To think this woman is unreasonable.Dog walker.

[Snugglepiggy]

I'm very annoyed on behalf of a good friend who is a dog walker - as am I.Several months ago I got a call from this woman to complain that we were unprofessional as dog walkers because our van had used her drive to turn round.We hadn't .My DH had simply executed a three point turn in the very wide road outside her property because the usual layby we use to turn round in was blocked by a stationary road cleaner.Not wanting to have any aggro because 2/3 times a week we park - on a public highway,not a private road ,on the opposite side of the road from her house to enter the woods via a public footpath I placated her,apologised if he had caused any offence (?!)and she agreed that we seemed caring and responsible unlike some other dog walkers that use the woods and take far too many dogs at once,don't have poo bags etc.
All well and good. then today my friend was parked in the same spot and was getting her dog and two others out of her van when this woman appeared behind her,hands on hips and said she was fed up of her parking there and her noisy dogs.My friend explained it was the third time in as many weeks she had come to the woods,that the dogs only barked for a minute or two till they got into the wood,and that it was a public highway and she had every right to park there.All very politely.Her response was that she was going to call the council,dog warden and stop 'all you dog walkers once and for all'.I know from my conversation with her she has previously owned and likes dogs.So why the nastiness,hostility and intolerance ffs.I live behind a school and at playtime and drop off /collect there's the babble of children.It's no big deal.It's not as if she's subjected to an incessantly barking dog all day.It's a very quiet area,and a huge wood that once we are in it we are well away from her.
I just feel exasperated that at a time when there are serious things to worry about in the world she is twitching her curtain and so nit picking or AIBU ?

Yes, we live near a little reserve too--it is like a giant litter tray now. Impossible for anyone to use.

The fields are the same--I think certain dog-owners think that picking up shit only applies to street situations.

The contradictory information from NT does not help.

But it does sound as if the homeowner has got a bee in her bonnet.

Sorry to have upset you OP I wasn't trying to get personal I was genuinely shocked that NT say that, which I now see they do. I have two dogs and always pick up after them, where I see them going (they are mostly on leads so I do tend to see them going). I think not picking up where you haven't see it is different to knowingly flicking it into undergrowth. Dogs and kids and I often like to go off the beaten path into woodlands and I don't care about stepping on wild animal poo but I'd be a bit pissy if I stood in loads of dog shit. I wouldn't think Ah well NT tell people to flick it, I'd think "FFS gross Dog shit everywhere. Thanks, selfish knob....!!!" Now I've read this thread I probably wouldn't be too surprised
Anyway re your OP YANBU to park on a public road and use public woods for your dogs.

Fair enough op I retract my previous yabu about the dog shit if you are following what the nt advise.

Well dog poo will affect fewer people in undergrowth than on paths, so though not ideal, they are probably working on the theory that they are more likely to achieve compliance with an easier instruction. If they insist people pick up and bag their dog poo they'll probably get a lot more poo left on paths, or bagged poos left lying around which is quite unsightly too.

I don't think dog walkers who flick poo should hold themselves up as a model of dog walking perfection. Flicking poo is clearly not best practice.

Agree with comments that kids are far more likely to end up in fox, badger, rabbit, deer poo.. We take our dog for a walk in the field behind us and automatically bag it, just out of habit, but there's other poo everywhere. Deer and rabbit poo isn't so awful, not really smelly but fox on the other hand.. and the trouble is that all of them will poo in long grasses and undergrowths making it impossible to see unless you're really scanning the ground. So not completely sensible to let kids roam around where they like if pooey shoes bother you.

I think stick and flick is probably normal advice - I know family do this with working dogs in the mountains. Just takes common sense with both parties.

But wild animals don't have anyone responsible for picking up after them! It's understandable to find wild poo out there! Furthermore (apart from fox) most wild poos are just grassy and aren't really grim to stand in. Depending on diet, dog poos are disgusting and stinky!

re your OP - ignore the old bat - its a public place and she can 'do one!!'

re the shit flicking - ew thats grim, if you're close enough to flick, then you're close enough to pick it up

The National Trust encourages "Stick and Flick". If you have a problem with that then take it up with them.

I don't really care who says it's ok to leave dog poo around - anyone with half a brain can see that it isn't. As for who to take it up with, I'll take it up with the filthy skanks who do so.

If you always do the right thing then I wouldnt worry about it.

Others unfortunately dont and she's probably sick and tired of having every dog walking service park near her.

