Dear Mrs. McVeigh,
I live in a very nice community on a very nice street. We have great neighbors who we get along with really well. However, there is one neighbor a few doors down who walks his dog, and lets him go to the bathroom on our front lawn. Then he walks away without cleaning it up. I know I need to confront him, but how do I do this without sounding rude. I rather just clean it up then say anything, but even my young children want me to say something to him. How can I do this in a way that sets a good example for my children? Thank you.
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I agree with the idea that you need to confront this man for not cleaning up from his dog. I assume he walks his dog about the same time everyday, so I would make sure I was outside the next time he is scheduled to walk by. I do not think he would have the nerve of letting his dog go on your lawn without picking it up. If you do not catch him “in the act,” then I would wait until you see him out again, and say something such as, “I see your dog really likes our lawn.” If he does not respond with an apology and offer to clean it up, then say, “My children keep on getting dog waste on their shoes. When your dog goes on our lawn, would you mind picking it up? Thank you.” Or if you are not comfortable confronting him directly, then you could say, “I noticed you are out walking your dog a lot. If you ever see someone’s dog going on our lawn, would you mind giving lending him a bag to clean it up please? My children keep stepping in it. Thank you.” This should nicely send this offender a message.