The neighbor’s dog has used your yard as a bathroom yet again. Everywhere that dog goes, your grass and other plants suffer. What is the problem and how can you fix it without damaging the dog or the neighbor?
Dog-on-it problems are very vexing. What happens is that the dog’s urine contains so much nitrogen, and is dropped in such as small area, that it burns the grass or other plants it falls on. While a little nitrogen fertilizer is good, too much will burn the plant. In fact, the dog’s urine would be similar to dumping a bag of fertilizer on the spot and leaving it there.
The fecal matter causes the same problems, in addition to possible spreading nasty things like Salmonella, Campylobacter, Roundworms, and Hookworms. No running through the grass barefoot here!
There are several additives that you can put in the dog’s food to supposedly correct the problem. They do not work. It can also be difficult to give them to a dog you do not own.
Stuff you pour on your lawn to “fix” the problem does not work, either. While small spots will usually repair themselves over the growing season, it doesn’t take too many visits from the neighbor’s dog to leave your lawn looking like a patchwork quilt. Resodding is expensive and annoying, especially if the problem just happens again.
Basically, you have two options: get the neighbor to keep their dog off your lawn, or put up a fence. Bringing the local leash law to your neighbor’s attention is a possibility. However, the kind of person who lets their dog out to do its’ business on other people’s lawn doesn’t usually care about such things. Animal Control will come talk to them, but that will probably start a feud with your neighbor.
That pretty much leaves a fence. The fence doesn’t have to be huge and expensive. It simply has to be tall enough to keep the dog from coming over. Dogs will take the easy way to the bathroom just like people, so even if the dog could jump over the fence, it probably will not. Most municipalities allow short fences in the front yard and taller fences in the backyard.
You do not have to be a fencing contractor to take advantage of this option. All you have to do is call one to build it for you. If you are in Houston, you can contact Fence Houston. This Houston fence contractor has a variety of fences in all budget ranges, any one of which will solve your dog-on-it problems. Then your lawn will be protected and it can grow happily all season long.
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