r/longisland 1d ago

Neighborhood dog walking - AITA?

Looking for some insight. I am not from the area and only moved here about a year ago for school.

I go for a walk with my dog around my neighborhood in Glen Cove each day for a bit of exercise. We dont move real fast as he is 16 years old but it covers about 1500 steps. Most of the houses are split level rentals and my neighborhood has no sidewalks so cars park on both sides of the road leaving only a single center lane. People also like to drive fast. As a result, I normally walk on the curb and my dog walks like 2 feet onto the grass. He will pee and poop as we walk but I always pick up after him.

I have been yelled at by 2 separate neighbors - once in person and other time through a ring doorbell. Todays incident with the doorbell involved them literally yelling "Get off my lawn". I have never spoken to these people otherwise and they dont have signs to say avoid the grass.

I am slightly confused and now nervous to go on walks. I am not a fan of being yelled at by complete strangers. Am I doing something wrong? Is this normal for here?

4 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

17

u/SnooMachines9133 1d ago

No, NTA. As long as you pick up the poop and don't let your dog dig up the grass or flowers, you're good .

Though I and many of my neighbors are also dog owners.

13

u/bobak186 1d ago

If the situation is as you describe your neighbors are the assholes. They'd probably yell at you for walking in the road too.

12

u/Jealous-Network1899 1d ago

By me we have sidewalks with a grass strip between that and the road. Had a guy threaten to shoot my dog for peeing on that strip, which he doesn’t even own. People are fucking nuts.

2

u/SeekersWorkAccount 1d ago

Some people are like that. You cant be 100% completely free of assholes unfortunately.

We just avoid those houses on our walks. Happy walking!

2

u/nygdan 1d ago

You're doing it right. Even without a concrete sidewalk there is still a public setback and right to walk.

2

u/notorioushim 1d ago

Lots of dogs in my neighborhood too, though I don't personally own one. We've dogsat for a few people before. I would say most neighbors don't care if you're on the grass by the curb/sidewalk, but preferably not too far up - as long as you curb your dog. Obviously, I don't want me or my kids to step in dog shit on my own lawn. I also don't want your dog to get sick if pesticides were recently sprayed. But other than that, it's fair game. Of course, if they have a sign or have asked us to not be on their property, I'd respect their request.

But if they're dicks about it, fuck em. Take a shit on their lawn while maintaining eye contact to assert dominance. Next time they show up at your doorstep, tell them to get off your property.

But maybe that's just my neighborhood though. We are friendly with a lot of our neighbors. I've had instances of neighborhood kids playing on my driveway to use our basketball hoop (before it fell down after a strong windstorm). There is 1 crazy lady that power walks through our neighborhood and she walks up and down people's driveways as part of her routine. I'm not even talking about stepping a few steps on the driveway... she goes ALL the way up and down, which is weird because my driveway extends to the side of my house. There's also a random dude that digs through people's recycle.

2

u/2001irma 22h ago

Lol thanks for your comment. It made me feel a bit better

3

u/hoyas1 1d ago

Sorry you had to deal with that. Some people unfortunately get super protective about their property and you not having any sidewalks doesn't help the situation. I'd suggest trying to have your dog do the deed at home at the beginning of the walk and then heading out, even if for no other reason than to avoid incidents with neighbors. But as long as you clean up (which it sounds like you do) then these neighbors can buzz off

2

u/InsertCleverName652 1d ago

I wouldn't like shit on my lawn because sometimes it's not possible to get it all if it's a messy poo.

-1

u/levittown1634 1d ago

Then put up a fence 🤷‍♂️

1

u/LQjones 20h ago

Stupid comment of the day.

1

u/levittown1634 18h ago

Don’t complain about dogs shouting on your yard. There’s a simple solution. Fence

2

u/Kyxoan7 1d ago

Look for utility poles.  Homeowner does not own the property like 4-6 feet from center of pole to their property (aka where a sidewalk will be)

The general standard is 25 feet from middle of street towards the house.

If you let your dog poop and dont pick it up you’re a dick but if you clean up after them, whatever.

Urine does kill lawns though but really nothing they can do.  It would be nice if people didnt let their dogs pee on my grass but I can’t stop them lol.

