Problem with neighbours dogs

Rosie_McRose

I am hoping that some responsible dog owners can give me some advice on what to do about an irresponsible neighbour.
I live in a small cul-de-sac/square in the city centre, most of the houses have very limited or no back yard, so people sit out in the quiet street and children play ball on the street.

A woman from a street around the corner has two little terrier dogs that she brings round the corner to my street early in the mornings, takes them off their leash and lets them run around and go to the toilet. Frequently and if nobody is watching she doesn’t clean up the poo, our front doors are directly on the footpath so they literally lift their leg and pee on our door. A few people have had words with her but she produces a plastic bag when confronted and does a stupid inane smile. I have had to clean up turds a number of times.
So, a few weeks ago she left a puddle of poo outside my door, I went to her house and asked her to not bring her dogs to my street anymore as she obviously couldn’t be trusted to clean up after herself. There are 2 children on the street and she’s causing a health hazard. I was pretty reasonable (well as you can be when someone has just left poo on your doorstep). She lives right beside the canal (it’s actually a shorter walk to the canal than it is to my street) so I cannot understand why she doesn't bring the dogs to the grass.
However she has been back a few times with her dogs again. Both my partner and I confronted her. I got annoyed and told her I was going to report her to the Gardai as a public nuisance – she laughed. She accused me of trying to bully her, and said she will not be told what to do by me. So basically she’s not going to stop bringing her dogs to my street. I think at this stage she's actually trying to antagonise me - she seems a bit odd - she told me I was being cruel to my child with my attitude to animals. What? because I don't want him playing in dog poop!?
What to do here? Who do you report people who don’t clean up poo to? I'm going to report her to the litter warden, but can I also report her to the dog warden?
(Has anyone contact details for the dog warden for Dublin City Council - their site sucks and google isn't giving me anything)
Of course I could always return all deposits to her through her letterbox - but I don't want to get into any situation where I can be the one accused of harassment.

Also - I've been told that there are numerous dog deterrents that I can buy, - sprays and noise sensor things. Do any of these work?
I don't want to inflict any unnecessary cruelty at all on the dogs (I am a dog lover!) but am willing to try anything if they work.
Any suggestions at all will be most helpful!!

stevoman

any dog deterent that you could buy would probobly upsety any other dogs in the vecinity and that wouldnt be fair on them or their owners if they are playing by the rules.

Seems that you have tried to sort this out rationally, but to no avail you seem to have no other option than to report this to the powers that be. Unfortunatly they wont put this issue on the top of their list.

1 - call the litter warden as this is a health hazard and illegal not to clean up after your dog.

2 - Try the dog warden, i dont think you'l get any joy their though.

3 - try the guards (you never know they might issue irelands first asbo!)

4 - this would be my last avenue to go down but if the officail parties do not give you any joy, if the dog dirt continues to be left outside your house, simply wait for her to go back home, pick it up, bring it up to her front door and dump it there (fight fire with fire). Yes its lowering yourself to her level but if it highlights what its like for you then why not do it. (she can always use her plastic bag to pick it up there)

Thats all the help i can be..... best of luck.

Rosie_McRose

thanks Stevoman

there are no other dogs nearby (that I'm aware of anyway) as I said - our houses are small with little open space so are totally unsuitable for dogs, and nobody else brings their dogs down our street - why would you when there's the full length of the canal beside us!?

If anyone has had any experience with dog deterrants I'd be interested to hear.

Can you (or anyone) tell me if it's illegal to have a dog off the leash? Or if that only applies to certain breeds?

stevoman

Rosie_McRose wrote: »

Can you (or anyone) tell me if it's illegal to have a dog off the leash? Or if that only applies to certain breeds?

Thats a shadey area but AFAIW you cant have any dog off a leash in a public place

julesrtc

It is not illegal to have your dog off a lead but the dog needs to be in your control off the lead?? Dont know if that helps..
Id say litter warden is your only hope? I hate people like this, it gives us(responsible dog owners) a bad name.

hadook

There's an on the spot fine (memory says €75 but I'm not 100% on that) for leaving dog poo. Report her to the dog warden.

Rosie_McRose

hadook wrote: »

There's an on the spot fine (memory says €75 but I'm not 100% on that) for leaving dog poo. Report her to the dog warden.

I called the dog warden who said call the litter warden - she's not doing anything illegal by having the dogs off the lead.
I explained the situation to litter warden - ie - when confronted she'll clean up, but if nobody sees her you have doggy poo on your door,.but as i haven't actually witnessed her leaving the poop behind they can't fine her!

So there's not much I can do

lightening

Rosie_McRose wrote: »

So there's not much I can do

Bag it and return it. I would explode and have done so at people littering outside my house. It's unacceptable.

stevoman

Rosie_McRose wrote: »

So there's not much I can do

yes bag it and return it!! leave it at her front door. thats exactly what i would do if i was getting the same sassy attidute from that ladie as you are!

Leeby

Does she have regularly scheduled walks? I mean do you know generally what time of day she comes around with the poop machines? If so, then you could try to record her from an upstairs window or something, then hopefully if noones around you'll have evidence of the act.

LegacyUser

Rosie_McRose wrote: »

as i haven't actually witnessed her leaving the poop behind they can't fine her! So there's not much I can do

Exactly, so you have no proof that its her dogs that are messing up your street, other thasn the fact that you ain't seen it happen!
You have seen this woman use poo bags before - so maybe it isn't her.

About not walking the dogs in the canal area. So what! Maybe she doesn't feel safe walking down the canal on her own. I sure wouldn't - there have been plenty of incidents around there.

