A Texas woman reportedly became furious after a neighbor allowed their dogs to urinate on her front lawn, allegedly threatening to call the police over the incident. She said she had spent considerable time and money maintaining her yard and insisted that the neighbor take the dogs to the neighborhood’s designated “common areas” instead. The neighbor later shared the confrontation on r/mildlyinfuriating, where Reddit users had mixed reactions to the dispute.
Describing the encounter with the angry woman as her “first crazy neighbor interaction,” Reddit user Lycheefruitlover said she did not believe that she or her dogs had done anything wrong. “We have a backyard, but I guess we can’t let our dogs relieve themselves on a walk now?” she wrote sarcastically. She added that she told the woman she would avoid walking past her house in the future, though she still felt the threat to call the police was excessive.
Many commenters voiced their support for the dog owner. “Imagine the earful the squirrels, chipmunks, and opossums get!” one Redditor joked. “From the perspective of someone who isn’t a fan of dogs, you’re not in the wrong at all,” another agreed.
On the other hand, several commenters felt the dog owner should have been more considerate of her neighbor. “You do have to respect her property and avoid letting your dogs stop to pee on her grass in the future. Some people do spend a lot on their yards,” one person wrote. Another added, “It’s her property. Your animals aren’t entitled to her yard.”
Although Lycheefruitlover did not initially identify skin color as a significant factor in her encounter with the angry woman, one commenter asked whether the woman was white. “She was [a] young white lady, I assume. She was working out in her garage and approached us as we were passing by,” OP responded.
Dog Owner Allegedly Trespassed, but Faces Few Legal Consequences for Dogs’ Urination
Lycheefruitlover also pushed back against her neighbor’s claim that she was trespassing by allowing her dogs to pee on the neighbor’s property. However, according to law scholar Matthew Liebman, the neighbor may have a valid point: “Allowing your dog to cross onto someone’s private property (and pee there) counts as trespassing,” he told KXAN Austin.
Unfortunately for property owners frustrated by neighbors allowing their dogs to do this, Liebman adds that “the likelihood of actually being held criminally or civilly liable is very low—almost zero.”
