Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Jars of water and dogs

The reasoning behind these dog scarecrows

Advocates claim that reflection and refraction of sunlight spook a pooch. - Image by Rick Geary
Advocates claim that reflection and refraction of sunlight spook a pooch.

My wife and I have noticed that several houses in our neighborhood have two or three jars of water on their front lawns. The jars are sealed with clear, colorless water in them. They aren't brewing sun tea, so what gives? This is not a new phenomenon, as we noticed similar goings-on in another neighborhood older and funkier than the one we’re living in now. We suspect a scheme to energize drinking water or to focus astral vortices but thought you might have a better clue. — Bob and Roz Haselbeck, Mira Mesa

Since the mystery seems to follow you from place to place, let me ask you a question. Do the Haselbecks own a dog? If so, is Fido often rampant in the neighborhood, fouling the landscape? The water-filled bottles are the canine equivalent of scarecrows, placed there by homeowners to keep dogs from using their lawns as a toilet. The legend of the lawn bottles probably belongs in the vast dumpster of urban legends, except there is a slim chance they might be temporarily effective. At any rate, enough people are willing to vouch for them to have kept the phenomenon alive from coast to coast for at least the last 30 or 40 years. No one seems to know where the idea originated.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Advocates of lawn bottles claim that reflection and refraction of sunlight through the clear-glass, water-filled bottles (often with added aluminum foil strips) somehow spook a pooch into bypassing the fortified yard in favor of one less menacing. Dog-behavior experts say that if the bottles work at all (and no one’s actually studied them scientifically) it’s because most dogs, like people and other animals, tend to be wary of new and peculiar situations. A familiar bathroom that suddenly sprouts big shiny things apparently qualifies as “new and peculiar.” But if the bottles are left in the same places day after day, eventually the neighborhood dogs will get used to them and come to regard them as just another visual marker in the familiar, friendly lawnscape. At this point, the bottles probably lose whatever effectiveness they had when they first appeared. It’s not too unusual to see a bottle-studded lawn that also includes a big, fresh dog dump. And of course the bottles are useless after sunset (unless they’re placed near a source of bright artificial light), so night-roaming dogs are free to decorate on your yard unimpeded.

Using the “novelty” theory, perhaps any new and peculiar things scattered around your yard — living room furniture, old hub caps, your in-laws — might fend off dogs for a while. But the whole theory could hinge on the personality of the pooch habitually fouling your acreage. A bold, curious dog won’t be stopped by much except, perhaps, a thoughtful, responsible owner.

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do you have two first names? — Vic, Cab *77, on the road

Guess I’m just twice as lucky as you are, Vic.

Dear Matthew Alice, How come your name is not listed among the list of writers? Did they forget you or are you somebody else? — Jack, San Diego

I used to be Duncan Shepherd. But after an aura realignment and a new pair of orthopedic shoes, I’m now the entire staff of the classifieds section. Actually, as long as my paycheck doesn’t bounce, I don’t care who I am.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Morricone Youth, Berkley Hart, Dark Entities, Black Heart Procession, Monsters Of Hip-Hop

Live movie soundtracks, birthdays and more in Balboa Park, Grantville, Oceanside, Little Italy
Next Article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
Advocates claim that reflection and refraction of sunlight spook a pooch. - Image by Rick Geary
Advocates claim that reflection and refraction of sunlight spook a pooch.

My wife and I have noticed that several houses in our neighborhood have two or three jars of water on their front lawns. The jars are sealed with clear, colorless water in them. They aren't brewing sun tea, so what gives? This is not a new phenomenon, as we noticed similar goings-on in another neighborhood older and funkier than the one we’re living in now. We suspect a scheme to energize drinking water or to focus astral vortices but thought you might have a better clue. — Bob and Roz Haselbeck, Mira Mesa

Since the mystery seems to follow you from place to place, let me ask you a question. Do the Haselbecks own a dog? If so, is Fido often rampant in the neighborhood, fouling the landscape? The water-filled bottles are the canine equivalent of scarecrows, placed there by homeowners to keep dogs from using their lawns as a toilet. The legend of the lawn bottles probably belongs in the vast dumpster of urban legends, except there is a slim chance they might be temporarily effective. At any rate, enough people are willing to vouch for them to have kept the phenomenon alive from coast to coast for at least the last 30 or 40 years. No one seems to know where the idea originated.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Advocates of lawn bottles claim that reflection and refraction of sunlight through the clear-glass, water-filled bottles (often with added aluminum foil strips) somehow spook a pooch into bypassing the fortified yard in favor of one less menacing. Dog-behavior experts say that if the bottles work at all (and no one’s actually studied them scientifically) it’s because most dogs, like people and other animals, tend to be wary of new and peculiar situations. A familiar bathroom that suddenly sprouts big shiny things apparently qualifies as “new and peculiar.” But if the bottles are left in the same places day after day, eventually the neighborhood dogs will get used to them and come to regard them as just another visual marker in the familiar, friendly lawnscape. At this point, the bottles probably lose whatever effectiveness they had when they first appeared. It’s not too unusual to see a bottle-studded lawn that also includes a big, fresh dog dump. And of course the bottles are useless after sunset (unless they’re placed near a source of bright artificial light), so night-roaming dogs are free to decorate on your yard unimpeded.

Using the “novelty” theory, perhaps any new and peculiar things scattered around your yard — living room furniture, old hub caps, your in-laws — might fend off dogs for a while. But the whole theory could hinge on the personality of the pooch habitually fouling your acreage. A bold, curious dog won’t be stopped by much except, perhaps, a thoughtful, responsible owner.

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do you have two first names? — Vic, Cab *77, on the road

Guess I’m just twice as lucky as you are, Vic.

Dear Matthew Alice, How come your name is not listed among the list of writers? Did they forget you or are you somebody else? — Jack, San Diego

I used to be Duncan Shepherd. But after an aura realignment and a new pair of orthopedic shoes, I’m now the entire staff of the classifieds section. Actually, as long as my paycheck doesn’t bounce, I don’t care who I am.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader