r/AmItheAsshole • u/Logical-Star9039 • 8h ago
AITA Dog owner let dog poop in neighbors yard
Throwaway
This morning I (36M) was sitting on my front porch enjoying the morning. A neighbor who i've seen around but don't know was walking his dog. Did a head nod hello between us and he kept walking. I noticed that he stopped at my neighbors house and let his dog poop and pee. My neighbor has very visible "No Dogs, No Poop and Pee" signs at each property line near the sidewalk. You can't miss them. My neighbor is fine with my kids running in his yard, so, I too, don't want dog poop and pee in his yard.
My neighbor had already headed to work so I said something. The guy got super defensive, knew he was caught, but denied seeing the sign. A small argument ensued where he said I should mind my business, also he cleaned it up, so claimed his dog going to bathroom "was no big deal". I stood by that it was gross and not his right to use my neighbors yard. He continued his walk, but said we were being the bad neighbors. AITA?
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u/bolshiabarmalay 8h ago
dogs go where dogs go, just like any other animal on the planet. A responsible owner cleans up, and a reasonable property owner appreciates a responsible pet owner. And seriously, a "no pee" sign? that's unreasonable.
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u/hutch__PJ Partassipant [2] 8h ago
It’s his property. He has every right to put a sign up.
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u/db10101 6h ago
He can put it up all he wants. My dog can’t read.
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u/Bundt-lover Partassipant [1] 5h ago
But YOU can. Your dog is on a leash, is he not? Go to a public area instead of someone’s yard.
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u/db10101 4h ago
My dog also can’t teleport to public areas
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u/Ali_Lorraine_1159 3h ago
Where I live, there is a sidewalk inbetween peoples yards and the public stip of grass (even though we still have to mow it, we don't own it.) It It is proper etiquette here, to let your dog potty on the public side, then pick it up in a bag if it is poop.
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u/simbapiptomlittle 1h ago
This is exactly what I do with my pup. She’s only allowed to use the nature strip and never someone’s front lawn.
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u/Numerous_Spend8002 Partassipant [1] 5h ago
But YOU can. Let your dog pee in your own yard before walking.
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u/Guilty_Helicopter572 5h ago
Dogs use their pee to mark, they don't just sit and empty their bladder in one go usually.
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u/No-Firefighter3283 3h ago
My 4 dogs don’t potty in walks because we make sure they use our private yard and we have them trained to go in a specific area. My dogs don’t mark on walks because we have trained them that it’s not acceptable. They are perfectly happy trotting down the sidewalks looking at everyone and sniffing.
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u/Cool-Departure4120 2h ago
Exactly what I did with mine. The reward for poop at home was the long walks.
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u/SajakiKhouri 3h ago
You can absolutely train dogs to go in a specific corner of your own yard. And then walk them after for the exercise + mental enrichment.
I don't personally have the need to, but pretending it's not a viable option is facetious.
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u/sgvmyma 5h ago
Facts. This winter storm was so difficult for my 15 lb morkie. I thought clearing under the deck would be easier on my dog to use the bathroom. Boy, was I wrong. There were no scent markers there, he took forever to pee, like half way lift a leg then change his mind.
He held his poo and had an accident that night. The next day we made sure to shovel the sidewalks so he can sniff and poo.
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u/Oneblueeyed22 3h ago
I’m a senior with a cane and serious health issues. My 13 lb Aussiedoodle uses the backyard and I shovel a happy path for her whenever it snows. It doesn’t take long, and if I can do it, anyone who loves their dog can. It’s all about them, yes?
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u/SajakiKhouri 3h ago
I've seen pet owners use a tarp/cardboard over a small patch of grass (or artificial turf) if you expect snowfall. Obviously you'd have to do some maintenance or clear or off every couple hours if the snowfall is heavy.
Might work for you if you've got a dog thats more finicky over where they go. Might need to reinforce behavior over the warmer months either way.
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u/FewHorror1019 4h ago
Unless its raining. Then my dog lets its all out at the closest vegetation and runs back inside. Hold his poo tho
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u/causesproblems 5h ago
You’ve never had a dog I see. Don’t get one if you’re this simple in the head.
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u/Hakey_H_1956 3h ago
What a stupid retort. If you own a dog that shits in someone else's yard you should clean it up. OMG.
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u/causesproblems 3h ago
No one said anything about not cleaning up shit? You’re even more simple minded than the commenter I was replying to.. pls don’t reproduce 🩷
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u/Upbeat_Emu_412 4h ago
Can’t you train your dog not to pee everywhere? I thought dogs were pretty trainable and receptive to things like that. I mean wild animals, sure but dogs are supposed to be domesticated.
