Dear PoPville – Getting People to Curb Their Dogs

Photo by PoPville flickr user sophiagrrl

Dear PoPville,

I’ve lived on my street in lower Shaw for seven years, not that it should matter. Our building has a small patch of grass with no fencing. We’re really the only non-wrought iron fenced lawn on the block. We’re also the crappiest building on the block, but again, that shouldn’t matter. I’m writing because recently I’ve started politely asking people not to curb their dog on our lawn. I’m a tenant, it is private property and the many children in the building play on this space. Dogs are not permitted in the building so it’s not an issue with the tenants who share the property. I’ve encountered everything from “I’ve lived in this neighborhood for X years!!” to anger and people flinging curses at me to the weirdest “Go back to Norther Virginia (bleep bleep)!” I’m working with the landlord to put up those no-pooping signs, but in the meantime I just wanted to see if anyone out there in PoPville can tell me why my neighbors feel so entitled to let their dog feces be, even if temporarily, plotzed upon private property? Would it be okay if I curbed a dog on your fenced lawn even if I cleaned it up? I’m frustrated and pretty sure the next time someone reacts with anything but “Oh, no problem” I’m going to scream like a crazy person.

Open to Suggestions