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Damn Dog Shit.

160 replies

DuckWalkedUpToALemonadeStand · 29/11/2022 19:47

Yet another 20 minutes of my life scraping dog shit off my kids' shoes. Was dark, couldn't see the path, suddenly noticed the stench, there it is.

This is all too commonplace.
What can we do about it?

OP posts:
Tutchytutchyfeelyfeely · 30/11/2022 04:54

Totally agree with you op... But it's not only bloody dogs! A cat shits on my path most days also! It got on my daughters buggy wheel's last week 😠

BobbyBobbyBobby · 30/11/2022 05:14

So you think local government should do more?

When I lived in England the are I lived in I never saw a dog warden. The problem of dog poo increased during school holidays when children were walking dogs and in warm weather from their attire (no pockets or bags) it was clear that they carried no poo bags upon them!!

The main culprits though were early morning dog walkers and when I phoned the council I was told to take my own photos of the person and the dog fouling and submit them to the council as the dog warden didn’t start work until 9.00am!

Considering how much we pay in Council tax, so you think the council could provide more dog wardens, especially for before 9.00am?

More dog poo bins that are collected more frequently you as most of us have seen overflowing poo bins, haven’t we?

What about subsidised poo bag dispensers on lampposts so that a small charge is made to provide bags for anyone genuinely caught short without a bag?

Sadly, the people who already don’t pick up their dog’s fouling are unlikely to change their mind so should the Council step up and do more?

I’ve walked through areas where the council has invested a lot in providing g floral displays in hanging baskets and planters and employing people to empty bins and litter pick yet there is a lot of dog shit!

BobbyBobbyBobby · 30/11/2022 05:17

Should begin with DO not So ^^

stuntbubbles · 30/11/2022 05:19

YANBU! It’s out of control. My road is both a much-used thoroughfare to the local school, so kids walking up and down twice a day, and residents are mostly very elderly so use sticks, frames and other mobility aids to get about, and the pavement is fucking riddled with the stuff for them all to tread in. Quite often bang in front of people’s front gates too. I just don’t understand the mentality at all of not picking up after your dog, let along when it’s smack in the centre of the pavement in front of someone’s gate?! It’s wildly, wildly selfish.

Then again at the end of our road is a park with a “dogs must be on leads, fine £1000” section – lots of signs, none of them hidden, and plenty of them ignore that. They ignore the £1000 fine signs telling them not to bring their dog into the children’s playground too.

It’s just pure entitlement. Which you can see on this thread: “You can’t introduce £1k dog licences, people couldn’t afford dogs!” Yeah, and? It’s not a human right. I don’t know what the solution is, beyond screaming like a banshee at every fucker I see not picking up.

GeorgeorRuth · 30/11/2022 06:15

I guess the dog wardens could be paid for by scrapping public toilets and cleaners. After all, humans can wait and go at home. If we expect dogs to be trained to only go at home, we can certainly expect humans to.
Potty training that toddler? Don't go out until it's trained.

IBS, sorry you will have to control that, go at home. See, how silly it sounds..
The problem is a mix of a minority of owners not picking up and not enough serviced bins. Round here they are usually overflowing, so clearly used.
I pick up and take home if there isn't a bin!

megletthesecond · 30/11/2022 06:55

elephant I live in a dump and am equally capable of reporting the dog mess, drug dealers and flytipping.

HandbagsnGladrags · 30/11/2022 06:56

Sorry OP but I think you're a bit batshit with some of your ideas. You know that other animals shit outdoors, right? (Yes, I have a dog and I do pick up it's poo).

