Neighbor's Dog Urine

OK: I live in a townhouse.

During the summer months, I like to keep several houseplants out on my patio. These plants include a number of herbs that I use, from time to time, in my cooking.

I have, from time to time, noticed strange yellow, burned patches on these plants.

And today, I discovered the culprit: My next door neighbor's dog, which is periodically let out on a leash, comes over and gives my plants a healthy dousing with ****.

I've noticed for some time that the grass in front of my patio door smells strongly of dog waste. But this was the first time I've actually caught the dog in the act.

I'd like to be a good neighbor. But this is really making very angry right now. I've lost a couple of plants already, from causes I now realize were this neighbor's dog pissing on them.

Suggestions? (I've already moved most of the plants as far away as possible from the neighbor's door.)

Talk to the neighbor. If he's holding the other end of the leash, there's no excuse for letting Fido **** all over your plants. If the leash is attached to the porch or whatever, he needs to either shorten it or stay outside to watch the dog do his business and train him to keep away from your plants.

Emmett said:

Talk to the neighbor.

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Thanks for your answer.

You are, of course, 100% correct.

Right now I need to a) vent and b) calm down a little.

I'm not usually at home during the day. So I was more than a little angry to discover the source of my plants distress.

Personally, I find I have to fight the urge to use "passive/aggressive" methods to respond to things like this. Snotty notes, little fences, etc.

Why do "passive/aggressive" responses seem so attractive? Because they manage to avoid dealing, face-to-face, with other people? Because they appeal to our "revenge" fantasies?

Thank you for your suggestion. I'm going to go for a nice long bike ride. Calm down. Take a shower. And go and talk, pleasantly, to my neighbor.

Best of luck. I totally understand the temptation towards P/A responses. I've gotten about 1000x better at conflict resolution since I started consciously trying to be assertive.

RazorDingo said:

I'd like to be a good neighbor. But this is really making very angry right now. I've lost a couple of plants already, from causes I now realize were this neighbor's dog pissing on them.

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Why? Your neighbor clearly isn't being a good neighbor. Talk to him, be calm about it at first, but don't beat around the bush. Get right to the heart of the matter. Be tactful, but make a point to tell him that you don't appreciate that his dog is pissing on and killing your plants. If you don't see an immediate change, then you can more aggressively press the issue.

RazorDingo said:

I'm going to go for a nice long bike ride. Calm down. Take a shower. And go and talk, pleasantly, to my neighbor.

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Bingo! Resist the urge to talk to your neighbor until the fury has passed. With any luck, he/she will react like a reasonable grownup and that will be the end of it. If not, I'm sure you'll be able to re-fury at a moment's notice.

if you neighor doesnt make it right, string a little electric fence, the doggy will get the hint, and it wont cause any damage.

Hreafn said:

if you neighor doesnt make it right, string a little electric fence, the doggy will get the hint, and it wont cause any damage.

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Ever peed on an electric fence?
Owwww!

i have seen it done, never twice by the same person.

gollum83 said:

Why? Your neighbor clearly isn't being a good neighbor. Talk to him, be calm about it at first, but don't beat around the bush. Get right to the heart of the matter. Be tactful, but make a point to tell him that you don't appreciate that his dog is pissing on and killing your plants. If you don't see an immediate change, then you can more aggressively press the issue.

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+1. Begin with tact....always always.

Great idea to take a ride and cool down. You and your neighbor are likely to be living side by side for some time to come and there's no reason to make things unpleasant. He or she probably didn't intentionally send the dog over to foul your herbs. It's just a sign of inconsideration. Have a nice talk and hopefully that's the last that needs to be said. If it happens again, repeat the same thing. A third time? Go to your homeowners association if you have one. They'll just do the same thing that you're doing, but they probably have some greater powers of enforcement. Hopefully it won't have to go any further than that.

I went through something similar with a neighbor who would just put her dog out at night like the Flintstones with their sabertooth. I assumed that a nice neighborly conversation would clear things up. It didn't. I found the offending hound on my deck howling for the company of my dog at 1:30 in the morning. I found it sleeping on my steps. When I realized that polite conversation wasn't getting anywhere, I went through the homeowners association and I called animal control. Surprisingly, instead of keeping the pooch on a leash, the neighbor sold her house and moved--she said that she'd rather find a place to let her dog run free than comply with society's brutal rules. I hope she didn't move in next to you!

I'd also recommend getting some stands for your plants. It might not just be Spike who is giving your herbs a good hosing. There are lots of other animals wandering around a residential neighborhood and they might pick up where the doggie leaves off.

Bear in mind it is the neighbor who is at fault, not his/her dog. The dog is just being a dog. Your neighbor, on the other hand, is being a bad dog owner.

Hreafn said:

if you neighor doesnt make it right, string a little electric fence, the doggy will get the hint, and it wont cause any damage.

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The dog is simply doing what dogs do. There is no reason to take it out on him. The problem is with the neighbor who is supposed to be supervising the dog. If the neighbor doesn't respond to a polite conversation then move up to the governing organization for your townhouse. They undoubtedly have rules and procedures for dealing with this type of situation.

stobes21 said:

The dog is simply doing what dogs do. There is no reason to take it out on him. The problem is with the neighbor who is supposed to be supervising the dog. If the neighbor doesn't respond to a polite conversation then move up to the governing organization for your townhouse. They undoubtedly have rules and procedures for dealing with this type of situation.

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True, however if the dog doesnt want to pee on the plants, then he wont and it is a last course of action.

The Nid Hog said:

Surprisingly, instead of keeping the pooch on a leash, the neighbor sold her house and moved--she said that she'd rather find a place to let her dog run free than comply with society's brutal rules.

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That is too much! It sounds like by complainting about her dog, you unintentionally saved yourself from years of aggravation over who knows how many things!

Wow. I thought this was a Lilac Vegetal thread.

kap49 said:

Wow. I thought this was a Lilac Vegetal thread.

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No, no, no. That's supposed to smell like cat urine.

gollum83 said:

Be tactful, but make a point to tell him that you don't appreciate that his dog is pissing on and killing your FOOD.

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Fixed. Drive that point home! Maybe ask how he'd like it if someone pissed in his Cheerios?!

cayenne red pepper comes to my mind in this situation......

trust me: it stimulates plant growth......

gollum83 said:

Why? Your neighbor clearly isn't being a good neighbor. Talk to him, be calm about it at first, but don't beat around the bush. Get right to the heart of the matter. Be tactful, but make a point to tell him that you don't appreciate that his dog is pissing on and killing your plants. If you don't see an immediate change, then you can more aggressively press the issue.

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Too bad you can't train the dog to **** on your neighbor's car...