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I live in an apartment in Upstate, NY. There is alot of greenery around the apartment. Lots of patches of green grass. There are areas where people sit outside on the grass and there are tons of areas that are just green grass areas since this is in the country. I am talking right on the apartment complex property.
Dogs need to toilet themselves outside, right? No problem! I noticed that some people toilet their dogs on the "lawn" areas where people sit in chairs and at picnic tables. They do clean up after the dogs if it fecal matter.
I asked the property manager if she would send out a memo asking people to please try to use the areas of the property that aren't used by tenants for toileting their dogs. My main reason for doing this is because walking or sitting on the grass that is also used by dogs isn't such a cool thing.
There are no specific rules about where dogs are to be toileted here.
The property manager is very reluctant to do send out such a memo and I am not sure why. I did ask her and she said "I can't "make" them do that. People here don't listen to me". I am not sure if she can "make" anyone do anything, but common rules at apartment complexes usually exist.
Is it the property manager's responsibility to address tenants with dogs toileting their dogs in certain locations on the property? There is nothing in the lease about it.
One of the problems with restricting where dogs can or cannot do their business is enforcing those restrictions and following up when they are ignored. If the complex doesn't identify, post, fence off and maintain a designated area for the dogs, it can become a pointless exercise. The manager may not have the resources to do any of that. Only the more responsible residents are going to bother.
OTOH, not everyone worries about what might have happened to a patch of grass before they choose to walk across it to sit at a picnic table. The world can be a dirty place.
Does the apartment complex even allow dogs at all? Or are these trespassing dogs? If they are not resident dogs then check the applicable laws. Most folks won't want to catch a fine twice. Easy to photograph them in the act. If the manger won't take care of it ask the owner yourself to create a policy and enforce it.
Does you apartment complex have a bulletin board or newsletter? Perhaps you can ask to insert a plea for residents to avoid a couple of specific areas that you identify….
Does you apartment complex have a bulletin board or newsletter? Perhaps you can ask to insert a plea for residents to avoid a couple of specific areas that you identify….
OP, you could spearhead the process for the complex to identify a dog use area that residents can all (or mostly...there will always be some who won't agree to anything) agree to. You could also float the idea to cluster chairs/picnic tables in other parts of the grounds.
Unless you happen to be the only person concerned about this. You may find a few other residents who share your concern, you may not.
One problem with clustering the chairs/picnic tables anywhere is, if people have their permitted pets along when they use those areas and nature calls, the pet is going to answer that call! After all, they're housebroken, right? Grass is the outdoors. Frankly, you're fortunate people pick up the poop!
When dogs NEED to urinate the urge is sudden and unstoppable. A dog can "hold back" the urge while in the building but as soon as he is outside his brain sends the signal and he will urinate in the first acceptible spot. People allow this since it is the only way to house-break a dog.
Therefore, the only way to have a truely dog urine-free area is to not allow leashed dogs in that area. If you are worried about sitting on clean grass, maybe ask the residents for a dog-free zone that is demarcated somehow and away from the entrance to the buildings.
But beware that rabbits, squirrels, and birds will also leave 'presents'. Luckily urine is very water soluble and rain, fog, drizzle, and even overnight dew will rinse the leaves pretty quickly and usually every night.
I really don't think there is anything that can be done about it. The dogs are going outside and it sounds like poop is being scooped.
There is a limit to how much control landlords have over people's behavior. It's not the landlords job to make other people comply with your standards or to make other people behave the way you want them to behave. It's hard enough to get people to comply to things they have signed a contract about. Your landlord is probably just grateful that the tenants are taking the dogs outside to do their business.
I suggest that you get yourself a nice lightweight folding lawn chair and use that when you want to sit out on the grass.
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