Ensuring birth control is insured

Dear Annie: I read your column about dog droppings with interest. Poop pollutes more than just friendships and neighborly relations. Animal waste is one of the top two contaminators of waterways in suburban areas (the other is lawn fertilizers and pesticides). The poop creates algae growth, which strangles waterways and kills oyster beds and other life. So picking up after your pet makes you not just a good neighbor but also an environmentalist.
As for offending neighbors, the Virginia Beach SPCA has created flyers for folks to leave on the doorsteps of offending neighbors. For more info, visit www.vbspca.com/poop. Dale Bartlett, Virginia Beach SPCA, Virginia Beach, Va.
Dear Dale Bartlett: One never knows what will pique the readers' interest. We were amazed at the number of folks who are focused on dog droppings. Read on:
From Hayden, Texas: I have a simple sign on my lawn. It has a picture of a pet with a red line through it and the words, "This is not a bank. Leave no deposits."
Midwest: We kept a plastic bag and scoop in the garage. If a dog stopped to defecate, we'd hand these to the owner and stand there until the mess was cleaned up. We were friendly and even offered helpful hints. We had very few repeat customers.
Apache Junction, Wis.: Our neighbor's large dog pooped on our lawn every day. One day, I scooped up his deposit on a newspaper (not your column!) and put it on their doorstep. Their dog never set foot, or butt, on our lawn again.
Atlanta, Ind.: We had a neighbor with five dogs, and not one was on a leash. Talking with the owners didn't help, so I started taking pictures of each dog using my grass as a restroom. I then filed a charge with our local police. The police turned the pictures over to the county prosecuting attorney, who sent our neighbor four citations at $150 each. The neighbor was given the option of paying the fines or putting up a fence within 30 days. He chose the fence. Problem solved.
Fremont, Calif.: I had a similar dilemma, so I placed a little paper umbrella in the middle of the deposit. (It's a visual thing.) The dog owner got the message.
Montreal: One of my friends had this problem. He gathered the "donations," wrapped them nicely and left them at the neighbor's with a note saying, "I've been collecting this for you."
Out West: When visiting Colorado, I noticed a small headstone on a lawn. It said, "Here lie bones we do not mourn, of the last damn dog to poop on our lawn."
Connecticut: Almost 50 years ago, a neighbor allowed her dog to leave its pile on my lawn. After a few days, I asked the neighbor to quit. She didn't, so I told her, in the future, I would gift-wrap the pile and leave it at her door. She laughed. The next day, the dog returned. When it left, I scooped the mess into a shoebox, wrapped it in pretty paper with a big bow and delivered it to her front porch.
Mankato, Minn.: My husband and I live in a nice development. Dogs were constantly pooping in our yard, and the owners did not pick up after them. We are nice, quiet neighbors, but we started flinging the poop on the sidewalk so everyone had to walk around it, including the perpetrators. The poop decreased dramatically.
Anywhere, USA: My neighbor's dog would cruise on over to our yard and dump his load on our deck stairs, then urinate all over the gas grill. One morning, I caught the rascal and tied him to a tree. I then ran inside and got a plastic bag, secured the mess to his collar and sent him home. That did the trick.
United Feature Syndicate