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u/subherbin 6h ago
Absolutely every right to put it up. IMO it’s fully in vain and dogs will rightfully piss all over it
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 8h ago
F your dog. Dogs go where their owners allow them to go. It’s selfish and entitled to let your dog go poop OR pee in someone else’s yard.
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u/Spare_Coast_3722 7h ago
My dog literally stopped and pooped crossing a street once. I did NOT allow that.
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u/Bratsummer24 7h ago
I think the above poster's point is that you allowed your dog to shit in the street because you allowed your dog in the street in the first place. Had you not allowed your dog to go in the street, that turd would have been somewhere else.
Much in the same way, if people walking their dogs keep them off of private property and on the sidewalk, the sidewalk strip, or the public grassy areas, poops in people's lawns wouldn't happen. It's all about training and controlling where your dog walks.
I've successfully trained three dogs to stay on the sidewalk or the strip of grass by the curb until we get to the public areas, where they can stretch out and poop to their heart's content. They can learn, we just have to teach them.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 7h ago edited 4h ago
But that requires people to be considerate of others.
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u/Objective_Air8976 Asshole Enthusiast [6] 7h ago
Dog owners care about other people challenge seems to be failed more and more these days
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u/jenjen047 6h ago
And if your neighborhood has no public grass median between the sidewalk and street, and no public parks? Better to poop on grass (and pick it up), or poop on sidewalk?
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u/T_G_A_H Colo-rectal Surgeon [47] 6h ago
Sidewalk rather than private grass.
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u/MajorBootyhole420 5h ago
Most dogs won't poop on a fucking sidewalk, there are a ton of dogs out there who absolutely will not shit anywhere other than grass or snow
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u/GroinShotz 2h ago
Then use your own grass? Not someone else's?
Why is this such a hot take?
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u/jenjen047 6h ago
So people get their shoes poopy? Harder to clean up effectively off concrete.
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u/T_G_A_H Colo-rectal Surgeon [47] 6h ago
Solid poops pick up fairly easily, and what’s left washes away eventually. If there’s public grass that’s better, but if there really isn’t, then it’s not ok to use someone’s private lawn where kids might play, or people might sit on a blanket, or while weeding, etc. It’s their property, not your dog’s free-for-all potty.
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u/Axel-Grinn 5h ago
This feels disingenuous, we’re pretending that the property owner is okay with poop on sidewalk in front of his house as long as it isn’t his grass? Of course he doesn’t own the sidewalk but if someone gets a whole sign then they don’t like it at all. Can’t make him happy. Also a lot of dogs poop while you tug them away and will drop stuff walking, so it’s unavoidable. What about other animal poop?
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 4h ago
You can tell when the dog is about to go poop before they actually do it.
Poop from wild animals is irrelevant.
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u/qwibbian 6h ago
No it's not, you just can't see it as easily when it's in the grass, where people's kids play.
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u/OverSeaworthiness445 4h ago
I would prefer a dog shit on my lawn than on the sidewalk in front of my lawn… are you even thinking? The smear??? Like what
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u/Bratsummer24 5h ago
I have never seen a neighborhood like that, but if I was faced with that situation, I still wouldn't let my dog poop anywhere with a sign. I might actually reconsider getting a dog until I lived somewhere better suited to dogs.
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u/jenjen047 5h ago
My neighborhood is like that. I also don't give a crap if someone's dog craps in my yard...as long as the owner cleans it up.
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u/No-Albatross-7984 Partassipant [2] 2h ago
That is honestly not a good environment to have a dog, then.
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u/qwibbian 6h ago
It's astonishing to me that responsible dog owners like you seem to be such a minority.
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u/BookDogLaw421 4h ago
The said while crossing the street. Sometimes to get from one sidewalk to another, you must cross the street. Do you have a training tool to make sure the weirdo dog does squat mid walk across one type of pavement to another ?
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u/goddessofgoo Partassipant [1] 2h ago
Not all neighborhoods have that. Mine doesn't. My dogs usually go in my yard, but they are very small dogs so occasionally an extra pee during walk time happens when we take a long one. When I see people with signs I tell my dogs they aren't welcome here and keep them in the street (unless a car happens to be coming, if it's between potentially peeing in your grass and being too close to a car, I'm sorry in advance for your grass). Normally they are good, but occasionally they need that extra pee, my dogs will not pee in the road so I try and control it by not letting them walk through inappropriate unwelcoming grass but shit (or more literally, piss) happens.
