dogs

We have homeowners with dogs they walk

This is fine but when they poop in other homeowners yard, we get upset.
Yes, the owners pick up their mess but still again they are killing the grass.
Has anyone had this problem and if so, what have your committees done about this?
If you want to walk your dog, take them somewhere for dogs or keep them in your yard!
Any suggestions on handling this would help.

Fran

I don't think your problem is something that is unique. While I love animals I have choosen not to have dogs or cats for a variety of reasons. I am also very particular about my yard and know that urine or feces (even if picked up) can cause issues with grass.

This would be my approach, I would stay away from chemicals as an HOA, if a homeonwer wants to do that great. I think education is the key, if you have a newsletter place it in there. In the public forum of your meetings bring it up. Approach it in a positive way just asking pet owners to clean up after their pets. Approach your hoa about some doggie dodo stations in your common areas that owners can use to clean up after their animals.

When all is said and done you will still have some, but hopefully this eliminates part of it

To a burglar, a sign warning of a security system is just as good to have as an actual alarm system (at least until they put the effort into research and testing to discover it is false).

Propaganda is one solution here. Put an article in the next newsletter about weed retardant chemicals being placed in the yards/common areas, and how it's probably not a good idea for little doggie pads to get it on them. Then be licked off, ingested, etc.. Not toxic, just causes loose stools, gas, diarrhea, or something.

Put up little signs along the common areas, like flower bed markers, warning that Tri-Fecta (Or, Lor-azee, or Defenestrate, or something) has been used, and small animals should not eat the plants or lick their feet after walking. Every couple weeks, take the signs down for a few days, and then put them back again later, in a different spot. It will require some slight effort, but it will be 90% effective in changing the owner's behaviors.

In the winter, change the chemical to be a ground cover anti-freeze, or snow retardant. In the summer, a spark retardant, or a water percolation agent, or a fertilizer.

And if you really want to invest some money, I found that tobasco, when mixed with a gallon of water, made a nice spray that kept my dogs from investigating new trees in my yard. I just put it in a pump sprayer, sprayed around, and after a couple sniffs, the dogs decided that other things smelled better, and left it alone.

That is exactly what answer I was looking for but didn't think of that. The fact that someone is trespassing is interesting conclusion and will use this at our meeting. Thanks. Some have talked about using things on their lawn but would never do that. We are a small neighborhood and no common areas for dogs to use.