Dear PoPville – Dog/Neighbor Dilemma

Photo by PoPville flickr user Flicker Clicker

“Dear PoPville,

I’ve got a bit of a dilemma and I really don’t know how to handle it. I live in a row house with a tiny yard and have a small dog that I walk around the neighborhood. There’s an apartment building directly across the street from my house and a woman has been harassing me for walking my dog – she can see me and yells profanity at me, but I can’t see her. It’s unnerving, especially since she’ll be yelling at me as I walk into my front door, so she knows where I live. I’m a responsible pet owner – I clean up after my dog. Not to mention there’s no yard to her apartment building – just grass between the sidewalk and the street which is public space.

This evening I watched an older man walk two large dogs walk right by the building but as I walked by she started yelling at me about my f*** dog, and how would I like it if she let her dog s*** and p*** in my d*** yard. My husband has told her to shove it, I’ve responded that I picked up the poop and have a right to walk the dog along the street. I’ve now started to ignore it but it continues. What do I do to get this to stop? I’m pretty sure this is anti-gentrification blowback. Maybe I should just stop scooping the poop so at least her yelling is valid…”

I def. feel your frustration but I don’t think this situation is “anti-gentrification blowback”. I think it is more likely that the neighbor could be mentally ill. Or the neighbor may have simply been pushed over the edge by others not scooping that she is venting her anger on you. Though the fact she yells only at you and not others with dogs is of great concern. It sounds like a rational discussion is not gonna work here. How would you guys deal with this situation – alert the authorities or try to ignore it? Something else?