Leeby wrote: »

Does If so, then you could try to record her from an upstairs window or something, then hopefully if noones around you'll have evidence of the act.

Get yourself some evidence.
She is right. You probably are bullying her. My father used to hate dogs crapping on his lawn. We lived in the last house before a big field and the dogs used to go in and crap before heading home. It used to really annoy him. But he never, ever confronted the people who owned the dogs. He just took out the shovel and binned it. He had kids too! If it is such a big health hazzard, then why not ban all dogs! My advice to you is just to clean it up, move on and less of the crap.

Intothesea

I think you're right to be mad OP, and I hope you
can force her to lose her ignoramus lackadaisical
ways. If it's not good enough for her front door,
it's not good enough for yours either.

I'd return to sender at every opportunity, the
only problem there is that she'll continue to
mess up elsewhere. I'd push it with the dog
wardens until she's forced to behave like a
civilised human.

LegacyUser

:rolleyes: As long as you have that proof of course. I wouldn't go shipping poo through the letter box unless you have that "You've Been Framed Shot".
I'm an owner of dogs myself and I ALWAYS pick up after them, but there are folks who let their dogs ramble and those who don't pick up.

I think harassing the woman about it is only going to go against you in the end. I mean who's side would the law take ? "This person is harassing me, they keep bullying me and putting faeces through my letter box. All of the neighbours have ganged up on me. Pooor me..." And it will work through her favour.

This is why I am telling you to leave it. Clean it up. You won't get anywhere .. without your proof.

Rosie_McRose

bubby wrote: »

Exactly, so you have no proof that its her dogs that are messing up your street, other thasn the fact that you ain't seen it happen!
You have seen this woman use poo bags before - so maybe it isn't her.

About not walking the dogs in the canal area. So what! Maybe she doesn't feel safe walking down the canal on her own. I sure wouldn't - there have been plenty of incidents around there.

Get yourself some evidence.
She is right. You probably are bullying her. My father used to hate dogs crapping on his lawn. We lived in the last house before a big field and the dogs used to go in and crap before heading home. It used to really annoy him. But he never, ever confronted the people who owned the dogs. He just took out the shovel and binned it. He had kids too! If it is such a big health hazzard, then why not ban all dogs! My advice to you is just to clean it up, move on and less of the crap.

ok - just to clarify - she is the only person in my surrounding streets with dogs. She is the only person that has ever been seen on my street with dogs by any of the residents.
A few weeks ago i saw her letting her dogs run around my street. 15 minutes later I went out to find a fresh poop on my doorstep. I think it's fair to assume it's her.

I have a child that plays outside - there are 2 on the street and they like to run around an kick ball together. It is totally irresponsible and inconsiderate to allow dogs to foul an area that you know children play in.
I have cleaned up several times, as has the other mother and I am sick of it.
I live in D6 and the canal in my area is perfectly safe on morning (this is when she brings the dogs out) I bring my own child down there where he loves to meet responsible owners and their dogs.


Confronting her is not bullying her - she is perfectly able to stand up for herself and has been extremely aggressive to me and my partner this weekend. - she stood in front of his car on the road and refused to stand off on the footpath. She also has shouted and heckled me as i walked past her house. Thankfully however she has not shown her face on my street this weekend.
i have however got photographic evidence since my original post but will hold off on reporting it unitl it happens again.
I don't want to go down the route of returning the favour as I know that i then will be culpable.

If your father never had a word with the dog owners that fouled his area then he was allowing them to walk all over him .
I don't give a damn what this woman does as long as she stays away from me and my house, and I has no desire to communicate with her at all.
I am amazed that you think demanding that someone cleans up their own sh1t is bullying!


Thanks to everyone for your good advice.

lightening

Terrible advice Bubby. The woman sounds like a right rough toerag.

LegacyUser

My post was based on the fact that you had no proof. I told you to get your advice! You ahd none, so you could be construed as bullying her, as you were going on undocumented evidence. I mean evidence that shows her dog crapping outside and her walking off without cleaning it up.

if she comes near you or her dog does it and she does not clean up then take your evidence and shop her with it. She is obviously an extremely unresponsible dog owner - and if she is showing aggression towards you and your partner, then I would totally agree with your approach.

My father didn't have the evidence you have now. Without evidence there is nothing you can do. (Is there anything you can do with it either though! Does the Dept. of Environment listen?).

With regards to cleaning it up. Thats what you are doing now - becuase you have to. I'd continue to do that - don't get into any altercations with her and shop her from a distance. The cheeky so and so. My post may have come accross as "being on her side". I am far from it. I'd just be very careful, these people are brazen enough to stick their fingers up at you and point the finger at you as if it is your issue, and they will lodge complaints about you in relation to bullying and harassing a poor lady out walking her dogs etc with the local police. Again, as if the issue is yours. If she's that brazen, I wouldn't put anything past her.

Whatever you do .. cover your arse ..
This is what I'd be doing if she did it again ....

"Under new litter laws (section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997) it is an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul a public place. This means the owner/person in charge of the dog is required under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable, sanitary manner. You can make a complaint to the District Court under the litter laws against an owner or someone in charge of a dog who allows that dog to foul public places and who fails to act responsibly. Before you do this, you must first inform the dog owner of your intention by completing a special form available from the Dog Control Unit of your local authority . "

wyk

Most digital cameras have a movie capture mode. Some phones have it. If it bothers you enough, acquire one of these and catch her in the act a couple of times, then show it to the authorities. Case closed, and the fine will stick(no pun intended).

WYK

LegacyUser

The fine is just 125 euros though and the impression I got was that it is an "on the spot fine". So doesn't that mean that the authorities have to catch her doing it.