Dog Repellent

[schoonergirl]

Today as we were walking Balou and Trillian after work the people 2 houses up came outside and gave us what for. Apparently Balou peeing on their bushes is Not OK. Despite the fact that their bushes are perfectly green they are displeased about him doing that. In fact they are so displeased that they have had to put out "Dog Repellent." And

Comments

[naomi_traveller]

I dunno. I'm kind of with your neighbour on this one. I know someone who was chased by dogs as a kid. She is totally freaked out by them in a way that is really hard for people who have only had good experiences with dogs to understand.

If you own property, you should be able to have preferences as to how that property is used by passers-by. Even weirdly high maintenance preferences. At least they notified you about the "Dog Repellent". Sneaking it out there and hoping Balou got a nasty surprise would have been much worse.

[topteddy]

that is really hard. the sidewalk is their space, and they can't really control who walks past their house. i am sure it isn't like they are out there trying to play, pass or work on their yard when balou walks by.

[topteddy]

that should be:

the sidewalk is not their space

[schoonergirl]

The random chemicals were out there for at least a week before they said anything to us.

We don't walk by every day.

And while I can understand not wanting to have the dogs leaving grossness on your lawn, it's not anything new from us that has started happening. We have been walking the dogs around our neighborhood as long as I have lived there, and their bushes look just the same now as they did when I moved in.

I always try to keep the dogs away from people who are scared by them. Balou and Trillian aren't running up to their windows or barking, they are just walking on the sidewalk. If we see them (or anyone else) going out to their car we generally wait up the street a bit to let them get in and drive off. And while they are perfectly within their rights to ask us to keep the dogs from peeing on their bushes I take great offense to being asked to not walk on a public sidewalk.

[lyssabits]

Yeah I'm kinda with naomi_traveller here. ;) While I think the dog repellent is overkill, as someone who had a pretty significant fear of dogs for a long time due to having been bitten by one (I still have the scar!) as a kid, I'm pretty sympathetic to people who are afraid of dogs. We had neighbors who were afraid of our silly golden retriever, and while I thought it was a baseless fear, we made sure she didn't bother them.

So yeah, the bushes thing is stupid, but I was a little dismayed to see her fear so casually dismissed. I think my co-worker's fear of all animals of any kind is ridiculous, but then, I also try to keep the animals at work away from her.

[lianthe]

I think if the request was to keep the dogs away from HER, or walk the dogs on the other side of the street when she's out in her yard or something... that's one thing. But to ask that they not walk past their house AT ALL is ridiculous. What, does the woman get freaked out just KNOWING a dog walked by? This is ridiculous

[lyssabits]

Our family is *totally* rude about the dogs they've had. The Dog Goggles are strong with them. It always made me uncomfortable how confrontational Papa got when people would give him shit about it. There are leash laws for a reason, and it's not unreasonable for people to want that law to be adhered to. The people who'd quiz him whether he had a bag to pick up droppings were over the line, but they really should keep Becks on the leash, for her own safety and everyone else's.

As for the Arroyo.. you know, there are a lot of people who do irresponsible shit. I wouldn't trust dogs there to be off leash any more than on the street. Which isn't to say that they shouldn't be allowed off leash, just that I for sure ain't gonna approach them without trepidation.

[schoonergirl]

I'm sorry you got bitten. :(

But I didn't dismiss the lady's fear. If she had actually come out and said she was uncomfortable and could we keep the dogs away from her that would be one thing. However she didn't say that, instead she had to some up with some lame "your dogs are hurting my bushes so walk on the other side of the street" thing. I object to being asked not to walk on a public sidewalk. We always keep the dogs on leashes. And since it is so very obvious that she is afraid of dogs we stop up the street a ways when we see her going to or from her car.

[topteddy]

I understand that people have a fear of animals, and rotties get a bad rap, more often then many other dogs. but if the issue was the person was afraid of dogs and that was primary, then i understand.

but it sounds like the issue they are voicing is that they don't want dogs peeing on their bushes at the front of their house lining the public sidewalk.

if it is the house i am thinking of near manor two blocks up, about two in from the corner on the west side all brick and what not, they used to have no issue with bohdan tromping all over their lawn or just laying down and relaxing as he was likely to do. they even were polite and thanked me for picking up after him.

that is the first time in that neighborhood i have heard of a home owner complaining about a dog peeing on their plants you would think they would have more issues with all the dog crap their neighbors leave when walking their dogs.

[schoonergirl]

Yep, it's the house two blocks up with the brick walkway and the fancy doorway.

I wish I had thought to ask them how long they had been noticing damage to their plants. Bohdan always wanted to pee on their bushes, and I'm really not sure why they have suddenly decided, over what seems to be the past couple of weeks, that Balou is this huge source of damage to their lawn. He pees on the bushes a lot less than Bohdan did. :(

[topteddy]

Bohdan loved to pee on that yard, he would walk up the walkway to get more than one bush.

maybe they are new owners? Their bushes were always sort of ragged and sad looking. I have not been by recently, but I would guess some other dogs are peeing there as well, or Balou would not be interested.

The shephards used to hangout in that yard when they would get out, but the male has been dead for awhile.

That is the same block that you were attacked by the pitbull right? I wonder how much that dogs running lose has an impact their actions.

[schoonergirl]

It is the same block where we were attacked by the pitbull. And I'm sure that the lady being afraid of dogs was massively amplified by that pitt getting loose. It was pretty clear when we got attacked that it wasn't anywhere near the first time that the pitt had gotten out and gone after another dog.

Their bushes are short and not all that attractive. They look the same all the way up the walk, so I don't think their raggedness has to do with Balou peeing on the ones at the end.

But yeah between the Pitt and random chemical dog repellent (still haven't seen anything to say it is actually safe for dogs) we're just going to avoid that street. And I hate that. I feel like I'm being pushed out of my neighborhood. :(