Why isn't there a law against dogs peeing/pooping in other people's yards?

Great Debates
1

It seems there are so many people that don’t get the common sense of not letting their dogs pee/poop on other people’s yards (because it happens 24/7), that there should be a law against it so as to clear up the matter.

(I’ll state my position here: I am of a live-and-let-live mindset, and think of my lawn as what it is- an expanse of green plant matter, and I therefore could give a crap whether somebody’s dog does same in my yard (cleaning it up woud be nice, but I don’t bust a hemorrage when somebody doesn’t), however I totally respect other people’s property and do my best never to tread off the sidewalk when not in front of my house—mostly because of that one time shortly after I got my first dog that I was sure I was about to be attacked by someone who ran at me screeching “Get your dog, and get your dog’s shit, off my lawn!”—I had no idea…)

Since this seems to be such a passionate topic (especially from the anti-dogpoop camp), and since so many people walk their dogs who eliminate in other people’s yards, why not just clear up the matter, pass a law, and start busting people? Warnings/tickets/fines/what have you. Even if this would be a hard law to police, wouldn’t the law itself, and a few visibly placed warnings (much like the No Parking Between 8a-6p signs) make people think twice and therefore not break it?

There are a million dog owners who think people that yell at them are being unreasonable, unfair, unkind, irrational. Their common sense says if their dog has to crap and they’re in front of your yard, their dog’s gonna crap in your yard, and if they’re a decent sort, they’ll clean it up. So why not a law to say clearly “no dog elimination in other people’s yards”—and then it’d be settled?

I guess I’m just curious what the debate would be, so therefore, I ask of thee:

Discuss.

2

Pretty sure it is against the law, in most urban/suburban jurisdictions.

3

It’s illegal to let your dog pee and poo in other people’s yards. It’s called “stay the fuck out of my yard” or otherwise known as trespassing on private property. If it is legal somewhere then it means that it’s somehow explicitly made legal through law or precedent.

4

Someone’s dog just shit in my yard!

5

That’s what I thought.

If it isn’t illegal in your area, take it up with your city council.

What do you want, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

6

My understanding is that many places do in fact have laws against dogs relieving themselves on someone else’s property. Personally, I think it is an absurd law. Dogs tend to be particular about where they do their business, and so long as someone cleans up the dog’s waste, I think it is more or less nature taking its course. I’m reminded of the Old West axiom: if you don’t want cattle on your land, put up a fence.

In other words, unless there’s some nefarious conspiracy to deface an individual’s lawn, the occasional yellowing of a front yard should be dismissed simply as an act of dog.

7

It’s your responsibility to keep control over your animal. That extends to making sure he doesn’t pee or crap in someone else’s yard. What if someone’s dog is peeing in a particular spot on your lawn and the grass begins to die? There’s a guy on my street who just lets his dog out to go relieve himself in one of his neighbor’s yard. While I’ve seen this dog relieve himself in other yards I never had definate proof that the pile of dog shit in my yard came from the same dog. I’ve see another guy in my neighborhood walk his little weiner dog across the street on a leash to let it relieve itself in his neighbor’s yard. I walk my dog every single day and I don’t let him pee or poop in someone else’s yard. I even carry a little plastic bag to collect the waste off the street (we have no sidewalks).

It isn’t that hard to control where a dog relieves itself.

Though to be truthful, in the past I’ve had more problems with cats pissing and shitting in my garden than I ever did with dogs.

Marc

8

Well, yes, I understand what the law says. I’m just not agreeing with it.

Quelle dommage. Unless there’s some intent by the dog’s owner to try to damage someone’s lawn, I’d chalk up a bit of burnt-out lawn to the vicissitudes of nature, not something that an individual ought to face criminal and civil penalties for. The rather common obsession with a perfect lawn is, IMHO, more along the line of a neurosis rather than an endeavor deserving legal protection. If someone wants to insist on a lawn free from the interference from the natural course of animal life, then I think that extraordinary desire warrants extraordinary effort by the landowner; namely, he should fence off his yard.