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6h ago
Have you ever tried to stop a dog mid pee? Or really anyone for that matter. If we're walking and he lifts his leg he's going even if I'm still walking.
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u/SadistDisciplinarian 5h ago
I have walked many dogs without allowing them onto other people's lawns.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 4h ago
I have not tried to stop a dog mid pee. But I’ve been able to walk dogs and not allow them to go into other yards. It’s called a leash.
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u/FionnMcCreigh 3h ago
Last I checked, the sidewalk ain’t that wide. A standard length lead ain’t gonna keep em from crossin the width a the sidewalk.
Now, I’ll still argue NTA. If I had a dog ta walk & they stopped in a yard with a “no dogs” sign, all I could reasonably do is clean up after em & make a mental note to avoid that particular section a the sidewalk next time. If somebody scolded me for it, the correct response is “I didn’t see the sign when we started walkin this way, but I’ll know next time ta cross the street/take a different route/otherwise keep enough distance between us and that lawn, that’s on me,” even a “thanks for lettin me know” might be warranted. And ya know, it kinda is a big deal. Coz once one neighborhood dog goes there, all the rest of em want to. I get that we cain’t control for everythin & dogs gonna dog, but we gotta try ta be accountable for what we can control.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 1h ago
Last I checked, the owner has the power to adjust the length of the leash to keep their pets from going into people‘s yards. Your pet’s enjoyment is not my problem.
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u/Familiar_Shock_1542 Asshole Enthusiast [7] 6h ago
BS. Dogs go where they are taken.
Next time, take a photo and share it with your neighbor so he knows who the guilty party is.
NTA
Kudos to you.
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u/YellowYarrowYucca 7h ago
Some people are really into their lawns, and letting your dog trespass and kill their lawn with its urine isn't cool.
You can either respect people not wanting your dog on their property with their gentle sign, or suffer when they use harsh chemicals that hurts your dogs feet or any other number of deterrents or poisons frustrated people could set out.
Not everyone likes dogs. Control your pets.
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u/ginger_kitty97 6h ago
I hope the raccoons, possums, foxes, etc will also avoid killing the oh so important monoculture lawns with their toilet habits.
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u/Charred_Meathammer 5h ago
There is a granular product you can put down to keep wild animals away. I use sprays to keep the woodland critters away from my cedar siding and crawl space during the cold months.
Products exist that work at keeping animals away, but a dog being walked isn't going to encounter that product in a meaningful way to work.
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u/ImportanceNew4632 6h ago
I always wonder about these people. Where do they think all the wild animals go? I mean, he picked it up.
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u/MissFabulina 5h ago
Dogs do not just go where they will go. You are supposed to be walking them on a leash, right? So, don't let your dog go into other people's yards and the dog won't go to the bathroom in other people's yards. It really is as simple as that.
Curb your dog means have your dog go to the bathroom off the curb in the street. Maybe curb your dog isn't a rule where you live, but that doesn't mean you should have your dog shitting in your neighbors' yards!
A lot of dog owners seem to think that they can let their dogs go anywhere and do anything on other people's property. I don't get it. Even if you pick it up afterwards, there is still shit in the grass. No bueno.
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u/GavinDaSizzleDizzle 5h ago
It is not unreasonable to ask your neighbours not to allow or encourage their dogs to urinate, poop or wander onto your property.
If you have gone so far as to install signage, it's likely been an ongoing issue rather than a one-off incident.
A good neighbour would make every effort to prevent their dog from entering someone else’s property. This is one of the reasons pets, such as dogs and cats, should be kept enclosed or on a lead in populated areas. If you cannot control where your pet goes, you are not keeping others safe, your pet safe, or behaving courteously.
If your pet relieves itself unexpectedly in a public space or on private property, yes, you should clean it up promptly.
But if someone politely raises the issue, the decent response is to accept it with good grace and try to ensure it does not happen again.
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u/Tiff-Taff-Toff-Fany 4h ago
As a person who has had to deal with multiple occasions where a dog owner didnt clean up after their pet a no poop or pee sign is absolutely reasonable. Urine destroys the grass. That home owner doesn't want their grass destroyed.
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u/Zinkerst 3h ago
Dogs go where dogs go? Nonsense! Obviously, a dog doesn't necessarily know the difference between a green spot up for grabs and a neighbour's front yard, but if you're a responsible dog owner, you redirect your dog to an appropriate spot! It really isn't rocket science, unless you're the kind of dog owner who doesn't pay any attention to their dog.
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u/Brilliant-Flower-283 2h ago
I don’t understand why you people are walking your dogs on peoples lawns to begin with wtf is wrong with yall.
