AHWATUKEE, AZ — Peggy Hogan has lived in Ahwatukee for about one year, and since moving into her home, she says she'd had nothing but trouble in getting dog owners to pick up after their pets.
"It needs to stop. We are tired of it, we get cigarette butts thrown in our yard and the dogs...can I say crap?" says the woman who, along with her husband, has recently placed a mousetrap in their front yard.
"I guess they are too damn lazy to pick up after their dog," adds Hogan.
Hogan tells ABC15 she and her husband at first put up signs asking residents to pick up after their dogs, but the droppings kept coming.
"I can tell by the size of the pile the size of the dog because we've had everything from purse pooches to our daughter's size dog," she adds.
A neighbor down the street noticed the trap and at first, thought Peggy might have had a mouse problem, so he asked about it.
"I was walking, and in the corner of my eye, something was different with the dirt, so then I actually stopped my dog because they do wander on the yard, and I saw it was a trap," says Kevin Naegele.
Hogan says the dogs are technically trespassing into her property and taking care of business in her yard.
"And if a dog steps on that and breaks their foot, try and sue me. I've got two brothers that are lawyers," says Hogan.
While the measure may be a bit drastic, Naegele agrees with Hogan that pet owners need to be responsible and respectful.
"You need to pick up after your dogs. It's not your property; you wouldn't like it if a neighbor came and did that to you," Naegele said.
