2002-07-03 - 4:30 p.m.

Awards?

I guess I shall not win the Good Neighbor award this year either. I called the animal control officer after the Greek neighbor's dog put the woof on me thrice as I was changing water. Since the daughter (30's kindergarten teacher) was standing there watchng from the porch and called it back the first time, I thought the problem was solved since she obviously knew I was there. When the dog returned minutes later, I decided 800 was right and this was a control issue. I went back to the house to call and get a shovel. As I continued to guide the water down to the iris bed, the dog exploded out from behind the shrubs across the street to chase a passing UPS truck and then started down the street back to our yard with the fur on its back raised. I had had my back turned to the street, watching over my shoulder and when it approaached the edge of the property, I turned, shovel in hand and faced it. A Mexican standoff for a few seconds and then it went back to its yard. I just continued waiting and watering til the dogcatcher showed up.

I really hate to escalate this 'war' but we have called the neighbor for the last 20 years about loose dogs defecating on the lawn and urinating on the patio glass door. I have to admit the dad does try to contol the animals. However, taking the dog down the road to feed horses before daylight each morning and watching as it does its jobs on the lawn is not much control. "But I only let it loose 2 times a day" means 2 times 365 piles a year. One spring I shoveled up 43 piles from the area in front of the house, placed them in a cardboard box and left it at the entrance to the horse corral. No dog for quite a while. The schoolteacher seems obdurate about letting the dog loose when she gets home each day, and dad was gone yesterday when the woofing episode took place. He has even gone so far as to come over with a shovel and remove piles from the bottom of the deck stairs, which was very embarrassing for me. Don't know about him. I have removed piles from sprinkler heads and lumber stacks, flowerbed edges, and stairs and I am just tired of it. The biggest problem is that I am the bad guy in the neighborhood because of this, and if 800 gets into it, things really escalate. The dog came over the other day when 3 year old e was playing in the back yard. She came in scared that the dog had bitten her but decided it had licked her face instead. Since a toddler was dragged under a fence into a yard with 4 guard dogs last month and hurt badly, we are all on our guard. Poor dogs, most of the problem is problem owners!

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