Help! My Neighbor Has Let a Year’s Worth of Dog Poop Pile Up on His Lawn.

The smell is so bad we can't be outside.

By Jenée Desmond-Harris

July 31, 2021 8:00 AM

Dear Prudence is Slate’s advice column. Submit questions here. (It’s anonymous!)

Dear Prudence,

Our neighbor owns a large pack of dogs and hasn’t picked up after them in more than a year. My spouse and I are at odds over whether to report him to the city. We asked him politely about a month ago to remove the waste, and he was noncommittal. When two weeks went by and nothing happened, my spouse asked again politely, and the guy blew up at him (it should be noted that each time, my spouse offered to assist in removing the waste). He then removed a few bags of waste, but since the mountain of waste was so big, this has done nothing to fix the problem. Meanwhile, the flies are atrocious and I cannot play with my toddler in the backyard because the smell makes me gag. My spouse says the guy is talking about moving and we should wait it out, but I am going nuts. Is it worth calling the city, even if we start a feud with this guy? And how do I convince my spouse?

— Odorous Neighbor

Dear Odorous Neighbor,

I almost gagged just from reading your question. Of course, call the city! You’ve tried everything else, and this sounds like it could be an actual health hazard. You don’t have to convince your spouse (who I’m guessing is home looking for non-disgusting places to play with your toddler less than you are). You can just tell him you’re going to do it. Or that you already did it. How upset can he really be about your taking steps to be able to go into your yard without gagging, after exhausting all other options?