Poo in the Park (and on the streets)

[TreforL]

I have a dog and am pleased to see so many lockdown pups in ED. Some owners (new and old) seem to think they can do their phone business and still see what their dog is doing. I have seen a number of owners on their phones and looking one way while their dog poos on the pavement behind them.

Do we really want to be one of those areas where you have to check your shoes before going inside, and full poo bags are left in the tree?

Anyone agree? Or am I on my own?

[niall]

upon reading the title, i thought this was some new festival.

[Moovart]

I have a dog and am pleased to see so many lockdown pups in ED. Some owners (new and old) seem to think they can do their phone business and still see what their dog is doing. I have seen a number of owners on their phones and looking one way while their dog poos on the pavement behind them.

Do we really want to be one of those areas where you have to check your shoes before going inside, and full poo bags are left in the tree?

Anyone agree? Or am I on my own?

 

Oh that's the "if I concentrate, or pretend to, on something so much that I don't see my dog do it's business and no one calls me out on it, I'll get away with having to pick up a dog turd and walking round with it" technique. Because as we all know it is pretty revolting having to carry a bag of dog turd around until you reach an even more revolting doggy do bin.

Anyone who gets a dog should have to first pass a test of picking up a dog turd and walking with it until they reach a smelly doggy do bin, for however long that takes, and if they can't do this repeatedly and therefore fail the test then they shouldn't be allowed to have a dog!!!

Offending dog owners are just yucky!

[Mystic Mog]

Shame so many 'lockdown pups' are being abandoned, rescue centres are full!

[Siduhe]

It's a variation on a theme but we have a neighbour who walks with his dog past most days and drops his poo bags into our neighbours' green bins - it's a small block of flats so there are 3 green bins. But add two bags a day for 14 days and the bin absolutely stinks, esp in hot weather. It's incredibly frustrating as he's been asked not to several times, but carries on doing it. If you go out and eyeball him as he walks past, he crosses the road and drops it someone else's green bin but it's the same sort of theme - leave it for anyone else to deal with...

[BillyOcean]

Shame so many 'lockdown pups' are being abandoned, rescue centres are full!

 

I have heard this several times, but cannot see any evidence of it?

I have a dog and always carry and their poo.

In the Rye have approached about 10 people asking if they needed a poo bag, when not picking up their dogs poo.

The responses are normally "oh did he / she do a poo, I didn't realise as I am a business person on my phone"

Have found this approach a lot less confrontational, as people tend to have shorter fuses early in the morning.

[BrandNewGuy]

Shame so many 'lockdown pups' are being abandoned, rescue centres are full!

 

I have heard this several times, but cannot see any evidence of it?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62610727

"There has been a "sharp rise" in the number of dogs being abandoned as the cost-of-living crisis deepens, a rescue centre has said.

Hope Rescue Centre in Rhondda Cynon Taf said it had taken 300 calls in the past three months about pets.

The centre said it was caused by a "perfect storm" of an increase in dog ownership during lockdown alongside the cost-of-living crisis.

In the year after the first lockdown, UK households bought 3.2 million pets."

And a year ago, before the 'cost of living crisis':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-58996017

"Covid: Dogs bought in lockdown being abandoned"

[Puppa smurf]

I keep having to clear dog poo from my front door. It's so frustrating that today I step outside and someone has allowed their dog to poo at the door.

If you are a dog owner you should clean up the dog muck that your dog leaves behind and not allow it to fowl at someone else's property😡

[Penguin68]

I've had both cats and foxes poo outside both my front and my terrace door recently. Not every animal has their own poo bag carrier. Are you sure its source is canine?

[HeadNun]

I keep having to clear dog poo from my front door. It's so frustrating that today I step outside and someone has allowed their dog to poo at the door.

If you are a dog owner you should clean up the dog muck that your dog leaves behind and not allow it to fowl at someone else's property😡

 

yes, this could well be a fox. I have a spiteful one who loves poo-ing on my front doorstep.