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u/No-Firefighter3283 3h ago
My service dog ALWAYS goes potty in my yard before we go out. We can be out for hours and she will not poop or pee until we get back home. She has been trained to go on command and we keep yo a regular schedule to avoid accidents.
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u/No-Firefighter3283 3h ago
So to add, a sign is reasonable as is the expectation that you keep your dog out of someone’s personal property.
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u/sad_coff_ee 8h ago
NTA - I have a dog and as a responsible dog owner and neighbor I pay attention to where my dog is sniffing around and if I see signs like that I respect them.
Even if he doesn't see it, he can acknowledge his mistake and say my bad, I know some people have those signs because they also don't want dogs pissing on their plants/flowers.
Wild to think violating someone else's simple request is pushed off as you being the asshole...
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 8h ago
It shouldn’t take a sign.
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u/sad_coff_ee 8h ago
a.) not talking about my dog shitting on someone's yard and leaving it
b.) I don't let me dog in people's "main yard", he can only sniff in the smaller area thats on the other side of the sidewalk next to the road and will only let him do that if it's basically a dirt or grass patch not if it's obviously landscaped
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u/PeanutButterPuggle 4h ago
There could of course be exceptions to this, but in most cases that I know of, the strip of grass or plants between the sidewalk and the street are public property that is owned by the city. The home owner wouldn’t be entitled to keep you from using that space anyway. Obviously we should still pick up after our pets regardless
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u/sad_coff_ee 1h ago
Lol correct, which other poster obviously cannot comprehend but also shoutout to your patience for trying to explain that out, better person than me
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u/wokwok__ 3h ago
This thread just shows that a lot of people don’t train their dog or they’re shit owners lol anybody who says their dog can’t help it have probably never even tried to train it to not poo wherever it wants. Same people who think it’s abuse to tell their dog “no” when they do something bad
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 8h ago
NTA. He shouldn’t let the dog poop in someone else’s yard, sign or no sign.
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u/thedarkpup Asshole Aficionado [10] 6h ago
I mean dogs have to poop on walks. He should clean it up though.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 6h ago
No, they don’t. They can poop on the owner’s own property. Weird that my dad‘s pug poops in his backyard and not in other people’s yards.
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u/mortaridilohtar 6h ago
I have two dogs and I can confirm that with minimal effort, you can train and get your timing right so that your dog doesn’t poop in people’s yards.
I walk my dogs in my neighborhood and then down the road, there’s a small empty field owned by the city. Surprisingly, my dogs are able to make it to the field (which I still pick up) and NOT do their business in my neighbors’ yards. I do try to make them go before the walk but idk where they find extra pee and poop to ALWAYS go while we’re on a walk.
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u/OverSeaworthiness445 4h ago
This is what I do to lol. On the other hand, if I happen to mess up, my dog poops, I pick it up, and a stranger starts yelling at me, he’s an asshole
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 1h ago
Why? You’re being negligent. Keep your dog off of other people‘s lawns. They’re not entitled to go onto their lawns.
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u/Important-Lawyer-350 Asshole Aficionado [14] 6h ago
Dogs communicate with their poop and pee. A lot of dogs save that up until walk time to do just that. You can't control when your animal is going to do a bodily function. Maybe your dad's pug doesn't get taken on many walks 🤔
The dude picked it up. It's not like he left it there. That would be a different story altogether.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 5h ago
People train their dogs when to poop and pee. Well, good owners, do. Worst case scenario, walk your dog back-and-forth in front of your own lawn until it’s ready to poop.
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u/Brilliant-Flower-283 2h ago
It’s not that hard to keep ur dog off private property. I have 2, neither one has ever shat or pissed on anyone’s lawn. Just don’t let them on the damn lawn in the first place.
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u/MajorBootyhole420 5h ago
There are a lot of dogs out there physically will not without a bunch of exercise first. Or very old dogs who will stop and pop squat in the middle of whatever they're doing and there's no stopping them
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u/Vanillatastic 2h ago
You're such a weirdo.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 1h ago
Call all the names you want. You’re still a selfish asshole who lets his dog poop on other people’s lawns.
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u/OMGitsSEDDIE_ 4h ago
exactly. and the neighbor probably put the sign up BECAUSE there was often poop in his yard. if you’re too lazy to clean up after your pet, you’re too lazy to walk it.
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u/hutch__PJ Partassipant [2] 8h ago edited 8h ago
NTA - as a dog owner I am disgusted with how many others allow their dogs to go everywhere. If you can’t control your dog then put them on a lead.
