Last night the police came to say the dogs aren't registered and I'm not picking up poop.

Both allegations were false. I even showed the officers the bags I kept in my pocket and in the cupboard. And today I confirmed with the Kanton that they are registered and I have this confirmation in writing.

I've been very upset all day about the police visit especially since just two weeks ago I'd been accused of the dogs barking "all day" another false hood.

So I come home at lunch time to walk the dogs and as one of my neighbors is pulling into his parking spot he rolls down the window and says something to me in Swiss German. I wait for him to get out and he proceeds to point at every piece of dog crap he can find and accuse me of not picking it up, and that he is calling or already called the police about it.

I tell him it isn't my dog but he says it is. I show him the bag in my pocket and tell him I always pick it up. He says I'm lying. I tell him he's wrong and ask If he's ever seen me not picking up. He looks down waves his hand in the air and walks away. I make it a point to tell him again that he is wrong. Probably my only faux pas at this point of the exchange was raising my voice.

I took a picture of his license plate and now I'm thinking of making a complaint against him for making false reports. I'd really like to sue the pants off of him for causing undue stress.

I don't care what country it is. Nobody has the right to lie to the police just to cause problems.

You're in a temporary accommodation right now, aren't you? (Maybe I'm misremembering?)

If you are, it could be that the neighbors are tired of temporary folks coming and going, as it often seems that short-term folks don't care "enough" (and sometimes they don't) about the neighborhood. You could be getting backlash from that.

If you are in temporary quarters, hopefully you find someplace new soon. If not, hopefully you are able to either settle things with your neighbors or get out of your lease and find a new place soon.

I would definitely make a counter charge of harassment and lying to the police.

Ask the police to collect the samples pointed out by your neighbour and ask them to get a DNA analysis.

Wasting police time by making false allegations is almost certainly a criminal offence. Perhaps you might remind your neighbour of that next time you encounter him.

It probably wouldn't help you personally, particularly if you stay there long term, I think I'd have just laughed at him for getting all excitable and having nothing else better to do with his time than ring the Police for something he apparently can't prove.

But but but...of course it was you. Why? Because you have a dog!

This kind of reasoning kills me. And I am not sure you can stop that person harassing you without you making some steps.

I know. But, nobody should be paying for some allegedly bad temp renters. Chances are they might have been as bad as good. What do we know. The stereotyping is like a disease.

What I would do, is to write a letter to the police, list all the false accusations, be factual and no emotions. List all the reasons these accusations aren't true, and say you hope you won't be harassed any further. They will put it in the file, if that neighbor tries to call cops yet another time, they will highly unlikely waste their time again.

Did you ask for the police to provide you the evidence that it is your dog's crap?

AFAIK, hearsay and circumstancial evidence are not enough for a conviction... even in CH and even if you are an auslander.

What was the reaction of the police when you told then it wasn't your dog?

That man and the police's logic astounds me. I am quite speechless. Every dog poo on the floor is yours?

There are certain battles in life to fight - this is one of them. Dont take the accusations lying down if you are innocent. Personally, I will write two letters. One to the police disputing that the dog poo is yours, like Ittigen suggested - to do a DNA test. Sounds ridiculous but two can play the game. What is the follow-up action if any, after their visit?

Secondly, write a letter to that neighbour. Stick a copy of the gemeinde's confirmation that your dogs are registered in your letter to your neighbour stating that his first accusation of your dogs not being registered is false. As for his second accusation, invite him to do a DNA test on the dog poo if he so wants to. You'll have fresh daily supply readily available if he so wants. Intimidating you with the police doesnt work - you know your rights. Making false reports and wasting the police's time is not on.

Tell him that in no uncertain terms that if he intends to bring up accusations against you to the police in future, to check his facts or you will make sure that you will seek the advice of a lawyer to commence appropriate legal actions towards him. No more second chances. Hopefully, it will make that knob think twice before shooting off his mouth and running to the police.

If your dogs are registered and you are picking up your dog's poop, you have nothing to worry about except a grumpy neighbor who has it in for you. I know this isn't very pleasant but the police will get fed up with him eventually. Just keep doing what you're doing or have a quiet word with your commune about the unfair allegations so your side of the story is registered at some level.

just post him your full bags of poop to prove you pick it up

theses peoples have nothing else to do that making false accusation
this go should be sent in a shelter for pets and in charge of the poo collection,he probably is an assle an never give money to charity.
I had never live in a place with so much F@%&# up neighboors, my dear neighboor just put a letter in my mail box yesteday that the carpet where you wipe your feet on the front is full of my Lab hairs and he bring the along with him on
his flat on the second floor.I went and check you have to look very close to see them,but i vacum the carpet.
Keep everything you ca as a prof and do as advices from the peoples in the forum.
One thing is this guy dose t get the unlimited affection that we get pets owner.
And i am sorry i am a very good neighboor ,citizen ect so peoples don t start with this is the the way Swiss are doing ,been difficult is not the way.
where i come we treat peoples whatever they are tourists or immigrats with respect and i am from Monaco.

