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

[Exgiraffe]

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.

Cross posts Avocado

Or crossed posts
(although 'cross' posts seems more apposite )

I’m a dog owner and I agree with you. I try very hard to avoid parks where kids play. Doesn’t matter what else is shitting and pissing there. I don’t need to add to it. Not all poos pick up beautifully. I don’t want to picnic in the footprint of a sloppy dog poo, so why should other people?

All that said, I’m lucky to live rurally, where there are options. Urban dog owners have no choice. American-style dog parks always seem sensible to me.

You are not BU, but neither are responsible poop-scooping dog owners out enjoying spaces designed for the whole community.

@Cauliflower If you're feeding your dog a good quality diet, almost all poos will be solid and not leave anything beyond microscopic residues (tummy upsets are a separate matter). In the case of a loose poo, I pull up the affected grass to prevent anyone having an issue with the poo.

Those that are routinely putting out large smelly or loose poos need a change of diet, to something better quality with a higher meat content and less / no grain.

Dog owning should be on licence.

Max numbers of licences per area. None allowed in very densely populated areas. Obviously we need a dog population from which to draw working dogs. However let’s get real about this, there are huge swathes of the current dog-pet population that are totally removed from working-dogs.

Breeding - you should have to pay a hefty fee to breed dogs, again on licence. Obviously there would be exemptions for people breeding specifically to keep working dog populations at a healthy level - perhaps the fee would be set, and then you could claim a refund for every pup that goes on to be successfully ‘placed’ as a working dog.

Owning a dog is not a human right.

Assistance dogs manage it perfectly well because it's a priority for those owners. That other dogs don't do it just means it isn't a priority for their respective owners. Because they think it's fine for their dogs to shit in public spaces

Exactly, the dog is it's master's emissary

There are so many things that are not a human right and that are harmful for the environment. Driving, buying plastic rubbish, wasting food, flying, tourism and so on. Mangetout from Kenia. Greenhouse flowers.No one is calling for a ban on all that.

Cats? Let’s ban cats as well. They shit and kill birds.

Let’s ban everything, just in case a poster on MN hates it.

@Chardonay, yes cats are also problematic, they have a significant effect on local wildlife so there is I think a good case for legislation to restrict cat ownership

Pet ferrets? Are those allowed?

As a dog owner I would welcome licensing for dogs and cats. Then a dna sample would be taken from each pet and dna samplers could analyse every shite on the pavement or garden and owners would be fined. I bet cat owners could be a bit more careful on training cats to use a litter tray rather than crapping over peoples gardens

I honestly think this thread is ridiculous

Luckily the rest of the world doesn’t see it the same way so pet dogs are still ok and accepted

I wouldn’t be without my two. They are fantastic little therapy dogs for my dh who suffers with depression. They are good for me as I’m deaf so alert me to knocking on the door.

They are fab with my kids who adore the dogs as much as they adore them.

Love them to bits

@batteriesallgone having children isn't a 'human right' either...

Ferrets I know very little about but I think they're usually kept in cages and don't really seem relevant to this thread?

Ferrets are great pets, mine used to live in the house and I'd take them out on walks and people would be amazed at my 'otters'

I understand there was once a project domesticate otters
Imagine a neotenised otter, wouldn't it be there cutest thing imaginable

I have never heard of American-style dog parks, do they work?

We need dog parks and dog beaches then if people want to avoid these areas then they can. My dog always has a poo on a walk, I can hardly stop her and she has to be walked everyday

We don’t need more dog parks, we need more parks and green spaces for all of us, dogs included.

We have a few dog fields here, usually used by owners with dogs that aren't dog social. I think you can book a time so you have the field to yourself and so your dog is off the lead. Never used them myself.

We are semi rural and have the luxury of Woods and countryside walks via public footpaths a short drive away.

Male dogs will always pee on a walk, its called marking. My female pees and shits whilst out too ( poo is bagged and binned if no bin brought home and lobbed in our refuse)

Can't see the problem.

Cats shit anywhere they like.

We don’t need more dog parks, we need more parks and green spaces for all of us, dogs included
Sod that so the dog owners can ruin all of the spaces, which they will?
Keep it separate that way clean people get to picnic and walk in peace

I don’t let my dogs go to anyone’s picnic, they are not allowed any junk food.

I have never heard of American-style dog parks, do they work?

For obvious reasons I've never been to one, but I've only ever heard negative things about them to be honest. Some dogs can't cope with being around other dogs at all (in extreme cases, these are the people walking their dog at midnight to avoid others). Some dogs lack manners - for instance, a few days ago we met a dog that just wouldn't leave mine alone, despite mine giving off polite but increasingly firm signals and eventually snapping (I'd already warned the other owner); being in a dog park removes your ability to walk away from such dogs. Some dogs just prefer their own company and don't want to be jumped over by others - I used to have the most placid dog in the world, but by the time he was 14 he decided he didn't want puppies anywhere near him, so we avoided them.

Dog parks are fine for some dogs, but other dogs need alternative options.

I have a dog with high exercise needs (think 2 hours per day of walking). I have specifically chosen to live near a park with several hundred acres of grassland for this reason. I simply couldn't meet DDog's exercise needs if we were confined to a dog park. If I couldn't meet DDog's exercise needs, his behaviour would go back to how it was when I first adopted him (awful) and he'd be unable to go to even the dog park... It would be a vicious circle for us, and it wouldn't end well.

I think dog parks would be a good idea, and dogs banned in all other public spaces
why should the rest of us have to put up with these weird messed up creatures and their complex and ever increasing requirements

A Dog Park isn't about preventing dogs from walking on a lead along the pavement, it's a separate space in the park - so wouldn't address the concerns of the OP.

Oh wordthe and the usual 'complex' bullshit that you spout on dog threads