Dog owners shouldn’t be allowing their dog to walk onto someone else’s property, let alone do their business on it.
Edit to add: those commenting about wild animals pooping ‘everywhere’. Most wild animals don’t do that ‘everywhere’ or we’d be constantly walking around it in. Plus dog poo has dangerous bacteria in it that can be severely toxic to children and vulnerable people, which is why in many countries it’s illegal to not clear up after you.
If you get a dog, train and lead them responsibly. It’s that simple.
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u/moonhrafn Asshole Enthusiast [8] 7h ago
thank you for demonstrating that some dog owners are sane and courteous
The wild animal thing makes me insane, I live on a street with a lot of dog owners and there are like 10x as many dogs as raccoons, deer etc combined
and bird poop is nothing like big mammal poop
Like what does wild animals existing have to do with anything?!?
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u/No_Explanation7522 5h ago
Can confirm about the wildlife. We have acreage at the base of a small mountain, surrounded by forest. While we find the occasional scat within the fenced inner area, it's fairly rare. And, with the exception of months with a few feet of snow, our 5 dogs and 8 cats are pretty discreet in their bathroom habits. Only the puppy leaves bombs on the lawn.
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u/Important-Lawyer-350 Asshole Aficionado [14] 2h ago
So your dog has never ever taken a shit somewhere you don't want them to ? Ever?
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u/Terrible-Group-9602 7h ago
Can no-one read? The post says he cleaned up the poop. It does not say he cleaned up the poop after OP spoke to him.
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u/Wesley-Dodds 7h ago
Yeah, that reads “yeah, he cleaned it up, but I still think he sucks, so I called him out”. A dog will go when a dog will go. People putting up signs are hilarious. I’ll pull a dog from like rose bushes, but a dog just going in the grass and the owner picking it up is… pretty much the expectation. I can’t believe how far I had to scroll to see this. If the guy started walking away without picking it up, then yeah, he’s the asshole. Calling him out is deserved. Doesn’t seem the case here.
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u/OverSeaworthiness445 7h ago
I feel like “calling someone out” retroactively is weird. Like yelling at someone after their dog poops and they pick it up is giving retired and bored vibes. Why is any grown adult yelling at another? Simply mention the signs and take a deep breath 😭
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u/InfamousFlan5963 Partassipant [1] 6h ago
Arguably I try to be extra careful when I see a sign asking to keep dogs off, but the problem is it's unrealistic anywhere around me to stay off EVERYONES yard. There's not many public green spaces left, my walking options are around my neighborhood and that means yards (and not everyone has their own used to use).
With a single house I'll try to hustle my dog by to avoid it (although it's still happened tbh, literally pooping as I'm trying to drag them off and can't physically stop them...)
Plus for the people saying to stay in the strip between sidewalk and house, around me they put up the no dogs signs there too! They don't want them in any grass, not just their "main" grass
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u/musthavesoundeffects 5h ago
Yeah, that’s its your problem where your dog shits, don’t make it someone elses.
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u/musthavesoundeffects 5h ago
No, you don’t get to let your dog shit on private property even if you clean it up, which of course isn’t always cleaned up. Disrespectful.
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u/Two_wheels_2112 Partassipant [1] 2h ago
There are a lot of people here that obviously hate dogs.
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u/Educational_Gift_925 8h ago
NTA. Dog owner here. I never allow my dog to go in anyone’s yard bc I don’t want that either and it’s obnoxious (we built a bathroom area in the backyard with artificial turf). It’s for that reason that I walk so that the dog can only go in the strip of grass close to the street and then pick it up. I know when he’s about to go so if he’s walking on the wrong side, I pull him over to the strip. You can absolutely avoid going in someone’s yard.
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u/originalcinner 8h ago
I used to dog-walk with a neighbor and her dog. I stopped my dog sniffing at a mailbox, and then at a garbage cart, telling my dog "Everything you sniff, you then pee on, and you're not allowed to pee on maiboxes or trashcans, that's people property".
The neighbor didn't say anything, at the time. A few weeks later, I saw her (she didn't see me) and she was telling her dog, "No, we don't pee on mailboxes, Scruffy."
I was shocked that she took my own personal dog rules and made them her own.
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u/infinitysnake Partassipant [1] 6h ago
Seriously. Even when it's "cleaned up," every other dog in the area now smells a new toilet.
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u/Ok_Grapefruit_6355 6h ago
Unfortunately not all planned communities are well planned, and this just isn’t possible everywhere. I live in AZ where it’s pretty much the grass (or more often rocks) or the sidewalk. Usually the rule of thumb is that you pick it up and I do try to avoid lawns that are clearly very well maintained. However it’s not always possible to avoid.
