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.