I did the deed and went next door today to tell my neighbor he has to clean up his dog shit. Needless to say, it didn’t go well or I wouldn’t be devoting a post to his response. Rather than apologize and say he would get it cleaned up and keep it that way, he started complaining that the ivy ground cover from my side of the yard is growing through the fence and makes it too difficult for him to clean things up. The area where we have the problem is at the side of his house where there is nothing growing. It’s just dirt. Even the weeds are dry and dead.

I told him that he was welcome to cut back anything that grows onto his side of the fence. He, however, feels it is my responsibility to keep the ivy trimmed. Then he suggested that he would spray weedkiller onto whatever was growing on his side. I told him I would not tolerate him killing any of my plants and mentioned that this sort of thing happens when you live close to your neighbors. I pointed out the bushes at the back of my house where I must trim what grows over my fence. He continued to insist that I was responsible for “the vine” and didn’t want to talk about the dog shit. Finally, when I wouldn’t give in, telling him that city law requires he scoop the poop at least once a week, he said he would clean it up.

I went out tonight and trimmed about half the ground cover so that he doesn’t kill it if he should decide to spray the weedkiller. Tomorrow I’m going to staple some screening material at the base of the fence on my side to keep the ground cover from growing through to his side. Then he’ll have no excuses. I think I will tell him what I’ve done and will tell him that I expect him to clean up all the leaves from the tree in his front yard that wind up all over my driveway and yard.

He still hasn’t begun scooping the poop.