Legal Question - Homeowner?

Question

If I catch someone letting their dog crap in my yard and they refuse to pick it up, what can I do?

I am tempted to grab them and rub their nose in it and say No No No but I have a feeling I might get arrested and sued.

Can I throw it at them?

My first question after hundreds of answers. This really ticks me off.

Answer 1

If you catch the person in your yard, officially trespass them from the yard. Advise them should they come back to your yard, you can sign a warrant against them for trespassing and take them before a judge.

Personally, I like the idea about the sign in the yard identifying a person from a specific address allowing their dog to use your yard without cleaning it up! People can be extremely rude when they know they're wrong! This idea, however, is very innovative and refreshing!

I've worked a police K-9 for eight years now. I may consider inviting my K-9 to use their yard!

Best wishes.

Answer 2

Turn on your sprinklers or use the water hose to give them a good soaking. If they want to call the cops, let 'em. It's proof that they were in YOUR yard! Even better is to take a photo or a video of the dog in your yard & the person holding the leash. Then turn it over to the Police & take a copy to the dog catcher. Watch where they go & write down the address & give it to the Police. They should be able to write them a ticket for littering & tresspassing. If there is no collar, tags, or leash on the dog, then that's an additional fine. Talk to the Police & your local Animal Control Officer or SPCA! I no longer own a home, but I know some people who have large mean dogs that they use to run off people like the ones you are talking about.

Answer 3

Isn't it sad that you can't go out there and make them stop.
I would think that you can demand they get off of your property now can you use force I doubt it. Besides its not worth getting sued over. Follow them and find out where they live. Then
simply take it and throw it in their yard.

I know one person who put up a sign the person at address
xxxxx lets their dog crap in peoples yard.

I caught a lady doing the same thing one night. I went in the house got a flashlight and a bag. She was so embarassed that she cleaned it up.

Answer 4

I sympathise. Just don't get too upset over it. Not worth it. It isn't the fault of the animal but of the owner. I notice the nuisance doesn't last forever (dogs move away or get old or die if you are unable to speak to the owners)

Depends on your local ordinances. In our city, people walking their animals are supposed to carry a poop bag and retrieve their doggy waste and some don't do it; however, some people just let their dogs run loose.and they nose around and poop in people's yards.

It's a losing battle. I don't have a fenced in back yard so dogs would come into my yard and poop so I tried pouring full strength bleach at the end of the driveway at my friends suggestion because she told me dogs don't like that smell. It didn't always work. (It did work when I was able to put a bowl of it out where I didn't want racoons to poop on my deck though.)

What usually works is when the dog walker comes up the alley and when the dog turns into the drive and I'm standing there and they hear me telling the dog directly to "Don't poop in my yard." in an unfriendly manner. It usually embarrasses the dog walker and they are usually careful after that to tell the dog not to turn into my yard -- unsure whether I'll be working in the yard again. Another time, my husband walked over and told a neighbor (who regularly let her dog loose to run) we don't like the poop and to keep her dog out of our yard. Another woman -- I had to complain to her landlord (she denied it but later moved-out -- but not before carrying some poop deep into my property on the drive near my garage door and throwing it there). Looking out the upstairs back window, I could often see her early each morning dressed in her bathrobe carrying her little dog out to go into our yards across the alley from her basement apartment. She'd wait in the alley hiding behind our tall fence and then retrieve the dog then return to her apartment. I got tired of shovelling up the poop and throwing it into her's and her landlords driveway that's why I walked around the block to the landlord's front door and told him.

My next door neighbor neatly put the dog's poop in a lunch bag and left the bag at the dog owner's front door.

Some people end up paving or taking out their lawns because of animals. Other's put a little signs in their garden.

Answer 5

Call the local police. There is or isn't an ordinance, and they will be the ones who can help as well as the ones responding to a complaint if there is one.

NEVER grab ANYONE. You will get sued; you might get killed.

Answer 6

yea i probably wouldnt throw it at them cuz yea it can be some crazy "GansTa" and might want to start shooting at you...haha or if its pitbull, let em go on you...wat you can probably do is pick up the dog crap, follow that person home and throw it on their yard. maybe some extra crap so they can come outside and pick it up see how they feel. i dont know just an idea. lol

Answer 7

Most towns have an ordinance for public property not private.

You can photograph them and get them for trespassing, but that's about it.