Dog-walking etiquette (house, dangerous, train)

[AguaDulce]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

There's a thread on the Hyde Park listserve going on about this.

Dogs poop when they poop. Pick it up, even if you put it in my garbage can, I've got no complaints.

Is that the general consensus in this neighborhood? I live at 51st and Guadalupe. How do I get that listserve?

I always pick it up. But usually I put it in the nearest trashcan. I certainly don't want to get yelled at. I'll be more likely to carry it home now.

[gpurcell]

I'd say its a minority view, but maybe its only the people who don't like it posting!

[tfresca]

Apparently in Austin you can do anything you want with your dog and loathe is the person to challenge you. You have a big ass sheep dog, let it attack babies in strollers. NO problem. Run off leash in the sidewalk and attack pedestrians, no problem. Go into any store or restaurant, it's a God given right. Worst dog owners in the country in Austin.

[AguaDulce]

Originally Posted by tfresca

Apparently in Austin you can do anything you want with your dog and loathe is the person to challenge you. You have a big ass sheep dog, let it attack babies in strollers. NO problem. Run off leash in the sidewalk and attack pedestrians, no problem. Go into any store or restaurant, it's a God given right. Worst dog owners in the country in Austin.

feel better?

[RoadWarrior12]

Originally Posted by tfresca

Apparently in Austin you can do anything you want with your dog and loathe is the person to challenge you. You have a big ass sheep dog, let it attack babies in strollers. NO problem. Run off leash in the sidewalk and attack pedestrians, no problem. Go into any store or restaurant, it's a God given right. Worst dog owners in the country in Austin.

Wtf. Did you even read the topic of the thread?

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by MtnLion512

Thank you. I wonder this also. There are plenty of apartment-dwelling dogs that get plenty of exercise, attention and stimulation, and plenty of dogs in single- family homes with yards that are miserable.



Pee etiquette? I don't know how I could possibly predict or control when my dog chooses to lift his leg. For him and most dogs it's completely arbitrary. I also don't know how I would be respond if I got scolded by a homeowner for my pup peeing a little on his shrub passing by. I think I'd be completely speechless.

I agree that you can't control where your dog pees, however dogs tend to pee in the same spot they and other dogs have peed before. If it happens a lot, it can kill your plant / grass in that spot.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by MtnLion512

Pee etiquette? I don't know how I could possibly predict or control when my dog chooses to lift his leg. For him and most dogs it's completely arbitrary. I also don't know how I would be respond if I got scolded by a homeowner for my pup peeing a little on his shrub passing by. I think I'd be completely speechless.

You can certainly control where YOU walk the dog. We pet sit for dozens of dogs, often taking them for walks. Makes a lot of sense to do most of your walking away from front yards, especially planting areas. It's not always possible, but sticking mainly to common areas, nuisance strips and staying closer to the street makes much more sense than offending a neighbor. That's my take anyway.

[d from birmingham]

You know birds, cats poop and pee all over peoples lawns. Yet no one complains about them. Cats crap and pee way more nasty then dogs do.

Also a couple of rains remove the poop. Honestly people should be complaining about the garbage that humans leave should as broken bottles, beer cans, the humans themselves then the dog crap which washes away. The other stuff don't wash away especially the human trash.

[Trainwreck20]

To weigh in as someone who has no problem with dogs at all, but does not currently own one:
- Figure out your dogs schedule and plan your walk to 'coincide' with a common area, if possible - in our neighborhood, that would be along Escarpment or Davis, both of which have good grass strips but are separate from yards by a wall. I can't imagine anyone being annoyed by a poop-n-scoop in these areas; however, I know that is not always feasible.
- If your dog does poop, scoop it up.
- Don't dump it in a garbage can unless you KNOW that it is going to be picked up that day. Generally, it is pretty obvious, but every now and then we unknowingly get a stink bomb in our empty trash can before we get home, and it can be awful smelling in the corner of our garage by the next week . I suppose if you had it wrapped up tight, it wouldn't be a problem, but it is really annoying when it does happen.

We have young kids that play in the front yard, and I am not overly paranoid that there was poop on the grass for a few seconds before someone scooped it; however, we live on the inside of an 'L' in the road and dogs seem to like to cut the corner and poop in our yard. It has gotten better, but some summers there will be one or two abandoned piles per day, sometimes more.

You know birds, cats poop and pee all over peoples lawns. Yet no one complains about them. Cats crap and pee way more nasty then dogs do.

If I was to watch my street for a day, I would see a dozen or more dogs go by, probably twice that many. I see one cat per month, maybe, when it 'escapes' temporarily from someone's house. Cats tend to poop in flower beds (where my kids don't play), dogs go right in the middle of the biggest, grassiest area they can find .

I know there is bird poop out there, but the 'local' birds tend to gather and poop in the same few places - on top of the fire hydrant, around two of the bushier trees (in an area that is flower beds), and on the right edge of my driveway (that one is a bit annoying...). Also, the sheer volume difference from our local mocking bird and a great dane or boxer is not inconsequential...

Oddly, I think the local possum is the current biggest offender...

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by d from birmingham

You know birds, cats poop and pee all over peoples lawns. Yet no one complains about them. Cats crap and pee way more nasty then dogs do.

Also a couple of rains remove the poop. Honestly people should be complaining about the garbage that humans leave should as broken bottles, beer cans, the humans themselves then the dog crap which washes away. The other stuff don't wash away especially the human trash.

Maybe in birmingham; but City of Austin has ordinances against leaving dog poopage on the ground. While the total dog stuff probably doesn't compare to the 'natural' droppings of deer, possum, feral cats, horses, cows, etc; I still don't think it makes sense to leave the stuff to wash into the watershed, even in your own yard.