New Resident Allows His Pet to Swim in the Community Pool, But When One Neighbor Speaks Up, It Leads to a Condo War That Shakes the Entire Neighborhood.Entire Neighborhood.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn Flip it

In an unexpected turn of communal discord, the Original Poster (OP) finds themselves in a heated dispute over shared community pool use, igniting tensions between OP, a dog owner, and other condo residents.

The Community Pool

young woman next to pool Luxury resort with swimming pool backyard neighbors — image credit: luluraschi/shutterstock

OP lives in a condo adjacent to a shared community pool. He often observes residents taking a dip and enjoying the hot summer days. It is an oasis for OP and his children.

New Group In Town

male with dog — image credit: volodymyr/shutterstock

One day, OP spots a new group of people around the pool, allowing their fully grown Lab to retrieve tennis balls from the pool. OP is taken aback by the act, considering it inconsiderate due to the shared nature of the pool.

The Confrontation

woman begging please prayers sorry — image credit: cast-of-thousands/shutterstock

The Lab’s owner notices OP watching and apologizes unprompted. To OP, this showed them admitting fault and noticing that what they were doing was inappropriate.

The Escalation

angry couple argue fighting — image credit: roman-samborskyi/shutterstock

OP takes the opportunity to express dissatisfaction over the dog’s presence in the shared pool. However, the conversation quickly spirals into an argument between them.

Counter Accusation

young clever girl child smile kid — image credit: roman-samborskyi/shutterstock

In response, the owner accuses OP’s kids of peeing in the pool, offended by their presence. The owner doesn’t have any evidence, but he’s assuming they do based on their young age. This charge leaves OP frustrated and defensive.

Could Have Been Avoided

male thinking ponders on something stands in thoughtful — image credit: cast-of-thousands/shutterstock

If the pool-goers hadn’t mentioned anything in the first place, OP probably would have just observed and not gotten involved. Because the pool attendees apologized, OP felt like he could express his feelings openly.

Guaranteed Issue

young male raised hand palms confused huh — image credit: khosro/shutterstock

OP pointed out that his children likely wouldn’t pee in the pool. However, a large labrador retriever would certainly get hair and dirt in the pool and possibly pee as well. It didn’t seem like a fair argument and was completely out of line.

Retrospection and Doubt

male nervous thinking — image credit: icon8-photos/canva

Feeling guilty for the heated exchange, OP questions his actions. Wondering if he was out of line, OP seeks validation of his stance. Is it unreasonable to be upset about a dog in a shared community pool? He asks for an online forum.

A Matter Of Hygiene

male shocked thinking idea opens mouth widely, raises fore finger as gets idea or remembers to do something not in time — image credit: cast-of-thousands/shutterstock

One of the people’s biggest arguments against this was hygiene. Dogs carry a lot of fecal matter, dirt, etc., on their fur. They also cannot control their bowels the way humans can. They can contaminate the water for humans enjoying the pool.

A Suggestion

male raising finger pointing idea — image credit: khosro/shutterstock

Another user mentioned the issue of fur clogging up the pool filters and damaging the pool. They even said that at their community pool, there is a day at the end of the season when dogs can come and swim before there is a deep clean. This seemed like a fun suggestion to OP and something he wished he could have proposed to his neighbor.

Safety First

woman thinking hand on face — image credit: khosro/canva

Others mentioned the unpredictability of animals. A labrador can be the sweetest dog in the world, but you never know how they are going to react in a new situation. This further validated OP’s stance against doing this.

Who Is In Charge?

middle aged wrinkled mother woman keeps index finger on cheek stands in thoughtful pose daydreams — image credit: cast-of-thousands/shutterstock

Because of the nature of a community pool, it often feels like residents have to police one another. Many suggested that the safer thing to do would have been to complain to the powers that be to handle the situation.

A Lot To Consider

couple together thinking — image credit: cast-of-thousands/shutterstock

OP is left to feel validated in his stance with his neighbor. After reflecting, he does wonder if the way he interacted with the dog owner was the best route after all.

Was Being Upset About A Dog In The Neighborhood Pool Appropriate?

woman unsure if correct huh thoughts — image credit: khosro/canva

The readers in the forum had a lot of mixed views on the matter. Here are some of their responses:

Forum Responds

surprised young adult bearded male standing using phone social media — image credit: khosro/shutterstock

One reader said, “I’m making an assumption that the man apologized to you unprompted because he knew it was against the rules for the dog to be in the pool. And for him to talk about your kids is rude.”

Another Commenter Thinks

unsatisfied on computer — image: shotprime/canva

Another responder wrote: “He knows darn well he’s not supposed to have his dog in the pool. He said that about your kids to deflect from his own bad behavior.”

A Third View on The Story

woman phone social media shock — image credit: khosro/canva

A different person states, “Community pools are for humans. Not animals. If he wants his dog to swim, he needs to get a private pool and pay for the maintenance when the dog hair clogs the filters.”

A Final Perspective on the Matter

happy young woman holding mobile phone social media looking up — image credit: dean-drobot/shutterstock

Another viewpoint on the story: “Don’t get involved with irrational, inconsiderate, explosive people. If someone lacks the self-control necessary to have a conversation and goes straight to screaming, just talk to management. It’s safer.”