Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think she's a rude idiot?

132 replies

fumingdogowner · 23/07/2019 11:38

I am very angry so sorry if this comes out aggressive.

I'm a dog owner, a sweet little dog that we rescued. I also volunteer for a dog charity on a weekly basis. I love dogs.

My dog kept us up all night from 1am with the runs and vomitting. We think this is from her little chew on a piece of furniture. She is fine in herself but needs to let it pass.

My dog is going out for a walk more frequently because of said sickness. On our normal walk my dog goes to poo but absolutely nothing comes out, this keeps happening - she's sick. So we carry on walking and from across the road the woman on her front drive goes 'are you not going to pick up your dog's poo?'

Now I know that some owners don't and it's disgusting. But don't tar us all with the same brush. Don't assume and don't accost me from across the road. I have had to work from home to look after my dog so am in my very casual clothes and I do look about 16 when i'm like this but I just can't imagine the woman saying it to anyone that may look even slightly more intimidating or older. I also think it's entirely none of her business.

I then had to shout across the road to say 'No she's sick and constipated. I always pick up her poo' which I do, religiously. I live on the same road so why wouldn't I?

Sorry I am so ANGRY.

OP posts:
MyNeighboursAreWeird · 23/07/2019 12:39

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

AnneLovesGilbert · 23/07/2019 12:39

She didn’t “accost you”. Chill out.

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 23/07/2019 12:39

Did you leave the vom? Coz that’s as disgusting to step in/wheel through.

Treaclesweet · 23/07/2019 12:40

YABVU

longwayoff · 23/07/2019 12:45

YABVU. Get over it. How long have you been a dog owner? This happens from time to time because people get frustrated with lazy dog owners. If it doesn't apply to you then let it go.

Beestripey · 23/07/2019 12:49

You mustn't take it to heart. She was not rude. She challenged you assertively with a question that she had good reason to ask. As you say far too many dog owners don't pick up poo, so its easy to see how it looked from her perspective. Let it go. You are both on the same side it turns out. The amount of dog poo in some places is really horrendous.

Being prepared to say a cheery "false alarm" is a really good idea. You get to state your innocence and other people get to know there is another dog owner who isn't an arse. Both parties happy!

Pheasantplucker2 · 23/07/2019 12:50

Also fed up of dodging dog poo. I would have shouted across at you too - not in a stroppy way, but to draw attention.

You may well pick up religiously, but I've seen loads of people look round to see if their dog's activity has been noted and then walked away without picking up. I do shout after them, usually get a rude response in return though....

INeedAFlerken · 23/07/2019 12:51

You are over-reacting.

She was right to challenge any owner who appeared to be letting their dog poop then walk away from it. It's a vile habit of many owners, and I'm sure everyone else is sick of stepping in it, having their kids step in it, having their push chairs roll through it.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 23/07/2019 12:53

Go back to having a puppy... when they squat to pee and someone shouts at you for not poo picking... and points the local PCSO in your direction...

... who walked over, aske dif it wasOK to pe the puppy and just talked to me about some poeple needing to have smething to moan about.

She, complainer, later posted on facebook that she had got me fined (puppy is well known round town, which means I am, he's and EBT, not often see round here). PCSO got wind and, before I had even seen it, replied that she had not, no crime, civil or otherwise had been committed, dogs may wee freely and she needed to stop spreading unfounded rumours.

I now get lots of shouts "Oi! Did you pick that up?" As he pees, sniffs, sneezes etc Grin

crispysausagerolls · 23/07/2019 12:55

I have a dog and I ask people when they don’t pick up their poo too! Sometimes I even have to “shout” as I’m across the road. It’s vile. She did nothing wrong - you ought to just have said “she hasn’t pooped” and forgotten about it.

As an aside, please do not walk your dog when they have d&v as it could well be a bug that other dogs will pick up. If you don’t have a garden just take her outside your house where you can hose down the pavement. If you are insistent on walking her you need to take a bottle of water and/or tissues/wipes to clear up.

pooopypants · 23/07/2019 12:58

You're massively overreacting

She asked a question, presumably she's seen other dog owners / walkers NOT picking up their dog's shit.

