AIBU by being upset about this confrontation about my puppy?

[silversable]

Sorry if this isn’t the usual post on here, just wondering if anyone can related or has any thoughts! So, I’m a bit shaken. I‘ve just taken my puppy for a walk and she has had some looser bowels today after she disagreed with a type of treat we’ve been giving her. When I took her on a walk earlier, she unexpectedly just went to the toilet right outside someone’s gate. Normally, I walk her through the fields or on the trail but with it being dark i’ve felt safer going through streets with street lights. I got my poo bag out and started picking it up.

As I was doing so, a car arrived just next to me where an older lady (I’d say about 75-80) got out the car where she’d been dropped off. Obviously I felt awkward and when she saw me she snapped “don’t let it mess in my gate!”. I was a bit taken aback so I said “sorry, what?” she then repeated it again but with a swear word or two. I was a bit shocked and said “I always clean it up. I’m so sorry, she normally doesnt go near gates”. She then replied “Yes but I don’t like it!” She was shouting which really threw me off, I think it was partly as I was already having a bad day and this happened. I then apologised again while she was walking to her door and clarified that I don’t encourage her to do that but she is a puppy and has been poorly. She then jist shook her head and slammed the door at me.

So, I want to clarify two things: 1. The mess wasn’t actually inside her drive, it was right outside. I don’t let any of my two dogs inside people’s property or garden. 2. I completely understand not wanting dog mess by your gate and that’s a reasonable request. But I would think most people would understand that dogs can be unpredictable and not be so hostile? 3. I know some people can be particular about their homes and surroundings and I do appreciate that. I have anxiety and I think that is partly what triggered me so much.
I know she could have just had some bad news and reacted in that way, or had some anger about something else. But I feel awful that I upset someone and at the same time a bit annoyed that I was spoken to like this.

Has anyone had anything similar happen with their puppy, and AIBU for thinking this could have been handled better?

If she has a runny bum then it's good to take a water bottle with you to wash away the stuff you can't pick up.

Ah OP it was an accident and you did clean up as best you could.

In situations like this, I try to let the other person's rudeness cancel out any guilt I might feel and just move on with my life. Don't give it any more thought.

I hope your puppy's okay now!

She is probably fed up to the back teeth of dog shit on footpaths. Presumably if it was runny you weren’t going to be able to pick it up fully.

In the kindest possible way, get over it. You were actually picking up the crap as she was shouting, weren't you? So why was she shouting? Because she's just jumped to the wrong conclusion like people seem to do all the bloody time. Opening her gob before she'd had the chance to absorb the facts. I would put her out of your mind. Some people are just like that and the trick is to assign absolutely no importance whatsoever to their ramblings.

But good on you for cleaning up after your dog. That, alone, tells me you are a decent person.

Ignore, some people are just horrible. Agree re taking the water next time as pp suggested. As long as you did your best to clean up.

Nothing would annoy me off more than trying to shepherd my kids away from dog shit literally right at my gate.

No, she's awful (although just try to think she might have something bad going on so is just taking it out on the nearest person) to behave like that. She'd probably go mad if a kid was sick/had an accident anywhere near her.
Don't let her upset you.

Dog shit is gross. If you know he was going to shit, take water along to wash it away. I'd be annoyed with it outside my gate.

You were cleaning it up so she over-reacted.

I anyways have some kitchen roll with be to help mop up the looser poos, but most poo is pretty solid and gets cleared up cleanly.

i can tell you were shaken but try and put it behind you. You did nothing wrong.

However, you haven’t paid the puppy tax. Where is the photo of your puppy?

As PP suggested, I usually have water on a walk and use that to clear up runny poos if needed (our dog had a few issues like that as a pup but is much better now he is older and eats raw food).

However, this woman was rude and unreasonable- try not to ruminate on it. I sympathise though, on the rare occasion I’ve met an arsehole stranger like this, I tend to worry and feel unsettled about it for quite a while afterwards, but it’s really not worth it. I can guarantee she has moved on with her day without a thought, you deserve to as well. 💐

Where did you get the idea that the OP knew in advance that her dog was going to have a loose poo directly outside someone’s gate?

Were you cleaning it? Presumably you can’t just pick up runny poo? I wouldn’t want this outside my property. Funny dog owners always seem to get their dog away from their own property before it shits

If a dog did a runny poo right by someone's gate, in the dark, there's a high chance it's going inside on their shoes. That is horrible. If you know your dog has a runny bum take a bottle of water to wash away residue. I have a dog and I'd be disgusted if there was a patch.of diarrhea at my gate and mortified if I was you. Id possibly have asked her for a bottle of water to wash the residue away and apologise for not having any.

