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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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hamptonmummy · 09/05/2018 18:28

1st all dogs must be on a lead in public place & most beaches in UK dogs are banned from march till october. If your dog can poo & it has time to float away your definitely to far away which is very irresponsible & unreasonable

Sprockermum · 09/05/2018 18:29

Mines a Sprocker spaniel and I'm afraid he knows he gets let off lead when he has pooped and peed. Yes I'm lucky he's pretty regular so I know he toilets first thing In the morning and boy does he go lol... but I would talk to the other dog walkers and let them know how unreasonable he was. If you can bring yourself to do it when he's around too so he knows you think he's been a complete bellend

FaveNumberIs2 · 09/05/2018 18:30

Yabu, especuallyvat thus time of the year when people frequent the sea/beaches. At our local beach, dogs are not allowed on there between something like February and November.

Why can’t you take your dog to a dog park or field where you can get to it to clean it up?

For the record, I don’t like dogs but I do have a cat, and he’s an indoor cat so I do clean up after him.

Annette69 · 09/05/2018 18:31

I don’t think you perse have done anything wrong but the amount of dog mess I see on a daily basis is just disgusting. I’m not a dog owner or particularly a dog lover, I was sitting having a cup of tea this morning in the sunshine and this large dog stops outside the cafe and does a huge poo, the owner picked it up but residue is still there - turned my stomach.

BarefootMe · 09/05/2018 18:43

Maybe not keep it on a lead as it wants/needs to run free. But I agree with earlier poster who said you should be able to gauge when its going to happen - so could you not keep it on lead until then, and let it go running afterwards. It should always be under your control, though, whether on the lead or off i.e. trained to obey if you call it to you.
Personally I don't like the idea of dogs on beaches, but realise it is done in some areas, even if only in winter.

jade9390 · 09/05/2018 18:44

And this is why we now have a dog ban on most beaches in the summer!

Orchardgreen · 09/05/2018 18:47

I'm trying to find a beach that bans children

Huffinpuff · 09/05/2018 18:48

Obviously, OP, there is nothing you could have done in this particular case. However, hopefully you have learned a lesson and you will take your dog elsewhere to defecate in future (not on the beach).

Huffinpuff · 09/05/2018 18:50

p.s.
Why pick up after my dog, won't the tide wash it away?

Dog waste may pose a health threat to swimmers, wildlife, surfers and other dogs. It can pollute the water and lead to beach closures and closure of shellfish beds.
I only have a small dog; it can't really harm the water, can it?

It can be hard to picture how a single dog depositing a small amount of waste can result in water pollution. However, studies have shown that the combined impact of all pets and wildlife within a watershed can be significant when it comes to water quality and human health.

CollyWombles · 09/05/2018 18:57

Yanbu, it was in the sea! As close to flushing a toilet as you can get.

Some folk are just busy bodies OP. I have a 13 year old dog, took him for a walk the other day and unfortunately he had a bout of the doggy runs. It was totally liquid and there was no way of picking that up! I was attempting to find some grass or dirt (was on a pavement) to cover it with, when someone passing in a car stopped and a woman shouted at me to pick it up. I explained it was not possible to pick it up and I was covering it. She yelled again so then I lost my temper and said my dog is old, he has got the runs, you are more than welcome to try picking it up if you don't believe me, whilst waving a dog bag at her. She drove off.

inkandstone · 09/05/2018 18:58

The same thing happened to me once OP ~ my dog wasn't that far away either, but I just couldn't get my poo bag out in time and catch it before it got dragged away. I was absolutely mortified. I kind of made up for it later on the walk by picking up a big turd that someone else had kindly left on the sand.

Fionz · 09/05/2018 19:02

People like him really annoy me!! He is all high and mighty and full of morals over dog poo being carried out to sea yet doesn't mind ranting, swearing, shouting, intimidating and causing an anti social scene with a stranger!! What a Plonker!!
I was ready to jump on you and say "erm, yeh you should pick it up!!" after reading your opening statement, but completely changed my opinion when I read the rest!! I don't have dogs and it really bugs me when someone blatantly doesn't clean up after their dog, but even I can appreciate the effort you went to and that there was nothing you could do!! So chin up and just look down your nose at HIM the next time you see him on the beach!! 😌 xx

Blackdogsrock · 09/05/2018 19:02

Yah up. Dogs poo and if it floats away you cannot get it. The sea is full of poo, where do you think ships empty their sea toilets, where do you think the sewers empty. Dogs should be allowed to run on beaches where there is no bye law preventing this. I have. dogs who go to the beach every day and adore running and swimming, I clean up after them but I would draw the line at wading into the sea. The beach where we walk frequently have dead sheep/ cattle / sea life washed up decomposing where do people think their body fluids are? Intolerant dog haters

auditqueen · 09/05/2018 19:03

beaches are for families

Damn. I don't have children. I guess that means I'm not allowed to go?

