to report this non-picking-up-dog-poo-owner to the police?

[BeautifulBlondePineapple]

I was in our village centre yesterday and saw a dog not on a lead. As I was watching it, it crapped beside a tree (pedestrian street, tree in middle of street).

I figured out who the dog belonged to, but they were just going into a shop. I told him about what the dog had just done & pointed to where the offending item lay. He assured me that his wife had bags & they'd pick it up when they got out the shop.

I checked later. They didn't.

The village has CCTV. Should I report them to the police or will I be laughed out of the station?

I've turned into a bloody curtain twitcher because of the amount of dog poo left on our street - it's vile. I've had to throw away a pair of DS shoes and DD toy buggy has been binned. It's everywhere - and stinks so badly in the summer that I wretch. I've complained to the council and they said it's their number one complaint but finding culprit is needle in haystack. So if you know who they are report them - but to the council, not the police. I wouldn't leave poo filled nappy on the street - why should dog owners leave bags of dog poo and dog poo on the street without getting serious fine? After throwing away DS shoes I thought about starting campaign to increase fine to £1000 and insist on advertising campaign to match Litter bug campaign in the 80s. Then I realised I really had to move on with my life. Instead I am just a nutter shouting warnings "DOG POO" when I go out with the DCs now.

Oh God, don't get me started on people not picking up dog poo! I'm forever ranting about it.

I must run my pram through it, on average, about once a week. I'm always outside cleaning my pram wheels (I don't want to take shitty pram into house for it to get on my floors when I have a baby crawling about) the neighbours must think I'm bonkers - "there she is again, cleaning the pram wheels! Doesn't she know they're supposed to get dirty?"

The pavements are full of it round here. Makes the school run fun. My 4 year old DD1 does NOT watch where she is walking, I'm forever shouting MIND THAT!

FunkyChicken, that's disgusting! Your poor friend and DD when she fell!

RobinSparkles me too, me too...let's start one of those fancy online petitions where they have to debate it in parliament if enough people sign it.

And I'm just not all militant usually at all... live and let live and don't get riled about anything.....Though I've had half a bottle of wine so could be all fired up and brave cos of the booze.

God this really annoys me!

We have one of those inconsiderate people by us too - a scruffy grey haired woman with a scruffy grey haired dog. She frequently lets her dog shit on the pavement and then just wanders off. It used to always do it on the pavement outside our house and I started taking photos with my phone. She stopped it doing it outside our house but just drags it a bit further down the road. I have never once seen her pick it up. I think you should report it - and I think I should too!

I have a dog and would never dream of not clearing up after him.

Why do people hang the have of poo from trees?

Bags

I believe you should report it to the council. To my shame, I've been bawled out for not picking up dog poo. I in fact DID pick up my dog's poo, but not enough of it. He had a ... what i call a 'squirly' which is half normal poo and half mess... it was all mashed into the grass so I picked up the normal half and made a right mess of trying to get the rest, getting shit all over the edge of the bag. I was on holiday at the time, renting an apartment and a guy on the opposite side came to inspect after I left then banged on the door and screamed at me for not at least ripping up the dirty grass left behind.

Did I go red? Yep. After that I made sure I carried TWO bags instead of one and made a great fuss of cleaning up. My dog had late stage cancer at the time so he always had bad poo.

So there's a chance you can at least shame someone over it, if nothing else.

Definitely report them. I'm a conscientious dog owner who picks up the lot and it makes me see red that someone would walk away from it.

Toxoplasmosis is extremely rare, so let's not get hysterical about it. Although the sort of dog owner who doesn't pick up after their dog is probably the sort of owner who doesn't worm their dog either so dog poo left in public places is probably higher risk than dog poo per se.

The main reason dog poo should be picked up is because it is gross. It is irresponsible and selfish to leave it lying around. It is a form of littering, and while it might biodegrade unlike a crisp packet, if you step on or fall into a crisp packet, the consequences are nowhere near as unpleasant as if your step on or fall into dog poo (as my daughter did when she fell off her bike once).

