Dog owners irate after finding cayenne pepper dumped on neighbourhood lawns
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21 commentsPet owners in Seattle are furious over the actions a property manager has taken to keep dogs off her lawn. Cayenne pepper was intentionally dumped all over the lawn to send a message to pet owners that failure to pick up after their dogs would not be tolerated. The problem is that the pepper , in such quantities, is quite dangerous for dogs and has resulted in at least one dog sustaining burns to the pads of her feet that required veterinary attention.
Fredda Starr is the property manager of the “Greenwood Court Manor” apartments, and she says she did not mean to hurt any animals. ”I do love dogs, but I don’t like all the poo that they leave over the ground,” said Starr, who did agree to stop and to dilute the pepper avoid harming the dogs. In addition to spreading the pepper, Starr left the empty containers scattered around the area rather than putting them in the trash.
Pepper is not a toxic substance but can cause problems for animals who ingest or walk on it. ”It upsets the stomach, burns the inside and may cause a little diarrhea,” said Dr. Zile Singh, a veterinarian at Greenwood Animal Hospital.
Gujral Wallace, the owner of the dog that was harmed was outraged, saying “It’s absolutely despicable, their intentions is what scares me,” and asking ”How does that even get into your head? Are you that evil?” Her dog, who is named Buddha, suffered burns on her legs and incurred several hundred dollars in vet bills. If this had happened to a smaller dog, it could have been much more serious. Wallace says she is going to rally local residents to do a better job of keeping the area clean of pet waste.
I see what the property manager was trying to do, but couldn’t she have contacted a vet to see what the appropriate deterrent would be. Poor dog. I hope she makes a full recovery. The property owner should offer to pay half the vet bills. Because the owner is at fault too.
Yow. What do you think?
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the owner is not at fault unless the grass was posted “keep off the grass”, which is not mentioned anywhere. she’s not upset about dogs being on the grass, she’s upset about the mess left behind.
she’s punishing ALL dogs (and every other living creature – i wonder how many squirrels will be found dead?) for what a few owners do.
Woof woof!
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threenoms, the signs don’t work. In fact some dog owners encourage their dog’s to go there just to piss off the property owners. Sandy, I agree with you. The property owner could have made a trip to petco and avoided this. It says right in the article that she never meant to hurt any dogs and she loves dogs. I have owned dogs for a looooooooong time. I always clean up after them. I didn’t have a poop bag once. I went home, got on, and went back and cleaned up after my dog.
why is the owner at fault? nowhere does it say that this particular dog and owner are responsible for leaving mess
Woof woof!
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There are many ways to deter dogs from going potty on your lawn without causing any harm to them. If the property owner really did “love dogs” like she said, a simple google search would have helped her come up with a variety of deterrents that is safe for both the lawn and dogs. Hardware stores sell inexpensive decorative garden fencing that could have been placed on the border of the lawn and probably cost just as much as the many containers of cayenne pepper she used. Or citrus oil can be used or pre-made animal safe animal repellants. This just seems like a very cruel way of punishing dogs.
Woof woof!
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There should be no cost for veterinary care. Capsaicin (the ingredient in peppers that causes the burning sensation) does not burn or damage the skin or internal organs in any way. Capsaicinn activates burn receptors and sends signals to the brain that a burn is occurring, but actual burning is not occurring. If dog owners are ignorant of this fact and took their dogs in to the Vet anyway, the property owner is not responsible for any costs.
The owner is only at fault if she was one of the ones that did not pick up after her pet.
Everyone is condemning the manager and it’s the dog owners who are to blame . Im quite sure the manager had no intentions of harming the animals . To bad the pepper couldn’t have been placed in the dog owners underwear .
Woof woof!
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since when are ALL dog owners reponsible for what a few of us do?
and i have been a property manager and yes, one of the jobs was picking up “trash, litter, and other debris” which includes poop.
i mean, ffs, it’s just poop – we’re not talking nuclear waste or rotting fish carcasses.
Yow. What do you think?
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threenoms,you wrote “what a few of us do?” I take it you are one that does not clan up after your dog. Dog poo kills grass. Rotting fish carcasses actually fertilize. Get off your high horse.
You are very naive if you don’t think that those who follow the rules quite often pay for those who don’t. It isn’t fair but it happens every day in a variety of ways.
