Just want to vent here as I am sure I am not the only person who has this problem. For the past 3 months on either Thursday or Friday night, someone is allowing their dog to take care of his "business" on my lawn. I live in Natoma Station. I originally thought it was a stray, but this occurs every week, Thursday or Friday. I can count on finding the surprise on my front lawn every Friday or Saturday morning. So here is the deal. I work odd hours during the work week. I come home late at night or early in the morning depending on the day. If I see someone walking their dog and allowing them to decorate my lawn, you can expect a harsh tongue lashing. If I see someone's dog loose on my lawn, whether or not they are around, I will grab the dog up and take him to the after hours animal shelter off of Bradshaw Road. I don't care if the owner is present or not. I will grab the dog so fast, you will not have time to stop me from taking your dog to the animal shelter. From looking at the surprises, the dog is not large. Has anyone else had this problem with inconsiderate neighbors? How did you handle it? Keep in mind, I do not know which neighbor's dog is doing this.
I can empathize with you. We always pick up after our dog and go out of our way to make sure she doesn't inconvenience other people.
I do propose not taking it out on the dog -- the dog doesn't really know better. It's the bad owner. Take the dog and chain him in your back yard or garage for a few hours -- see if the owner picks him up. Use a video camera to try and catch the owner in the act (assuming dog is on a leash at the time of the act).
All I'm suggesting is maybe focus all your energy on finding out who the owner is and taking out your frustrations on him, not the dog.