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Original poster

Dog owners not picking up after their dogs

50 replies

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 09:33

Such a first world problem but I seem to get disproportionately angry about this.

We live in a lovely small town with a village feel. Most people have dogs and there have never been any issues (been here 5 years).

Over the last couple of weeks however the few roads around us are increasingly getting covered in dog poo. I guess it just takes one owner to not do the right thing for it to get like this. We live right by the school and dozens of kids walk on these pavements every morning and poo is getting trod on and smeared around. Honestly it's disgusting and I'm getting fed up of having to be super careful wherever I go.

We had this where we lived before and it was making me equally angry. I was so glad when we moved and there was no problem here.

What can I do? I'm so up in arms about this right now, thinking I'll put signs up and message the local FB page etc (ridiculous I know) but honestly what can I do?

OP posts:

FenghuangHoyan · 07/02/2023 09:36

You will have a parish council. Complain to them. They should get more poo bins and they should be the ones policing this. You pay your money towards them for them to help ensure that your local area is nicely maintained etc.

Putting up signs and Facebook might also help, but tbh, the people who do this don't care and you need to catch them in the act.

caramac04 · 07/02/2023 09:37

I feel your pain. Signs around the school might help a bit but unfortunately too many dog owners don’t care.
I think many, probably most, dog owners do pick up but the ones that don’t might not respond to the signs.

Rainallnight · 07/02/2023 09:39

We’re having exactly the same problem in our London neighbourhood and it’s driving me demented. I’m so angry about it. My little boy got poo on his hands in the green beside our house 🤮

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Original poster

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 09:40

I actually saw a lady on my way to the shop this morning, her dog was having a poo and she looked at me and stood there sloooooowly emptying the contents of her pockets. I thought I bet she's just pretending to look for a bag but isn't going to pick it up. Yep, came back from the shop and there it was.

So I thought in future I'll hang around and make sure I catch people in the act, like some shit police. I'd do anything!

But you're right, I'll see who I can contact about this. At least I'll feel better knowing I'm trying.

OP posts:

Original poster

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 09:43

Rainallnight · 07/02/2023 09:39

We’re having exactly the same problem in our London neighbourhood and it’s driving me demented. I’m so angry about it. My little boy got poo on his hands in the green beside our house 🤮

SO DISGUSTING. Selfish, selfish people. If you don't want to pick up dog shit, don't get a dog.

OP posts:

OllytheCollie · 07/02/2023 09:44

FB isn't a bad idea. My local dog walking FB page is where you find the people most pissed off about poo - logically the people who a) walk most and b) pick up most will be most annoyed by the lazy bastards who don't. If nothing else solidarity may make you feel a bit better and the more people complaining to the town or parish council the better. Plus in a small place they may know the offender.

Bins do help. But if it's a new problem in one area it may just be one household. My old house was on a street plagued with it because one man routinely walked his large breed down there every morning and they made a massive deposit about 7am, street had a school on it so by 8:30 kids and pushchairs had tracked through it and that was it for the rest of the day. My preferred solution (public execution) was seen as an over reaction but eventually he did get fined. And started walking a different route to the park.

Original poster

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 09:49

Yes I really think it's probably just one or two households. But then I wonder if it might catch on if some owners felt pressured to do it because the roads where so clean and now they might think "fuck it, if others don't, I won't bother either"

It seems to have spiralled out of control very quickly, over just a couple of weeks from no poo anywhere to poo all along the two roads to the school.

As it is a small village I am quite hopeful that if word gets around and people pay more attention the culprits will be identified. Fingers crossed!

If the council can put a sign up with threats of a fine, at least around the school, they might take their dog to shit somewhere else.

OP posts:

CalistoNoSolo · 07/02/2023 09:56

You could carry poo bags with you to hand out if you see her again. And I think signs and FB posts do help to shame people into picking up after their dogs.

whoruntheworldgirls · 07/02/2023 09:58

Same issue where i live, the parish council even provide poo bags all over the village and loads of bins, they had to go and spray 'pick up after your dog' signs on the paths, nothing's helping :-(
So sick of it, i always look at the floor now and have to steer my daughter round the mess so she doesn't stand in it

NotQuiteAChateau · 07/02/2023 10:06

It’s horrible and I’m a dog owner with a sniffing spaniel with long ears who makes a beeline for poo on pavements. It gives dog owners a bad name so I tie a poo bag on my lead now so people can see that carry them.

My dc walk to local secondary and I see poo on pavements where my dc have had to dodge it. I leave 10 mins after them, sometimes I pick it up even though it wasn’t my dog.

Original poster

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 10:06

Well I messaged the parish council and got an out of office reply that they are out of office until October 2022 so I think I might make the signs myself 😂

OP posts:

Littleelffriend · 07/02/2023 10:08

I actually emailed my councillor about this yesterday. I’m sick of dodging it on the school run. She replied and basically said there was nothing she could do

benten54 · 07/02/2023 10:10

I can't understand how dog owners can live with themselves if they don't pick up poop.

