Teen & Tween walking dog and ignoring where it craps

[RedPandaClaws]

Why do dog owners allow their kids to walk the dog knowing full well that the shit is not going to be picked up.

I'm in a very small local park with DC when two girls maybe 13 & 10 appear with a chilled-out Labrador type dog. It's let off the lead and just slowly wanders around the park while the girls kick a ball and play on the equipment.

The dog walks right past where we are standing and into the slightly long grass at the edge of some overgrowth and does a crap. Two girls are oblivious and at other end of the park at this point. They clearly have no intention of picking up the shit otherwise they would be paying some kind of attention to the dog. Obviously it has learnt to go in the undergrowth and the family must think this is sufficient!

I realised a few minutes later that I actually knew the mum of these kids, so I didn't say anything as I didn't want to make the school run for the next few, years awkward. Plus I'm not a confrontational person, and it isn't the girls fault that the parents have clearly set a precedent that this is acceptable behaviour.

So I'm just hear to vent. Dog owners please do not do this. My DC kicked their ball within a metre of the dog shit just a few minutes later!!

And more broadly, these days every tiny area of green space has just become a dog toilet! So annoying for DC who just want to play. Already spent yesterday cleaning rank shit off shoes.

Carry some dog bags with you, they’re very cheap. Next time, loudly, “oh, have you forgotten your bags, here you are”.

Me? I'd say politely at school pick-up that it was lovely to see her DD's playing in the park & helping out with the dog, but just so you know they're not picking up the dog poo & if she didn't mind, next time you'd remind them as your DC almost stood in it. Carry bags if need be. You can't do much more than call out it'd been seen without causing an issue but if we don't, it won't stop.

But, I'm the person who was so sick of someone letting their dog shit on my front nature strip I pulled into my driveway and blocked the path of an old man who'd I'd finally busted letting his dog shit there. I told him to pick it up. He did. He'd been letting his dog do it for ages and now I knew who he was, he stopped. Probably just does it elsewhere.

You could have called the girls over and said something to them at the time. I would definitely mention it to the mum as she may not be aware that they are letting the dog do this.