Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness

Today gave me the novel experience of being scolded for my dog peeing and pooping while I was bagging up his poop and taking it away!

Gary has as always attracted a lot of attention from strangers. He's very endearing, and all the things that make him wonky (the missing eye, the head tilt, the snaggletooth) seem to increase that.

So when he was exploring the alley that several front doors, including ours, open up to this morning and I heard someone say "hello" behind me, I turned and said "hello," slightly distracted by seeing him squat for a poop so I started to get a poop bag out (we have a little holder for them clipped to his leash which is terribly convenient but it can be a bit fiddly).

But then this stranger said he didn't want my dog "pissing and shitting" here. I was surprised but, wanting to reassure him that we hadn't made a special trip here to annoy him, pointed out our door and said "We're staying just there, so--"

"I know where you're staying," he snapped. Ahaha. So we've been annoying someone in blissful ignorance for a day or two already!

We are scrupulous about picking up after Gary, but to hear this person tell it, this was "his home" and he asked if we let our dog piss and shit in our home.

I mean, as it happens, since we brought him back from dog hospital a couple days ago where he nearly died, yes we have cleaned up pee on more than one occasion!! I was so tempted to tell the cranky neighbor this but figured it wouldn't do any good.

So I just asked him where I should take my dog instead. "Outside!" the neighbor said. I lifted my eyes to the sky above us, then lifted my eyebrows.

I totally understand not wanting dog poo in the vicinity, but there wasn't any! I can say this with some confidence because if you have a dog you also have a poop detector (and floor-food/garbage/small-animal detector). And if he's seriously worried about dog pee, I would like to assure him that rats are peeing on his alley every night. Probably other small animals too! And it's fine! It's a concrete area, it's not like Gary's even peeing on grass or trees or anything that it might conceivably harm.

He continued ranting as I tied up the poo bag and Gary started wandering off (handily, in the direction of the bin!). "I don't know where you're from, but when you visit other people's homes there do you let your dog piss and shit everywhere..." I probably would've stayed to argue, but the dog is too sensible for that kind of nonsense, heh. I let myself be led away.

Gary is wise: I actually think there's nothing I could say to this person that would be more of a punishment than them having to live that life every day, with different dogs and owners staying in this explicitly dog-friendly place we rented.