AIBU to think I should be able to visit my local green without having to navigate my children around piles of dog crap

[Plentyofshit]

It’s everywhere, I don’t want to think that most dog owners are irresponsible, but from the amount I see - it’s not just the odd owner. Also - please don’t let your dog bound up to my child saying “don’t worry - she’s harmless”. How the f@@@ do I know that? And I don’t want to hear you then say “Christ - she’s never done that before” - after my child has been maimed...

@LST as much as people dont want to have dog shit in parks and greens I dont see why anyone would find it acceptable that dogs roam freely on the beach off lead and shitting wherever.
People who walk on beaches do not like dog shit anymore than people who walk in parks or on greens. Dogs on beaches are just as likely to jump up on people or scare people with that just the same as in parks and on greens.
A beach I visit has signs saying dogs must be kept on leads at all time and owners must clean up. Dog owners do neither.
No matter whether it is a park a green or a beach people do not want dogs off leads or shitting. It is your dog it is your dog shit, keep both on your own property. Why not let your dog shit in your own garden?

It's bad☹️

@jasjas1973

Wild animal shit isn't like dog crap, few carnivores in this country, dogs have mainly a meat based diet and loads of it, so shit lots! they also go where people go (obviously) and there are fucking thousands of the mutts.

Try walking round your local park and count how many foxes you see and then count the dogs?

Also have a thought for the FC workers who strim the pathways after you let Fido shit in the brambles..... etc when that lump of shit splatters up all over them..... its vile.

& thats before we get onto dog attacks and the cost to the NHS.

Dogs should be licenced and an expensive one at that, £500 per animal, cheap considering how much they sell for!

Dog ownership has now reached ridiculous levels and now needs to be curbed.

🤨🧐 Agree totally

I have a dog. We always pick up. I agree, it’s disgusting when people don’t. My toddler has trodden in dog shit twice in the last week. Even worse, she has a thing for exploring in the bushes, she tripped and ended up with her hands and sleeves covered in it - thank goodness I happened to have a big bottle of water on me to clean her up. She then had to go straight back home so her time at the park was cut short.

The thing is, it doesn’t surprise me. People are just more selfish nowdays than ever 😕

To the poster that said I was obsessed/that I was minimising PTS. TBH if I recount all the bad dog incidents I’ve had in my life, it has led to some degree of phobia.
I can remember:

• being barked at on a daily basis by an aggressive Alsatian as I walked alone to primary school
• the incident with dog shit when I had morning sickness
• my DD aged 3 being chased into a busy road by a dog bounding up to her
• my DD left with scratch marks by a dog off lead jumping up at her when she was running
• constant high alertness for dog poo when I’m out walking with my children
• 2 pitbull dogs moved in to a house two doors down from us. They tried - very aggressively - to get under a gate as my DD and I walked past. Tbh if they had got under the gate, they would have attacked us. We moved house shortly afterwards, and the dogs were one of my reasons for moving.
• I have a good friend whose child was bitten on the face by a dog.

@jasjas1973 Fox population in UK is 200000/400000. Dogs = 9 million. Fox’s eat a largely omnivorous diet, badgers eat mainly worms. Dogs are carnivorous and their poo is far more toxic. I agree with you too.

@BumbleFlump Horrible isn’t it? My DS loves playing in the bushes too, hence the hefty subscription I’ve just paid - and he can roam in the woods now til his heart’s content. And funnily enough - hasn’t come out stinking of fox/badger poo at all.

I feel like the dog mess in our area has become worse in lockdown - more people dog walking?
Our walk to school is basically me staring at the pavement the whole way telling my 4 year old to step over it all. We’ve trodden in dog shit 3 times in the past week. Totally fed up with it.

To the poster that said I was obsessed/that I was minimising PTS. TBH if I recount all the bad dog incidents I’ve had in my life, it has led to some degree of phobia

I said you were obsessed, nothing about PTSD.

I find it odd that you're now listing all these issues with dogs and saying youve got a phobia, and yet up thread you said
I have an aversion to dog owners rather than dogs

🤷‍♀️

Either way you're obsessed and probably have your own issues to resolve if instead of thinking 'dog owners should remove dog poo', you think it's reasonable to conclude the majority of dog owners leave dog poo and start posting links to pressure groups saying owning pets is unethical.

@LolaSmiles

My sil has a series dog phobia. We recent went to the local park and the amount of dog owners who would just walk by and say "he's really friendly he wont bite" really pissed me off So what should they do? Not walk by because of her phobia?Walk by but offer no reassurance? Stop their walk every time they see someone just in case the person is scared of dogs? Not go to the park with their dogs just in case someone with a dog phobia happens to be in the park?

If her phobia is so bad that the mere presence of dogs being walked is an issue then she needs to see someone about it.

Then because she was of asian heritage they thought it was a cultural thing where she needed exposing to dogs and would loosen the lead.
Did they say this? Lots of dog owners seriously said 'I'm going to slacken the lead because you are Asian and I think Asian people need to meet dogs'?

Or were they walking their dog and slackened the leads in the vicinity of you and your friend?

