Dog walkers in Dulwich Park this morning.

[contented sow]

To the incredibly civilised looking women in the Dulwich Park cafe this morning around 9.45am. I think this was some kind of dog walking group as there were around 20 women in the cafe while aprox ten-15 dogs waited outside. Some dogs (three- four I think) were on leads, the others roamed around freely, one laying a giant turd under one of the picnic tables. Another begged at our feet, licking my two year old's hands and taking his breakfast from his hands as he sat. Although a sheet of clear glass separated this lovable pooch from it's owner, they stayed inside the cafe sipping their latte unannounced. As some of the group left the cafe talking about how they must now walk their dogs, I asked if our shaggy breakfast companion belonged to them. They quickly said no. Regardless I pointed out the early christmas present that Lassie had laid under the table and suggested the owner may want to clear this up so others could enjoy the area. They walked away (with dogs)with no further interaction. Two hours later I came back to the cafe (and not just on dog poo duty) and the incriminating turd was still laying in prize position ready for an unwitting heel/ child's hand to squid into it.

OBVIOUSLY parks are there for everyone - parents, dog owners and all in-between. But if my two year old had whipped down his pants and laid a beast under their table while they were eating, (while I ignored him then left it)I suspect these women wouldn't have acted in quite the privileged, entitled way in which they responded to me today...please clean up after your dogs. It's not only an incredibly selfish, unsociable act, it also dangerous - and the conscious perpetrators are far too often those that have an air of social authority. Rant over.

[dimples]

Well said

( from a responsible dog owner )

Give us good one a bad name !

[Robert Poste's Child]

If they're a group you could go back next week at the same time, or perhaps slightly earlier, and see who the dog arrives with.

[Take Note]

Agree with both of the above:

Unfortunately there's a lot of unseen "dropping" that goes on - particularly when they're jogging in pairs, or chatting on their phones sublimely unawares...It's precisely this sort of behaviour which gets ALL dog-owners in trouble, and results in unnecessary and ill-thought out blanket rules affecting everyone.

[Jennys]

Hope this makes you feel better: last week I walked through the park and noticed a woman on her mobile phone taking no notice of her dog that was trailing behind her. The dog found something disgusting in the horse track and rolled joyfully in it. I could see something unpleasant sticking to the dog?s back. The dog then ran along to join its owner who was still yacking on her phone and oblivious of what she would now need to deal with.

[ollieloudon]

Calm down hun. Dont think its a crime to walk your dog and talk on the phone

[Zebedee Tring]

Surely the point that Jennys was making that the woman was taking no notice of what her dog was doing because she was preoccupied with her phone conversation. This should have been pretty obvious from her post.

[tomskip]

If the dog who crapped under the table didn't belong to the women in the cafe, I'm not sure what you expected them to do? Clean up after a stranger's dog?

[sabrina79]

Why you did not complain inside at the cafe ? it was not better to talk with a member of the staff regarding the dog outside ? dogs (by law) needs to be walked with short lead . If you don t and dog can cause problem to other dogs or people you can report the owner .

Regarding the dog s poo you can find everywhere in those days ,sadly . It is very frustrated when I m with a pushchair and no able to see the poo I step on it with the wheel !!!! Dogs are like children .You need to look after them At all the time !! .If you can t ..buy a toy teddy bear instead ;)

Like other people from the Forum said ...You can t blame the people walking away with their dogs ....what they were suppose to do to this dog?