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Original poster

Dogs and poo and public areas. Why isn't this practice questioned more?

373 replies

Exgiraffe · 02/01/2019 09:41

Just returned from a walk (with dc, no dogs as I don't have one) and started to think about how extraordinary it is that people take dogs on walks in public parks and green spaces specifically to give them the opportunity to poo!!

Why isn't this practice questioned more by the community? Surely dog owners are the minority so why aren't communities discussing this and requiring dog owners to change their behaviour and encourage dogs to poo at home.

This is especially an issue in cities where green grass and space are limited. Even if dog owners scoop up the poo there would be remnants on the grass where unsuspecting picnickers sit and children play upon.

OP posts:

Wordthe · 03/01/2019 17:50

Children are human society, they are the next generation

dogs are a different category of thing, more like are accessories that people acquire to give them some kind of hobby/pass-time/leisure activity
so they are a furry equivalent to a remote control car, crafting activities, a drone...something like that.

Nothing inherently wrong with having leisure activities, but the rest of us shouldnt have to be so badly inconvenienced by your hobbies

MakeAHouseAHome · 03/01/2019 18:03

Wordthe you are actually delluded. Pets are part of the family equally as much as children. To call them a furry car is nothing short of moronic.

ADastardlyThing · 03/01/2019 18:07

Ah it's clear they are just on a wind up, let them have their fun you misery

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Dogs

Whatsforu · 03/01/2019 18:26

You dog haters not back at work yet?? Might distract you from this thread. Your BP will be sky high!!!! Honestly

Whatsforu · 03/01/2019 18:29

By the way having a dog around is supposed to relieve stress and lower your BP. Just saying!!

VaselineDion · 03/01/2019 18:29

People who have no empathy for animals are not to be trusted around people. Particularly children.

ADastardlyThing · 03/01/2019 18:34

Duh whatsfor, they can't work, they either physically can't leave their house for the mountains of shit or are constantly diseased or getting knocked over by packs of dogs running riot or throwing up for the sheer gagging smell of dog that even the fresh air can't keep at bay

Wordthe · 03/01/2019 19:01

Pets are part of the family equally as much as children
a pet is equal to your children?

Whatsforu · 03/01/2019 19:03

ADastardlyThing

JamieOliversChickenNugget · 03/01/2019 19:04

People who have no empathy for animals are not to be trusted around people. Particularly children
You dont have to be an animal lover to love children. Thats like saying if you wouldnt welcome a rat infestation you shouldnt get pregnant

NiktheGreek · 03/01/2019 19:06

This thread is literally barking!! I never encounter this much dog hatred in real life. Some really extreme views on here, they can't be for real.

JamieOliversChickenNugget · 03/01/2019 19:07

Perhaps someone should create dogsnet...

MakeAHouseAHome · 03/01/2019 19:09

Yes. To me my dog is a part of the family equally as children.

Wordthe · 03/01/2019 19:20

in what sense is a dog a member of a human family?

what are the necessary and sufficient conditions which need to be fulfilled, is it just any living thing that shares your living space?

JamieOliversChickenNugget · 03/01/2019 19:27

See although I hate them I get others do like them. I just have a massive problem with them in public areas. I do see word's point though. Those who argue dog shit is comparable to foxes, badgers, rats et al, are not comparing like for like, when they are criticising the views of those sick of dog shit.
When public health is threatened eg pigeons and rats, they put them down to preserve health.
Dog owners would be outraged if people suggested that for dogs. So it really isn't the same. The only difference is that we are socialised to live with dogs and cats. The Chinese eat both. It's only our culture which sees dogs as pets.
Ultimately no we will never ban dogs, but we should have severe consequences for those who let their dogs mess everywhere. IMO this should be community services, clearing up dog mess from parks and streets with no gloves and using bare hands

tinstar · 03/01/2019 19:28

Yes. To me my dog is a part of the family equally as children.