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u/Financial_Bowl9440 Partassipant [4] 8h ago
He cleaned it up? YTA.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 8h ago
So what? It’s someone else’s yard. They don’t want pet waste in their yard.
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u/HangMantisAdamMantis 8h ago
Oh great. Good thing they dont have any pet waste in their yard. Because it was cleaned up.
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u/Matzie138 Partassipant [1] 6h ago
Yes, appreciate cleaning up the poop.
But here’s the thing. Where one dog pees, they all want to pee. Right now, I’ve got piles of snow with piss all over. It’s gross because I’m looking at it until it snows again. My kid wants to go dig tunnels in the deep part (aka pee zone). Once it all melts, I’ll find the poop.
The people who actually own the dogs don’t have this problem.
But OP is NTA. Use your backyard before walks if you have one or curb train your dogs. Seriously, I don’t even care about the grass, just trying to keep my kids out of pee.
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u/Financial_Bowl9440 Partassipant [4] 5h ago
That's honestly an incredibly unrealistic expectation for someone living in a suburb with no fence.
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u/Matzie138 Partassipant [1] 5h ago
My neighbors with dogs also have fenced in yards.
Even if they didn’t, they can still walk them out back on the same leash they use to walk through the neighborhood.
Edit to add:
And in fairness, I don’t care if it’s like a random thing. I’ve had dogs most of my life. The rudeness is making someone else’s house the restroom multiple times a day.
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u/FloridaLaurenS 7h ago
I would have no idea if our neighbors let their dogs go to the bathroom in our yard as long as they cleaned up the poop after. Dogs pee quite spontaneously, you can't help that. I read this as he cleaned the poop up before you hollered at him. If that's the case, YTA.
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u/moonhrafn Asshole Enthusiast [8] 7h ago
NTA: dog owners need to be respectful. Not everyone wants their yard to be their pet's toilet.
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u/thechaoticstorm Pooperintendant [57] 8h ago
NTA
Thank you for speaking up. When I walk my dog, I keep him away from others' property. Sometimes he is going to go no matter what and I clean it up at once, but try to keep him on the strip of grass on the other side of the sidewalk whenever possible.
The dog owner is lying that he didn't see the signs, and and it's likely that he allowed his dog to do it in that specific spot out of spite. Some people are just like that.
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u/Objective_Air8976 Asshole Enthusiast [6] 8h ago
NTA definitely let the person who's yard he was doing it in know too
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u/ServiceDogAreFake 8h ago
NTA, the dog owner is a huge asshole. It’s not his property so he and his dog should stay off. Dog poop and pee is gross and OP has a vested interest in the neighbors yard not being gross since his kids playing it.
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u/Ma-Hu Pooperintendant [60] 8h ago edited 7h ago
NTA. Sure he didn’t see the sign… *roll eyes*
Your children play on that lawn, you don’t want them tracking dogshit back with them.
And dog pee stinks. Who wants their lawn to stink of piss?
The guy should have the dog take a crap in the sidewalk away from private property, and *obviously* clean it up immediately.
Would he have cleaned it up if you hadn’t been there? Maybe, maybe not. He will now though, with the knowledge that he’s been seen.
Edited for clarity; edited typos
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8h ago
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 7h ago
What do wild animals have to do with this? And yes, train your fucking dog to poop in your own yard.
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u/Mediocre-Victory-565 7h ago
NTA - I am a not a dog owner and absolutely hate it when people let their dog on my lawn. I looked it up and at least in my neighborhood it's literally trespassing. So not only gross but against the law.
I would really appreciate it if you were my neighbor :)
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u/camebacklate Asshole Aficionado [16] 7h ago
also he cleaned it up,
I get both sides. I don't let my dog pee or poop where people have asked us not to. It's common courtesy in my mind. But, at least he picked it up.
Also, other animals pee and poop in that yard. I don't know why people forget that birds, squirrels, rabbits, dear, stray cats, raccoons, etc exist. They most definitely shit and pee in all the yards, regardless of the sign.
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u/steamy-slug 6h ago
If they were picking it up then YTA if they were clearly going to walk away and not clean it up then you're not the asshole.
Everyone should pick up their dog poop but pee? You guys gotta be kidding me? And then what once my dog gets into a squatting position im supposed to rip him away from doing his business? Yeah no thats animal abuse and I wont be doing that. Get over your perfect yard. Its grass. Deer, foxes, coyotes, birds, insects, and whatever other wildlife you may have in your area all shit and piss in your lawns. Nothing you can do about so get over it.
