AIBU to want to know what a 'normal' response to dog's mess is?

[Cara707]

I have severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, with a contamination obsession as part of my condition so these kind of things are a problem to me. I am just wondering what a normal reaction to seeing dog's mess on other family members/household member's shoes is? It seems like every day there is a small quantity of dog's mess on someone's shoes and as I'm not able to clean it myself and don't want to be constantly nagging people to clean their shoes I would just like to know how much this bothers 'normal people' (without OCD).

For example if you see a small amount of dried dog's mess on yours or someone else's shoe do you clean it? How do you go about that? (e.g. do you wear gloves?, do you handle the shoes or avoid touching them? etc.)

We are shoes-off household so it's not as though people are tracking it on their shoes through the house but it's a source of anxiety to me so would like to know what to do about it!

Yeah this! We have two dogs and walk them twice a day and I can't recall the last time I stood in dog shit?!

I find it absolutely repulsive, obviously but it doesn't happen often and when it does I hook the shoes over the fence in the garden and hose them down from a distance, then spray them with disinfectant then hose them again and leave them there to dry in the sun for a while.

How can you tell dog mess from mud?

I don't think you're being unreasonable not wanting dog mess in the house, that's perfectly normal - but I think you're probably being unreasonable in thinking every bit of dirt is dog mess. I think that is where your MH issues are coming into play - you're thinking the worst of every bit of mud.

I don't think I've ever had dog mess on my shoes, so I'd be amazed if someone had it on theirs everyday. I might have got it on my wellies but then i'd clean it off in the grass or a puddle.

Not wanting dog mess in the house is normal, thinking every bit of dirt might/must be dog mess is not.

There so much dog mess where we live that I just can’t manage so we wear cheap shoes and I always have spares so I can literally throw them away as I have ASD and OCD and just can’t cope with it !

Well mud doesn’t smell like shit 😂

I think your family members need to pay closer attention to where they are walking as that seems a crazy amount of times. They need to clean their own shoes if old enough.

Daily dog shit? I would say it maybe happens once a year in this household and probably when we’re out for a walk in countryside where it would get wiped off as best as possible and then run under the garden tap outside. No gloves or anything like that.
We aren’t a shoes off house, mostly we all take out shoes off when we come in but just because it’s our preference for comfort. We have hard floors downstairs so that it’s easy to keep clean.

If one of us stepped in dog mess, I would take/keep the shoes outside, scrape them off with a stick or something, and give them a scrub with some hot soapy water, a good rinse and then hang up to dry. I might chuck the brush I used to scrub them, and I would wash my hands well afterwards. I have one dog, had 2 until late last year, and it's pretty rare any of us stand in dog mess, so it's not something I have to do often.

If your family are treading in dog poo every single day then you have a very big problem. I have 2 outdoorsy children and a husband who runs outside 6 days a week plus I work with dogs and I can count on one hand the amount of times one of us has stood in dog poo. It stinks and I would scrub it off with a brush under running water. But I think your OCD is mistaking normal mud for dog poo

I'm astounded at the number of people saying they would throw the shoes away! 😮

Throw a hissy fit and post on here 😂

I disagree with most of the posts here but maybe I've got OCD too?

If all shoes were tested, they would have dog poo on them. Poo is just picked up, the floor beneath isn't cleaned. There are countless dog shit skids on the pavements near where I live and it all gets trodden around. Then there's the people who don't pick it up at all and it gets walked all over the pavements.

I particularly worry about parks when it's the same issue but just on grass so you can't see it. I was at one at the weekend with a little boy rolling down the hill. People sat having picnics. Makes me shudder.

Dogs should have special parks and should not be allowed to do any of their business in the street, including pee - like in Spain.

Members of your household are stepping in dog shit daily? Are you sure? They need to watch where they are walking or clean their own shoes.

I would just scrub them outside and wash my hands after. Its really not that big a deal.

People who bin shoes if they have dog shit on is a new level of wastefulness. I can't believe people do that. Shoes are expensive, and landfill is full enough.