NosnowontheScottishhills · 30/11/2022 06:57

I'm a dig owner and I do agree that every dog owner should puck up their dogs shit, and I think the idea of a licence is good because there needs ti be more poo bins and round here we have biodegradable poo bags available by the poo bins this is also essential even the most responsible dog owner will very occasionally forget a poo bag or run out. And there needs to be a moree effective way or catching/reporting owners who are irresponsible and yes they should be fined.
But you do show a lack of understanding of dogs how when saying that dogs should only poo in their gardens it is not workable, exercise and grass stimulates a dogs desire to to a poo so this morning for example I let my dogs out and one always poos in the garden but will do 2 more when I walk him 30 mins later which I always pick it up. It's also not possible for a dog to only pee in the garden dogs pee to leave a scent mark for other dogs you cannot go against their natural physical requirements/instincts however much training you do even guide dog are let off their leads to be allowed to pee/poo every day.
I do agree dogs shouldn't be allowed in cafes and shops this seems to be a never increasing trend I never take mine into cafes and shops because I'm aware that many people when sitting down having a cup of coffee don't like dogs and therefore would be uncomfortable with one in a relatively confined space and dogs don't need to be there.

NosnowontheScottishhills · 30/11/2022 06:58

Loads of typos haven't got my glasses on!!

stuntbubbles · 30/11/2022 07:05

HandbagsnGladrags · 30/11/2022 06:56

Sorry OP but I think you're a bit batshit with some of your ideas. You know that other animals shit outdoors, right? (Yes, I have a dog and I do pick up it's poo).

Wild animals don’t have owners to pick up after them. This comparison always comes up: ooh, what about foxes? Well, what about them? There’s the occasional fox poo on my road; there’s daily multiple different dog poos.

primeoflife · 30/11/2022 07:11

OP don't you ever sleep? That might make you less grumpy 🤣

Yes dog shit is awful and I hate people not picking it up. I've handed poo bags to people who have left it in the past and made them collect it.

Bloody goose poo around the local lake is a nightmare and huge!! We need to catch the geese and put nappies on them too 🤔

theswoot · 30/11/2022 07:16

I think I would feel a bit gutted to be fined a vast sum of money for leaving a smudge of dog poo somewhere that was traced via a DNA test, but when my house was burgled and I suffered quite significant losses DNA evidence was no use… I do share in a lot of the frustrations here but think we need to maintain a sense of proportionality!

FurryDandelionSeekingMissile · 30/11/2022 07:22

People are picking holes in the OP's various proposed solutions to the problem, but IMO the issue isn't really whether OP's specific solutions would work — actually, I think OP probably couldn't care less about those specific things happening or not, what she wants is to not be forced to pay the cost of other people's pleasure.

Although there's a certain amount of tolerance of other people living their lives that's necessary for people to live in close proximity — maybe some barbecue smoke in summer, or ordinary noises of living, or seeing well-behaved dogs out and about — and although there's usually a certain amount of willingness in communities as a whole to pay for certain costs or detriments that are caused or incurred by some more than others, in general there's an expectation that people shouldn't do things that benefit themselves to the detriment of others. When someone wants to do something which could cause a problem for others, it's usually considered to be their responsibility to find a solution and pay the costs themselves, either individually, or as a group, through taxes, etc.

With pet dogs and cats, the people who buy these animals purely for their own pleasure and recreation often use the fact that they are animals as a justification for the fact that it can come at the cost of their neighbours' quality of life. Other people have to deal with dangerous and disgusting animal waste, and spend their own time and money on installing deterrents, doing cleanup and/or obtaining replacements for damaged property. Regardless of whatever fox shit/pigeon shit/hedgehog shit may be produced by local wildlife, cats and dogs produce copious additional shit, usually in locations far more disruptive to humans, and purely because someone wanted to enjoy owning that animal. They're not wild or native, and they're there because they're owned by someone.

I think what OP would like is for owning a dog to be like a lot of other human recreational choices that can harm others — the ideal being that no other person is paying part of the cost of the dog owner's pleasure. If you live next door to me and own a dog or a cat, I should not be able to identify any way in which I'm harmed by your choice, just as I would expect not to be harmed by the fact you own a pet snake or enjoy playing in thrash metal bands. Disruptive barking all day, scratched-up seedbeds, shit on the pavement, shit on shoes and wheels, the smell of piss on my fence, toxoplasmosis, apprehension of being knocked over or attacked, actual attacks, muddy pawprints on my coat, dog snot and slobber on me, all of it is me paying the price for someone else's pleasure.