I find it ironic that you state “since when are ALL dog owners reponsible for what a few of us do?” Yet you don’t extend that right to the property manager who ends up cleaning up after those who violate.
By the way dog feces IS a health hazard; condensed from dog talk 101:
1. Dog poop is NOT good fertilizer. It’s toxic to your lawn! The high nutrient concentration in dog poop will burn and discolor the grass, creating “hot spots”.
2. The (EPA) classifies pet waste as a dangerous pollutant in the same category as toxic chemicals and oil.
3. The (CDC) confirms pet waste can spread parasites including hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms and Salmonella.
5. Merges with E. Coli and other harmful bacteria … (There are 23 million fecal coliform bacteria in a single gram of pet waste!)
6. Contains roundworm larvae, which cause blindness and damage to brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart or eyes.
7. Does not “wash away” or disappear.
Clearly, there was a lapse in judgement here on all those involved. The property manager should have researched safer alternatives for discouraging dogs on the lawn and dog owners should not only be cleaning up after their dogs but they should also make ever effort to keep them from urinating on the grass as that also damages the lawn and can not be “picked up.”
Perhaps the solution is to designate an area for dogs to relieve themselves that has only crushed granite of gravel that can be more easily kept clean and let those who use it monitor for those violating the “clean up after your pet” rule. That way, the lawn is for playing and fun and the gravel area is for clean up.
You Have to Joking there are things like SIGNS that can be posted> not for sure in Seattle but at home from the curb to side walk belongs to the CITY and some times even more. IF it was my dogs She be lucky just to get Sewed as well as the property owner. because ill bet she didn’t us her money to bye the pepper witch mean the property owner is on the hook two.
Does the property have bags available and cans to dispose of waste?
The dog owners are responsible for carrying their own pick up bags.
Woof woof!
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not the property owner’s responsibility.
Woof woof!
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I love dogs and own dogs however I can see both sides of this. I am disgusted with rude pet owners who do not clean up after their dog. I wonder if the man who was so incensed is one of the regulars who never picks up his dog’s waste? More likely than not the answer is YES.
Woof woof!
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I’ve seen people walking their dogs and letting them defecate and just walking on. Some people just don’t care whose property they soil. Once saw a woman running and her dog was trying to defecate and she just keep dragging it so that poo was spread all along the sidewalk. I stopped her and offered her a bag to clean it up and she was very nasty to me. She had no regard for anyone who may be walking along the sidewalk and obviously didn’t deserve to have a dog.
It is the few people who are like that who ruin it for everyone. Signs don’t work and in fact some people will try and make their dogs go where there are signs just to say ‘screw you’. Anyone with the type of attitude that their actions are immune to rules and regulations really isn’t civilized.
I hope a resolution can be found here. Maybe a few tickets for not cleaning up after their dogs might convince people.
Woof woof!
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I am not advocating animal cruelty but I was told that Cayenne Pepper will keep dogs from digging in my flower beds and I have sprinkled it in my flower garden in the past, I “sprinkled” not dumped! The fact that she dumped it and left the containers should have been enough of a warning and could be why she did it like this. Then again maybe she’s just a litterbug who hates dogs, who knows!
Simple solution: – signs dont work? I bet if she put up signs that said “if your dog poops here – there will be cayenne pepper next time.”
That might solve everyone’s problem.
Not agreeing with what the propert manager did but there are irresponsible dog owners out there. I see it every day in the dog park and it’s just pure ignorance.
Any repsonsible dog owner should know that it is proper etiquette to pick up after their pets. Punish the owner not the dogs!! If it is illegal to poo in said grass, why not install camera’s and fine the ones that break the laws instead of punishing ALL of the dogs and their owners?
I’m sorry for the dog who got sick. But for the record, it isn’t just the excrement left behind. When I walk my dog, I don’t let him “trespass” on the lawns of others. It infuriates me when people walking their dogs on or off leash let their dogs go onto other’s property to do their business: pee or poop. Regardless of whether they pick it up (which is of course better and the law), it is NOT ok to let your dogs go all over other’s property.
Perhaps the dogs in this instance live in the apartment complex and have a right to be there. Then. – pick it up folks! Irresponsible dog owners ruin it fir the rest of us and lead to thereto being fewer places where dog’s are legally allowed.