I can't remember the last time I stepped in any despite until recently having a dog (sadly passed away).

I have a dog and have managed to step in poop exactly once in 9 years of dog walking - just two week ago actually when some tosser left their dog's poo in the middle of the path and I walked through it in the dark.

How are you seeing dog poo on shoes so often? Is it mud? I stand in that every day tbh. My coat is covered in muddy marks.

Same here. We had a family member who, when her children were little, would bin their pants if they had an accident.

I know shoes are much dearer than pants, but it's such an easily-remediable waste.

Re-usable, washable cloth nappies exist (we used them for our DS), so I don't see why anybody would think you can't clear the 'excess' from accidentally-polluted pants and easily wash them.

My dad treads in it weekly, they often have 3 dogs at their house, he checks his feet pretty much every time he comes back in his house. I've never seen it on his shoes at other times. He really should learn to look where he's putting his feet but I'm not banking on that changing any time soon!

My daughter has stood in it 3 times on the walk to school since she started in September. There's one stretch of path that is horrendous and often 5+ small bits to dodge where the dog has obviously been pooing whilst walking rather than one poo in a pile.
Two of the times it's been her standing in a pre stood on patch of dog muck and I've been able to take her shoe off and clean in on a patch of grass then a puddle as it's just been on top surface and not in the groves. One time it was dark and she stood in a bigger bit we didn't notice until she got home. I was pregnant at the time so left it outside for my partner to clean up. I switched to picking her up in the car as there were a couple of near misses too in the dark

My process is to rub what I could on a hidden patch of grass. Pour soapy water over it and get into groves with a stickto remove the worst of it and only then get hands on to clean up the remainder so I've got rid of much of the poo before getting in closer contact with it.

Oh gross!! I have two dogs and can't stand dog poo..if I got it on my own shoes it would make me want to vomit and I'd definitely thoroughly clean them before they were bought anywhere near shoe rack!

How come there is so much dog poo on shoes in your world! Even with two dogs it's a v rare event in my household and although I don't have OCD, it would make me feel sick and I'd need those shoes cleaned up damn fast ...

You sound hyper vigilant which will be part of the illness, normal people do not inspect or expect to find dog poo on their shoes unless they know they've walked in some.

I can't remember the last time I stepped in dog poo, it must be years ago and I have a dog!

I use gloves, a bucket of soapy water and a brush from a dustpan and brush set outside, which I then throw out.

How is it every day though? Do your family walk around with their eyes shut?

Disposable gloves on, floor wipes and cocktail sticks to clean out the groves, lots of swearing and gagging, empty the bin, spray disinfectant on the shoes, leave them to dry, bit more swearing and certainly telling off whoever stepped in the poo!!

However, who in your house is stepping in poo every single day?? That is full on weird! That's almost like it's on purpose!!

Dog poo is absolutely vile so I would absolutely clean it if only a bit, but might chuck the shoe altogether if a lot! As in my experience even when cleaned up it still stinks.

I usually use the outdoor tap and an old toothbrush to scrub it. I would use the utility room sink at a push but absolutely no other sink.

But I think I've experienced this 3 times in about 40 years so I'm also doubtful they have dog mess on their shoes every day, so this may be your anxiety talking.

(No judgement here, I have OCD too but fixated on something slightly different)

It's normal to be disgusted by having dogshit on your shoe and it's normal to not have the shoe in your home until it's fully cleaned. It's not unusual to throw the shoe away if it's difficult to clean thoroughly.

It's bloody odd though to have the same people treading in dogshit every day though. Either there is some obvious reason like they are blind and can't see the shit, or they are deliberately treading in it.

More likely is that it's not actually dogshit, it's just mud. Mud smells faintly of shit a lot of the time because obviously fecal matter gets mixed up in it to some extent. But it's not really the same offensive smell unless you get really close.

Obviously trolling, if not thats ridiculous

Just treat it as one of life’s many annoyances. I’d be thankful that I’d noticed it outside before anyone walked it indoors. I’d use an old brush and hose to clean them and put in the sun to dry. Would then moan to DH about people who don’t pick up poo.