If the guy is letting the dog poop in the neighbors yard and not removing the offending article, I think that’s extremely rude and probably deserving of punishment. I simply think that the law should allow animals a little latitude in deciding where to do their business, and humans should then take care that a nuisance doesn’t persist.

9

Now then, are there any laws against people peeing/pooping on other people’s dogs?

10

Whilte intent is important but we also punish people for negligence. Maybe they don’t intend to mess up someone’s lawn or to cause them any difficulties, like stepping in a dog turd someone else’s dog left on your lawn, but it’s still a nuisance and I don’t think a small fine would be out of order. However, it’s not like it’s such a big deal that we need to pass additional laws. Rude neighbors nonwithstanding, I’m sure whatever laws we have on the books are enough.

I’m not a particular hard ass about preserving the sanctity of my lawn. So long as it’s green and reasonably manicured I don’t really care if it’s perfect. However, other people care far more about their lawn than I do. I tend to respect other people’s property which is why I take care to make sure that my dog does’t relieve himself on their property. I honestly expect others to do the same.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable in the least for an individual to insist that other people keep their domesticated animals off of his property.

Having a little latitude doesn’t mean giving the owners cart blanche to let their animals go anywhere they please. Quite frankly, I’m not ok with people even being in my yard without an invitation.

Marc

11

The Master speaks:

IMHO, “the natural course of animal life” is not quite the same thing as “the excretory habits of household pets”. Yes, lawn owners should be prepared to share their lawns to some extent with local wildlife, and if they don’t want to then they should put up a fence. However, the neighbors’ pets are not local wildlife. Pet owners should take the responsibility for providing for their animals’ needs, including their peeing and pooping needs, without letting them wander onto other people’s private property.

And btw, IMHO communities also have a responsibility to provide areas of public property that (properly controlled and cleaned-up-after) pets can use. Pets should not be forced to stay within the confines of their owners’ private property every minute of their lives, but neither should they be allowed to trespass on the private property of others.

12

This is one thing that has always got my dander up. One of the things I hate most about mowing my lawn is having to dodge all the dog and cat shit in my lawn. I don’t really care about the browning and such, but the nugget itself bugs the crap out of me (no pun intended). Now I DO know people who take very good care of their lawn. Mowing like 3 time a week, reseeding and aerating yearly, and so forth. And to them, it’s no different than someone who takes very good care of their car, washing and waxing it weekly and such. Now, in some places, you CAN’T put up fences around your yard. fact of life. And we’re supposed to just assume that since people can walk on it, they can destroy it. I call bullshit. What if someone let their dog walk all over your car and scratch the wax all to hell. Sure, you can just buff it out, and put some more wax on it, but I gaurantee it’d still piss off the owner. In the end it comes down to owner responsiblilty. If you have a pet, you should have someplace it can do it’s business without bothering other people’s property, if you don’t have such a place, you shouldn’t own a damn pet. Plain and simple. If I wanted dogshit on my lawn, and kitty pawprints all over my car, I’d own a frickin’ dog and an outside cat. Keep your animals off my property, or I’ll come over and crap on your front porch and pee all over your cars tires.

just my two cents

13

You want a law prohibiting others from giving you free fertilizer?

14

Check your local laws carefully. My last place I lived had a poop law but considered pee perfectly OK. The dog poo law stated the shit had to be removed within 24 hours! So even when you actively caught someone letting their dog shit in your yard, it was perfectly legal for them to tell you, that they’d take care of it later. If you confront someone and they leave your property, and you continue to confront them, YOU can be arrested and/or fined for doing so depending on the verbal/physical escalation. Experience (not mine).

15

not so much the fertilizer, as the burnt spots and money cost to fix a lawn. I see no problem personally with having a law that prohibits it. It is after all trespassing. And if damages are incurred, could possibly considered vandalism. But seriously, how hard is it to keep your pet from crapping on other peoples lawns? Walk them around your OWN lawn till they do their business, the take a stroll around the block for christs sake. Unless you don’t want them crapping in your lawn, in which case it’s a safe bet other people don’t want that either. Grow up and get some common sense people.

