means that other people letting their dogs go #2 on our lawn is even MORE annoying than it was when we "shared" the lawn area outside our apartment door. Our yard is where our kids play, and I would much prefer not to have to worry about them falling in dog poop...or getting it in someone's mouth (remember...one of those children just turned one and still puts
everything in his mouth!). We actually see dog poop IN our yard, not just on the edge. Seriously, do people just let their dogs run off without a leash - or do they have them on a leash that is really that long and let them go into the middle of other people's yards?? We are not very happy about this, as you could imagine. And it seems like so many people around us has dogs... That's fine. I just don't want to have to deal with the poop.
The other day, Aiden and I were taking our morning stroll and saw
this in a neighbor's yard.
It's a small stand that goes into the ground. Flat, small (12x12), gets the point across in a tactful way (especially compared to some other signs I've seen...).
What do you think? Any dog owners out there? If you saw this posted next to a tree on the edge of our yard, would you be
more or
less likely to let your dog do its business on our lawn? Would you be offended?
I certainly don't want to make matters worse. But I would love to make them better! Do share your thoughts...
5 comments:
I don't have a dog, but if I did I would be afraid of the sign and wouldn't let the dog use that lawn at all. When I walk my sister's dog I always fear the homeowner is watching me when he starts to pop. I'm quick with the baggie to clean it up but I am always afraid someone is going to yell at me anyway.
Another sign option would be "Young children play here (with a picture of a crawling baby?), please clean up after your dog." That appeals to peoples general desire to keep babies safe.
We had this same problem when we first moved in our new house. I think dow owners got sloppy when they knew it was for sale and unoccupied. I did a ton of research to find out the best way to try keep dogs from going on our lawn (with no luck). I seriously considered a sign as well. Instead I did two things, I lanscaped the front lawn to let people know someone was living there, and someone who cared about their lawn. Then I planted marigolds around a tree in the front. I was hoping dogs wouldn't want to stop and sniff. I also considered putting some of those short fence sections as a barrier from the sidewalk.
The good news is we have had no problems since (cross my fingers). Is the poop dog sized poop? Or could it be a cat? We have an outdoor cat in the neighborhood that goes where it wants, but it isn't as bad as the german shepherd looking stuff.
I hate that. However, in my neighborhood in KY people are also so inconsiderate to not just let their dogs poo in my yard, but they also litter beer bottles, sell drugs, pull guns out on people, beat people up, urinate on the tree in the empty lot next to my house(the people, not the dogs) and (this is my personal favorite) pay & receive oral sex between my house and the neighbor's. To stop the selling of drugs and the ladies of the night from peddling their goods next to my house, the lawn on that side is over grown with thorn bushes. I'm guessing that is not an option, but there are somethings that you can use to spray the yard to keep them from marking it. I bought some of the cat stuff to keep the feral cats from spraying my porch, but they make it for dogs too. I don't remember what it is called, but I found it at petsmart. I would also try a sign. Good luck.
I would totally go for a sign that mentions my kids playing. I just haven't seen one before. I do sometimes clear my throat or something if I'm out and someone is stopping to let their dog pee...just to be sure they know I'm there. I actually feel bad doing that, but I always worry that they'll not pick up if something else comes out. I don't like being rude myself, but I also don't want dog poop in my yard. I think the sign is nice (it's also eco-friendly, which is another plus), but Ryan's worried it will cause even more problems. I say it's worth a shot....better than not doing anything!
We actually have done a lot with our yard. The lady before didn't take great care of it, so we have weeded a ton and put new mulch around the trees and flower beds; we have redone the flower beds; and we've just done a lot of work outside to make it look nice. We're out a lot, too, so people see us. But it doesn't seem to make a difference. And the dogs aren't pooping next to trees or things like that - it's way into the yard where nothing else is... (Yeah, it's definitely "dog sized" poop. Haha!) So, either people are letting their dogs loose without a leash, and they're going wherever they want - or they have the dogs on long leashes and still let them go in other people's yards. Either is pretty bad, I think. :(
Sam - Sounds like that was a pretty rough neighborhood! Wow. I'll have to be sure not to move anywhere near there when we go back to Lex..... Maybe that's a plus with moving to Alaska? ;) If this keeps up, I might just go looking for that spray! I don't like being paranoid about letting Aiden walk in the grass in our own yard.
I have to chime in here. I am a dog owner of two dogs that we take for walks around town. We always clean up after our dogs. The people who don't clean up after their dogs annoy responsible dog owners as much as non dog owners. I don't think a sign would stop people who just don't care. It might make them stop more on your lawns. Peeing you can't really stop most of the time dogs aren't actually peeing. They just "mark" their territory and mostly nothing comes out especially since they do it so often on a walk!
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