I'm a huge dog fan. Have 3 of my own and love them to pieces. When the dog I grew up with died I was distraught for years. Dogs have enriched my life in ways that some of the posters on here couldn't even begin to get their nasty, narrow, hateful minds round. But seriously?!!! In no way are my dogs equal to my children. That's absolutely bonkers. Almost as crazy as people on here describing dogs as vermin because they have the misfortune to be owned by people who don't know how to care for for them and clear up after them properly.

Love to know where JamieOliver lives as I've moved around a bit and have never encountered anywhere as bad as he/she lives.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 03/01/2019 19:40

Such a sad state of affairs, I know, and don't forget the horrid accidents where a dog actually walks on the same pavement and even, shock horror, happens to look at you.

How the human race manages to survive all this is beyond me.

JamieOliversChickenNugget · 03/01/2019 19:41

Perhaps that's the difference, you need to be raised with them to like them. To me there is no difference between a dog and a fox or a rat or whatever, I don't like animal smells, fur, anything.
I just don't understand that relationship, it seems alien to me. Like madness. That's not nasty
What people are angry about is that people like you, who love animals and choose to own a few, force that on people who don't by taking them into public areas and ruining those areas for the majority by letting your animals defecate all over them. Now I know you don't, but loads and loads do, or we wouldn't have such a mess.
I do also think that the dog lovers aren't as precious about dog shit as the rest of us-they aren't utterly repelled by it as I would be. So they don't notice it because it's nothing to them, they're used to it. Like not being able to smell dog smell-it's definitely there, but you're not aware of it.

The reason people are 'nasty and narrow' is because living surrounded by shit is horrible and unacceptable. If our children were regularly smearing poo on pavements so your dogs got it all over their feet whilst walking, then you'd be up in arms.
If the world was a doggy world and the only children were puppies, then real life children came in and made puppy areas dangerous, then there would be outcry. If we have to share spaces, lets all try and keep them as nice as possible. Please.

tinstar · 03/01/2019 20:03

The reason people are 'nasty and narrow' is because living surrounded by shit is horrible and unacceptable.*

Again JamieOliver - where on earth do you live?

Wordthe · 03/01/2019 21:34

The problem with seeing dogs as family members is that then we start to feel the dogs have the same rights as humans

I would like to see legislation to reign in dog ownership and the numbers of dogs generally, the pet industry will be against this because more dogs equals more profits for them, however increasingly there is public disgust at the dog shit problem
dogs are increasingly seen as disgusting creatures by those who don't favour dogs

reallyanotherone · 03/01/2019 21:53

And it is dogs which affect peoples health. Allergies, toxoplasmisis, blindness, biting, phobias.
The world would be a better place without dogs. No further hatred, just want clean streets which are safe for humans

You might want to check your facts. There has been a lot of research which clearly demonstrates the benefit of pets to humans.

Toxoplasmosis, for example, would still exist even if you got rid of every cat and dog on the planet. Pets in the household staristically reduce the chances of children developing allergies and other auto immune conditions.

I don’t know where you live, but it’s years since I came across dog shit on a pavement. Years ago “white dog shit” was fairly common- as were free roaming dogs, so I don’t know where the rose tinted view of the past comes from.

chumbal · 03/01/2019 21:59

Middle class suburbs here and not a day goes by when someone does not let their dog crap outside my house

70sbaubles · 03/01/2019 22:02

White dog shit wasn't because it was 'old'. It was based on a diet where dogs had proper bones, the marrow made the poo white.
Seriously if you'd been to the place I went today you'd be horrified. I just dread everything because of it-the long grass (shit within it you can't see), the leaves (shit underneath you can't see), off the track foliage (shit lying under it) and so on. It really does ruin a day out.
I get I may be more dramatic than some about dog shit, particularly when I've changed 3 kids' nappies, but the smell makes me heave.

70sbaubles · 03/01/2019 22:04

And here the pavements are also covered. The council estates are soiled, but the Victorian terraced area in the posh part of town are horrendous. There's a distinct worsening around October when the dark nights close in because people can get away with not cleaning it up.

Wordthe · 03/01/2019 22:06

What is the best way to get something done about this problem?

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