‘My neighbour’s been watching my dog and threatened to report me – it’s ridiculous’

A woman was left gobsmacked after a chat with her neighbour in which she claims he threatened to report her and her dog as he’d been watching them on his doorbell camera

When you’re walking your dog, it’s inevitable that they’re going to stop a couple of times along the way for sniffs of random things, and it’s also likely that they’ll urinate along the route you’re taking. Most people wouldn’t consider this to be fouling and as a dog owner, it’s easily cleaned with a quick squirt of a water bottle which isn’t a problem.

One woman took to Mumsnet to say that her neighbour had confronted her for letting her dog ‘foul’ on his property, and then proceeded to show her footage of her and the dog outside his property on a boundary of his front garden and a public footpath. She wasn’t happy with the fact she’d been filmed, and the threatening tone her neighbour seemed to be taking.

She wrote: “Today a neighbour stopped me whilst walking my dog and told me I’d been allowing him to ‘foul’ his property.

“He then showed me his ring doorbell footage of my dog cocking his leg on a bush right on the boundary of his front garden and the public footpath.

“I apologised for any offence, but also pointed out that’s what dogs do – pointed towards my home and that I see dogs urinating on my bushes daily and it’s really not a problem. Obviously, there are no health risks or anything like there is for dog waste.

“Despite me apologising, he carried and said it was damaging his property and he would report me (to who?), at which point I said he was being silly and this is not a reportable problem.

“Honestly he was quite polite but am I being unreasonable to think he’s being utterly ridiculous to approach someone about this?”

People had mixed feelings about the dog urinating on the man’s property, with some saying it shouldn’t be an issue, and others saying they understood where he was coming from.

One wrote: “He is being unreasonable, but I have to say that dog p*** makes me want to gag and streams of it at the front of my house would make me want to say something too.”

Another said: “It wasn’t unreasonable for you to have let the dog wee there in the past, but equally it isn’t unreasonable for him to ask you not to do it in the future.

“Perhaps he has had grass or shrubs scorched by dog urine in the past, or perhaps even this bush is suffering. So long as he was polite about it, I think it is reasonable for him to have approached you.

“I can understand you feeling defensive about it – because you feel he has accused you of behaving wrongfully. But it doesn’t need to be seen as a matter of right and wrong – just as a reasonable request which, being a reasonable person, you are going to comply with.”

“So keep doing it then if your dog has fragrance-free urine that doesn’t damage plants. Crack on”, one sarcastically jibed.

Some felt passionately that the dog shouldn’t be allowed to defecate near the property, commenting: “I do not let my dog urinate or defecate on or at the edge of anyone’s property. Only on public property and of course not where people tend to walk or gather — and I pick it up if necessary. Can’t blame your neighbour one bit.”

Others thought the man was being unreasonable though and went about the situation in the wrong way, writing: “Despite being someone who doesn’t have or want a dog but loves plants, I think you’re not unreasonable. Even if you stop, others won’t. I have literally never smelt dog pee on plants.

“If dog pee stank up the streets, none of us would be able to leave the house! He needs to be less precious about his plants, plant different ones, or live with it. But sure, prob best to stop your dog peeing there for now. But in my opinion he is being unreasonable.”

Do you think the neighbour was being unreasonable? Let us know in the comments.