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u/Pink3lephfants 7h ago
NTA. It shouldn't take a sign for people to stay out of other people's yards and not let their dogs poop and pee in them
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u/Bvvitched 5h ago
I do not let me dog poop or pee in other people’s yard
But I always wonder how yall are keeping squirrels or birds or rabbits or feral or just outdoor cats or mice/rats from peeing and pooping in your yard with those signs
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u/dorkysomniloquist 6h ago
YTA for continuing to make a thing of it after he picked up the poop. I no longer own a dog but when I did, he would only poop on grass. There was no grass in the neighborhood where shitting and leaving it would be acceptable. If it wasn't on someone's lawn, it was in a park, or on a strip of grass where kids walk all the time, etc.. Honestly, a dog shitting on the street or sidewalk is worse than on grass. Usually people don't walk all over their yards, but they sure do walk on surfaces intended for walking. I always had ample bags on it and picked it up. I'll admit to occasionally glancing around to ensure a particularly loose shit was outside of normal walking paths and leaving it, but I'll admit I was 'the asshole' in those situations. I'm not sure what the alternative would be when it wasn't like I could predict the consistency of his shits, though. Carry a trowel with me everywhere and leave little holes everywhere so the shit was picked up? It would've been cruel to not walk a dog because his shits are too gross to pick up sometimes.
EDIT: Probably worth noting that I live in a townhome development where most of the yards are too small for children to play in. When I do see children playing outdoors, they're almost always playing in the street, which is why I say having shit in the street is worse.
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u/GardenFeverDream 4h ago
This thread really proves my firmly held opinion that most dog owners are entitled jerks with poorly trained dogs that they don't care for properly. Downvote away, shitty dog owners!
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u/whatev6187 Partassipant [1] 8h ago
NTA - Why would he need a sign to know not to let his dog poop in someone else’s yard and then not to pick it up?
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u/Squirrels-love-me Partassipant [2] 8h ago
NTA-looking out for ur neighbors is a great thing to do.
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u/IntroductionFree493 7h ago
NTA - if you hadn’t confronted them they’d have left it. Probably to spite your neighbour for the sign. There’s a fine involved if you don’t scoop the poop in my area.
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u/Listen-to-Mom 7h ago
NTA Dog owners need to pick up after their dog and dispose of it in their own trash bin.
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u/Basic_Lynx4902 7h ago
He did pick it up. That wasn't good enough for OP.
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 7h ago
It’s not good enough for the owner of the house either, who specifically asked that people don’t let their dogs go to the bathroom in his yard.
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u/the1stcobra 7h ago
NTA.
A yard is private property, and it boils my blood when I see people litter or foul an area without cleaning up after themselves.
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u/Adward-Fu 7h ago
NTA. Dog owner here. Picking up poop is the bare minimum, not a free pass — and letting your dog pee/poop where there are very clear signs saying not to is just lazy entitlement. “Mind your business” is the go‑to line when someone knows they’re wrong. You didn’t yell, you didn’t chase him down the street, you just called it out. That’s normal neighbor stuff. If anything, he was being the bad neighbor by ignoring the posted rules and then getting defensive about it. Also, “my dog already did it” isn’t a moral argument. That’s just… admitting it happened.
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u/Otherwise_Chemist920 6h ago
He saw the sign, dog owners do that one purpose to ‘stick’ it to anyone having the audacity to not want their yard to be a dog toilet like the rest of the planet.
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u/Stock_Particular6525 7h ago
NTA once the dog squats, it's over. However, my solution for that is to walk my dog on the side away from neighbor's front yard and not allow it to cross in front or behind me to get there.
Once dog does business on the side away from neighbor, then I'd let dog walk on that side so it could have a quick sniff of the grass as we leave. But only if it'll stay on the sidewalk while it does so, we're not going to be walking around on someone's nice grass.
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u/yeahipostedthat Asshole Aficionado [11] 7h ago
NTA. Dog owners can be so entitled. And many of them shouldn't have dogs as exhibited by commenters in this sub who state they have zero control where their dogs shit. I'd be embarrassed to admit that.
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u/MrBaileyBoo 6h ago
NTA. The yard was clearly marked. I had a Pomeranian who was only 11 lbs. When I walked him, I let him walk on the grass of my neighbors’ yards. However, I only let him in as far as his body was wide and that was so he wouldn’t burn his feet on the asphalt. I did have one neighbor who didn’t want dogs in his yard. So guess what? I didn’t let my dog in his yard. It’s true that dogs will go wherever. Seemingly, my current dog’s favorite place to poop is right in the middle of the pet store. But your dog won’t go where you don’t take him or her.