Get over it. And yourself. And seek anger management courses in your area, you need one.

YABU

Kezza8 · 23/07/2019 12:58

Where in the OP did she say the lady was shouting and rude? It doesn't even say that

theunrivalledjoysofparenting · 23/07/2019 13:01

She wasn’t rude.

A lot of dog owners let their dogs shit everywhere and are totally selfish.

Dunno why your appearance would make any difference. You’re making a massive assumption there.

thedayofthethreeMagnums · 23/07/2019 13:04

YAB massively U

and you have a big chip on your shoulder.

Derbee · 23/07/2019 13:07

@DarlingNikita why on earth should someone be asked politely to pick up their dog poo? 😳

If your dog poos and you walk on, it’s antisocial and totally unreasonable. If it was a false alarm, OP could’ve shouted back “false alarm!” No harm done on either side.

Of course you need to ‘shout’ when you’re on the other side of the road. You’re hardly going to whisper it and hope the wind carries your voice across the road 🙄

Or in the future should the neighbour walkover to check if a dog has
done a poo, if not just go home. If they have, then go and catch up with the owner and say “I’m so sorry to ask you, but would you mind possibly picking up after the dog that you are walking? I know you probably don’t feel like picking it up, but I’m terribly worried that someone will step in it. I’d do it myself, but I’m afraid I don’t own a dog and so I don’t have all of the equipment ready to hand? Sorry again”

The OP has massively over reacted, hence my YABU response

LookWhosInTheRejectBin · 23/07/2019 13:10

Where in the OP did she say the lady was shouting and rude? It doesn't even say that

The title is calling the woman a rude idiot...which is incorrect.

DevonshireDarling · 23/07/2019 13:10

My OH had something similar. When he works from home he wears joggers etc which probably makes him look younger than 30 and more unprofessional Confused but that might not be anything to do with it, but he took the dog out, she did a wee, the way bitches wee, squatting down. He then obviously walked off and two women jogging passed stopped and had a go at him for 'people like him not picking up dog mess' he had to actually explain and show that there was no poo and that he even had poo bags in his pocket for when she does go Hmm fair enough people (including me) get fed up of others not picking up after their dogs but even after proving he wasn't in the wrong, they didn't apologize they just said well they're sick of it and jogged off.

I think you're best off just forgetting about it. I've been where you are before when the dog was straining but not going. You did no wrong and someone made a mistake and took it out on you.

DarlingNikita · 23/07/2019 13:11

why on earth should someone be asked politely to pick up their dog poo?

Well, I've already said, but OK: it just isn't OK to shout at someone when you could say it mildly. Shouting at someone never elicits a polite or proportionate response, so it's pointless and ineffective.

newmomof1 · 23/07/2019 13:16

@DarlingNikita calling across the road (so that someone can hear) is different to shouting at someone.
Notice OP didn't say shouted/aggression until people told her she was wrong?

Funny that she also said shouting with aggression is NEVER ok, but judging by the way the post is written, you can almost guarantee she was the aggressive, defensive one

MsPeachh · 23/07/2019 13:16

I can understand why you were upset OP but I wouldn't waste energy being upset by it.

As an aside, leaving dog shit on the pavement is rude in itself, so I think it is perfectly acceptable to not hold back when telling people to pick it up! Angry

Whatisinaname1 · 23/07/2019 13:26

She might say it to everyone who passes when it looks like their dog has pooped and they've not cleaned it up. You are over reacting and jumping to conclusions which feed your ire.

It's not surprising you over reacted as little sleep plus poorly dog equals stress, but you still did.

Whatisinaname1 · 23/07/2019 13:29

The lady didn't shout in the OP just said, but if she did surely it's because they weren't close together?

Afterall OP states the she herself 'had' to shout, so if she had to then presumably so would the lady.

MediocreOmens · 23/07/2019 13:34

It must be exhausting being you OP.

HeadintheiClouds · 23/07/2019 13:37

Your dog looked like it had taken a shit. It is neither rude nor idiotic to ask someone to pick up after their animal.

OpheliaTodd · 23/07/2019 13:40

I think you should keep your dog at home while it’s ill in case it’s got a bug that other dogs could catch.