Jul 12, 2017 3 min read

It has finally happened. Remember the grumpy old guy or lady on your block who you were afraid of as a kid?

I’m becoming that grumpy old homeowner.

They’ve pushed me to it and, as that fabulous line from the movie “Network” goes, “I’m mad as (blank) and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

There’s some doggone dirty business going on in my yard, and I would imagine that mine is not the only lawn falling victim to these dastardly deeds.

As I mowed the grass the other day, I found evidence that deer had evidently paid us a visit overnight.

That cannot be helped.

Then, as I cut along the edge near the street, there it was: evidence that a dog had visited very recently.

The deer I can forgive, but are we really supposed to clean up after someone else’s dog? Mow around the droppings?

This was not the first time such dirty business had taken place on the lawn, and there apparently were two different perpetrators (based on the, um, size of the evidence.) W

ho in the world allows a pet to do his or her business on someone else’s lawn and doesn’t clean up afterward?

We’ve always had dogs in our neighborhood and had a miniature poodle of our own for 17 years, but the last few years it seems as if our street has become Grand Central Station for dog walkers.

Some of them are regulars who I imagine live within a few blocks, while others are strangers who randomly show up then disappear.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against dogs.

I’m a dog lover to a certain extent, though severe allergies, an aversion to hairballs from shedding and my love of travel prevent me from being a pet owner.

Whenever I see someone with a dog, I usually smile and will even talk to the person and the dog, but I usually don’t pet dogs because of my allergies.

I don’t blame these pooches who can’t help it when nature calls and a well-kept lawn happens to be right there.

However, I have many friends who walk their dogs and either make sure they do their business in their own yards or else carry plastic bags to clean up after the pet.

How heavy can a plastic bag be to carry around while walking your dog?

I’m thinking there has to be some unwritten rule or code of conduct for dog owners about this issue, and pet owners I’ve asked seem as disgusted as I am about some owners’ doggone dirty behavior.

I’m thinking the next time I am at the hardware store, I may resort to buying some, “No Dogs On Grass” signs. Then I will officially become the grumpy lady down the street who doesn’t want dogs on her lawn.

But it’s not the dogs, it’s their doggie dirt that isn’t welcome.

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.