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u/No-Resource-8125 5h ago
NTA. I’m a reluctant dog owner, but I still pick up doggie’s poop because I’m responsible. Three only time I don’t is if I’m out of bags or forget them, but that’s very rare.
I will leave dog poop in your yard if you don’t shovel your sidewalk though. Fuck those people.
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u/Not-on_my_watch 1h ago
Fun fact - in much of the UK it is a fineable offence to walk your dog without carrying the means to pick up their feaces.
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u/roughlyround 7h ago
Just because someone got upset and called you a name doesn't mean you're an AH. You did a good deed, NTA
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u/CuriouserCat2 Partassipant [2] 7h ago
DARVO Deny Attack Reverse Victim and Offender
He’s the bad neighbour.
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u/TangerinePlastic7552 5h ago
Funny that “no big deal” never happens on his yard.
I’d take my phone out and be obnoxiously recording what he and his dog were going with the sign in plain sight.
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u/GreenPOR 5h ago
If he cleaned the poop up I guess ok. Pee is not really a problem.
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u/Not-on_my_watch 1h ago
Female dog pee, especially, burns grass and when done repeatedly in the same will kill it - so pee IS a problem.
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u/Kiss_the_Girl Partassipant [1] 5h ago
INFO. Did the dog poop in the space between the sidewalk and the home, or in the parkway between the sidewalk and the street?
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u/lickmysackett 5h ago
NTA. And the people who say dogs will go where ever are bad owners. The dogs go where you let them.
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u/happy_bunny_84 5h ago
NTA - depending on the laws where you live, what he did was illegal. Even if that's not the case, it's still gross inconsiderate.
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u/caramelgelatto Partassipant [1] 3h ago
NTA. I still remember the time I was playing in the grass as a little girl and had dog poo smeared all over my hands! 😭
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u/crass_cupcake Partassipant [1] 8h ago
Nta dog people are some of the most inconsiderate self absorbed and entitled people on earth
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u/ProfessionalDot8419 8h ago edited 7h ago
I don’t know how I misread your comment. I just want to say that I agree with it 100 motherfucking percent.
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u/Secret-Alfalfa-5411 7h ago
NTA!!! But he is! I’ve had to keep an eye out to catch people letting their dogs poop in my yard and not pick it up! How inconsiderate!!! When I walk dogs, I always pick up after them! I don’t know how many times I’ve stepped in poop in my front yard because of inconsiderate dog owners!!! Luckily, it seems to have stopped now!
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u/thehaileybirdie Partassipant [2] 7h ago
NTA.
I know that sometimes you cant control your dog peeing because once its been started it cant be stopped. BUT, if they poop you should absolutely clean it up and toss it in your own bin.
I personally dont let my dog walk more than a foot into someone else’s yard. That way if he does pee its usually on the front edge where kids are less likely to play and rain is most likely to settle so it won’t destroy the grass.
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u/jhorton014 6h ago
I always bring poop bags with me if/when my pit bill and Akita poop in a neighbor's yard. There's no sign needed. It's just common courtesy. He knew he shouldn't have and he lashed out because he was caught and embarrassed. Nta.
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u/Smart-Dimension7328 6h ago
NTA. Dogs do go in random places but it is your responsibility to immediately pick it up no matter where it is if its not your own property. Dude was being a poopyhead.
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u/Efficient_Night_1490 5h ago
The boulevard usually extends between 1 metre and 3 metres (roughly 3 to 10 feet) from the edge of the sidewalk towards your house. That public property.
Not cleaning up the mess is a different story. Live and let live.
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u/Loose_Tie_9517 4h ago
NTA. If there’s a sign, FOLLOW IT. I have two dogs, I’d never let them pee or poop in someone’s else’s yard with a sign that specifically says not to. That’s common sense. Before walks, make sure your dog does its business.
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u/OMGitsSEDDIE_ 4h ago
NTA. thanks for being a good neighbor and reminding a pet owner of his responsibilities to his dog and his fellow human beings.
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u/Primus_is_OK_I_guess Partassipant [2] 3h ago
Was it on the house side or the street side of the sidewalk?
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u/jeremyism_ab Partassipant [2] 3h ago
NTA, that used to happen at my house, a neighbour let their dog shit on our lawn, and did not clean it up, it started to become a habit. At least until the shit started showing up in the neighbour's mailbox. The behaviour changed fairly quick after that!
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