Dog poo - what's the solution?

[Threeforagirl]

Given that everything in our area for toddlers is shut down at the moment, all we can do is walk the streets and parks. So I'm really noticing the amount of dog crap everywhere. It's revolting and I don't fancy cleaning it off shoes and buggy wheels anymore.

What's the solution? Clearly the threat of fines (is anyone actually ever fined?) isn't stopping crapsy owners, so what will stop it?

I've taking to being the crazy lady who stops and watches when a dog poos, to make sure the owner picks up (and I ever so generously offer a nappy sack if they do that stupid pocket patting "I forgot my bags" thing).

But what would actually deter people? I suggested to my husband that people should have their dogs removed, or the owners should be PTS, but he thinks I'm being a little overdramatic....

I often see poo not picked up when I walk my dog.
The ones that really annoy me are when it is left on the grass of the kids play park, or on the football pitch.

The football pitch is surrounded on 3 sides by wilder areas/rough fields and woods. yet instead of walking their dog there, so they can shit in the woods, they let them shit in the middle of the football pitch and then don't pick up. There is even a strip of rough grass and trees along the top edge, if they literally walked 20 feet to their right it would be less anit-social, but no, rather their dog shitted right in the goal. And yes I watched the same women do it several days running. Too far away for me to yell and tell her to pick up.

(by the way I don't think they should let them shit in the woods and not pick up, but given a choice between woods or football goal, I'd rather they did it in the woods)

I have 3 massive dogs and always pick up.

However I do worry about the environmental impact of using thousands of little plastic bags to collect up shit. I can use 6-7 bags a day
Even the biodegradable ones take forever to degrade and I don’t like the idea of so many bags of shit in landfill as much as I don’t like the idea of crap everywhere. Not sure what the solution to that is though so until then I suppose I’ll keep picking it up and trying not to think about it!

@Leonberger

I totally agree. Poo is much worse environmentally when it's wrapped up in plastic. It last much longer. Ugh. If I go to the local park I take tissues so that if the dog does her business near a bin, I can pick it up in paper instead. Out in the woods, I might bury it far from the path.

But someone needs to invent something. Paper bags would work for short journeys with healthy poos... But if you've got 3 Leonbergers you'd need a potato sack and a wheelbarrow!

@Eckhart I often think about burying it but I would need a shovel my dogs weigh around 70kgs each!

We have our own woods behind our house and do compost some of it there, it does rot down quite quickly but obviously we don’t use that area for anything else! I hate putting 10 bags of shit in the bin every day and if I was in the middle of nowhere I would argue it’s environmentally better to leave it than to pick it up. Obviously no good in public places or where there’s a huge concentration of dogs though!

I recently looking into it and our council requires the poo to be double bagged if you are to dispose of it in there bins. And their bins are already bagged!

Thinking out loud. Could a kind of airtight bucket with scoop section work? Scoop it in, dispose of the poo later at home, then wash the bucket and scoop? Saves needing to bag it.

@steppemum

(by the way I don't think they should let them shit in the woods and not pick up, but given a choice between woods or football goal, I'd rather they did it in the woods)

As someone who often runs though woods, and off-path, I don't want to step in it any more than you or your kids do.

Saying that it's less antisocial to leave it in a certain place gives the shit-leavers a green light. All dog shit should be picked up - location is immaterial imo.

I hate this so, so much! Just before the first lockdown I went on a dog walk with a neighbour for the first time, and couldn’t believe what she did! Her dog started circling and preparing to do his business on the pavement and she a kept telling him off, and dragging him, whilst telling me we needed to hurry across the road. Once we got there, she lead him onto the outskirts of the golf course, where he finally did his business. She then dramatically produced a poo bag (honestly, the flourish would have been comical had I not been so appalled), bent down and PRETENDED TO PICK UP THE SHIT. She literally went through the motions so people around her thought she was picking up, but just dragged the bag across the clean grass beside it and left the huge shit (she has a GSD)!! I honestly couldn’t believe it. I picked it up eventually and we’ve not walked together since, but I still can’t understand why she didn’t just pick it up?! Batshit.

Round here the letterbox thing wouldn't be the best idea. Those that don't pick up usually have lead straining bull breeds who look at my small terrier (and dc) like they are a tasty snack. I'd probably not confront the owners. In other counties I'm sure dogs must be licensed and poo can be tested to know where it's come from. Owners fined/Licenses removed accordingly. We live in quite a green area of the city and dread whenever dc leave the path, especially at the moment with autumn leaves disguising everything. I feel mean calling them back when they want to explore but I'm so tired of cleaning poo.

If you have a dog nowadays, and don't have somewhere to let them free-roam where you don't have to worry about picking up, don't have them!

Well that's pretty unrealistic. Surely you pick up your dogs poo anywhere anyway regardless of space?! Don't you ever walk on your expanse of land? What about the wildlife?

Our area is terrible for this. I’m fed up of shouting “poo!” Every ten seconds.
If the local council started fines for offenders they would make a fortune!

I've never realised how much dog poo there is on the street since I had my dog and it really infuriates me. There are no excuses whatsoever.

I always take a small backpack with me when out with my dog, it's really convenient anyway. If he does a poo that I can throw away in a doggy bin near by, I put the bag in another poo bag, make sure both are tightly knotted and put in the backpack. It never smells through two bags.

No excuses for bags left on walks either, I assume expected to be picked up on the way back except I think many end up taking another way or forgetting making it even worse.