I think that to OP it wouldn't matter how exactly it happened, how dog owners became responsible for ensuring that some of the costs of dog ownership weren't being distributed to other members of the community — whether it was through all dog owners suddenly becoming considerate and responsible, or enforcement paid for through licences or taxes or fines.

I love dogs, though can't have one in my current circumstances, but too many dog owners don't care that their dog makes other people's lives a little bit worse.

MisgenderedSwan · 30/11/2022 07:24

I pick up after my dog, and pick up any other turds I see while I'm walking. It pisses me off that other people don't pick up after their dogs. I have a bad hip and still manage, often finish a walk at the bin having picked up 5+ shits. I also carry a water bottle to rinse off the path if there's anything left after I pick up. I agree - there should be consequences for people who don't pick up.

FurryDandelionSeekingMissile · 30/11/2022 07:26

People are saying this idea is silly, this one is impractical, this one shows a lack of understanding of dogs… that's not the general community's problem. It's the problem of dog owners to make sure that their choice of hobby doesn't negatively impact others in their community, and come up with a way to make it happen.

DarkMatternix · 30/11/2022 07:27

It's years since I've seen dog shit on the pavement and I live in a crappy area. I'm honestly surprised that for some it seems to be a daily occurrence.

CentrifugalBumblePuppy · 30/11/2022 07:28

Owner of 2 big dogs with giant arseholes. People who do not pick up after their dogs are genuine arsehats. Round my way, it’s always the owners of those tiny, suffocating smooshed face beasts (who tend not to be trained either) who think they have an animated accessory rather than a living animal.

And there is a large percentage of offenders in their 60s plus who just stop, let them crap & trot on with the rest of their walk. I sympathise if they are arthritic (I have osteoarthritis from stem to stern in my spine) but if you buy a hound, buy the bloody nappy sacks to pick up said hound’s crap! And get a sticky picker upper thing if you need the extra reach!

The others are almost exclusively chattering (on loudspeaker, because they are so bloody important we all have to listen to them) who aren’t paying attention to what their dog is doing. We have a bylaw here (with signs on lampposts) stating a fine of you don’t pick it up, but since we haven’t seen street wardens around since the pandemic no one blooming cares.

Them, and those who buy doodles “because they’re like teddy bears” & don’t train them (and I say this as an owner of big doods) would be first on my list should we ever enact The Purge. And those twunts who hang dog poo bags on trees. B*stards the lot.

Suzi888 · 30/11/2022 07:33

lfYouLikePInaColadas · 29/11/2022 20:30

Same shite, different day. Sick of it too.

I want dog licences brought back but MUCH MUCH more expensive than they were. It needs to fund dog wardens, and a dna database of dogs, matching up the shit every time it’s spotted, owners HEAVILY fined, dog taken away after first warning. I really don’t think this is unreasonable. Why should we have to deal with dog shit? Ideally, I don’t even want dogs shitting in public: want a dog, train it to shit in your own back yard.
if we can stop them pissing all over where we walk too, that would be great. In which decent nation do we find letting millions of dogs piss on our streets. Gross.

Does this apply to humans dropping litter and generally being feral? throwing up, pissing in the street, emptying nostril remains. This is why I don’t wear shoes in the house. I don’t want to deal with bodily fluids.

A DNA data base of dog shit? Are you feeling ok? 🤣

Yes it is disgusting- I always pick up my dog’s poo. Not excusing leaving it behind AT ALL but if it’s consistency renders it unable to be picked up as it were, not sure what they can do. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Betahydroxybutyrate · 30/11/2022 07:33

You can really tell who owns dogs and doesn’t pick up their poo from the replies on this thread.

