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.

Really? We don't have a dog but often go for walks in areas sheep and cows graze.

Guess the landowners need to know that their animals are unhygienic then.

It needs a public campaign. I remember there was one when I was young (late 80s/early 90s?) about poop-a-scooping and it really did seem to reduce the amount of dog poo around. It became the norm for a while but now it seems some dog-owners have got much lazier about it.

My dog goes several times a day - in the garden and out on his walks, what would you want me to do in this instance? Tell him to wait until he got home?

Animal shit is EVERYWHERE. Dogs are the only ones picked up after (most of the time).

What do you have to say about horse poo that covers the entire pavement and isn't cleared up?

There is a big difference between dog poo everywhere and wild animals. Foxes don't have an owner to clean up after them.

Cats love leaving poo in gardens!

ofgs. I lift my dog's poo and bag and bin it.

What are you going to do about cat poo, fox poo, badger poo, rabbit poo, mouse poo, rat poo, bird poo and all the rest of the guys in the gang?

Horses and cows and sheep don't eat meat. It's a totally different sort of poo. Hence why people put horse manure on their garden and not dog shit.

I wouldn’t spend any time in the countryside OP. You will find horse, cow and sheep poo too!

Not unreasonable, OP, I've always thought that! Dog owners clearly do not want the shit in their own gardens hence taking them to public areas where they may or may not pick it up. I realise some don't have gardens, but there should be enclosed 'dog shitting areas' for that, not just a free-for-all everywhere, where kids play etc. It's vile. I know there are many responsible owners too, but even picking up the shit in a bag means there is still some on the grass/beach/park etc, where children may be playing later. Really better to just look at parks and other public green spaces as giant dog toilets nowadays, sad really. Re hedgehogs, foxes etc, they are wild animals and native to those spaces, not purchased, pampered and fed, then taken there specifically to shit, it's really not the same at all.

There was an uproar in Cardiff recently because the council suggested banning dogs from council run sports fields. I was furious when the entitled arsehole dog owners sad face protest led to the motion being dropped as an idea.

Why the fuck do people want their dogs to crap all over sports fields that people play rugby and football on? There's plenty of green space in the city, but no, they want to be allowed to let their "furbaby" to defecate where children play sport.

Not all dog owners are entitled, but sadly the ones who are ruin it for everyone.

Haha, I had horses when I was younger and I remember riding along one did a poo on the road, an old lady came out of her house shouting, are you going to pick that up!! My friend who I was riding with looked back at her and said but its only recycled hay!

Yes, wild animals do shit in public places too, but the difference is that there are naturally very few meat-eating, top of the food chain type wild animals in one area.

Not sure what you mean by 'meat-eating, top of the food chain wild animals' but I'm sure there are more urban foxes than dogs where I live. Much, much more likely to step in Fox poo in the park than dog poo.

Your dog can use the garden and then go as many times on a walk so what you are suggesting is unrealistic. As long as the poo is picked up. I mean what is going to be the next thing, people carrying bottles of disinfectant around so they can spray after their dog??? The world is not pristine and it's not meant to be!!!

Not sure what you mean by 'meat-eating, top of the food chain wild animals' but I'm sure there are more urban foxes than dogs where I live. Much, much more likely to step in Fox poo in the park than dog poo.

Not if my dog has gotten there first and rolled in it, not leaving even a speck behind!

My dog poos in his garden. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop him from doing more poo as soon as he’s gotten going for a few minutes on a walk.

Well, while we're about it could we ban McDonalds too please? Especially the one nearest my work?

People who throw their litter and half eaten fries all over the car park encouraging rats to feed and roam freely. And rats carry fleas. And fleas carry plague. So lets ban McDonalds.

Or should we encourage people to be more responsible with their litter and dog shit?

Dogs and poo is one of those emotive frothy issues in this country that I don't really think I've seen anywhere else.

Not sure what you mean by 'meat-eating, top of the food chain wild animals' but I'm sure there are more urban foxes than dogs where I live. Much, much more likely to step in Fox poo in the park than dog poo.

There are over 8 million dogs in the UK and estimated to be about 150,000 urban foxes.

Wild animals doing their business - noone to clean up after them.
Dogs - owners should pick up the poo and show a little consideration where they let them pee. I don't let mine pee on people's walls, fences, cars etc. He goes in my garden or an area of wild bushes, set a distance away from the pavement when we're out walking.
Drunk men - if they can't hold their bladder/plan toilet visits on a night out they should drink less. If you walk through the town centre where I live on a Sunday morning, the smell is unreal (fishy cheap lager). It would take a lot of wild animals/dogs going in the same area to produce anything like that stench.

