Picking up after your dog

[arealhuman]

Hi,

After getting my first dog some months back I made a promise that I'd pick up after him every time he left a mess (a no. 2, not just general untidyness :lol: ) and so far, we've managed to do that. What staggers me is the number of dog owners around who don't :rant: Why is this? We've seen tons of dog poo within, say, 2 metres of a dog poo bin and I can't understand why anyone wouldn't pick up their dog's poo but leave it on the pavement. The bags are cheap enough. It's always been an issue but since I'm walking more with my dog and conscious of picking up after him, I notice it more. Yesterday there was loads across a pavement that made walking on the road the more hygienic bet. I sometimes feel embarrassed when talking to non-dog owners as you can almost see them thinking "I bet your dog did that sh!t" :>

In our local park - which lots of kids use - the last two times I walked across the grass I stepped in two massive, stinking dog eggs, and as a dog owner I was furious. Imagine if a toddler had fallen over in it >_<

Anyway, rant over, is it just me or does anyone else think the same?

 

[JoanneF]

No, I agree completely. If there is a risk of stepping in it, pick it up. But - controversy alert - in some places where we walk there is a very steep bank to one side. There, I have a 'flick with a stick' policy. There is zero chance of anyone treading in the poo and naturally it will break down far faster than biogredagable bags. *dons tin helmet*

 

[gypsysmum2]

I, too, will clear poo into ditch or under a hedge. In fact Natural England have advised people to do that when poo bags are not available or when on long country walks. Any kind of clearing up is better than none.

I often pick up other dog poo if it is where I walk regularly. I do not want to step in it. If it is not possible to use a stick or boot I pick it up in a bag covered hand and deposit it under a hedge or in the adjacent field.

I did a straw poll, once, of local dog owners about poo picking. None of them minded picking up after their dog but many said that they do not like carrying it around. I have told our Parish Council this to encourage them to supply more poo bins. The trouble is they put the bins at the start of the footpaths leaving the village. They need to be half way along or at the end.

One thing that seemed to work well was a notice from the Dog Warden that read something like "Please be vigilant and report any breaches of the by laws on dog fouling" This, I think, made people think they might be being watched. The paths seemed clearer around that notice anyway

 

[excuseme]

I hate seeing where people make the effort to pick up their poo and then hang it on the nearest fence or throw it into hedgerows where it will hang for months!

Much better as already suggested to carefully stick your toe behind it and shove it under a bush or away from the footpath, where it will disperse much quicker than a bag.

We have a footpath that runs through our field and poo bags are quiet often hung on the fence or just left on the ground. Ugh!!! just sooo horrible.

We had to fence off our footpath with stock fencing to stop walkers dogs shitting in our field, picking up our own dog mess is easy as they are raw fed and their

poo's are like hard torpedos. Whereas most of the offending poo's are huge soft and fluffy, full of grain and so unpleasant!

 

[gypsysmum2]

Funny you should post that. On my regular dog walk I noticed that someone has been chucking their bagged poo in a field where horses graze!! As I said above if you do not want to carry a bag full of poo then empty the bag somewhere off the path and invert the bag to dispose of at home. As for hanging it on trees - what is that all about?!

 

[arealhuman]

Interesting replies! I see a lot of poo bags in trees and on fences, mostly at the entrance to a field with a bin at the other end :angry: We actually do have a council CCTV van that has been around to try and catch owner's in the act as it were (or rather their dogs ). I don't have a problem with people flicking it out of the way, but leaving loads on pavements, there's no excuse for that really.

 

[gypsysmum2]

The trouble is that one dog, walked twice daily, could leave 14 deposits a week. That is a lot of poo! 99.9% of people might be picking up after their dog and that one person causes the rest of us to be blamed for his/her laziness.

I have heard people try to justify not picking up after their dog. One chap told us that his dog had gone "in the long grass" of the park in the nearby town. He was angry that someone had challenged him about not picking up after his dog. He had hoped that we, as fellow dog walkers, would side with him. Well he was wrong.

