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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think there must be a solution to dog poo??

98 replies

Whatdoesitmatterif · 16/02/2023 16:00

I don't know what exactly it would be but surely the answer isn't to just have pavements literally covered in shit.
Nearly every time we leave the house one of my kids seems to step in it.
Yesterday my eldest was playing football in a fenced off grass area at the park where dogs aren't supposed to be allowed, picked the ball up and got his hands covered in poo because it had rolled into a poo...gross
I can't even easily clean it off because I don't have a garden or anywhere to do it and the thought of bringing dog poo inside grosses me out.
the pavement all along the way to school you can't even walk two metres without coming across a pile of dog shit. All those kids trampoline it into the school carpets- yuck

OP posts:
Swimswam · 16/02/2023 16:04

There needs to be a big Public information campaign and fines.
Also dog bins with bags attached at regular intervals.
So there is never an excuse not to pick up poo.
Unfortunately it has become socially acceptable to leave dog poo. Until this changes then sadly it will stay the same.

Btjdkfnn · 16/02/2023 16:05

Yep - weird and filthy system we have.
I hated this when my kids were little and drove short distances rather than risking another dog shit incident.

I even have a dog. But I make very sure nobody is ever going to step in his shit.

saleorbouy · 16/02/2023 16:05

Contact you local councillor and MP. Ring the council and ask them to provide bins and fouling fine signs and get them to have an enforcement officer on patrol.
Take pictures of the offending poo and send it into the council.
Perhaps you could also ask the school and any community groups to get involved.

Btjdkfnn · 16/02/2023 16:06

Dog shit is the no. 1 complaint received by councils I believe

ErrolTheDragon · 16/02/2023 16:08

Unfortunately it has become socially acceptable to leave dog poo.

It has become a lot less acceptable than it used to be. Definitely loads better in my area than it was a few years ago.

MonkeyMindAllOverAround · 16/02/2023 16:09

You just need a single dog owner leaving the poo behind for a week for the block to be covered in pooNandi give all of us, who clean after our dogs, a bad name.

I have felt like sticking a little messages in the poos saying “pick it up you wanker, you are the only one not doing it!”

Fedupofdiets · 16/02/2023 16:09

I thought the same on my run this morning. The pavements are covered in filthy dog shit. The owners should be bloody ashamed - it has been like this since Adam was a lad though 😡

JackiePlace · 16/02/2023 16:10

It's probably a few or even just one offender making your local streets so filthy OP. Track them down and report to your councillor, with photographic evidence!

Shesasuperfreak · 16/02/2023 16:10

Some random suggestions

In areas with huge amounts the council could threaten higher council taxes to maintain clean streets.

Dog owners could have to get a licence to own a dog and the clean up fee could come from that.

High shitted areas could have cctv installed and people who don't pick up could be shamed in the local paper or fined.

IsItBedtimeYetNope · 16/02/2023 16:14

YANBU. It used to be so rare to find dog mess in grass/on pavements/in the woods when I grew up (army brat so we lived all over the place). Now it seems wherever we go there is just dog poo everywhere. I really think a dog licencing system where only responsible dog owners get to own them is the best way forward for all the issues that have come with the massive increase in the number of dogs since lockdown, and I say that as a dog owner of 25+ years. I'd be happy to apply for a licence. I think people who don't pick up their poo should lose their dog licence.

Yopy · 16/02/2023 16:14

Apparently in Italy they dna test dog poo and send fines to the owners

Edthehorse · 16/02/2023 16:15

Corks?

IsItBedtimeYetNope · 16/02/2023 16:15

Shesasuperfreak · 16/02/2023 16:10

Some random suggestions

In areas with huge amounts the council could threaten higher council taxes to maintain clean streets.

Dog owners could have to get a licence to own a dog and the clean up fee could come from that.

High shitted areas could have cctv installed and people who don't pick up could be shamed in the local paper or fined.

I agree with most of this but I think the higher council tax would be better as a "dog tax" on people with dogs (achievable with a licencing system) so those people who don't have dogs aren't having to pay, so it would work a bit like "car tax" only in this case it would fund more roadsweepers/pavement cleaners who have all but vanished in recent years.

LittleAurora · 16/02/2023 16:16

omg! We took our baby out to a forest park and he fell in poo!!! It was all down the shoulder of his coat and he had to walk back to the car with no coat on!! Absolutely vile!!!!!

TheFlis12345 · 16/02/2023 16:17

You rarely see dog poo on the pavement where I live, and it’s a very dog friendly area. We have an extremely proactive local council though, so not only are there poop bins all over the place, but most of them have dispensers next to them with free poop bags so there is no excuse.

Dammitthisisshit · 16/02/2023 16:18

License scheme:

every owner pays £100 to register their dog. This pays for dna testing and results to be kept on a register.

offending dog poo collected and tested. Owners prosecuted:

first offence - £100 fine
second offence - £1000 fine and owner not allowed any new dogs for 5 years
third offence - dog removed from owner

The database could be tied in with dog chips to help with lost and stolen dogs. Also breeders would be required to register puppies (cost passed on when sold), possible this could help with welfare - maybe help in identifying the horrors that are puppy farms?

Pinkypurplecloud · 16/02/2023 16:20

Yopy · 16/02/2023 16:14

Apparently in Italy they dna test dog poo and send fines to the owners

Yeah right. We don’t have a database of human DNA for solving actual crime, they aren’t going to keep a dog DNA database for this (and given lots of people don’t comply with micro chipping etc it’d be the same useless owners who don’t comply with a DNA database as leave their dog’s mess).

Short of just banning pet dogs (which personally I’d be happy with but I dare say wouldn’t go down well with the general population) the only solution is a combination of social pressure, more street cleaners, more dog wardens and a greater police presence. It won’t happen because that costs money.

Newbuildhulahoops · 16/02/2023 16:23

It's awful. We live on an estate and there's a few elderly people who physically cannot bend down and pick up the poo. Which is another issue & very awkward to discuss without causing offence...

But they leave a trail of dog poo (and step in it themselves!)

KangarooKenny · 16/02/2023 16:26

I agree. I always pick up my dogs poo, but I don’t think more bins is the answer. The people who don’t pick up, won’t pick up no matter what you do.
Dont blame the dogs, it’s not their fault, it’s their fuckwit owners.

tulips27 · 16/02/2023 16:28

DNA testing funded by a dog licence.

Gertrudetheadelie · 16/02/2023 16:31

I've said this before when this has come up but round us I've watched people running with their dogs (head phones in) and be so far ahead or behind the dog that they don't see it poo and so don't pick it up. I'm sure it is lovely running with the dog but the total obliviousness does my nut.

JennyTheDonkey · 16/02/2023 16:32

Nappies for dogs 🤢

TheLostGiraffe · 16/02/2023 16:32

Dog owners could have to get a licence to own a dog and the clean up fee could come from that.

This, plus fines, is the answer. But so few people will be caught in the act and fined thag basically those who want to own dogs need to pay for the cleanup required for hose owners who don't do it. Licences will also address people keeping unsuitable animals as pets. There should also be far more restrictions on the areas where dogs are allowed to be walked, and even more restrictions regarding where they are allowed off lead.

Christmaspyjamas · 16/02/2023 16:33

Dog tax and limit of one dog per household???

KangarooKenny · 16/02/2023 16:33

How are you going to police the dog licence ? That costs money.
‘And plenty of people will know a dodgy bloke to get a puppy from.