To not pick up dog poo...

[Moonfishstar]

... when in a quiet forest, but to flick it with a stick into dense undergrowth instead?

I don't see any issue with this, but I've got a feeling lots will disagree with me, so I wanted to get some other opinions.

Pretty sure this was posted just to wind people up.

@Meadowfinch 100% agree.

Absolutely minging. Your dog, your responsibility.

I walk most days in the forest (one of the biggest in the UK) and I pick it up - we have signs asking us to clear up after our dogs - it’s just lazy and selfish - sorry to be so blunt but it’s how I feel (I’m not a city dweller - grew up in the countryside now live in the countryside).

If something doesn't belong take it home with you. What happens if everyone starts flicking all sorts into the said dense undergrowth

...... or even drops a sneaky poo of their own in a far off copse , if caught short or diarrhoea ? Do you bag your poo or bury it in a remote Highland 😂 forest ?

I don’t have a dog, but not sure about some of the points made here!
Why is what a dog eats bad for the soil but fox poo isn’t?
Doesn’t dog poo end up in the ground somewhere whether you take it home and bin it or leave it in the woods?

DH often comes back from walking the dog and says our dog has poo'd next to a pile of abandoned shit, so he's picked up both so it doesn't look like he's left it!

I walk in woods a lot round my way.

I don't care if people get their dogs to go off the path but they should get some distance away from it.

What annoys me is when they let their dogs produce a huge pile of crap right on the damn path.

So if you are going to let your dog crap in the woods and not clean it up, at least have the decency to make it do it off the path.

And flicking it a foot off the path is not good enough. It needs to be further away than that. A good couple of metres. I doubt whether anyone is going to flick soggy crap off a path more than a foot or so. With apologies for the unpleasant description.

While I appreciate that a large forest is somewhat different from a small park, accumulations of dog poo would over time alter the soil & probably change the habitat affecting existing flora
My bugbear is people who don’t pick up poo in fields where there are livestock (some of the time) and don’t think it’s an issue though our local fb is dominated by dog poo on village paths 🤮

'Stick and flick' signs are/were up in some local forests, put there by the FC as part of a campaign.

Generally I'd still say it's best to pick up what you are able to - the high nitrogen content of dog faeces can alter the ecology of a landscape, so even if it will just degrade and 'compost' into the undergrowth it will have an effect. That said, citka spruce plantations are pretty much monocultures that won't be that much impacted either way.

@Parisiennes https://petimpact.co.uk/blogs/poo-revolution/debunking-the-myth-why-biodegradable-dog-poop-bags-arent-always-good-for-our-planet

They do. Because it breaks down so fast. They just want it flicked off the path.

It’s totally illogical to encase it in plastic and essentially preserve it.

Livestock grazed on fields contaminated with dog poo (and diseases and worm eggs etc in the dog poo) suffer miscarriages. Particularly affects sheep.

I would be concerned that the same would be true if wild animals were to graze there. Large amounts would lead to changes in the ecology PPs have described well.

My old work site supported this behaviour in the grounds, except near buildings and play areas. There is all manner of excrement in the undergrowth anyway.

Same. I lost count of how many times I had to say “mind the dog poo!” to my kids on the walk to school this morning because so many wankers don’t pick up after their dogs.

People will tie theirselves up in knots trying to justify not picking up after their dogs. Forest, pavement, beach; it doesn’t matter. Dog owners should clear up after their dog every single time. And take the bag with them. Don’t get me started on the ones that bag up the poo and leave it there “with every intention of picking it up on their way back” but just happen to forget! Don’t want to pick up dog poo? Don’t own a dog.

Fine IMO. I don't have a dog but have seen/known of a few dog owners do this. There's loads of animal shit in the undergrowth and it's biodegradable and popped away where no-one will walk.

Ignore the ranters and ravers @Moonfishstar You are doing nothing wrong.

"I can confirm that Forestry England no longer promotes the stick and flick message and have aligned our message to match the Countryside Code published on the gov.uk website. We are aware that there will be historic references to stick and flick but we are no longer advocating this and will look at how we can publish and promote our current advice to ‘bag and bin’ dog waste."

contrary to popular belief, dog faeces is not fertilizer and does not provide any benefit to the soil (unless turned into compost!). In fact the Environmental Protection Agency classify dog poo an environmental pollutant, in the same category as oil spills, herbicides, insecticides, and salt from irrigation practices. Our delicate ecosystems haven't evolved to deal with this type of waste and if left on the ground, it can cause a variety of environmental issues

One of the biggest issues is water pollution. When it rains, dog poop can be washed into nearby bodies of water, like streams, rivers, and lakes. This can introduce harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites into these ecosystems, which can cause harm to aquatic life and even make humans sick if they come into contact with the contaminated water. In fact the Environmental Protection Agency say “2 to 3 days of droppings from a population of 100 dogs contribute enough bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorus to temporarily close a bay to swimming and shellfishing.”

In a forest absolutely fine (off the path) why would you bag the most biodegradable substance in a plastic bag is beyond me. COMPLETELY get it on paths etc. just wish there was a better way.

@Elber Where did you copy and paste that info from??? Because I have just spent a few minutes on google, and can't see it anywhere. Indeed, pretty much every site I looked at says it's fine to do what the OP is doing.

Worst of all are little knotted plastic bags of poo abandoned or hung in trees. They stay like that for months/years, with the contents slowly liquefying and attracting flies. Dog poo flicked into brambles/bracken will disappear quickly as it has done for centuries along with fox, badger, deer and hedgehog poo.

Dogs have high protein diets/high nutrient poo. While nutrients are essential for plant growth, most ecosystems are naturally low nutrient environments so an excess can cause an imbalance in the ecosystem, leading to loss of biodiversity. In fact if left on the ground, these nutrients quickly reach levels that would be illegal on farmland. They can also lead to the growth of harmful algae blooms and the depletion of oxygen in waterways, which can suffocate aquatic life. Previous research has found that high nutrient levels can persist even three years after dogs are banned from nature reserves and can therefore pose serious long-term risks to wildlife.

YABU.

It isn't fine 'off the path'. People, kids, other dogs go off path.

Pick your dog shit up and dispose of it like a responsible person.

Have done this when my dog jumped across the stream in the woods and did a poo on the other side. I am not built for leaping over streams and back again with a bag of poo, so on that occasion I am afraid I left it.

OP take a little look into the damage that dog urine and faeces is doing to the environment and then ask yourself whether it’s acceptable to just chuck it around.

I say this as a dog owner. Pick up your dogs shit and stop being so fucking lazy. You’re just selfish and lazy.