To ask a blind woman to pick up her dog's poo near the school gate?

[AdventuresWithVoles]

Actually, I didn't have the nerve to ask, and I can't be 100% sure it was her dog thought the circumstantial evidence was quite compelling.
If it happens again, wwyd?

Ok fair point Caramel.

I actually do encourage dd and ds to pick up rubbish and litter if they see it. What's the point in going "Tut, look at that litter some twat careless person has left!" if you are just going to walk past it too? It takes nothing to just pick it up and deposit it in the nearest bin.

Dog shit however is different. You need to have something to hand and then you need to wash your hands afterwards.

I wouldn't say anything, there is so much shit on the pavement, I'm sure that it isn't from guidedogs.

However, there is no way I would pick it up, a small act of kindness goes a long way but picking up dog shit is not within my band of reasonableness.

Rhubarb, most of your rant comments are going way off-topic wrt the blind and dog poop! But well done for making the second most selfish, nasty post on the thread.

"I don't have a dog so I see no reason why I should pick up other people's dog shite. Besides, if you went around picking up their poo for them, then why should they do it?"

"They" don't have to. By law in the UK.

You don't have to either. You can be thoughtless and unfeeling if you want. Fill your boots. I don't throw litter, nor do I have children who drop litter, but we do pick up that thrown by other people and their little darlings - and we don't even have consideration for someone else's comfort as the reason for doing it.

FYI some dog breeders are licensed. IMHO all of them should be and yes, there should be huge punishment for owning an unneutered dog without good cause and without license. There's good reason to advocate microchipping of all dogs too. It will do SFA to keep "dangerous" dogs off the streets though.

I don't think Rhubarb was referring to blind people. Well I didn't read it that way.

Is this a joke? Ask a blind person to pick up poo? Really?!

And maybe mis-read the "they" in your post Rhubarb. Re-reading makes me think you're speaking of people in general in which case you've a fair point and I apologise for being rude to you.

I think it was actually me, not rhubarb who took the thread off topic, and I think her comments about not picking up dog poo were in response to my general poo picking up point, rather than about blind people's dogs in particular.

Snap, Bonnie!

Sorry, posted too soon. You asked wwyd. I would have asked her if she had any poo bags on her and then picked it up myself.

Actually this has been an interesting thread.

I hadn't thought about what happens if a guide dog poos and how the blind owner is meant to deal with it.

I didn't know they were trained to go on command or give signals to it's owner that it needs to go or has been.

I didn't know or hadn't thought about them being exempt from fouling laws.

I do know that whilst dogs are very interested in other dogs or foxes poo and like to roll in it ffs they do seem to be very clever at not stepping in their own.

Knowing all that now in your situation OP, if I was absolutely sure that the guide dog had pooed on the path I probably would have said something and offered to pick it up for her, and so informing her that the dog had made the mistake - because of course she needs to know if it's something that a trained dog shouldn't do so that she could address it. But this would have to been done in a helpful manner and not in an accusatory or judgmental way.

I think your problem OP, with regards to this thread is that you weren't sure it was her dog who left the turd in the path.

Other than that flaw in your approach I don't think on the face of it it's unreasonable to ask 'what should I do?"

Oooh Mackerel, is that how you get a guide dog to poop?

I will store that fact away for later use.

OP YABU clean up the poop by all means, but how on earth is a blind lady meant to pick it up? You didn't even see her dog do it, so you can't possibly know it was her dog.

And by the way dog poos on paths is an absolute pain. Steering children past it is one thing, try getting two elderly parents to navigate their way past some is another game, I can tell you.

Graham

They as in dog owners in general. Not blind people! Otherwise I would have hugely contradicted my earlier posts wouldn't I?

No, I would pick up dog poo if I saw a Guide Dog do it and it was obvious the blind person hadn't. The OP could have gone into a shop and asked for a carrier bag.

I won't pick up general dog shite left by inconsiderate dog owners though. I do and have confronted owners whose dogs I have witnessed shitting on the pavement/footpath and only once was I greeted with a polite "oh sorry". Not one person offered to pick it up and most were rude and threatening.

Not that I give a stuff.

And I apologise about my missing apostrophes everywhere

Sorry Rhubarb. It took me a while but I understood you in the end! (And FWIW I agree with you).

Rhubarb I once stood up on a crowded beach asking "has anyone got a carrier bag handy?" when I saw a dog turn one out on the stones, - then chased the owner down and handed it over to him, - guiding him back to the stack his dog had left.

I got a little round of applause for that one

Well done Fenton! It helps to have a sympathetic audience I feel and not to be alone on a footpath, chasing a heavily tattooed man with a pitbull which has just done an enormous shite.

Graham - I have hayfever. Could I swap them for a Guinness please?

I'm ashamed to say that I have a relative who doesn't clear up after her dog. You would think she would know better as she has young children.

As an utter aside, Wannabe probably doesnt know this but actually has helped me become a better baker. I read a comment of hers once about how she knows when cakes are baked by feeling them and listening to them. That made me become much more observant about my own cakes and now I don't need to keep poking them with cocktail sticks to see if they are done or not. I can prod and listen to any residual squidginess. Thank you Wannabe :)

better be careful if you do pull her up about it,other parents might take offence on blind persons behalf,it could lead to other people thinking that you are unreasonable.

With pleasure Rhubarb! And I'll have a Bud with you. (I'll take the Pit Bull too if you want!).

DH used to have a dog who would reverse his backside under a bush to do a poo, - now that was a well trained dog.