My son has a dog and lives in Toronto, Canada. There they have designated dog parks and family parks that are completely separate - the dogs all poo in the dog areas not in the family parks. ( The dog parks are great btw - huge and fenced). Canadians play a lot of sport and my son likes the fact that he can play soccer with his mates and knows that no animals have pooped or wee'd there IYSWIM. Families also spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer( it's hot). I suppose that they can do this because they have more space? And there are lots of dog owners! Brilliant idea .

@InAPreviousLife The problem is that many of Cardiff's green spaces are covered end to end in sports pitches, each of which is only used for a few hours per week (Pontcanna / Blackweir Fields being a good example). The paths are not usable because there are so many bikes which are a danger to dogs (not an anti-cycling comment, but I do need to be able to avoid them). So, dog owners, 98% of whom pick up after their dogs, would have been excluded from using the parks that they pay for regardless of whether or not their dog defeated or was on lead. The irresponsible 2% would no doubt have ignored the ban.

As an "arse hole" dog owner (thanks for your charming description of me) I need to exercise my dog for 2 hours per day, and the pitch ban would have made that completely impossible. I always pick up after my dog, and do not see why I should be penalised for the irresponsible actions of others who have nothing to do with me. By way of contrast, it's rare that I walk across the sports pitches without seeing sports related litter left behind (eg plastic water bottles); if you were going to follow the same logic you'd be looking to ban sports clubs from the pitches because of the irresponsible actions of a minority.

In response to the OP, I'm quite happy for my dog to shit in the back yard. Unfortunately he needs a walk to get his gut going and will only poo on grass unless utterly desperate. The landlord has 'helpfully' tarmacked the entire back yard so we have to find a grass verge.

There are over 8 million dogs in the UK and estimated to be about 150,000 urban foxes.

A huge proportion of the 8m dogs have owners who clear up after them. None of the foxes do.

At least dog poo is biodegradable unlike the mounds of litter and crap humans see fit to litter the streets with.

Everything needs to poo due to exercise; it's how our bodies are designed. Bodies have to move around to get the intestinal processes moving to poo. That's why dogs poo at start of a walk.

Lots of rabbit dung in places I go.

TBH, it's the irresponsible dog owners (those who bring untrained unmanageable dogs to parks and then sneer at small children their dog has knocked over with "FGS, it's a PARK, you shouldn't come to PARKS if you don't like dogs") that are the biggest problem. Unfortunately, there seem to be so many horrifically entitled dog owners, and responsible ones never seem to call them out, just sneer at other park users.

This! We live near woods, and whilst most dog owners are responsible, there are some right twats about.

A few weeks ago we were out and this huge dog came bounding up and his owner couldn't control the dog at all, the kids were really frightened and the guy was doing the usual 'oh don't worry, he's just being friendly'. DH had a go at the bloke saying that the dog shouldn't be off the lead if he can't be controlled and we are just trying to have a nice walk and the bloke got so defensive and ended up saying 'well if you don't want to see dogs about, why don't you go and buy your own woods then'? I think he knew he had lost the argument at that point.

Another time we were in the park and a woman was there with a really excitable dog and asked us if we would throw the dogs ball as part of the dogs training and we were like 'um, no' and walked on and she was really affronted!

I don't mind dogs at all, but I do have the right to go out for a walk without one jumping up on me or my kids, even if they are 'just being friendly'.

Aren't there any dog parks in the UK? I have seen them abroad and it's an area which is fenced off and specifically for dogs to go to the loo? It's usually like a giant sand pit, but has other things for the dogs to walk around and sniff at.

TBH, it's the irresponsible dog owners (those who bring untrained unmanageable dogs to parks and then sneer at small children their dog has knocked over with "FGS, it's a PARK, you shouldn't come to PARKS if you don't like dogs") that are the biggest problem. Unfortunately, there seem to be so many horrifically entitled dog owners, and responsible ones never seem to call them out, just sneer at other park users.

I'll also call out the entitled people who think their child (or indeed themselves) should be able to touch any dog without asking. My dog has zero interest in strangers. Literally zero. He won't bite, he just doesn't want to be touched by them (#metoo...). So many people feel they need to touch him, even though he's totally ignoring them or has even walked off and they're following him...! He now wears a prominent label saying "ask before stroking" - basic etiquette but frequently ignored. For some reason some people still choose to touch him.

Aren't there any dog parks in the UK? I have seen them abroad and it's an area which is fenced off and specifically for dogs to go to the loo? It's usually like a giant sand pit, but has other things for the dogs to walk around and sniff at.

I'm not aware of any, and in any case there are many dogs who wouldn't be able to cope with other dogs in such close proximity / significant numbers. I know dog parks are widely disliked in the US. If you're walking to the park your dog has almost certainly been to the loo before you've got to the dog park. Male dogs in particular will continue to (try and) scent mark with urine throughout an entire walk regardless of whether or not there's anything in their bladder.