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.

Yes there is a dog park close to us (UK). We use it a lot. There were loads of them around when we lived in Milan and they were fab.

Seriously?!

Exercise can stimulate a dog to go to the toilet. So are people not allowed to walk their dogs in case they poo?

FFS. The absolute idiocy on this thread! The only poo some of you need to be thinking about is the 🦇💩 your spouting.

Dog owners don't purposely take their dogs out so they don't shit in their own gardens. The dogs are walked for exercise. Said exercise causes their bowels to move, hence they will then poo. It's this thing called "nature" that some of you seem not to have heard about . We as dog owners can't stop our dogs pooing if they need to.

I have never, ever not picked up my dog's poo and I'm pleased to say where I live (a very dog loving little city), the vast majority of dog owners do too. I've also been known to pick up the odd poo I've come across on a walk, including fox poo to stop other daft dogs rolling in it!

It's not questioned because to do so would be ridiculous.

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages thank you for proving my point.

Pontcanna and Blackweir have plenty of green space that aren't marked pitches. There's also Victoria Park and Thompson park close by that are shared public parks rather than designated sports fields.

There's a childhood obesity crisis in this country, alongside a budget crisis for councils. As a general member of the public I'm not adverse to picking up litter left by people to help our environment be more pleasant to use and also think people who litter are arseholes but there's no way I should be expected to pick up excrement from someone's pet. The council certainly don't have the funds to do this either but every week as a parent of a child who plays sport I have to walk the sports pitches and clean up after entitled arseholes and their stupid dogs.

But hey, as long as your pampered pooch can shit all over the playing fields that's OK, that needing exercise is far more important than a person not having serious infections from faeces. And your statistics are a load of BS too! Only 2% of dog owners not cleaning up after their pets is almost as absurd as claiming UKIP supporters aren't racist!

I just posted this as I was wondering and am not a dog owner and so don't have much knowledge about dogs. So it's interesting to read the link between poo and exercise and also that they go more than once a day.

My observations earlier today was at a narrow stretch of grass near a river (path, several benches, small playground) I saw people cross over to the park. Dogs would walk around for literally a couple of minutes, do a poo and then they would leave!! So not much exercise was occurring! Seemed much more of an outing to have the dogs poos outside of their own homes!

Oh and dogs aren’t allowed on the sports pitches where I live. It’s a rule that’s adhered to as far as I can tell, and I rarely encounter any dog poo anywhere (cat poo on my garden on the other hand ). Maybe I just live in a respectable area!

As pp have indicated some dogs will not poo unless out on a walk. Surely if the poo is picked up no issue?

Exgiraffe they could have already walked for miles to get to that patch of grass!

No I saw them come out of the flats opposite. Tiny walk for a poo.

So the dog should have shit in their flat?

Believe me I would love nothing more than my dog to go in our back garde. But he flatly refuses to do it. His previously owner lived in a flat so he has had years of having to walk a bit before pooing.

Well it's not very considerate of their neighbours to take their dogs out to do a poo on a very small strip of grass in an area that doesn't have much green space. This seems very anti-social.

Maybe they should take them out for some proper exercise and walk further afield.

Did they pick it up?

It's only antisocial if you don't pick it up!!!! I don't want to go into the details of poo picking but picking up removes the poo!!!!

Youre making so sense at all. What difference would it make if they took the dog further afield? It's still shitting outdoors on land?

outdoors places are really just dogs toilets
Dogs shit all over the nice things and spoil it for everyone else

Yes I do think it is outrageous that we accept this

Wordthe
Slightly hysterical I think!!!!! It's not the dogs fault that some owners are irresponsible and don't pick up!!!!! Shall we now ban all animals because they dare relieve themselves

Don't accept it then? Campaign for parks you enjoy to have dog only areas/dog free zones. Report owners you see letting their dog shit on 'nice things' without cleaning it up. Have a word with the next dog walker you see letting their dog crap on grass that it's not acceptable......

Sometimes my dog will poo twice on a walk 🤷‍♀️

This isn't about animals relieving themselves
dogs are not wild animals, dogs are human artefacts, to humans they are living toys, things that we have for our recreational or hobby time

Yep. I agree with OP.

And I would like to see dog owners hold licenses for keeping a dog - requiring a medical check.

There's an elderly man on my street who walking with a frame. He is nice enough. He has a small dog which he takes up and down the street. The dog poos, he can not pick it up. So he leaves it. Two walks per day it seems. Poo everywhere! All along the street. Dog has favourite spots too, outside neighbours gate is one of them.

My dog is not a toy for a hobby!!!! What a bizarre thing to say!!!! What's your suggestion cull all dogs??

What is your dog then?

Part of our family.