Whiskyvodka · 30/11/2022 07:39

I have a dog and always pick up.
And yes I stood in dog poo yesterday as it was hidden in a pile of leaves in the park.
I had to clean my car mat too.
The easiest solution is for dogs to be properly raw fed with 5 % bone.
It's better for the dogs teeth and closer to nature and the side effect is very little poo which is hard like pebbles. Should still be picked up but at least it’s not so messy.
Soft dog poo is because dogs are eating crap food with hardly ant meat in it.

momlette · 30/11/2022 07:48

You might imagine I don’t pick up@Betahydroxybutyrate because it would suit your narrative to put me in the unreasonable camp. I don’t actually own a dog but I do think some of the ideas on here are quite unhinged. It’s not pleasant but you can’t implement these crazy schemes, the cost, the practicalities. The council struggle enough with dangerous dog policing and animal welfare without recruiting and paying poo checkers and lab tests not to mention the admin costs involved in administering results and enforcement of sanctions. There’s many unpleasant things in life. I hate noisy kids running around in hotels and restaurants, children using potties in public, disgusting stench of nappy bins in toilets. Parents should be made to walk around with their own offspring’s dirty nappy in a bag. I don’t want them stinking out the toilet space for women thank you. It all sounds unreasonable doesn’t it? I am being impacted by someone else’s life choices.. to have kids, to bring them out to public places rather than making them shit at home. Ridiculous

Lockheart · 30/11/2022 07:50

DuckWalkedUpToALemonadeStand · 30/11/2022 01:24

I think the huge number of dogs and the dog nuttery abounding is a problem. It's insane to me that they are now in cafes and restaurants and shops. So unsanitary. I don't think it's fair to those of us who don't want to deal with dogs and their shit.

All dogs have always been allowed in lots of pubs, cafes, shop. It's not a new phenomenon.

Guide dogs are also legally allowed everywhere. So you will have to get used to the fact that in the UK there is actually no such thing as a dog-free public space.

Namaste6 · 30/11/2022 07:50

3 dogs and always, always pick up their poop - every last bit of it. I was busy chatting with a friend the other day during a dog walk. Noticing that one of my dogs had pooped, I bent down to pick hers up and also picked up another poop close by (thinking it was hers too). It was stone cold. I gagged. Was furious.

If I see someone not picking up their dogs poop, I always call them out on it. Can't stand it. Yes there should be stiff fines.

I also think that biodegradable bags should be mandatory. It makes me shiver when I see all the non biodegradable bags in the poop bins.

KILM · 30/11/2022 07:52

I have a dog, poo is always picked up, would happily pay £1000 for a license but that DNA database thing is bonkers sorry. Not because i dont wish people would be punished harshly because i 100% do but people just wouldnt pay and noones ending up in prison over dog poo. And if you took their dog away they'd just buy another dog. And then where do all these confiscated dogs go - our rescues are full to burst of ex breeding dogs or dogs with behavioural issues.
I'd much rather see a license, dog ownership test to prove you understand the laws around owning dogs (speed awareness style cos why not) and national register for EVERY dog you own. Not just once then you are magically up to date and capable forever like bloody driving tests (another rant)

stuntbubbles · 30/11/2022 07:55

momlette · 30/11/2022 07:48

You might imagine I don’t pick up@Betahydroxybutyrate because it would suit your narrative to put me in the unreasonable camp. I don’t actually own a dog but I do think some of the ideas on here are quite unhinged. It’s not pleasant but you can’t implement these crazy schemes, the cost, the practicalities. The council struggle enough with dangerous dog policing and animal welfare without recruiting and paying poo checkers and lab tests not to mention the admin costs involved in administering results and enforcement of sanctions. There’s many unpleasant things in life. I hate noisy kids running around in hotels and restaurants, children using potties in public, disgusting stench of nappy bins in toilets. Parents should be made to walk around with their own offspring’s dirty nappy in a bag. I don’t want them stinking out the toilet space for women thank you. It all sounds unreasonable doesn’t it? I am being impacted by someone else’s life choices.. to have kids, to bring them out to public places rather than making them shit at home. Ridiculous

Do you regularly step in children’s poo, though? That’s the issue. It’s not a “things I don’t like” bingo thread: it’s the fact that thousands of dog owners thinks it’s OK to leave steaming piles of faeces on pavements and parkland for people to tread in.