My neighbour’s dog keeps coming and taking a poop in my yard. You think it all right for me to just throw it back over there, or is that not right?

Auntie’s answer: Well, my first reaction is if you are actually willing to pick up the poop and toss it over the fence, then more power to you. I guess that would depend on whether you are a dog owner and used to handling Fido’s excrement all the time. But, if you aren’t, then maybe there are some other, more palatable, options for you.

Let me just say, however, that I perfectly understand how annoying and downright disgusting it would be to walk out of your front door and step in a pile of you know what. Not a great start to your day, despite the old superstition that messing up your good shoes with dog doo means good luck.

So, what to do? In the interest of maintaining good relations with your neighbour, I would suggest starting off by going over and talking to him or her. No matter how irritated you are (because, if the dog is off the lead, then the owner should, of course, realise that the animal will be making deposits all over the neighbourhood), try to be pleasant. Make your case for responsible pet ownership and for your neighbour to come up with a way that the dog will not be allowed to roam freely. Perhaps common sense – and good neighbourliness – will prevail.

Having said that, not everyone will be that concerned with getting along with the people next door and down the street, so your polite request may be ignored. In that case, let’s look at more official options.

In Part VII of the Animals Law (2015 Revision), titled “Nuisance by, and Control of, Animals”, there is a section on “Fouling by Dogs”. But, while it specifically refers to the offence of allowing a dog to defecate in a public place, there is nothing about private residences, so I turned to Brian Crichlow, Assistant Director of the Department of Agriculture, for help.

He said that Section 43 on “fouling by dogs” specifies in a public place, which does not address private yards. He offered up Section 57 instead which, he explained, “relates to trespass of animals and the right of the land owner to seize any animal that is trespassing on his/her property and turn that animal over to the pound”.

That seemed a bit extreme and Crichlow then wisely suggested the police might best be able to advise, especially regarding any other relevant nuisance regulations, so I contacted the RCIPS. And here’s the thing: Despite the annoyance factor, a neighbour’s dog doing his or her business in your yard is not an offence for which someone can be arrested. But I am sure you won’t be surprised to learn that the police “respond to such calls frequently”, says an RCIPS spokesperson, who added that one inspector said general complaints about dogs is a “regular problem on the island” and includes such things as barking in addition to the said pooping.

When they respond to one of these calls, the police tell the dog owner he or she is required under the law to control their animal. They usually advise the person complaining that there are civil remedies to the problem, but they also try to defuse the situation by “helping the two parties come to some kind of understanding”.

But if there are “aggravating features, such as a dog that causes fear or alarm, we may initiate a police investigation”, says the spokesperson.

So, what have we learned? Well, while it is illegal for someone not to control their animal or possibly have them scare the poop out of you, things are not that clear about a dog expelling his own poop.

It appears that you have little official recourse for this specific circumstance. Though no one wants to see the situation turn ugly, I guess I would have to say that, if talking doesn’t solve the problem and you do not fear any reprisals or escalations (after all, how could your neighbour actually know if the poop was deposited in the yard by their dog or airmailed back?) then, I’m thinking, return the poop from whence it came.