Think of the success of speed cameras and the revenue they've generated. Why can't we adopt a similar approach to dog poo. Let's employ more street wardens to look out for this or an extra couple of CCTV operators to monitor this (repeat offenders could be caught by logging the evidence and then simply lying in wait at the usual spot until they walk past that day). Give them fixed penalty on the spot fines and make it illegal for them to refuse to give their details or provide false ones. THe money generated in this way would more than cover the extra employment costs and would send an unequivocal message about the unacceptability of leaving dog poo lying around.

BTW I am a dog owner. On the other side of the fence it would probably do more to encourage people to pick up if there were more dog poo bins around the place. I frequently have to transport mine around in my car for half a day before I get to a place I can properly dispose of it, which is deeply unpleasant. I do it because it's my responsibility, but others may not, and the only difference between them picking up or not picking up might be the absence of a bin, so let's use a bit of carrot as well as stick.

sunshineandbooks It's only pregnant women who need to worry about Toxoplasmosis, it's Toxicariasis that sends people, mainly children, blind. Yes, only 10 kids a year go blind from it (what if it was one of yours, then how would you feel..) but many more get the parasite but don't go blind because it migrates somewhere else like the liver...

Shelly - thanks for the correction and I definitely agree with you that dog poo should be picked up.

However, in terms of risk you simply cannot use toxocariasis as a justification for what is a big problem. If you use risk of something as a reason why it should be banned/punished, cars, smoking, processed foods, skin products containing parabens are all way, way higher risks to all of us than dog poo.

Dog poo should be picked up because it just should. It is anti-social and deeply unpleasant.

Agreed.. but on the risk front,.dog poo is illegal in Sweden. They burn it in incinerators so it must be a bit of a health hazard.

Please report them. Council will do, I reckon.

I can't understand the tolerance this society has for people who leave excrement on streets, pavements and parks. It is not a minor issue, it's a matter of respect for your community. Leaving shit around basically says 'fuck you, I don't care if your buggy wheels/shoes/small child encounter my dog's shit. I have moved on.'

ReshapewhileDamp Totally! People/councils have turned a blind eye to it for some reason for far too long. I think some are afraid of being labelled dog haters, when that isn't the case at all! I called my local fouling inspector out and he said he has NEVER charged anyone despite complaints because you have to have evidence and people are not allowed to take pictures of others without their permission apparently. It's ridiculous!!

Yes, it's not just the health risk, it's the fact that it's just disgusting! It stinks, especially in summer.

We were on the school run the other day and the lollipop lady warned us to watch where we were walking as there was a massive pile where we cross the road. I'm not joking it was EVERYWHERE. The lollipop lady said, "it's because people can't see it when they take their dog for a walk in the dark!" So? Don't fucking walk your dog in the dark or take a torch!

My friend is originally from Singapore and we were talking about how much cleaner the streets are there. She said that her brother was once fined for throwing chewing gum on the floor (he didn't mean to, he missed the bin and didn't notice). I'd much rather stand in chewing gum than shit!

Agree with QueenofMacaroniCheese - how do we start one of those things where parliament must debate if enough signatures? It's a brilliant idea.

It's truly disgusting to not pick up after your dog, but yes, you would be laughed out of the station. It's not a police matter, it's for your local council to deal with. Report it to them, so they can ask their animal warden to get involved. If appropriate (and by that I mean if the area has a regular problem with this), he or she can signpost to warn of fixed penalties for non-clearance of dog fouling. You can also give your 'intelligence' on who is doing this to the council and they may be able to act on it in a non-confrontational way, ie, letter drop the area, making sure to include the residents whom were at fault this time.

Where there are poo bins and signs everywhere, and in some places I've even seen free poo bag dispensers, I'll bet the council will come down harder on a report since they've invested so much into making sure dog owners have no excuse.

The amount of horseshit in our area is a disgrace. Riders should be made to pick up after their horses.

The difference between dog and horse muck is vast. Being vegetarian, horses poo poses much less of a threat to health AND doesn't smell anywhere near as bad!!

:o

And it's good for the roses!

People who leave dog poo are disgusting.

God yeah, loads of horses around here too and loads of horse poo. Sometimes on the pavements but at least it's not so much of a health risk - just grass that's gone through a horse. I still don't want it on my shoes though!

Lol at the thought of horse riders having to stop to pick it up. Could you imagine the size of that poop scoop!