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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to have not picked up my dogs poo?

450 replies

greenteaplease · 07/05/2018 21:39

Today I took my dog out for a walk on the beach, it's a lovely beach and majority of owners including myself pick up their dogs mess.

My dog loves to run out far and swim in the sea, she was ahead of me but in the distance I could see she was crouching down to go to the toilet. I hurried up to catch her however by the time I had got there I realised she had gone to the toilet at the edge of the sea and it was being washed away. I had a look to see if there was anything there but nothing was left.

A man with three large dogs approached me telling me 'your dog has just done a massive shit aren't you going to clean it?!'. I responded that I would have however it's been washed away. He pointed to something floating which wasn't a dog poo and said I should go in and get it.

Aibu to have not gone in? He spoke to me in a really threatening manner and said that it's people like you that make the world a disgusting place. I now don't want to go to the beach for a while as I've seen him there before and he speaks to a lot of other dog walkers, it was very intimidating as there wasn't many around that end of the beach and he was raising his voice and swearing.

OP posts:
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TheClitterati · 09/05/2018 16:33

When actually dog shit IS people littering - leaving your dog shit on the beach is exactly the same as all those ignorant beach goers in Southend and elsewhere. There isn't always someone there to film it.

Appletreecorner · 09/05/2018 16:57

*TheClitterati

When actually dog shit IS people littering - leaving your dog shit on the beach is exactly the same as all those ignorant beach goers in Southend and elsewhere. There isn't always someone there to film it*

Exactly! Nobody cares about dog shit on the beach until they decide to go there on the hottest day of the year. Then all hell breaks loose! - over one single turd that has been washed into sea and disposed of years more quickly than sticking it in a plastic bag and dumped in a never ending pile of plastic!

I'm loving the dog haters who are trying to educate dog owners how to handle their dogs tbh. There's no fool like those who haven't a fucking clue! 🤣🤣

futuredad · 09/05/2018 17:26

I was at the beach over the weekend and saw a dog owner picking up after his dog using his bare hands!

JessiesDad · 09/05/2018 17:27

The legal standpoint is that you must clean up after your dog. That said, it doesn't mean you put life and limb at risk trying to do it. We used to keep an old kiddies crabbing net for when we went down the beach with the dogs, for exactly this sort of issue. (It also makes clearing up generally, a bit easier, not just for the sea, you can get rid of sand etc through the net, before you put it in the bag)

Oscarsdaddy · 09/05/2018 17:30

You should have been a responsible dog owner and called the Coast Guard and put them on red floater alert

Currywurstmitpommes · 09/05/2018 17:37

Yes. You should keep your dog close enough that you know what it’s doing.

Turquoise123 · 09/05/2018 17:42

Given how many people make no effort to clean up or leave the full bag lying around I don't think that you are a major sinner ! Not much you could have done under the circumstances.

ladydoe · 09/05/2018 17:43

All these poor dogs constantly on leads and not getting the chance to have a good run on the beach just what dogs love to do. Poor dogs.
you are not unreasonable. if its washed away then great.
In fact i would rather a poo that will be swept away or washed away by the rain that all these irresponsible dog oweners that pick up the poop just cos there are people about, then decide to discard it on the floor. This just means not only is the poo now on the floor anyway, but its in a bag that will take years to break down and makes more plastic pollution.

Alleycat1 · 09/05/2018 17:45

Hell's teeth, what a fuss over one dog poo in 4 years of picking up! I no longer keep dogs as pets because of all the brouhaha about dogs on beaches /in fields/in the woods etc. Dogs need to run but areas where they are able to do so without encountering hysterical humans are increasingly rare with the result that frustration and spent up energy is making some breeds aggressive. That, coupled with sneering comments if one misses the tiniest amount of excrement has totally destroyed my joy in being a dog owner. Now I have a cat.

ladydoe · 09/05/2018 17:46

well said alleycat1

Alleycat1 · 09/05/2018 17:46

Pent up - blankety-blank autocorrect!

Deb0409 · 09/05/2018 17:47

I am, and always have been, a dog owner. When you refer to your dog loving to 'run out far', and being ahead of you 'in the distance', you lost my support. You have no control over your dog and are, therefore, not only unable to be responsible for picking up the poo, but you are also not able to keep him safe. I have seen many friendly off-lead dogs being attacked by unfriendly on-lead dogs over the years. And I can say without any doubt that every single time, the fault lay with the off-lead dog's owner, because it is every dog owner's responsibility to keep their own dog(s) safe.

beanii · 09/05/2018 17:47

The thing I have an issue with is my daughter is petrified of dogs and if yours was that far away then in my opinion you wouldn't have been in complete control.

