Free to pee with you and me!

Spring is here which means that dogs are happy and people are crazy.  It's as if over the winter people crawl into a little hole and they stop caring.  They don't care about the facade of their house or the environment or what others are doing around them.  They leave, they go to work, they come home and they do their best to avoid interaction.  The second that it gets nice outside they become fastidious creatures who suddenly give a damn.

Picture this.  I take care of 2 dogs at 1 house, 1 of whom is VERY old.  She has accidents in the house at times - but usually when I get there we make it outside with no problem.  They reside in a courtyard with a long outside corridor/hallway that leads to the gate to get to the street.  At the entrance of the gate, there is a mat on the ground on the sidewalk.

The moment that the gate was opened, the elderly dog immediately squatted on the mat and peed.  My first thought was "Wow!  She really had to go - glad that she held it until we got outside!"  Then her sister sniffed the area and peed right next to it (because that is what sisters do).  While dog 2 was in mid stream, a woman who lives in the courtyard comes walking up the street saying, "Well that's just great!  Right at the front where we walk in?  Really?  Come on!"  My immediate response is always, "They are DOGS!  We are on the street - they are gonna pee where they have to go.  Give them a break!"  The rest of the conversation went like this:

Her:  Why can't you just move them?  Why would you let them just go here?"

Me: I can't just move them!  She is 14 - she's going to go anywhere.  Plus it's an outdoor mat!! It's filthy from being outside!

Her:  Well, I also have a dog and I would move him.

Me: Has anyone ever tried to move YOU while you were in the middle of peeing?  I doubt you'd be ok with it.

Her:  Well I just think it's disgusting, right at the front door.  Next time you should move your dogs

Me:  Listen, these are not my dogs.  I'm doing the best that I can - thanks though!!!

Her:  You're an ass!!!

You may be asking yourself why I didn't just walk away.  Well the answer is this.  She just stood there at the gate adamantly, staring at me, waiting...  (I guess waiting for an apology?)   I had 2 dogs in my hand that move like molasses, especially the older one.  She is 98 in human years, she's not running anywhere anytime soon.  She was making such a fuss that the dogs were just staring at her confused!  She finally went in to her house. I was livid, the older dog had diarrhea (I blame that bitch), I'm scrambling to get them out of the street and clean up and all I want to do is call the owner and give her the heads up that I had a fight with her neighbor.  Luckily, she was VERY understanding and on my side.  

Here is my deal (and yes, my mother was right - I should have been a litigator)
*The dogs waited until they were OUTSIDE of the courtyard to eliminate
* The dogs went on the mat that was on the street (every dog in the neighborhood has peed on that mat)
* That filthy mat could be thrown away at any time - even by her if she thinks it's a pee magnet.  No one uses it to wipe their feet  - it serves no purpose.
* It's a sunny day, the pee was going to dry within 30 minutes tops
* If she had a dog, she should be sympathetic to other dogs  in her neighborhood and their walkers.  he should know that an elderly dog is going to just spontaneously go and that it is no ones fault.