16

What does the phrase “curb your dog” mean?

In a sidewalk situation, does this mean that you should have your dog use the “curb” (street) side of the sidewalk? Or do you just have to clean up after?

17

I thought that the strip of lawn between the sidewalk and the street was the town’s property, not the home owner’s.

:confused:

–FCOD

18

Yeah, some dog poop or pee might cause a small patch of lawn to turn brown. Whereas the fertilizer and weedkillers applied by those in pursuit of a perfectly verdant lawn pollutes everyone’s water… :rolleyes:

I fully agree that pet owners should pick up their pets’ poop. Having had rather large dogs for the past 25 years, I really have to wonder what is going on with the folks who experience significant grass/plant damage. I’m just wondering if the dogs in question have something odd about their diets or health, or if the pllants in question are especially fragile. Because my dogs have done their business primarily in my fenced backyards. While I readily acknowledge that my lawn would never be mistaken for a golf course, it looks pretty darned nice. There are a couple of bare/brown spots, but not necessarily where the dog usually relieves herself. So I don’t know if they are due to dog mess, pests, weeds, human activity, or something else.

When I walk my dog, I ALWAYS pick up her poop. But I alternate the direction in which I walk her, so she is not always pooping or peeing on the same person’s lawn/plants. Of course I don’t let her root or dig around in anyone’s gardens. I really doubt that her deposits are the cause of any noticeable damage to anyone’s plantings. Just stating my quarter century of experience - nothing more.

In our area most property has a “parkway” - a strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. My understanding is that the property owner has title over it and the responsibility to maintain it, but that to some extent there are public and utility easements over it. Would it satisfy you if dog walkers kept their dogs on that stretch of grass, rather than the lawn nearer to the house? Cause I’m regularly picking cigarette butts and other trash off of that strip of grass - way more troublesome than any apparent dog mess or urine damage. Not to mention the strip of grass that will never grow as the result of winter salt damage.

Heck, since I have a dog and she spends quite a bit of time out front with us, dogs passing by tend to give our property a little extra attention. Yet I have no problems with the grass, plants, shrubs, and trees out front. To the contrary, my wife and I like to garden, and most visitors would comment that our yards look above-average (tho far from picture-perfect).

Of course I have seen folks who are less responsible concerning their dogs. One guy walks his 3 large dogs along the same route while reading the paper, and makes no effort to clean up after them. If his route included my yard, I’d confront him and then file a complaint with the police. There is no excuse for that behavior.

So yes, there is a legitimate complaint about irresponsible pet owners. I agree that no one should have to pick up dog poop from their property other than that left by their own dog (if they have one). But my personal opinion is that is someone is upset about a leashed dog peeing on their property - well - I guess everyone has the right to get upset about whatever they wish. But this seems to me as tho it could well be quite far down the list of any rational person’s priorities.

19

Depends. But whether the town owns it or just has an easement, it would be highly unusual for anyone but the property owner to have the responsibility of caring for it. And I’m pretty sure that leaving poop on town property is just as illegal as leaving poop on private property.

My best guess is that ‘curb’ means ‘gutter’, as in off of the sidewalk and in the street. But then I’ve never been in a city that had that rule.

20

I honestly thought the OP was referring to people who don’t clean up after their dogs. Not picking up dog poop is despicable. I yell at people when I see them start to walk away. But I’d have a real problem with anyone sassing me as I stooped over, plastic bag on hand, after my puppy did her business at the edge of their grass (and if they got violent, I’d have the perfect weapon right there…).

As for peeing, my dog’s a girl and gives me no signs of when she’s about to go. Should I carry her away mid-tinkle? (for the record, she actually tends to go on public greenery. Most of the local dogs do, and it’s just as healthy as ever. But she’ll hold it in rather than go on pavement).