Taking back my lawn

by Scully 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  Scully

  My family spends a lot of time on grooming our lawn, hedges and flowerbeds. We live near a main street and there is a path beside our house that is often used by dog owners as part of their dog walk.

  I don't know how many times I've watched people allow their dogs to urinate on our hedges and defecate on our grass, when the public park is just a few feet away. They think that poop-n-scooping is the limit of their duty of neighbourliness.

  Today, I had enough. We had been out, and maybe in seeing that no vehicles were parked in the driveway, the lady determined that she wasn't going to get caught. Well I saw her lead her dog up to my hedge for a whiz (no wonder it's brown and dying!) and then directed him to squat on my grass for a dump, when there is "public" property just on the other side of the path. I got out of the car and marched up to her. I said, in no uncertain terms, that I didn't appreciate her allowing her dog to do its business on my private property. I told her that I found it offensive, because we spend a lot of time and money on our lawn and gardening. She looked at me, clueless, and said "Well, I'm picking it up!"

  I said, "OK, I'll make a deal with you. How about I follow you home, and next time I'm out for a walk, I find a nice place on your lawn and do MY business on your lawn. I'll even pick it up afterward too. Would that be OK with you?"

  She said, "No, it wouldn't. I'd call the police."

  "Good. Then consider yourself warned. This is private property. If you want your dog to do its business on someone's lawn, make sure it's your lawn, not mine. If I catch you again, I'll have you charged with trespassing."

  Why do people who wouldn't let their dogs crap on their own grass think it's ok to let the dogs crap on other people's grass?
• 

  Finally-Free

  Way to go Scully!

  There was a guy from a few houses down who always let his dog crap on my lawn and he never picked it up. One day I caught him in the act and I went out and made him pick it up. I told him if it happened again I'd take the pile of crap and jam it down his throat.

  I would do it too.

  W
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  jt stumbler

  I totally with you. In my city theres a code that people are suppose to pick up after their animals but many don't.
• 

  Scully

  people are suppose to pick up after their animals

  True. But when was the last time anyone tried to pick up pee? This is what causes the major amount of damage to grass.

  Dog Urine Damage to Yards 10/18/04
  Texas Farm Radio

  Many of you may have dogs and also want a well manicured lawn. Although many people believe dog urine and feces is a lawn fertilizer, this is not always the case. Urine and feces in small amounts can cause a green up or fertilizer effect. However, dog urine in large amounts can cause dead brown patches surrounded by a green outside ring called lawn burn.

  The fundamental problem with dog urine or feces is the concentration of nitrogen in these waste products. Urine removes excess nitrogen from the body via the kidneys and nitrogen is the normal breakdown product of protein. Urine is a bigger problem than feces as the feces slowly release waste over time whereas urine is concentrated. Also, feces can be picked up and removed. Female dogs cause greater damage to grass because they urinate in one spot, while male dogs mark many spots by urinating small amounts. This is so common it has been called female dog spot disease by horticulturalists. However, male dogs can kill small plants and trees by continually marking them.

  A study revealed that Bermuda grass and Kentucky bluegrass were the most susceptible to damage from dog urine. Options to prevent lawn damage are to water the area within 8 hours of urination to dilute the urine, although watering after 12 hours actually increased burning of the grass. Also, dogs can be taught to eliminate in a designated area that can be covered with gravel. Feeding higher quality and low to moderate protein foods with salt added will decrease protein concentration and urine concentration. However, always check with your vet before changing your dog’s food as they are familiar with your pet’s history.

  Interesting how dogs can be taught to eliminate in a designated area, though. How will they ever do that if their owners can't be bothered to do the training?
• 

  Sassy

  what gets me is she probably doesn't get the point that it isn't ok to be done on her lawn but she can do it on yours..
• 

  Purza

  
  I literally FREAK out if we take our dog for a walk and forget the bags to pick up his poop. I cannot stand irresponsible dog owners -- drives me crazy.

  Perhaps your warning will get around to others in your neighborhood?

  Purza
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  nilfun

  I wonder what would happen if you "accidentally" turned on the sprinklers while the doggie was doing the deed?
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  the_classicist

  You'd think the phosphorus in the urine would be good for the lawns.
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  Scully

  That article doesn't even begin to address the issue of parasites that remain on my grass after the dog owners have poop-n-scooped.

  Understanding the causes (from: http://www.turfgrasssod.org/pressroom/dog_on_it.pdf)

  The fundamental problem with the presence of urine or feces on the lawn is related to the concentration and nitrogen content of these waste products. Urine, when produced as a waste product in animals, primarily removes excess nitrogen from the body via the kidneys. Nitrogen waste products are the result of protein breakdown through normal bodily processes. Carnivores, including cats and dogs, have a significant protein requirement, and urine volume/production varies due to a pet’s size and metabolism.

  Urine is a bigger problem for lawns because it is applied all at once as a liquid fertilizer, whereas feces slowly release the waste products over time. Since stools are usually solid, owners have the option of frequent manual removal or hiring one of the new commercial “pooper scooper” businesses available in many areas. With less time for the nitrogen waste to dissolve into the lawn, stools that are frequently removed damage lawns less than urine. Removal of feces also reduces bad odors, fly breeding and human health concerns related to the transmission of some diseases from dogs to people, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Roundworms (Visceral Larval Migrans) and Hookworms (Cutaneous Larval Migrans/Creeping Eruption).

  Children are primarily at risk since they are less likely to wash their hands after playing outside where dogs may have defecated. The dog roundworm (Toxocara canis) is of particular concern because the eggs passed in dog stools are resistant to disinfectants and weather extremes for many years. Although uncommon, after being ingested by a child, the worm may migrate in the body and cause problems related to vision, breathing or neurologic disorders. This is the primary reason for “pooper scooper” laws in communities and why dog (and cat) feces should not be a part of composting.
• 

  Scully

  nilfun:

  I wonder what would happen if you "accidentally" turned on the sprinklers while the doggie was doing the deed?

  No can do. The city has declared its annual summertime lawn-watering-nazis are on patrol. But there's nothing in the by-laws about me being armed and ready with a super soaker.