Dog Walkers: Be Considerate, Please, About Where You Let Your Dog Poop and Pee

Ms. Greene called the Corner Forum on Wednesday with the following plea.

The other day, I was sitting outside on my doorstep, and I had just finished sweeping up the sidewalk, and I had the broom right beside me, and this man down the street — his dog came up and wanted to pee, and he stood there and watched the dog pee right on the broom, while I stood there. And I said, "You're gonna stand there and let the dog pee on my broom?" He said, "I'm sorry." What good is that? It's already done. And then he left. I think that was rude. That's my broom, that I use, in my house.

I came out one morning, and there was a big bag with dog poo sitting on my doorstep.

Then I came out this morning again: someone let their dog pee on my car. You could see it running down on the door of the car. That is wrong. With the sun all hot today, it was a stinking smell. I was gonna drive to the car wash today, but I had so much to do — I didn't get a chance.

If people allow their dogs to do stuff like that, why not let them go to the bathroom in your house?

I've been living on this block since 1988, and I've never had a problem until this started happening recently. I don't want to get in trouble because of stuff like that.

Because believe me, like this morning, when I went out there, you could see that it had just happened. I was taking my grandkids to school. If I had caught the dog's owner there, letting that dog go to the bathroom on my car, we would have had a big problem. I maybe would have knocked the lights out of that dog. Or maybe the owner too! Because I was really upset.

You know, you pay $28,000 for your car — you don't want to stand there and watch somebody's dog pee on your car. I could see if it was just a stray dog, then it's different. But if you have your dog on a leash, there shouldn't be a reason for your dog to pee on somebody's vehicle, or put your poo on the person's doorstep. Why stand there, letting the dog pee on the car?

The next time I catch somebody with their dog peeing on my property, I'm gonna call the police.

I have two little grandsons, 3 and 5. Most mornings, they run to the car. Luckily, this morning, they weren't the ones that ran to the car first.

Don't let the dogs use the bathroom on the sidewalks! This is the only place these kids have to play right now. I'm planning to move, because I want yard space for these kids. Other than that, I would not move, because I really love my neighborhood, but I'm working on my house right now, to put it on the market. I have two little boys, and they need space to play. It's not every evening that I can take them to the playground, because I work a full eight-hour shift job every day.

In the evenings, I watch dogs doo-doo on the concrete, and then the owner will pick it up. But if you see your dog is going to poop — push the paper under the dog! Because the kids play on the sidewalk. It would be better if you let the dog poo on the paper, instead of cleaning it up afterwards. Because after you pick it up, there's still some left on the street.

Get up in time, and take your dog to a park, instead of letting the dog use the bathroom on the sidewalk where the kids play and on people's property! Take the dog to an area where it's designated for that purpose! Don't use the sidewalk as a bathroom, or people's property as a bathroom. That's not right. §