To think that this is especially scuzzy, even for most dog owners

[PeeWeeTree]

Yes, it's a dog one.

I live opposite a green where over the last couple of days, people have been putting out there live (now dead) xmas trees, ready for collection. Looking out of my window, I see a couple walking their dog, sniffing around the trees (fine!), then cock its leg and begin urinating over the trees. Some poor tree collector guy will be along to retrieve these trees, perhaps he is wearing gloves, perhaps not - even if he is, I doubt he'll take them off between pick-ups, meaning he'll be transferring dog piss on the steering wheel.

Or is it no big deal, and the trees may have squirrel pee on them anyway and he'll know it's a dirty job?

YANBU - it's gross and thoughtless
YABU - meh, don't care

YABU, you're probably more angry than the workers. That's what dogs do, live with it.

There really needs to be an anti pet thread, and you can all gather over there.

Maybe people should get rid of their own trees and not leave them in the park then?

It’s a tree, outside. Our council has people who go round our local park at various times and cut back all the trees/hedges and take all of those cuttings away, those same hedges have had dogs, cats, foxes, birds etc business on them, it’s no different to that. It’s literally trees outside.

I’d personally rather people wouldn’t leave their trees in the local park, the pine needles that drop off can be dangerous for dogs. But you’re not worried about that eh :)

I never had a real tree, but receive adverts for them every year, and round here, there are several services that deliver, and offer to collect on a few dates after xmas, and you just have to put your tree outside your front door on a designated date - I assumed this was the case for these trees. I have also seen a local service offering to collect trees - don't know what they do with them, firewood, maybe.

It's not a park - it's a small-ish communal space, not quite a private garden for the several blocks of flats on the opposite roads, but the nearest most of them have to green space if they don't have their own garden.

I can answer your question OP, sort of! I work for my local authority as a horticulturalist, frequently in public parks, gardens and open spaces. I have to carry a change of clothes with me, in my work bag, as EVERY SINGLE DAY, without fail, at some point I will get dog shit on me, whether I be weeding beds, pruning shrubs, grass cutting, strimming or any other activity. And I no longer bother taking a lunchbox with me - I just have no appetite. Yes, of course I wear PPE, including gloves, but it is vile, and I work on the basis that everything I touch is contaminated by shit or piss, either dog, cat, any other animal, or even humans.

And no, I appreciate that most dog owners clear up behind their dogs, but my empirical experiences and observations suggest that a significant minority don't and give no thought to those who, like myself, are going to come into contact with it.

My front garden has no fence, just low shrubs
and flower border (no fence allowed under a covenant)and we are on a dog walking route.
I find it absolutely repulsive and rude that people let their dogs go to the toilet on our flowers, shrubs and bit of lawn as they go past. Dozens a day. Even when they pick up the poo (they don’t always) it’s so antisocial isn’t it? Can’t they just walk a bit further or find somewhere which isn’t someone’s property?

I am really sorry you experience this - that's really vile.

Indeed. I do have a wall, but still see people let their dogs piss right on our gate which we then have to walk through.

After once getting fox crap on me I would be far more disturbed by that than wee tbh it smells FOREVER

I was on my way to work this morning and there was a dog on a lead, but it glanced at me.

A full on fucking glance and guess what the owner did? Yep, absolutely nothing 🤬

45 minutes held in a telephone queue when I rang 101 and the bastard police did fuck all.

I told them "You wait till Mumsnet finds this out, then you'll be sorry" and then I just heard a dialing tone so I think we might've been cut off?

Fuck me 🙄

Your point is?

As I say, the pine needles are dangerous for dogs, I also wouldn’t be happy with my young child playing on these trees while the needles are all dropping off. So if you’re going to be angry at someone, direct it at the humans who are spoiling the communal space by not getting rid of their own trees rather than the dogs who are doing what dogs do- sniff trees😂

I hate the word ‘scuzzy’ . It is stupid and bad.

Think it came from disgusting.

Disgusting = scusting = scuzzy

It is obviously disgusting to let your dog piss on something you know a human will handle, and shortly be handling at that.

It shows how bonkers some dog owners are, that they are actually defending/minimizing this.

I have an allotment and know that the local foxes and various cats piss all over my plot.
Animal piss on plants outside doesn't bother me in the slightest; I don't know anyone who works outside with plants who'd be bothered by any animal piss on the greenery they were handling.
Dog shit? Disgusting. Dog piss? 🤷🏻
And anyone picking up Christmas trees WILL be wearing gloves; real trees are really spikey.
Edit: I'm not a dog owner.

I’m a dog owner and think you should wind your neck in and worry about something important

God, a dog pissed outside? On a tree? A tree that you're assuming is there to be collected before it rains next? By a man who will definitely then drive his car without removing his filthy gloves? OH MY GOD.

If you want to just have a go at dog owners at least invent something worth having a go at.

Yes I’m ‘minimising’ it - because it’s a complete non issue. Ffs

It shows how bonkers some dog owners are, that they are actually defending/minimizing this.

Why is it bonkers? These trees will be pissed on by so many other animals why would a few dogs weeing on it make any difference? I genuinely don't get it?

It's a bad day for dogs/dog owners on MN today.

It’s perfectly normal for councils to have Xmas tree collection services, where people leave their trees out to be collected. I have no idea why posters are focusing on these trees being left out. Well I do. It’s so that they can focus on this non-issue to detract from the whole ‘letting your dog piss on something you know a human will handle soon’ thing.

Actually women do this job too. I’m a woman and I used to work on the wagons collecting recycling. It’s hard graft and it’s pretty gross. Dog piss tree…pah! No worse than the food bins or tins of dog food not properly washed out and left out in the sun 🤮

No they won’t. What other animals do you seriously think will piss on them other than dogs? There aren’t many other animals around and the tree is only there for a short time. Realistically, it’s dogs being walked that will piss on it.

And even if another wild animal did,I completely fail to see how that is a justification for humans letting their owned dog piss on it.

Astonishing that people are trying to justify people letting their dogs piss on things humans will handle. The entitlement and anti-social mindset of some dog owners is off the scale.

When posters complain legitimately about dogs, I'm there. Out of control mutts. Dog shit booby traps. Endless barking. Slobbering all over coffee shop tables (oh yes ...)

But I don't think this would even be on my radar.