Guest Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 lol I have been having a little think about this for a little while now... ...Does anyone else agree that clearing up after dog poop is complete insanity? I think it's fair enough on tarmac pathways and playing fields/parks/campsites etc. But it's going too far when you are talking about rural and/or coastal areas. Have a little think about this and ask yourself is it really worth it? Cost/environmental impact of manufacturing plastic bins Cost/environmental impact of placing/installing plastic bins Cost of employing people to empty plastic bins Environmental impact of increased plastic bag waste CO2 created from collecting and transporting waste into landfill In Cornwall some people fulfil their duty by picking up their dog poo and just leave it in the middle of the path which surely defeats the object. Usually this is because there aren’t enough bins or they are full. Surely all of the above is more damaging to the environment than just leaving it to biodegrade naturally. Also if the argument still exists that dog poo needs to be picked up, then so should cow poo, horse poo, sheep poo, rabbit poo, cat poo and every other animals poo. They all create unpleasant smells and they all have the ability to transmit disease. Rant over... (Sorry) lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 You only have to have your toddler tread in dog dirt and you not notice, and then have him accidentally smear it all over the inside of the car to come to the conclusion that it should be picked up. And an unwormed dog is likely to be harbouring Toxicara canis, which can cause blindness.....so in parks, playing fields, beaches etc, anywhere where children are likely to be playing, people picnicing etc....then yes....I am afraid I do think it should be picked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Yes, pick it up. There's nothing worse than wandering through beautiful rural scenery, woodland or along the dunes but having to keep your eyes firmly on the ground to avoid treading in dog mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 You can't compare horse, rabbit, sheep or anything that eats grass to dog poo. They eat meat so their poo does stink!! chicken poo is nice smelling compared to that. If its where others walk, especially with children then yes clear it up. Nothing worse than walking through some and not noticing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 As a dog owner I think it's important to pick up the poop, Daisie has run in other dogs poop before and I've got it on my wellies. BBx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 You only have to have your toddler tread in dog dirt and you not notice, and then have him accidentally smear it all over the inside of the car to come to the conclusion that it should be picked up. . Sorry, I didn't realise toddlers went on hikes in the country. I assumed they were in well supervised, safe environments until they were old enough and their body had developed enough to be able to take them on long walks. Any walker in the country needs to be alert and look where they are stepping at the same time. Otherwise they may trip on an obstacle. So not looking down isn't really a valid excuse. And an unwormed dog is likely to be harbouring Toxicara canis, which can cause blindness.....so in parks, playing fields, beaches etc, anywhere where children are likely to be playing, people picnicing etc....then yes....I am afraid I do think it should be picked up. - Don't be afraid lol, I 100% Agree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Maybe instead of red bins green cones should be dotted around. I use biodegradable nappy sacks but I do wish there was a friendly version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilda-and-evadne Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Even when my dog and I are out of London, I still pick up after him. Dog poo takes WEEKS to break down (during which, of course, it provides an ideal place for worms and bacteria to live). I would say the same, even if we were talking about human poo - some dogs produce a similar volume - I am not sentimental about dog poo. It is different, if the droppings come from an animal that eats mostly grass. Fox poo is even more vile than dog poo, because of what they eat I guess, but I am not suggesting that we pick up after wild animals. On edit: our local council provides free biodegradable dog poo bags. I get a box of 2,000 delivered to me every six months or so which I then distribute among other dog-walkers and owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Green cones would be a great idea, but you would still need plastic bags to pick up the poo Drives me nuts when people allow their dogs to poo on the pavement I heard a programme about dog poo on the radio, there hasn't been a case of Toxicara canis in living memory, according to the experts. My dog doesn't 'do' public toilets and always poos in my back garden Tessa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Sorry, I didn't realise toddlers went on hikes in the country. I assumed they were in well supervised, safe environments until they were old enough and their body had developed enough to be able to take them on long walks. Any walker in the country needs to be alert and look where they are stepping at the same time. Otherwise they may trip on an obstacle. So not looking down isn't really a valid excuse. It depends on your definition of 'a long hike in the country'. Although it's unlikely I would take my toddlers for a mountain hike, they are perfectly capable of tramping across several fields to get to our local canal, walk along it and tramp across several more fields on the way back. We do this kind of walk on a regular basis and I always pick up after my dog, unless he goes under a hedge, well away from the path. I agree that it is more likely to decompose there than be found by a stray foot. But toddlers do not always look where they are going (although some are better at it then others! ) so it is better picked up. And if there are no bins, it should be carried home and binned. As long as it is not then thrown into the hedge in it's bag - a practice that seems quite common in some fields I have been through. My friend is a farmers wife and she gets fed up of retrieving bags full of dog poo from the hedges around their fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Sorry, I didn't realise toddlers went on hikes in the country. I assumed they were in well supervised, safe environments until they were old enough and their body had developed enough to be able to take them on long walks. You didn't realise that toddlers went out for hikes in the country? Goodness. My children alway came with us on hikes, not 11 milers you understand, but family walks. I assure you that they were well supervised at all times, and the walks were "safe"...not precipitous or dangerous. When tired, they were carried in back packs and were never subjected to walks that were beyond the capabilities of their developing bodies. Encountering a pile of dog dirt that an inconsiderate owner had not cleaned up would probably have been the most dangerous obstacle they would find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Any walker in the country needs to be alert and look where they are stepping at the same time. Otherwise they may trip on an obstacle. So not looking down isn't really a valid excuse. Nor are naturally occuring obstacles a valid excuse for you to not clear up after your dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly Welly Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 My psrents don't pick up after their dogs if they walk them in the woods and i'm always moaning at them about it. If other people walk there too, pick it up, its that simple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) im a dog lover and countryside lover. I pick up after my dog....it doesnt worry me picking it up, I suppose its something we get used too! There's is no excuse im afraid for not picking it up, everyone has a bag of somesort. I cannot abide going for a lovely jaunt along a canal path or in the woods and have to dodge or dance around fly infested heaps of poo or if I happen to "miss" a pile - then find my beloved pink crocs covered in poo or hubby has trodden in it and is sat in the car and its all gone over the car excelerator pedal it ruins one's picnic in the countryside you know! Edited April 7, 2008 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 We go on "walks in the woods", not necessarily full-on umpteen mile hikes, but my 2 have always been reasonably happy to spend a whole afternoon out, as long as we go at their pace and make it interesting for them. If they get tired they get a piggy-back. I miss it now that DS is at school and we can only go at weekends and school holidays. I always pick up after my dog - wherever it is, as I feel it's common courtesy. I hate spotting what other dog owners have left behind and having to tell the kids to watch where they step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Dog owners should ALWAYS clean up after their pets EVERYWHERE Dogs muck really stinks and contains all sorts of nasties that are best avoided. People should be able to go for a walk and admire the scenery without having to drag one foot through the grass for several yards to get rid of the offensive mess that they've picked up on their shoe because someone else couldn't be bothered to clean up behind their dog. Children of all ages do go for walks in the country. Even little ones like to get out of the buggy and walk for short distances. Children (and adults) often fail to watch where they are stepping. No matter how vigilant parents are children do step in dogs muck and they can trip over their own feet with surprising ease. The last thing any parent needs is a child landing in dogs muck. It takes seconds to clean up after your dog and can save someone elses day being ruined. Sorry rant over... hubby is a real poo magnet and I've had to suffer long car rides home trying to ignore the smell of dog muck that he's tracked into the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Well, if it is OK for dog poop to be all over the place and not picked up by their owners, I wonder how people would feel when humans left piles on paths, parks and anywhere in the country everytime they got caught without a loo in sight? It is dirty - pick it up with whatever comes to hand. If you are so environMENTALly friendly, use a big sheet of newspaper! Most responsible dog owners manage to do it so there's no excuse for the lazy people who can't clean up after themselves. So ends my rant for the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imo Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Always, ALWAYS, pick up the poop our dog creates when she's out on her walk, even though we're in a rural area and she's usually no where near a path. It's just kinder, and common sense tells you that it isn't healthy for dog poop to be all over the place!! Although it really gets on my nerve when people will bag it and then just leave it on the ground, and not chuck it in the appropriate bin... THEN it's just a big mess and just plain inconsiderate. Still, if that's my only complaint of the day, then I'd say I'm very lucky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Always pick up... I rarely go anywhere without a selection of blue nappy sacks in a pocket! They come in handy for all sorts of things but are not good for collecting conkers in!! I get really fed up with the other dog walkers who leave piles of poo in the verges and footpaths that I walk along - it is just downright antisocial and if there are no poo bins they could always take it home and put it in their own black bin collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I've stopped walking our dogs with a friend of mine because she won't pick up after her dog when we cross the fields Her logic is that it's not going to get trodden in What about cattle eating it or it being cut and siledged for storage There really is no excuse. Karen x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 We always clear up after Jazz - and use the bio-degradeable nappy sacks. She goes at home before we go out and we just don't want poo all over the farmland. My grandchildren walk all over the land. My children, and now my grandchildren, have all been hikers from an early age and dog poo is vile stuff if it gets on shoes . We don't mind the other poo on the farm......... as someone has already said, the other animals don't eat meat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 we're of the always clean it up no matter where we go brigade too, and doing this I've picked up other peoples mess as well if it's near where Molly "went". Joe gets the biodegradable colostomy disposal bags from work that are almost the same as nappy bags but don't "smell" of baby - not used to all those Johnsons kinda smells and they're usually far too strong for me I went out the other night and just went into my leather jacket and found three bags in there!! A xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basset Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I agree that all dog owners should pick up after their dog all the time. My children's school is surrounded by parkland and most of the children walk across it to get to school. It disgusts me that so many dog-owners can't be bothered to pick up, and as a result it is a common occurence for the children to step in the smelly stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Sorry, I didn't realise toddlers went on hikes in the country. I assumed they were in well supervised, safe environments until they were old enough and their body had developed enough to be able to take them on long walks. And an unwormed dog is likely to be harbouring Toxicara canis, which can cause blindness.....so in parks, playing fields, beaches etc, anywhere where children are likely to be playing, people picnicing etc....then yes....I am afraid I do think it should be picked up. - Don't be afraid lol, I 100% Agree! What about these pushchairs with 3 wheels which go everywhere nowadays - I presume the parents wont want poo on their wheels - stands to reason we need to pick up after the dog wherever it is without question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 What about these pushchairs with 3 wheels which go everywhere nowadays - I presume the parents wont want poo on their wheels - stands to reason we need to pick up after the dog wherever it is without question. And "Off Road" wheel chair users! A friend of our has spina bifida and uses a light as a feather, strong as a horse wheelchair to get out and about in the country....along cycle trails etc. You'd be amazed at where she can get to! You want to hear what she has to say about people who don't have the good manners to clean up after their dogs. It seems that you are on your own with this one Offspring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...