Canine 'Calling Card' Woes - Page 2

This online rant soon went crazy all around, with 45 steadily more impassioned posts over the next 22 hours. Some initially tried to talk 'love' down off the ledge.

"Your neighbor is doing what neighbors do sometimes—them's the breaks," consoled one. "You can't control her, but you can control yourself and how you choose to work with her."

"Just avoid the Crazy," counseled another. "It's better for your blood pressure (and probably your dog's stress levels, too)."

"I think you need to reframe the situation, from battle about who's right to not getting sucked into the neighbor's hostility and craziness," mused one respondent. "In the second scenario, you win by not playing."

One suggested an olive branch to the neighbor, whom loveallaround admits actually gardens the easement: "If you want to make peace, be a good guy, and respect [the homeowner's] efforts," was the advice, which included links for gifts of topsoil and pet repellant spray.

Others were less patient: "Sorry, but you do not have a god-given right to leave dog urine anywhere you like in public."

Some were worried for the nonverbal actor in the drama: "While I completely agree with you that you shouldn't have to accommodate your cray-cray neighbor, I'm worried about the possibility that if this escalates she might harm your dog."

A contributor whose tag is crankylex may ultimately have had the last word, given the impact of homelessness in many California cities today: "Quite frankly, given my neighborhood, I'm just happy when grown men aren't peeing out there. Dogs of my neighborhood: knock yourselves out."

Despite ongoing battles like these, it is possible that minor correction can actually lead to diffusing bad blood. Some say: Why not simply train your dog not to pee on lawns? Or, when they do lift a leg, how about bringing along a spray bottle of water to dilute the urine and prevent lawn spotting? What's more, some dogs actually have health conditions that lead to uncontrolled urination—something to discuss with the vet. Creative remedies are out there.

But most of all, let's stay caring and understanding—on both sides—and let there be peace in the neighborhoods.