Okay - if you have followed me on Facebook at all, you read my recent beef with a lady that walks her dog and lets it go to the bathroom in our yard. Some were wondering if she cleaned up after it, because that's not so bad.
True.
Sometimes you walk a dog and it decides to poop, and you clean up after it. But we just watched this lady walk out of her apartment with her dog, march straight across the street, into our yard, let her dog go to the bathroom, and then walk straight across the street back into her apartment. SERIOUSLY?! It's not like she's on a walk and the dog decided to go to the bathroom... she's purposely and intentionally using our yard for her dog to poop in.
When Chad confronted her last week, she claimed she was "just letting him get some shade under your trees". Mmhmm...
Today he went outside to confront her (actually a different old lady that apparently lives with the first lady... or visits a lot..) and our neighbor was already on top of it. He told her she had to take her dog down to the park if she wanted to do that. She claimed her dogs (there's more than one?!) weren't ready for that kind of walk. Uh... pretty sure they could handle it, you just don't want to walk that far. What she should have (more truthfully said) is "Why would I walk that far when your yard is perfect for my dog to poop in." So the neighbor finishes talking to her, she turns around, and Chad's standing there. She says "He's all done now" and Chad says "Okay - just try not to let it happen in our yard anymore." And she walks back inside and so does he.
We have now talked to the dog owners twice - what do you do after that?!
I'm sorry you live in a little apartment with no yard (they are supposed to be "putting in" a yard - they dug it up and put in a sprinkler system a couple of weeks ago, but no development as far as sod goes). Maybe you shouldn't have moved in with a dog! GRRRRGH.
4 comments:
make a video and also a trespassing complaint to the police? Although it might not even be trespassing, there's usually some kind of right of way extending some number of feet from a public street. If she's actually breaking no laws whatsover, I guess you are SOL. You could run for city council on the "no more dog crap in your yard" platform.
And that is why we have so many laws about everything under the sun. Everyone complains about government regulations but they wouldn't be necessary if everyone (individuals and businesses alike) would treat everyone else honestly and courteously. But they don't, so every time some new type of obnoxious behavior comes to light we try to prevent it with new laws governing things like credit card companies deliberately sending out your bill with so little time to return a payment that you're almost guaranteed to get stuck with an exorbitant late fee to fining people for not cleaning up after their dog. If there weren't so many jerks in the world, we'd need lots fewer laws.
And as far as how to handle it, all I can say is I haven't found it to be particularly productive to have friendly discussions with people who don't see their boorish behavior as a problem in the first place. But it's probably still the first thing to try. (I believe the response we got to a similar situation was a "It's good for your lawn!")
I would vote for that platform. I believe the traditional recourse is to scoop up any canine fecal matter, deposit it in a paper bag, set on her doorstep, light on fire, ring doorbell, and book it back home.
Is Ammon technically part of Idaho Falls? If so, I present pertinent sections of the Idaho Falls City Code for your enjoyment:
Bookmark6-1-2: DUMPING REFUSE UNLAWFUL:
No person shall dump, place or deposit any trash, refuse, matter, filth, waste, rags, paper, tin or aluminum cans or any substance likely to produce disease or infection on any lot, street, alley or public right-of-way within the City.
And more specifically: Bookmark6-1-5: DEPOSITING OF MANURE PROHIBITED:
No person shall deposit upon or allow any manure to be placed upon any City street, alley, sidewalk or right-of-way, provided however, this section shall not apply to persons in control of animals exhibited in any public parade or circus, provided adequate arrangements are made to remove and dispose of manure deposited upon such streets, ways or sidewalks by animals exhibited in the parade or circus, during or immediately following the conclusion thereof.
NUISANCE: A nuisance animal is one that:{...} 2. Damages, soils, or defecates on private property other than property owned or controlled by the animal owner or on public walks and recreation areas unless such waste is immediately removed and properly disposed of by the animal owner or handler.
And...B) Any owner or keeper of a dog whose dog is determined to be at large on or in any public street, alley, sidewalk, park or place, or upon private property without the permission of the owner or occupant thereof, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
And most specific of all: Bookmark5-10-16: DOG DEFECATION TO BE REMOVED BY DOG OWNER:
(A) No person owning, keeping or having in his or her immediate care or custody any dog shall knowingly fail or neglect to clean up any feces of the dog immediately and dispose of it in a sanitary manner whenever the dog has defecated upon public or private property owned or within the control of another and without the consent of such public or private owner or person.
(B) The provisions of subsection A of this section shall not apply to a blind person being accompanied by a guide dog or signal dog, nor shall they be construed to require or countenance any act of trespass upon private property. Whenever the feces to be cleaned up cannot be reached without an unlawful trespass upon the private property on which the feces is located, the person having the duty pursuant to subsection A of this section to clean it up shall first obtain permission to do so from the owner or person in lawful possession or charge of the property. If a property owner does not consent to the owner of the dog cleaning up the feces, then subsection A of this section will not apply to the dog owner. (Ord 2675, 10-26-06; Ord 2805, 04-09-09)
Compliments your friendly neighborhood not-a-lawyer because I can't call myself that unless I pay the state of Utah a few hundred more dollars.
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