🐶 I hope your puppy is ok. They can have very sensitive little tummies.

Obviously, there was nothing you could do to stop your puppy pooing where it did & there's only so much you can do with poo bags when it's runny. She could have offered you a bucket of water to help.

She didn't need to speak to you the way she did, but you're right you don't know what else is going on with her life and sometimes we just overreact to situations.

Since I became disabled 18 months ago, things like this have become much bigger in my mind because I'm unable now to just go and chuck a couple of buckets of hot soapy water over it and if the owner was unable to clean it up properlyI would be left with dog poo on the pavement outside my gate. Fortunately, most of the time I'm still able to deal with things without getting in a lather over them and would have asked if you'd like a couple of buckets of water, but you'd have had to have come and got them because I can't lift them or carry them.

Anyway, try not to keep going over in your own head, the world won't end, you didn't do anything wrong & who getting a bit snarky about it isn't really that big deal either. Just let it go..

Hope puppy is better tomorrow💕

Well she knew the dog had loose stools all day, long before the walk and chose to walk said dog along residential streets so there was only one outcome surely?

How is she to know any of this background information?

If someone lets their dog shit outside my house then damn right I'm standing over them making sure they clean it up.

Smearing runny shit on the pavement is not cleaning it up!

Its endemic here, our pavements are full of dog shit and it's all coming from somewhere? If I see your dog shitting outside my house I don't know whether you are a responsible owner who going to clean it up or not? Everyone says they are but where is all the dog shit coming from?

I wouldn't start off being rude but it fucks me right off when people don't even try to move their dogs closer to the kerb (or even in the road itself). They just let them shit mid pavement / bang outside my house and often don't do a thorough job of cleaning up.

I think that detail in the OP is ambiguous.

You are overthinking this.

However, once one of my dogs did poo on the road as we were going to the local field - i say road as it's not a pavement and cars drive on it but we also walk along it as it's in a quiet residential cul du sac with an entrance to the field.

Anyway, I returned home, boiled the kettle and took disinfectant with me and made sure there was not a trace of my dog's poo left on that road. Having picked it up and bagging it first.

Neighbours may have thought I was strange if they looked out a window as it was around 1am. I hate dog poo on a pavement / path etc.

As someone else said you should have a bottle of water with you if you are aware that your dog is doing runny poos.

she has had some looser bowels today after she disagreed with a type of treat we’ve been giving her.

Seems fairly clear. Some looser bowels isn’t used to mean a one off so it predates the walk.

I see what you mean @Arbourimage . I still don’t think the OP’s error warranted such a vicious response from the woman though when she could see that the OP was trying to clear up.

Was going to say this. I’ve seen people do this in Italy, even to wash away wee!

To be honest OP you’re probably bearing the brunt of a person who’s spent a lifetime having to avoid dog shit on pavements/in front of their house. I’m one of those people.

I currently have to step over the remnants of a dog shit outside my door (which I picked up). I have to avoid dog shit every time I walk DD to/from nursery. I’m sick of it.

You’ve got other (irresponsible) dog owners to thank for attitudes like mine and this woman’s. Though of course she shouldn’t have got shouty or sweary.

Navigating dog shit on pavements is the worst. You tried to clean it up but definitely take water next time. It's hellish getting it off wheelchair wheels and stinks so much.

I don't like it when dogs pooh on the pavement outside my house. But certainly if you were trying to clear it up I think she was pretty rude and unreasonable with you.
It's the owners who don't clear up at all. And the ones who bag it but then leave the poohbags lying on the pavemenf or hanging in the hedge that make me mad.

I quite regularly have to go out and wash the pavement to clear up after dog owners. The council in theory will come out and do.it if you report it but its much easier and quicker to do it myself.

I wouldn't worry about the incident OP but I think pp's have offered some useful advice re taking a bottle of water out with you.

I’m not saying it warranted the reaction but dog diarrhoea right outside your house when it’s generally dark when you leave and dark when you get home is pretty grim and is almost certainly going to get stepped in. You can’t actually clean up loose stool a bag so it’s a bit of a false look to appear to do something by getting the bag out.
Sometimes people need to stop acting like everything is totally outside their control with their dogs, if they have loose stools it’s hardly great to knowingly walk it along people’s houses.

OP, can you clarify if you mean runny or just not as solid as usual?

She was out of line for shouting and swearing at you, you were in the act of cleaning it up!

You cannot control what happens outside of the boundaries of your property.