Private Eyes

we live in a small neighborhood... i'd say there are probably 25 or so houses on 2 streets... we are a neighborhood of dog lovers... there are several people with dogs who enjoy walking on our quiet streets... it's really quite nice...

the houses in the neighborhood are on lots with fairly large yards... the houses set pretty far back on the lot, so the front yards are probably 50 or so yards from the road...

now, i hate to cast judgement about a family that i don't even know (other than their name on the mailbox)... but there is one neighbor who is just... *sigh*

we have 2 dogs that are walked at least twice a day... obviously, aside from some fresh air and a little exercise, the objective of these walks is also to give them the chance to relieve themselves - #2... at the start of the new year, i decided to walk the dogs in the morning... i LOVE it...it's quiet...it's peaceful...and i enjoy the time outside getting some fresh air and time to think so early in the morning (we leave around 7:10)...

this morning wasn't unlike any other morning...we may have been out the door a little earlier...but that was about it... we walk out the door and the school bus is stopped at the above mentioned neighbor's house - blue house neighbor - and who i assume is her son, maybe of middle school age, runs out to the bus and i hear the blue house neighbor mom yell, "i love you" from the door as her son gets on the bus some 50 ft. away... i'm not sure why he doesn't ride the other buses that come through our neighborhood (maybe he has special needs?)...but that's besides the point...

so we go on our walk...we walk on the opposite of the side at the beginning of our walk...stopping for the usual sniffing every 2 feet... remember, many dogs in the neighborhood equals lots of smelling areas for the dogs... now, on my walk, i see a plethora of poop...and, i'm embarrassed to tell you that i know it's not my dogs' poop...it's not the right shape or color... i've even seen that someone lets their dog poop right NEXT to people's mailboxes... that's just a stepping hazard and shoe disaster waiting to happen...eww

so while passing the blue house neighbor on my way up the street, the lights are all out and i can see the glow of their flat screen TV in the living room... on some mornings, i can see Anne Curry broadcasting on Today...

we round the area of the cul-de-sac and come up the other side of the street...my smaller dog has already pooped...and i picked up his deposit with my trusty poop rake... Beezer sniffs for awhile longer and decides to poop at the blue house neighbor's lawn...

the lights come on in the house...

the door opens...

and "i love you" mom steps out of her house and watches me...

i look at her as my dog is stooping on her lawn dropping his load... i'm holding my poop rake below him to catch his deposits... and my other dog's leash is in my other hand as he is standing there waiting...

she continues to watch me...

now, for real... she can clearly see that i'm picking up his poop as i travel down the road with my poop rake full of the dogs' poop...

after walking about 20 more feet, she closes the door and turns out the lights again...

i'm not one to retaliate or anything...but it was pretty obvious that she was watching me and would say something to me if i hadn't picked up my dog's poop...

why am i so sure?
the "i love you" mom's husband spoke to my very sweet mom about my parents' dog's poop last spring (she forgot the bag she takes with her on EVERY walking trip with her dog), and he asked her if she was planning on picking up the dog's poop... my parents were visiting and i assure you that my mom, who ALWAYS picks up after their dog, was planning on it - she was coming back to the house for a bag b/c she forgot where i put them...

but, at least he said "thank you" to her when she came back and picked up her 15 lb. dog's 2 nugget load...

i hope "i love you" mom in the blue house does this again... i think i just might speak to her when she comes out to watch me and the dogs... i won't be mean...but i plan on letting her know that i'm no dummy and see her private eyes watching my dog's and my every move...literally and figuratively...

in my passing, i think i need to suggest that she might want to stand at her doorway from around 3 PM until late in the evening when the other neighborhood dogs go on their walks with their owners... perhaps, then, she mght find someone else walking their dog without means to pick up after their furry friend.

and i will assure her that this girl right here...she picks up after her dogs...



and just for effect...here are my cute pooches... ;)

beezer (black lab/terrier mix)


shorty (cairn terrier)