By KRISTEN LEVINE Tribune correspondent

An anonymous reader recently sent me a tale about a frustrating experience she had while walking her dog.

The Tampa woman, eight months pregnant, decided to take a break from work and spend a little time outside with her pet. Before the woman knew what was happening, her dog dropped down into the grass and rolled around in another pet’s very mushy doo-doo. Her 85-pound dog was covered, eyes, ears and all. She immediately had to rush it back to the house for a bath - not an easy task at eight months pregnant.

As communities throughout the Tampa Bay area become increasingly pet friendly, it’s important to remember our pet etiquette. With pet paths crossing more frequently in public, respecting others’ critters - even if you have none of your own - can mean the difference between a great day or a rotten day.

What do the pet experts say?

•"Don’t allow your pet to potty in someone else’s yard,” advises Connie Brooks, shelter manager and behavioral counselor at the SPCA Tampa Bay. “Have your dog do his business in your own yard, then go for your walk.”

Certainly, you’ll need to bring along a plastic bag (or two) in case Fido decides to pull over again.

Brooks stresses the importance of doo-doo disposal.

“Please tie a knot in the plastic bag before you toss it into the waste can.”

Sounds like common sense, but it seems one cannot be too specific when it comes to dog doo etiquette. Have you ever had to hose out a trash can at a dog park?

•Don’t give them too much rope, or in this case, too much line on an extendable leash.

“People with extend-a-leashes let their dogs walk as far away as possible,” Brooks says. “They get entangled in other people and pets, or the dog gets wound up around a tree or pole, which could ultimately be dangerous (or expensive) if the line snaps.”

Brooks suggests a polite solution is to keep a two-foot rule. When another person or pet approaches your dog, reel him or her in a little closer, giving you more control and nothing to trip over.

•And it turns out I, too, am guilty of a pet-etiquette violation: feeding another person’s pet without permission.

When doling out goodies to your own dog, it seems only polite to share with others, right? Wrong.

“Some dogs, like people, have food allergies or could be on a diet, so always ask the owner before feeding their dog,” Brooks says.