Got a problem? Well so does Pete, but hey, at least you’ve got something in common. So you tell Pete yours, and Pete will tell you “What you should do…”
Hi Pete, I’ve noticed hooded teenagers hanging around our street lately after dark, it’s quite frightening, I’m not sure what to do!
Hilary, Kingsville
Pete says; What you should do is… Immediately call the Police! This is a problem around my place too! In fact, one time, I peeked out between my drapes and noticed several hooded youths loitering around my car. Although on closer inspection, it might have only been one youth standing next to a tree. Actually now that I come to think of it, he looked a bit old to be a youth. As for the hood, that turned out to be a sort-of floral head scarf. I know what you’re thinking – the Manson family cult moved in next door! Er, well in the end it seems it was just my elderly neighbour putting out her bins, though I maintain she is still pretty sprightly and youthful for her age – about 90. Anyway, so the moral of the story is… yeah, um… next!
Pete I have two words for you – dog poo! The number of dogs I see pooing down at the park with no owner in sight – it’s driving me nuts!
Hayden, Footscray
Pete says; What you should do is… Name and shame the Fido’s, Fifi’s and Brutus’s of this world! Those dogs are not only breaking the laws of your local municipality, they are defying the unwritten laws of being a canine – always poo near your owner so they have to pick it up! So next time you see a dog breaching these laws, rush over, grab it by the collar, make a note of its registration number, and report it to the council! Er, well if its a pit-bull, rushing up to it may not be so smart. In fact now that I think about it, I rushed up to a little shih tzu once and the blighter bit me on the leg! Hmm. No, forget the rushing up to strange dogs idea, how about you just take a photo of the dog doing its business, and post it on a special doggie-doo Facebook page! You could call it Do’ Po’. You could even go one step further, and pinpoint all the ‘dog bombs’ at your local park each day using Google-Maps, turning your obsession with droppings into a useful neighbourhood service!
Not sure what advice you can give Pete, but what can I do about people who walk past my place and drop their rubbish in my bin?
Harry, Williamstown
Pete says; What you should do is… March straight out, extract their rubbish from your bin, and hand it back to them! Who do they think they are, using your bin as a public waste deposit!? No fear, if those people have rubbish to dispose of, they shouldn’t be touching your bin, they ought just drop it in the gutter, or on your nature strip, or perhaps even toss it onto your front garden. Maybe put a lock on your bin? That’ll teach ’em!