Why not find another place to park if its a forest then there must be plenty.

Silly OP.

Fuckin following guidelines issued by the people whose land you are on when other people want their dc to be able to explore a sterile place it's people like you who cause all the problems

Alert: animals shit in the woods, please prepare yourself.

(Ignore the resident, try and diffuse if possible but if not just avoid for you as you're being roasted )

Debated this on a walk this afternoon - we took ddog on a four mile stroll round the fields/rural roads. Consensus was that aside from dog poo building up in areas of diverse plants (that might not cope with it), wildlife that might not want it, maggot build up etc, there must be absolutely nothing worse than your fellow walker accidentally sticking and flicking the poo onto your face...

If you are close enough to the poo to flick it with a stick why not just pick it up - I've never understood this flicking it business ! With regards to the woman and her complaints - just ignore her .

Sorry sad widow just had to reply as you're perfect and I am not.
Does your dog never go off lead even in the forest then ?
Can you honestly tell me you pick ups every poo its does ?
Can you even find it in autumn leaves and under bushes?

My dog goes off lead in safe places (woods, forests, canals and parks)
I watch every sniff, every leg-up and every poo he does.
I watch him on beaches, hills and rocks. If he wants to squat in a place that is NOT appropriate (a marine drive, pedestrian walk-way) then I have a voice command that says "No - come!" and I walk him to a safer space to poo.

My dog was 16yrs old yesterday and I can say that I have picked up every dog poo during the last 10yrs since I rescued him when he was 6yrs old - even if that meant me going up to my elbows into nettles (which he particularly loves pooing in), under shrubs, down a bank etc.

I agree that poo is very hard to find on autumn leaves - so I have trained my dog to 'show me' when I know where he crouched but I can't actually see it. (Often a little blob). I would rather scoop a carrier bag of autumn leaves than leave my dog's poo for a child to walk in.

He also knows that when we do our last walk of the night up a country lane, if he poos then it is done under the glare of a lamplight so that I know where to pick up from. There are times when I think the dog loves the 'cabaret light' and winds me up deliberately to see my reaction (LoL)

I am sure that I will have made mistakes over the last 10 years, but not one I made deliberately with knowledge. Nobody is perfect.

Because I walk professionally I insist on up to date vaccinations for ALL the dogs I walk,and check them and remind customers about worming and flea and tick treatment

And who do you think actually pays for the vaccinations, flea treatment and worming? RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERS! And what would you really do if a dog you walked regularly was NOT given flea and worm treatment? (Indeed, how would you ever know they hadn't?)

If you think that 'flicking with a twig' is a responsible action when one of your dog-charges poos, you are sadly mistaken. You are getting away with it because nobody has caught you on CCTV (yet).

My dog has been vaccinated against Rabies also - since I adopted him. That's a long process, and entirely my decision to have it done in the UK where Rabies is not a worry. But because I walk my dog in open spaces and we live where Urban foxes come onto the land, I have taken extra decisions to protect my dog.

Thanks Sylvanian for your post.And for the other posts re NT policy.
That's one amazingly trained dog Sadwidow to be able to stop a poo mid squat and relocate at your command!Not sure my boy could do that.
And you seriously scrabble down banks of nettles every single time ?!
I'm not looking for an argument with you but your last post I find rather insulting actually.I KNOW the dogs I walk have been vaccinated because I keep records.And of course I sodding know who pays for that.My customers.And I talk to my customers very regularly.Daily in some cases.Many have become friends over the years and meet me for walks when I'm not actually doing a walk for them(So there's no need for CCTV out in those woods as far as they are concerned to check up on me)Because we swap information when kennel cough is doing the rounds,about alerts for Alabama rot,about dog thefts,about livestock movement that mean certain walks are no go.I could go on.We TALK and I flatly refuse to walk any dog that has got a current vaccination certificate.And of course I sodding know the owners pay for all their treatments.Thats why I agree to walk their dogs,along with many other things I check.
You sound a paragon of virtue,and I am clearly not.

That's one amazingly trained dog Sadwidow to be able to stop a poo mid squat

Yes, he is amazing. He is a failed police dog (a big bark but no bite). When I adopted him, it was clear he needed to work - so we did Search and Rescue for 6 years. Part of the training is that the dog doesn't focus on self and just 'works'. Dogs who are trained for forensic work must NEVER poo or wee on a crime scene.

So yes, I have a command I use if I see his behaviour change to 'squatting' and I walk him to a safe space.