Why do neighbors do that?

When I first bought my house in Sarasota after living almost twenty years on Anna Maria Island, I was thrilled because my lot was so big. Half acre lots on the island were not easy to come by and with two big Rottweilers, I wanted to give them the space to explore.

Eleven years later I still love my big yard. I do all the yard work and with four dogs living in the household now, poop patrol happens at least every other day if not every day.

When I had the two rotties, I never found anything in my yard. I have a privacy fence, but I think most of my neighbors were afraid of the dogs, so they steered clear of the fence. I did catch the kids who lived in back of me on the fence once, teasing the dogs and after I threatened to tell their parents, that was nipped in the bud quickly.

Now I have two Florida Brown Dogs who are not threatening to most people. Although they are almost as big as my rotties were, they do not have the reputation Rottweilers do.

Since I have started adopting the most needy of the shelter dogs, the ones with handicaps or age, I find so much trash in the back of my yard, I am disgusted. So far this week I have found cigar butts, (I don't smoke cigars), cigarette lighters which don't belong to me, empty Dorito bags, firecracker stubs and empty Pepsi cans. (I am a Coke drinker)

So while I am doing poop patrol, I clean up the garbage someone threw over my fence. This is really irritating to me. I don't mind cleaning up after me and mine, but other peoples' garbage needs to stay in their backyard.

I wonder after my new fence goes in, if I should adopt a dog with a vicious reputation? Just to keep the neighbors honest?