Tri-Cities, Will You Get Mad If My Dog Pees In Your Yard?

That's my dog, isn't he cute? Do you think you would get mad if he peed in your yard?

Of course you would get mad. It does not matter how cute my dog is, I think you would get upset. As a long time dog owner, I get it. Your yard, or my yard for that matter, should not a toilet for people's dogs. Is a topic that you care about, or is it even legal for people to let their dogs pee in your yard? Some people obviously do not think about these things.

WHAT DO I DO?

Full disclosure, there are times when a dog really has to pee, and he goes anywhere. I take our dog for a walk around our neighborhood for 1.5 miles every day so he can get some socialization and get "his business" done. But as a general rule, I try to do certain things to respect people's property as if it was my own. Even though he wants to pee on almost everything, we have rules on our walk that he must abide by.

RULE #1- ONLY PEE ON TREES

The most important rule besides not pulling the leash, is to only pee on trees. To be more specific, only trees that are not in other people's yards. Where I live there are trees along the streets in places not attached to yards, most around the community parks or paths. This also means he is not allowed to pee on anything man-made like fire hydrants, fences, and signposts.

I do this because dog pee can kill grass and bushes, especially if the dog pees regularly. Also, once a dog pees in a spot, every other dog that walks by is going to want to pee there also making the problem worse. Dog pee also stains things like fences or community fire hydrants.

RULE #2- ALWAYS CARRY 2 POOP BAGS

This rule is more for me then for my dog. Sometimes he has to "do his business" twice and I will need that extra bag. If you're not picking up all your dog's poop when you're out on a walk, what are you doing? Some people do not care about pee in their yard, but everyone would hate a big pile of dog poop.

IS IT ILLEGAL FOR MY DOG TO PEE IN YOUR YARD?

This question was asked in a forum I was reading the other day researching this question.

"I hate to act this way, but I just paid $3,500 to have my lawn put in and people are allowing their dogs to pee on my grass and it’s completely destroying the spots where it’s taking place. I’m not needlessly complaining, it’s literally killing my lawn"

One lawyer had this advice for the person. "It is a trespass. You would have to sue the dog owner in small claims. You will likely get nominal damages. Try putting up signs and see if that helps"

Another person not identified as a lawyer had some different advice. "It's technically a trespass, or even littering, but good luck getting the police to investigate or ticket. You can use security cameras to capture and identify the dog owners and submit your evidence to the police. If you have lawn sprinklers, water just before the dog walkers come out usually in the am and in the pm. Dogs tend to go for dry areas. There is also a product called “Liquid Fence.” You can also sprinkle chili powder or cayenne pepper around the edges of your yard. You have to continually reapply whatever substance you use."

For my yard, I do not care as long as your dog pees on one of my trees. If they are just peeing in the grass or on my bushes, please stop it from happening. Remember, I have a dog also and can go happily walk by your yard to let my dog relieve himself in your grass and bushes. Also, my dog is probably bigger than your dog, with a larger pee spot...just sayin'. lol