 

[arealhuman]

The thing that gets me is just leaving it on the footpath with an actual poo bin in sight. I know my neighbours get angry about dogs messing on the pavement, and I completely agree, but it does tar as all with the same brush.

 

[Biker John]

One thing that gets me is at confirmation dog shows, the amount of poo left around and used poo bags left around the car parks. I have been to Agility shows and Whippet racing championships, at both after its over the field is clean, people automatically pick up and either bin it or take it away. So what is the matter with some show people.

 

[lurcherman]

People who don't pick up in my view isn't a proper dog owner, I walk mainly out of the way fields so most of times it ain't a problem for me but geez the amount of people who still refuse to pick up staggers me, a new law may be inforced in my area about having poo bags in your pocket! If you have none then you may be fined which is a great step forward as long as they do act on it.

 

[gypsysmum2]

I spoke to someone, once, who had lived in a London Borough. The fine there for not picking up was £1,000. The council patrolled and tried to catch people because it was a good revenue for them! She said there was never any poo anywhere!

 

[arealhuman]

I spoke to someone, once, who had lived in a London Borough. The fine there for not picking up was £1,000. The council patrolled and tried to catch people because it was a good revenue for them! She said there was never any poo anywhere!

I live in Devon and the fine where I live is also up to £1000. I've heard second-hand that the council do patrols and they also use CCTV vans to catch people not picking up after their dogs. I have mixed feelings about fining people who do not have poo bags with them - whilst in theory this is a good thing and should encourage owners to pick up, it also leads to bodies other than the Police having what amounts to powers of stop and search. Also, what if you had one bag and just used it? How do you prove that? How does the enforcing officer prove you haven't? What constitutes a legitimate poo bag (nappy sack, proper poo bag, sandwich bag, etc.). I think if I was approached about having poo bags, I would initiate a conversation along these lines, however I always have two pockets stuffed with poo bags so could demonstrate I'm properly equipped at all times

Just to drive my point home - on my usual walk someone kindly left a dog egg on a footpath 15 paces (yes, I measured it!) from a dog poo bin. Honestly.....

 

[lurcherman]

Poo bags are easy to carry sometimes 10 or more is not uncomfortable so Im not having that as a Excuse so if you want a dog then abide by the rules and laws, only one way to stop them is to kick them hard in the money pockets... If you run out of bags then it's your fault for not being sensible enough to not have the bags in your pocket to put yourself on the wrong side of the law,,,

 

[arealhuman]

Poo bags are easy to carry sometimes 10 or more is not uncomfortable so I having that as. Excuse so if you want a dog then abide by the rules and laws, only one way to stop them is to kick them hard in the money pockets... If you run out of bags then it's your fault for not being sensible enough to not have the bags in your pocket to put yourself on the wrong side of the law,,,

I agree with all of that, just pointing out the logistics of enforcement. I;ve just got back in from another walk, and guess what I found under the poo bin near where I live? A pile of dog turds. Right under the bin! What's wrong with these people? :rant:

 

[lurcherman]

Total loons with no brain cells.

 

[Benchster]

I always pick up if its likely to be walked in but where Alfie prefers to "go" it's generally inaccessible to the simple two legged bread us human are so I generally leave that to decompose naturally!!

 

[arealhuman]

Found out yesterday that my local council allows bagged dog poo to be put in public bins for general waste - this is good as it sometimes saves a long diversion in the morning

 

[lurcherman]

Same here in fife, it's got a sticker on the bins to say it's fine, even if it didn't I'd still put them in any bin as better than in sight.

 

[gypsysmum2]

And can go in general waste at home.

 

[JoanneF]

Same here in fife, it's got a sticker on the bins to say it's fine, even if it didn't I'd still put them in any bin as better than in sight.

Didn't know you were in Fife - me too!