Picking up your dog's poo.

[PhilomenaPringle]

Xmas day family walk this morning. Enforced, as far as I'm concerned, I'd rather stay home tending the dinner as I am the person most responsible. A brisk hour's walk along the seafront. Not on the beach, just the concrete prom. Naturally, the dog walkers are out in force.
I'm not a dog owner, or even a dog liker, but, you know, if they're on a lead and under control, live and let live. (Not that they always are, but that's not the purpose of my question)

I do this walk pretty regularly because it's exhilarating in wild weather, and pleasant in spring and autumn. Summer there's not much shade so I keep it short. The dogwalkers around have many shortcomings. The users of long leads can trip you up or get wound round you. People who don't believe their dog needs a lead at all can be irritating when their dog just wants to say hello.
Up in your face and leaving doggy prints on your coat. Nope.

Hello? I don't want to say hello to your dog. Thank you very much.
However, the vast majority cause no problem to me at all. Most dogs I encounter are on leads, under control, and perfectly amiable in their ignoring of me. I do not love dogs, and if I'm out and about and they leave me alone,
I have no problem with them.

But I have noticed something quite important. Especially today. This morning.
I HAVE noticed it before but not really thought about it in depth.
Out of about 20 dogs, who did a poo, 4 of them did a really liquid poo. Which was impossible for the owners to pick up.

The ones who did a solid poo, most of the owners (not all by any means!!} picked up and put it in a bag. But the ones whose dogs had dodgy guts just left it in a big pool of brown shite.
I get it. How can you pick that up!?

So, my business venture is, for dog owners to carry around a supply of crystallising stuff, (DH is a chemist) so that if your dog has diarrhea all over the prom or a kids playground, would you fork out and carry it around with you? Just pour it over immediately, and the warmth would make it into a big lump that you could take away and get rid of, and not leave for kids to slip in.

We are seriously on the brink of putting money into this idea. I have concrete personal experience that this happens regularly enough (several times a day on even my own local beach!) that if every single dog owner who knows that their dogs will produce loose and unpickupable shits. . . .I'd make a mint.

Will those people fork out money for a bagful of salts, to make their pets loose motions easier to just take home with them and dispose of.

I really very much doubt it. I won't make any millions out of this.
They simply do not care. If it's all liquid shite they will just leave it there for kids to skid in.

Have a little think, dog owners.

How much would it cost for the average poo, how much would it weigh to carry around?

Not heard of the poo freeze spray, will go buy some!

A lot of dogs, mine included have excited loose stools. Some breeds are more prone to it than others, fellow German shepherd owners out there will know what I'm talking about. Also some breeds are easier to upset than others, if my dog eats something that isn't his usual food he's bound to get an upset tummy. It's not always from illnesses, and they are fine to go for a walk.

I agree with this

I agree with this. I'd buy it but not from you.

Or maybe it's a good opportunity for you to educate your children about avoiding dog poo. You can't ban everything in life to protect your kids. Plus you'd have to ban dogs from absolutely everything, which is just idiotic really.
Also some dog owners don't know when their dog is going to do these kinds of poos.
As a dog owner and a mother your being a little unreasonable.

Good idea in theory but...

I would have concerns about leaving some on the pavements etc. If a dog eats it will it expand with their saliva/potentially blocking their airway/digestive tract - even if it is non-toxic?

There are obviously already similar things for human bodily fluids (to put in bedpans etc) but I wonder if the above concerns/issues have prevented it marketed for the use you are suggesting?

Owner totally useless, too many dogs, not a clue about how to control them (a lead would have been a start!) And despite them coming at us aggressively, proclaimed that it must have been my dogs fault for "Growling or something" Because "They've never done that before" 🤔🙄
Oh god, yeh - i had a dog attack my 6 month old baby in his pram at a playground and they actually tried to defend themselves with 'they've never done that before'. Well, there is always a first time - and sometimes it ends up with someone dying, ffs! Thankfully my son was fine but my older son who witnessed it is now terrified of dogs.

I think the poo idea is a good one. I step in dog mess all the time and it's so annoying that owners don't clear it up properly.

And why, on a family walk, anyone's paying so much attention to how loose various dogs stools are!

It's not always food related, sometimes dogs get excited poos!

Whereas I would/ have listened and would consider the suggestion. Dog poo, dogs jumping up, all sorts of regular dog behaviour is unwanted by many. Why force your dog on them?

Courtesy has to go both ways, of course.

I'd consider this, ours tend to do excited/anxious runny poos and it's not fun to clear up.
I've tried the poo freeze spray - I wasn't impressed. The Amazon reviews back me up on this!

My sensitive dog often does a solid one. Then the second one is runny. What's with that?

I find this too, my theory is that exercise stimulates the bowels, therefore 'pushing through' a poop that would otherwise have had time to firm up! My scientific explanation.

Sounds reasonable.

Dog owner here - I’d buy it

Yup, this. I would totally buy this. If one of my boys does a runny one I get so stressed out, hate leaving anything there that someone might slip on!

I probably wouldn’t buy it because this rarely happens. It may be that the dogs have been eating more meat (because it’s Christmas) and less kibble. I find they need an adequate amount of kibble to firm up their poo!

It’s always worse at this time of the year too because if it’s dark it’s a bigger faff turning on the torch on your phone with freezing hands.

What I would say is that for dog owners who do pick up after their dogs, it’s far worse because our dogs are drawn to the sides of the pavements where the poo tends to be, and we have to watch like all the time to make sure they don’t stand in it.

Would totally buy it and use it. Have a Labrador who eats anything like a proverbial goat.

Would it work on grass too?

Op are you a dog poo troll?

Yes I probably would have bought it but have just learnt from PPs about the poop freeze spray. I've just bought some from Amazon so depending on how good that is would maybe stick to that now.
My small dog has a raw diet and his poops are usually small and solid but occasionally of course he's had tummy issues and I've often thought a freeze spray would be a brilliant idea. No idea until now they existed.

Same! Yes from me

Just bought mine on amazon.

I carry the ice spray already.

I would sell in little single use packages that clip onto the lead as it might be months between use. Say a pack of 3. My ddog gets the runs if he swims in the sea!

Great idea!