Dog mess in garden

[UngratefulMoo]

Spent the weekend at my In-Laws' house with 2yo DD and her 2yo cousin. PILs have recently acquired a large German Shepherd. Their house has a large garden and we spent some time playing outside where I spotted at least five piles of dog mess.

No one I mentioned this to (including DP) seemed in the least bit concerned about this, or made any sign that they thought it should be cleaned up before the two toddlers went running about.

DP has told me that I'm being 'such a city girl' for thinking this is gross and not wanting my daughter to play in a garden where she could step in / fall over in dog shit at any point. So, dog-lovers, am I being precious and squeamish for minding this, or are they being disgusting? Thanks.

Im not a dog lover but my PILs garden is always full of dog shit and my DD isn't allowed on the grass until its been removed. Im not going to be cleaning it off her shoes!

I always clean then dog poo up before my nephew comes over.

A friend came over unexpectedly the other week and I didn't let her toddler outside until Id done a poo patrol.

Yanbu.

Of course the garden should be cleared up before the children are allowed out to play. Even better,if the garden is large enough, the dog should have a fenced off area and be trained to do it's business there instead of where the children roam around.
I say this and I'm country born and bred.

Although, why not just don a pair of plastic gloves, get a trowel and a carrier bag and clear it up. I understand it's not your responsibility as it's not your dog, however it's your daughter's welfare.

No yanbu, not in the slightest. We have a fence running through the middle of our garden so the dog can only go on one half, leaving the other half free from dog pee and poo germs. DD spends the majority of the summer in the garden barefooted so we wanted her to have a safe place to play where she didn't need to worry about stepping in something gross.

Thanks! I shall show this thread to DH...

Fieldfare, fwiw, most of the mess was on one particular bit of grass (although it's all open and it was the bit that sort of joins the front and back gardens together - LOs could easily run onto it) so I kept them playing on a patch I had inspected! Will definitely need addressing before next summer...

I might have to see what SIL thinks... she and I might be able to make a more convincing case between us.

I have dogs. I collect poo 3 or 4 times a week and additionally if someone is expected. You wouldn't leave your toilets un-flushed or your laundry hanging about the house. Likewise, collect the poo ILs!

Then it's even more easily dealt with. You definitely need to bring it up. However my point was, that if you'd gone through the effort of clearing it up in front of them, you may have succeeded in making your point more effectively and directly?

Yuk! I always pick up dog poo in the garden immediately! Much to my husband's annoyance I give the area a quick squirt with anti bacterial spray too!