My God... I had some communication issues with my neighbourgs here in Basel too. I would find little papers with messages that sometimes could be quite agressive for silly things as someone left something in the laundry room, if it is not gone in two days, it will go to the trash. Personally I find this very different to my own culture. I think it would be much easier if everyone had the courage to ring a bell and ask and/or discuss politely about the things that come up coexisting. Also you get to know your neighbours and in general these silly fears or intolerances go away when you bond.

You got the guys numberplate? Get onto the Kantonal website for Straßenvekehr & Schifffahrt run it through to find the address and send some Kosovo heavies round.

p.s. I know you would not do such a thing, but just savour the idea for a minute.

Dear Matiasmiceli,
belive me i am the nicest person to deal but this guy look for everything i ca t even put on the ground outside of my windows my flowers as he put them back on my balcony,i live i the ground floor and my bedroom window dose t have a flat border where i can put my flower pots,he did call the agency o me because i was feeding little birds and say they keep him up all night,like birds are up all night,and my neighboor had to buy a speacial system to watch tv as he complain about her tv been too loud,this lady is Siss and in her late 60s and so sweet.

You will obviously need to get his attention to prove that you are actually picking up the poo.

I suggest using a brown paper bag and leaving the full bag on his front porch. On fire.

http://clutch.mtv.com/wp-content/upl...ly-madison.jpg

I had the same issue a few weeks ago with an older lady complaining bout letting my dog out and playing on the front lawn. (on the long leash) she said I am not picking up his poop , they are tiny and I do pick them up every time. I told her in French, ENglish and dutch to leave me alone, that I dislike her very much and that if she didnt like it she can call the Gerance. 20 minutes later the concierge came and confronted me asking me to
1 take down my fence (we had to put one up due to the poor manner of them planting plants) (groundfloor) asked me not to have my dog on the lawn, and to keep more quit.

I told him
1 mow the lawn first (it was 20 cm long the grass)
2 get everyone to take their fence down
3 tell his wife to leash their dog as it attacks everyone in site and all she does is yell the name.

He apologized and just asked me to make sure to clean up after the dog, which I replied no problem.

I am getting more and more counter agressive with these people living here as I feel all they do is push push and push the immigrants some more.

Havent heard a thing since

Welcome to Swaziland

I'm very sorry to hear that this is happening KF.

Sadly, Switzerland is fast becoming very dog-intolerant. I frequently hear 'Hundehalter haben viel Pflicht, kein Recht' (dog owners have many responsibilities but no rights) - this seems to be the wave of the future in here.

And, as has been discussed on other threads, people who have a gripe - real or imagined - against a neighbor have cottoned on to the fact that making complaints against a dog is an easy way to stick the knife in when the real issue is something completely different. Dog complaints are taken seriously by the police, where other forms of harassment are more easily seen through. Unfortunately these people often 'win', as the threat of harming a pet is enough to force one to move - we dog lovers will do whatever is needed to protect our mutts.

I used to advocate turning the other cheek, being the neighborhood good guy, helping others, trying to fit in to promote neighborhood harmony. I now no longer think that is the right way to go, as my experience is that acting nice is viewed as being weak, a legitimate target. Now I advocate politely standing firm against neighborhood bullies.

I would, however, strongly counsel against some of the suggestions of retaliation. Do not do anything that would be crossing the line yourself - you need to stand up to the harassers, but you must remain firmly on the right side of the law. Do not give the neighbors any legitimate cause to complain about you.

First, write a very polite but very clear letter to the landlord, and to all tenants in the building. Say that you have been accused of not being duly registered and of not picking up, and you wish everyone to know that it is not you, you always pick up after your dog. Say that your dog is indeed registered, invite anyone who has concerns to check with the Gemeinde or with ANIS. And then invite anyone who has concerns to come and speak with you personally. Sign it ''with friendly greetings'. If your German is not yet up to scratch, have a colleague write the letter. Address each copy individually, not simply a 'to whom it may concern', as you want this to be personal. It is very common here for people hide behind anonymous complaints and letters, few have the intestinal fortitude to make accusations to one's face - which is why harassment is so common here. Addressing this directly puts your neighbors on notice that you will fight back against false accusations.

Next, speak to the police, ask their advice as to what you should do when a neighbor makes a false report. Do you speak Swiss-German? If not, bring along a colleague who does - this will be very important. This discussion has to happen in SG, as anything else just brings down the 'blöde Auslander' filter, making it very easy to dismiss your concerns.

But the bottom line - these situations rarely improve. You do need to look to moving out, for your dog's sake.

I really hope that you can find a solution.

CSI Switzerland starring David Carusobach scene 1:

(Background music: Updated Who track plays)

White cloak gopher "We've received the canine poop sample from Bernerstrasse 47"

DC: "Get it straight to the lab, I feel the need to look over the top of my designer sunglasses, turn my head to face the camera and bust someone's sorry lying ass"

Etc....