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PPM, a property management company in the Triangle, has made dog waste stations -- consisting of bags and a trash can -- the standard in new neighborhoods, said Burch.

In Harrington Grove in northwest Raleigh, piles of No. 2 were often found on sidewalks or off the neighborhood's walking trail. Now, there are "mutt mitts," plastic gloves for picking up poop, on the trail and near trash cans. The neighborhood also has put reminders in its newsletter. Both efforts have helped.

"There's a lot of things we have to keep reminding people about, and that's one of them," said Herb Hernandez, homeowners association president and dog owner.

Still, they don't always work.

Sharon Baynes, owner of Scoop-n-Doo, a dog waste service, said she still finds piles of the stuff near the waste stations she maintains in a Durham neighborhood.

Chris Gonzalez, owner of Poop Away, hopes to expand his business to apartments and subdivisions. Right now, homeowners with dogs hire him to clean up their own yards. He's hauled away as much as 27 gallons in one yard -- perhaps a sign that some dog owners treat the property of others as they would their own.

Some just try to solve the problem with not-so-subtle reminders.

Every morning, a man walking his dog would stop in front of Charles Neely's house or his neighbor's leaving a pile of poop.

"It was the same thing every day," said Neely, who lives in southwest Raleigh.

Neely bought signs depicting a dog doing his business, blocked out in red. Two are in his yard. Another is in his neighbor's lawn.

"The signs did stop it," he said. "People respect the sign. They should respect the neighborhood."

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