The dog owners should call their dog back / have them heel next to them (the owner) whilst passing other people. My toddler is terrified of dogs after too many large ones have bound up to him and taken him by surprise. Large d9gs are the same height as him and therefore scary. Too many times owners just say "oh they're very friendly" whilst not actually helping by having the dog back off whilst my son is in hysterics. I'm trying my best to have him relaxed around dogs and talk calmly to him when he freaks out but this could have all been avoided in the first place if dogs weren't allowed to come way too close.

As for the amount of dog poop around the place, it's ridiculous.

I'm not a dog hater by the way, just wish there were more responsible dog owners around. They do exist, don't get me wrong, but seem a rare breed these days.

@worrierorwarrier 1st off you are tarring all dog owners with the same brush. Stake your head out of your arse. I do not let my dog off where he is not allowed to be off and I clean his shit up. I have as much right to be on a dog friendly beach with my dog as you have. My dog has perfect recall and doesn't bother with other humans or dogs his focus is purely on me. I used to have a dog that was shit off lead and had zero recall. You know what I did? I kept him on. Just because there are prickish people out there does not mean everyone should suffer

As a relatively new dog owner, I’m appalled at the incidence of others not picking up after their dogs. I suppose I didn’t really go out for long walks before, but I notice it more as I’m now in that club. In my experience it’s more likely to be people who “walk” their dogs off the lead from the start. We keep ours on the lead until she’s done her business (and have picked up) before letting her off to play catch in a field, but many people don’t, and even let theirs poo on playing fields - something that as a mum of sports-playing kids, I’m horrified by! YADNBU, as this is a very real health hazard.

@anquin mine is off the lead from the get go and I still manage to pick his shit up. I only ever see people with their dogs on leads leaving it around here. One a huge mastiff, who's shits are the size of a small elephant. He is a disgusting man that has been reported numerous times and nothing is ever done

Sosocold
If a dog isn't near someone and isn't bothering them then I'd say live and let live.

My issue with what the OP said is that she's accusing all these dog walkers of racism because they've seen someone of Asian background and decided they need exposing to more dogs.

I don't believe the OP has clarified whether that actually happened or whether it's yet another situation they've embellished due to their own issues (like claiming the majority of dog owners don't pick up their animal's poo).

If I walk on a path and there's a grassy verge and my dog shows signs of needing to poo, then I give them enough lead to do that. If someone has so many hangups that the very idea of a dog in public being in their vicinity causes such trauma then they need to sort their own issues out. Bet your bottom dollar if my dog pooed on the pavement instead of on the verge in order to not slacken the lead (just in case someone nearby had a phobia where seeing a dog with an extra foot of lead is going to cause PTSD), they'd be having a good old bitch about the fact they were out for a walk and a dog did a poo on the pavement. Those types of people will ultimately always find something to moan about.

There's responsible owners and a minority of irresponsible owners. Equally, there's people with their own hangups who need to stop expecting the world to behave in line with their preferences.

@LolaSmiles I didn’t accuse any dog owners of racism. And it was another poster who said about PTSD - not you. You’ve completely misinterpreted what I’ve said - and I’ve seen you do this to other people on other threads - so I’m going ignore any further comments from you.

Lol my six year old tells me regularly I am “obsessed” with dog poo. It’s true - I spend most our walks shouting “watch your feet! Come off that grass! Don’t stand in that poo!” etc

My mistake. On returning to the thread I'd forgotten who said this:
Then because she was of asian heritage they thought it was a cultural thing where she needed exposing to dogs and would loosen the lead. (Which is accusing dog walkers of racism).

It's still not misrepresenting you to say that earlier in the thread you said you don't have an issue with dogs, just dislike dog owners because the major don't pick up after their dog, and then later in the thread you've said that you've got a dog phobia and listed a range of negative experiences.

If I'd had negative experiences with dogs then I'd be scared of them too. I have previously been scared of dogs for different reasons.

But it's still unreasonable for anyone scared of dogs to make sweeping generalisations about dog owners.

PennyCrayon85
I do similar and get grumpy to myself if I have to play pram roulette. There's a particular path near me that's bad for it.

Thankfully, I don't decide that means the majority of dog owners leave their dog mess around.

Just taken the dog out and after I’d picked up her dainty little JRT shit I noticed an enormous turd right next to the bin. So I picked that up too. I’m sure I’m not the only dog owner who picks up after other people’s dogs.

@VinylDetective - you are a wonderful person c

X not C

No I’m not. I’m a dog owner, remember?

I did find the PETA article interesting - as a discussion point/the ethics of owning a pet. The animal obeys our commands - and is this right? Much the same as our conquest of the natural world/farming/zoos/animals for our pleasure - the fact that we play god/we decide as humans. We like ‘cute’ animals (elephants/dolphins/pandas) - yet those that offend us are destroyed (many insects). We manipulate the environment to suit our needs. Why does a human being have more rights than a mosquito?

I just think it’s a discussion point! That’s all!

It's all over the pathway leading to my lads school. Sometimes in the middle of the road. It must be large dogs because I swear you'd need a shovel and a bin bag. I once saw one pleasant lady dragging a mastiff across a patch of grass while the dog was busy trying to pinch one off. No she didn't turn round and pick it up.