Owner fed up with dogs fouling expensive landscapes

DEAR JOAN >> I just spent $15,000 on new landscaping to replace my front lawn. My street is extremely popular for dog walkers as it’s a through street between two busy streets.

We in the neighborhood are all having a big problem with some of these dog walkers, many of whom are professional, not picking up their dog’s poop, letting their dogs pee on new, expensive plants, and also letting their dogs on a long leash go onto the property, do their business, kick-up dirt, and more.

Can you recommend a spray or something, other than building a fence or brick wall that we can use to deter these dogs from peeing on our plants and making a mess?

I sincerely appreciate your response, which I will share with the neighborhood.

Louise E. Gray, Redwood City

DEAR LOUISE >> Unfortunately, all of my suggestions put the onus on you instead of the dog walkers, and we can’t make them change their ways unless they want to.

Obviously, dogs need to go somewhere, and dog owners can’t always stop them from going before they get to the place where they want them to go. However, Redwood City and other municipalities have laws that make it illegal to “dump and dash” — not pick up after your dog or cat — so at the very least they should be picking up and carrying away.

My first suggestion would be to talk to the dog walkers and tell them your concerns. Some will respect that, but others will take offense to your request and just keep on permitting it.

There are sprays, such as Liquid Fence Dog and Cat, available at pet supply stores. You also can make your own repellent with vinegar. Most require daily use and in the case of the vinegar, it can cause more damage to your plants than the dogs. They would certainly be worth trying, but read labels carefully and know what you’re spraying.

Some people suggest putting signs on your yard that say “Lawn has been sprayed for raccoons and skunks. For your pets’ safety, do not walk on treated areas.” It’s a bluff, but it might work.

Another option would be to install motion-activated sprinklers. This can be tricky as you don’t want to spray random people walking on the sidewalk, but the sprinklers can be positioned to discourage dogs from going on the lawn.

Until you can get a handle on it, you can prevent damage to your lawn and plants by washing off urine when you see it. The nitrogen in urine is actually good for your plants. The problem is dogs tend to be attracted to the smell and add their urine to the same spot, which causes a concentration that can burn the plants.

Researchers say as long as you dilute the urine within the first 8 hours, you can keep your plants healthy.

As a last resort, you can try something that scores of people swear by, even though the only proof that it works is anecdotal, and there is no logical reason to explain why it would work. That’s filling jars, plastic bottles or jugs with water and placing them on the edge of your property.

Supposedly these magical water bottles stop dogs from using your lawn as their bathroom. If you decide to try it, let me know how it works. And readers, if you have an answer for Louise and her neighbors, please let me know.