yup. it's peeing on my front step.

They say that fences make good neighbors, and I'm beginning to think I need to add on to mine. Today, I got home from work, to see the crazy, intruding puppy from the other day wandering along outside our backyard. I ignored it. That seemed to work for about a minute until I walked to the front door to find it sitting there trying its best to charm its way inside. No owner in sight. Great. There's a pitbull/rottweiler/mutt sitting on my front step. It then saw Vegas (and vice versa) and began pawing at my screen door. And that's when I stopped feeling any kind of compassion for this annoying little thing. I yelled. I pounded. A few minutes later (can anyone say inattentive owner?), I heard a whining call from the next block.

"Puppeeeeeeeee!"

Ah, the little diva has come to claim her precious. As I dodged a stream of urine the dog was leaking on my front step, the girl had the nerve to ask me to bring it over to her. Uh, no. Dear, you might be five, but your grandma is a big girl.

They came over, the girl displaying an awful shade of pink lipstick, and made no real attempt to catch the dog. Meanwhile, the dog ran frenetic laps around my front yard through my plants. I grabbed the thing on its next pass and did not let go until the leash was firmly attached.

More aggravating neighborly ha ha's were exchanged, and then I retreated inside to my cute, well-behaved dog and a bottle of wine.

people and their dogs

I really have a problem with irresponsible dog owners, and they all seem to be drawn to my house. Tonight, I was finally sucking up all the leaves on the sidewalk when a grandma, her granddaughter, and the granddaughter's little puppy came by. Ignoring the powerful, loud mulcher that could suck that little dog right in, they came right up to the fence to let their puppy meet Vegas. At that point, it was still cute. Then, they allowed their pup, Rocko, to squeeze its way through our gate into the yard. Not so cute. Enter Maureen, who caught the puppy and led it back to its 5-year-old owner. She then proceeded to walk it over to my struggling dogwood bush and let it stand on top of it. Nice.

Unable to yell at the little kid or the grandma, I kindly asked the dog to move. As if that was going to work.

"Hey puppy. Off the bush, puppy," I pleaded. The puppy just jumped around on the wilted leaves a bit more.

I kept my mouth shut. How can you chastise a granny? Especially a granny that lives in the ambulance house (i.e. the house the ambulance visits on occasion late at night). Grrr. As soon as they made their way back across the street, I coaxed the shrub back to life with a pitcher of Miracle Gro-laced water.