I do love a MN dog thread. Nothing like reading the hysterical frothing of some posters to really appreciate my polite, well behaved, kind, loving dog.

silky1985 · 09/05/2018 19:04

I would have been on the floor laughing if my dogs poop got swept out to sea and some moron came along and told me to pop in and get it ROFL !!!! There is nothing you can do about yes maybe your dog was a little far from you but no harm done

Bekstar · 09/05/2018 19:04

Well I think you are both unreasonable. He shouldn't have had a go at you but your dog should be on a lead. You should never be so far away from your dog that you can't immediately pick up after them. As a responsible dog owner your dog should be under control at all times and if you can't get to the poo to pick it up before its washed away then your not in control. Someone closer could have stood in it before then or worse a child.

lily2403 · 09/05/2018 19:22

I was ready to say yes pick up the poo until I read that it had washed away, I agree washed away so nothing to pick up. Don’t let it put you off going back

Katyb121 · 09/05/2018 19:26

We have 2 dogs but they are kept on their leads in public places ie beaches, parks as that is law where we are ,not that other dog owners take heed of this, lots of people don't want a strange dog running up to them no matter how friendly. I don't think the man should've sworn at you but maybe keep on a lead until your dog has been in future.

Greggers2017 · 09/05/2018 19:28

After I stood in dog poo in bare feet on the beach at the weekend I think it's disgusting. Thankfully it wasn't one of my children.
My dogs are regular and I always pick up after them. OP keep your dog closer please

tinpanali00 · 09/05/2018 19:28

Cruise ships release over a billion gallons of sewage into the sea every year. They are allowed to release raw sewage if they are more than 12 nautical miles from land.

Nearly 18000 sewage overflow outlets are allowed to release raw sewage into English rivers during times of extreme rainfall.

Worldwide, 90% of waste water goes into the sea untreated.

As does 100% of the shit of everything that lives in, on, next to, or under it, and everything that flies above it, and all their decomposing bodies.

Then there's all the plastic, nuclear waste, crude oil, agrichemicals, hormones, and everything else we humans dump in it.

But one accidental dog poo, that's disgusting and irresponsible. Dog owners are so entitled.

scotgal2017 · 09/05/2018 19:40

I haven't read the whole thread as tbh I think i would end up throwing my laptop at the wall.

As a person who helps in a foreign dog rescue where there are around 160 dogs (who don't have the luxury of going to beaches, or even to places where they can run free), I'm up to my eyeballs in shit, so believe me when I say one poo is reaaalllyyy not that bad in the grand scheme of things.....

FFS it's one poo that unfortunately OP didn't get to in time to pick up - hell fire and damnation, once in 4 years and she should be roasted alive but not before being made to eat the dog poo from a very spikey stick!!

I'm quite sure OP has learned her lesson and will be more vigilant so that she can be perfect like all of those dog owners lambasting her on here......As a responsible dog owner myself, i am intrigued to know how all of these perfect dog owners collect diarrhea when their dog does a shit out in public??? How about if they vomit (assuming they haven't been trained to vomit on command that is) ? And how is it possible to never run out of bags (i.e, you take 3 and the darling dog decides it wants a 4th shit)? or you are having a bad day and you accidentally forget to take any bags at all? Please let me know the answer to these as perfect dog owners (and ergo perfect human beings).

Also, can anyone tell me if they run up to a child in a nappy paddling in the sea and promptly put any dirty nappy in a poop bag?? If we are getting pedantic (which this thread clearly is), think about a toddler shitting in a cloth/pampers style nappy and the poop oozing out into the sea.....as a responsible dog owner can i lambast a parent for not being a responsible parent? What if the child is sick in the sea, do you rush to clean it up ( and if so, it's done successfully, it didn't wash away, correct?)

Also, i find it quite hard to believe that no surfers or swimmers EVER urinate/defecate when miles from shore.....or people in a public swimming pool for that matter......

I think some people really need to open a dictionary and look up the word "accident" as some people really have forgotten what it means in this day and age.....I suppose everyone lambasting OP on this thread though has never had an "accident" ever.....well done folks, you are amazing humans!!

scotgal2017 · 09/05/2018 19:50

oh and P.S., when are cat owners going to start being responsible and clean up their cat poo in public?????

corcaithecat · 09/05/2018 19:51

The sea is already full of crap so a few extra dog turds won’t make much difference. Anyone who thinks otherwise, is being pretty naive.

Hannahcolobus · 09/05/2018 19:58

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

User14789011 · 09/05/2018 19:58

YABU and disgusting. I’m glad he had a go at you. You deserved it. Hope you don’t go back to the beach!
Anyone who thinks it’s ok to let their dog shit on the beach/in the sea is also a disgusting skank.

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