My dog prefers long grass to poop in, usually on a hilly grass verge where she perches herself like mountain goat. Despite the fact that no one would ever walk there I'm usually found clinging to the hillside rummaging in the undergrowth with my trusty bags. She once did it on the other side which has a steep drop off and it rolled down . I still went and got it, much to the mirth of my dog and the bemusement of a passing car driver

How people can leave massive turds on a well used pavement is beyond me.

Original poster

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 10:12

@Littleelffriend urgh there goes my little bit of hope for change

@NotQuiteAChateau @benten54 I wish all dog owners were like you!

OP posts:

Bunchamunchacarrots · 07/02/2023 10:15

Yeah, we have this where we live too. It's really depressing having to spend every walk looking at the pavement and policing where DC walks.

My DC has some mobility issues and falls over frequently and it puts me off taking her for a quick walk outside. I often drive us in the car to go for a walk somewhere cleaner.

It seems to be a particular issue in our area. It's not city wide, so I really notice the difference when I visit other areas. In particular, when I visit the areas with lots of rental properties I notice the difference in the lovely clean pavements.

Littleelffriend · 07/02/2023 10:18

@AboutTheTeddy im so sick of it. If I had any ideas myself I would action them but I don’t. The councillor said that the dog warden can take action if you have proof of who it is but where I live it’s definitely more than one person and I’ve never seen it happen. Someone actually let their dog shit in the school playground the other day

ZuzuMyLittleGingersnap · 07/02/2023 10:20

It really is disgusting. So damn selfish.

Taiwan resorted to rewarding citizens with a lottery ticket per filled bag handed in! Did actually drastically reduce the problem.
People shouldn't need bribing, though, for crying out loud.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16085792

Rainallnight · 07/02/2023 10:42

Littleelffriend · 07/02/2023 10:08

I actually emailed my councillor about this yesterday. I’m sick of dodging it on the school run. She replied and basically said there was nothing she could do

Same here. It’s so outrageous.

Feelinfestive · 07/02/2023 10:43

I've noticed the same around where I live, started to escalate over the Christmas holidays and is giving me the rage. There's one grassy area next to a path where I was walking my dog last week and I counted around 15 poos just on that bit of grass. Possibly TMI but on playing poo detective based on colour/size etc. it would appear that most of those poos came from the same dog or dogs on the same diet and were deposited over more than one day. So I reckon it is a small number of entitled people spoiling it for everyone.

I don't know what the answer is about how to solve it. Very hard if you don't catch someone in the act.

I got into an altercation the other day when a lady up ahead of me with a lab looked on adoringly as it did a massive poo in the grassy area next to a kids play park (grassy area outside the fenced off play park bit). She clearly had no intention of picking it up and hadn't seen me coming up behind. I asked her quite politely but firmly to please pick it up. I expected her to comply but she had the brass neck to argue that it wasn't doing any harm where it was (right next to where children run and kick footballs!) and the grass was too muddy for her to go rooting around. It turned into a massive argument with her accusing me of being a busy body and saying "I can see you just went out of your house this morning looking for someone to pick on". She did eventually relent and pick it up. I think the fact she argued back was more due to embarrassment at being caught out - I think name and shame is the best way if possible.

NursieBernard · 07/02/2023 11:14

I too find it disgusting and frustrating yet all dog owners will claim ´it's not me'

Unfortunately, I don't know what the answer is. Perhaps bringing in accountability for owning a dog through licensing may help in some way?

Original poster

AboutTheTeddy · 07/02/2023 11:35

@Feelinfestive well done for calling her out and winning that battle!

I genuinely don't understand how people can think it's OK.

It really just takes the one selfish owner to ruin it all for everyone.

But I am pretty sure these behaviours catch on, so I am worried it will only get worse. I grew up in France where pavements are constantly covered in dog mess and it's just the norm and no-one even questions it. I loved that it wasn't the case here!

OP posts:

Abra1t · 07/02/2023 11:37

FenghuangHoyan · 07/02/2023 09:36

Putting up signs and Facebook might also help, but tbh, the people who do this don't care and you need to catch them in the act.

Parish councillors don’t get paid. They often do these things though.

Mylittlesandwich · 07/02/2023 11:38

YANBU I have a dog and it's gross. The amount of dog crap I've had to clean off his shoes is unreal. I offer them a bag loudly when I see it.

Candlesamdyoga · 07/02/2023 11:38

I think only collecting DNA from dog poo and linking it to owners, licensing those owners and then analysing ditched poo and fining would work
I'm a dog owner. I pick up other's poo too sometime as I find it so vile. There's big dollops from what I assume to be same dog daily round here. Just vile

CalistoNoSolo · 07/02/2023 11:57

I agree that the only way to sort this out is dog licences linked to microchips and dna, massive fines for offending and lots of dog wardens.

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