Libbie001 · 09/05/2018 17:51

You did all you could. Don’t let this man stop you going to the beach. Go with your head held high and make sure you look him in the eye when you pass him. If you hear him talking about you, set the record straight with the person he is talking to.

biscuitraider · 09/05/2018 17:56

I think it's great the way more places are allowing dogs, such as hotels, restaurants etc. They're beautiful creatures that bring so much comfort and joy, they even have them visiting the sick in some hospitals, such is their proven ability to aid recovery and bring comfort.

Let's hear it for the dogs everyone. Grin
Sorry to divert. Blush

EdWinchester · 09/05/2018 17:58

What a fuss about a dog shit. You did your best, OP.

Helentad · 09/05/2018 17:58

This is why dogs are now banned from beaches with £75 fine of caught on non permissible ones.

CountArthursgroupie · 09/05/2018 18:02

If he's a regular on the beach he's probably seen you clean up after your dog before, he is just being a bully. I wonder if he'd been so threatening if you had a Rottweiler? You and your dog carry on enjoying your walks, and for goodness sake don't go swimming out to see after a little piece of poo, even if a big shit tells you to!

mathanxiety · 09/05/2018 18:05

Amen to that, Biscuit. They had a guide dog training programme in my DS's university and the dogs were brought to the main library during the week before exams so that students could relax with them.

And I remember the days of dogs and shit everywhere. As children we used to refer to the various dogs from the neighbourhood using their given name and the family name, as if they were other children - 'Juno Murphy', 'Digby Dunne' etc.

There was a lot of white poo back then.

Loopy, the outcome is not minor when lots of dog owners are out in a particular patch with their dogs, letting them run.

Brettgirl · 09/05/2018 18:09

I am a dog walker and I have looked after a number of dogs that will not go to the toilet while they are on a lead. By the fact that you have posted this it would appear that you are pretty diligent ordinarily so it seems out of character. I always pick up poo when I'm out when others haven't, we could all just work together and make it a lot easier. If you showed that you made every effort to clear it up, then he was out of order..

emmakc1977 · 09/05/2018 18:10

Hate it when people don’t pick up poo. My 15 year old was walking the dog the other day and she (unusually) had 4 poos - he ran out of bags and picked a poop up with his bare hands!!! That’s dedication to the cause lol

zestyflavour · 09/05/2018 18:19

Grin **livelyred that made me chuckle. I can just imagine someone running around panicking looking for poo to pick up 💩

bemusedmoose · 09/05/2018 18:20

I have 2 dogs - they stay on lead til they poop. It's not hard. All dogs want to run when they get to the beach but as an owner - you are in charge and in control and should have trained enough manners that your dogs waits and behaves until you release it from the lead.

Ok - the guy was aggressive and he shouldnt have been but when that ends up in the sand a kid is playing in... 🤢

Im sick of the off lead excuse. Every time we go to the park there is poop everywhere. Either the kids step in it, one of the dogs rolls in it... It's gross! I really dont want random poop i have to wash off because someone else doesn't pick up. So many 'oh it's to far, i'll never find it now' people.

It'll end up that dogs legally forced to stay on lead at all times just because some dont pick up.

OCSock · 09/05/2018 18:20

There's a lot of over-reaction on both sides IMVHO. Many years ago we had a canal boat in France, where black water tanks are rare outside major city marinas, so all the poo goes into the water. Obviously, one wouldn't swim in an inland marina, but as the local (live aboard) nurse in our pontoon said, fishes eat the poo; it's naturally recycled and becomes clean again via the fishes excreta.

Clearly owners should clean up behind dogs, wherever necessary, which to my mind is anywhere people walk (so on a pavement or footpath) but I don't follow SockDog into the depths of the rough woodland to pick up. At the beach, I'd pick up above the high water mark, and below, but wouldn't wade into the sea in pursuit.

Abbylee · 09/05/2018 18:23

I hate finding poop in my yard but can't see how you're going to catch poo in the ocean.

However, allowing dog off leash is either wrong or it's expected that occasional surf poo is ok if off leash is okay.

Threatening people can be stymied with offering to call police yourself.

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