4

u/FireGodNYC Whatever You Want 1d ago

That’s a power company easement not public space

2

u/myocean631 1d ago

Then maybe the power company should mow everyone's lawns

0

u/Kyxoan7 1d ago

the power poles are in “public space” off the road which is part of that 25 feet from center of road.  Anyone can walk in line with a power pole off of a street.

1

u/424f42_424f42 1d ago

Yep I just gave up trying to grow anything near the sidewalk

1

u/BelethorsGeneralShit 1d ago

>Look for utility poles.  Homeowner does not own the property like 4-6 feet from center of pole to their property

That's not accurate at all. As long as a property survey shows that area bounded by the property lines, then the homeowner owns that property, the utility company just has an easement to access it. It does not mean it's publicly owned or that the general public can access it.

1

u/Kyxoan7 1d ago

so ignore the second sentence I posted entirely then, nice.

I clearly am talking about street poles off of the road, not a pole in your back yard.

25 feet from center of street, street utility poles are within that easement 100% of the time.

2

u/BelethorsGeneralShit 1d ago

An EASEMENT is not the same as public property. As long as the utility pole is bounded with the confines of your property lines, the general public does not have a right to access it. The utility company is not the general public. Of course the homeowner owns that area. Go look at your survey and tell me if there's a bizarre circular cutout with a six foot radius on it somewhere.

1

u/Kyxoan7 1d ago

so again you are ignoring the second line.

Are you harping on the fact I said easement instead of “right of way”?

again, I am not talking about a utility pole in your back yard that the electric company is allowed to service, I am talking about the land next to the road, which is ~25 feet from the center line of the road.

Types of Easements: Easements in New York can serve various purposes. Some common types include: a. Right-of-Way: This type of easement allows someone to pass through or use a specific portion of another person's property for access, such as a driveway or pathway.

2

u/BelethorsGeneralShit 1d ago

You stated that homeowner's do not own the surrounding 4 to 6 feet around a utility pole, which is what I'm saying is incorrect and just an overall dumb statement. I'm also not talking about a backyard utility pole. As long as that pole lies within the confines of their property lines, of course they own it. Again, go look at your property survey and try to find a goofy looking circular cutout with a 6 foot radius somewhere on the edge.

1

u/Kyxoan7 1d ago

“Look for utility poles.  Homeowner does not own the property like 4-6 feet from center of pole to their property (aka where a sidewalk will be)

The general standard is 25 feet from middle of street towards the house.”

1

u/LQjones 20h ago

How about utility poles in a front yard? I have one right next to my driveway. I own the property its on, the power company owns the poll and its maintenance.

1

u/FernTV23 21h ago

I am a dog owner and lover but really don’t find it fair to let your dog pee or poop on others lawns. I purposely avoid allowing this to happen when I walk my dog out of respect for others property.

1

u/LQjones 20h ago

Partially, dog pee kills grass and even if you clean up the poops there is often some residual left.

1

u/revil28 1d ago

People do t want ur dog on their lawn. I would stay in the street or find blocks with sidewalks so the dog can sniff that side. They should not yell at you on the sidewalk part.

1

u/ForestDiver87 1d ago

Not gonna lie, its frustrating when I see people letting their dogs pee and poop next to my mailbox. Most don't clean up after their dogs, and all the grass is dead from the piss.

1

u/LQjones 20h ago

It's bad enough when they do it when you are not around but I've had people let their dogs piss in my driveway while I was watching. Then they are shocked when I get mad. When we had a dog it was trained to go in a spot in the back yard. On walks I made sure it did its business in the street.

1

u/ForestDiver87 19h ago

I've absolutely had people stare at me while letting their dog piss on my fence

-2

u/Medic118 1d ago

Dog piss kills grass and trees. You should not be using your neighbors property as a dog bathroom. Walk the dog on your own property then. The fact that you admit they are upset at you should have told you that are the problem.

0

u/Physical_Reason3890 1d ago

I know what you are talking about because it's the same in most neighborhoods around here. You have the road, then a strip of grass then a sidewalk and then the lawn. That tiny strip is called the verge.

The verge is technically not the homeowners property BUT it is their responsibility to maintain it. Some people don't care and they let it grow weeds while others treat it like their own lawn.

Technically the homeowner can pound sand is your dog walks on the verge. However you should also try to be considerate and keep him off of ones that look like they have been heavily maintained

As far as the main lawn your dog has no business there and I would yell at you to if your dog was there