Debate as Woman Argues With 'Ridiculous' Neighbor Over Dog Fouling His Lawn

A man complaining about a neighbor's dog urinating in his garden has sparked debate on Mumsnet.

In a post shared the Am I Being Unreasonable? (AIBU) forum on Tuesday, user Southwig22 wrote that a neighbor had stopped her while she was out walking her dog.

The man said her pet was "fouling" his property by urinating on a bush in his garden, one that happens to share a boundary with the public footpath.

George Patient, founder and editor of Merch Mates—a website offering guides on a range of lifestyle topics, including gardening—told Newsweek: "The acidity in dog urine can damage plant roots, causing them to become yellow or brown and eventually die.

"Dog urine can also spread diseases from one plant to another, infecting an entire garden bed.

"It also contains high nitrogen levels, which can burn plants, especially delicate ones such as annuals and new seedlings.

"Not to mention, allowing dogs to urinate on your plant signals to other neighborhood canines that it's OK to do the same thing. Soon, your entire garden could be overrun with dog pee!"

'That's What Dogs Do'

In her post, Southwig22 wrote that the angry neighbor confronted her with footage from his doorbell camera. In the video, her dog was "cocking his leg on a bush" in the man's front garden, but the plant is also part of a public footpath.

"I apologised for any offence but also pointed out that's what dogs do," the poster wrote.

"[I] 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."

The man was unhappy with the poster's response and accused her of "damaging his property."

"He [said he] would report me (to who??)," the poster wrote. "At which point I said he was being silly and this is not a reportable problem."

Mumsnet users were divided on the topic. The poll showed 53 percent of users felt the poster was being "unreasonable," while 47 percent believed she was in the right.

"It's not at all OK to allow your dog to cock its leg against plants in someone else's garden," commented LaLoose.

Mountainpika agreed, writing: "Anyone letting their dog do that on our plants would get short shrift from me."

"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," commented Weirdlynormal.

Mumsnet user MeowMeowPowerRangers told the poster that "dog urine can kill certain plants/bushes."

However, other users felt the man was overreacting to the situation. "Loads of dogs probably pee on his bush every day," commented Suzi888. "He's being ridiculous."

"It's what dogs do," wrote Caroffee. "If that's all he has to moan about, he must have had a very easy life."

VioletInsolence felt it was "cruel" not to let the dog "mark its territory."

Southwig22 isn't the first pet owner to fall out with their neighbor. A fellow Mumsnet user also divided the AIBU forum back in July after refusing to "make friends" with the noisy dog next door, while a Redditor was blasted for calling the police on her pregnant neighbor for leaving dog poo in their own yard.