Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Critters and a "Problem" Service Dog

It was definitely brisk out this morning - 27 degrees when I went to the store for my bagel and 29 when I left to go taken care of the chix and kits on Dellwood.  The four hens are each a different breed - and look very different; they are named Io, Vega, Dagma and Gladys.  The two cats are named Carter and Xuxa - Carter is a square-built grey tabby and Xuxa is a dark charcoal grey with a white fillip on her chest.  In the three days that the owners have been gone, I have managed to convince all four hens into my lap, where they let me stroke them and mantle their wings a bit.  Both cats are now lap-sitters and mark me vigorously with their chins and paws when I'm there.  Jan told me that only one hen was laying, but in three days, I've been given seven eggs - and they are from at least three different hens.  I have three large brown eggs, two turquoise eggs, and two cream colored eggs.  The last brown egg had purple flecks of color in the shell... it is beautiful.
  I'm trying to frame a politely-worded letter of complaint about my neighbor Britt's service dog.  I think it's wonderful that, since Britta has had the dog, she hasn't screamed, like she used to, multiple times each day and during the night.  But she now turns the dog loose in the shared communal back yard that every ground floor apartment shares. My complaints regarding this are as follows:  (1) the service dog chases all the birds in the yard while barking;  (2) the service dog chases all the squirrels in the yard while barking;  (3) the service dog chases all of the neighborhood cats, sometimes barking, sometimes silently; (4) the service dog eats both bird seed and nuts placed out to feed the birds and squirrels; (5) the service dog comes into my apartment, shouldering the patio door open wide enough for it to enter, and then eats all of my cats' food;  (6) if the patio door is closed, the service dog barks at me and my cats when we move inside our own apartment, while sitting on my patio, or lying in my patio chairs;  (7) there is a leash law for dogs (but not for cats) within the city, and the owner of the service dog allows the dog to run loose and unsupervised multiple times each day, sometimes wearing only a collar and tags, sometimes wearing a harness and dragging a leash; (8) and, finally, the service dog poops in the back yard without the owner picking up after her dog.  I have picked up 10 piles of dog crap in the last 4 days, all within 15 feet of my patio edge.  There is a city and county law that states that owners (or other dog walkers) must pick up their dogs' own poop.  I get paid to do this when I'm walking and caring for other dogs.  I shouldn't have to pick up poop from my neighbor's unwatched loose dog.  And once summer begins, none of the neighbors will appreciate having smelly piles of dog poop lying out in the baking sun outside their doors and windows....
    So, how can I phrase all of the above nicely?  I thought service dogs were "on" service for their owners at all times - this dog is turned loose for anywhere from 10 minutes to 5 hours... and it really bugs me that the leash is left attached - God only knows what it can/could get tangled up in, or around, what with patio furniture and both wooden privacy fencing and chain-link fencing around the property....   Grrrrrrrr....  I know, I know...  The problem is not in the service dog - it's the owner's fault!

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