[BillyOcean]

Shame so many 'lockdown pups' are being abandoned, rescue centres are full!

 

I have heard this several times, but cannot see any evidence of it?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62610727

"There has been a "sharp rise" in the number of dogs being abandoned as the cost-of-living crisis deepens, a rescue centre has said.

Hope Rescue Centre in Rhondda Cynon Taf said it had taken 300 calls in the past three months about pets.

The centre said it was caused by a "perfect storm" of an increase in dog ownership during lockdown alongside the cost-of-living crisis.

In the year after the first lockdown, UK households bought 3.2 million pets."

And a year ago, before the 'cost of living crisis':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-58996017

"Covid: Dogs bought in lockdown being abandoned"

 

Hardly conclusive, BBC Wales. Thank you though.

[BrandNewGuy]

The RSPCA too:

https://news.sky.com/story/rspca-warns-over-dogs-being-abandoned-as-owners-struggle-with-returning-to-work-and-cost-of-living-rise-12540565

[malumbu]

Just be grateful that the vast majority of owners do pick up poo, which wasn't the case say 49 years ago.

Unless we move to a surveillance/police state it will never be 100 percent

[ed26]

Definitely less poo on the streets than 40 years ago (I can't comment on 49), but also definitely more on the streets than 10 years ago. Not really sure what resulted in the reduction - was it that it became socially unacceptable to leave dog poo around, or that the public became more aware of the health risks, or better cleaning from the Council? But the jokes about "you don't see white dog poo any more" seemed to correspond with the reduction.

But there seems to be more irresponsible dog owners than 10+ years ago in general, and not just lockdown pups, as this trend has been happening since I moved to ED. My daughter gets sniffed around by lots more dogs than previously (and she's scared of dogs), and owners have become increasingly shirty when I've asked them to try to keep their dogs away. There's a lot more dogs off leads in the "on leads" part of the park, like around the pond. And a woman recently was letting her dog sniff around the kids' picnics in the no dogs picnic area, justifying it with "don't worry, she's harmless." Another woman let her dog curl out a massive one right next to my car when I was about to get in it, but when I asked her what she was going to do about it, she told me to "f?%*k off."

The Council also seemed to reduce cleaning efforts during lockdown that haven't been reinstated recently. The amount of poo, fly-tipping, etc. is a disgrace (and gutter weeds, although I'm not sure whether this is the same department as street cleaning).

[Sue]

(and gutter weeds, although I'm not sure whether this is the same department as street cleaning).

 

I had assumed that the gutter weeds/wild flowers were due to the council stopping spraying, for environmental and/or rewilding reasons?

[malumbu]

Meant to say 40 years ago. Behaviour change prompted by the 'right thing to do' so bagging up the poo became the norm, similar to recycling your domestic waste. Never saw both 40 years ago, now most do.

Have no idea if it has got worse again. Know many who bought rats, sorry small dogs, in recent years but the demographic is definitely those who pick it up. For those where a more aggressive dog is a sign of status doubt whether numbers have changed greatly. I'm trying to avoid stereotypes!

[first mate]

Malumbu said "Know many who bought rats, sorry small dogs,"

Bit unnecessary.

[Jenijenjen]

(and gutter weeds, although I'm not sure whether this is the same department as street cleaning).

 

I had assumed that the gutter weeds/wild flowers were due to the council stopping spraying, for environmental and/or rewilding reasons?

 

I’ve see them being removed recently with a hand held hoe-like tool

[Jenijenjen]

Meant to say 40 years ago. Behaviour change prompted by the 'right thing to do' so bagging up the poo became the norm, similar to recycling your domestic waste. Never saw both 40 years ago, now most do.

 

From my own observations though it is those who were around 40 years ago who are not picking up. Not saying that everyone who was around 40 years ago do not pick up!

[first mate]

Jenijen,

Having seen some recent reports on the effects of glysophate- the commonly used broad spectrum herbicide, I would advocate hand weeding or hoeing.

[Jenijenjen]

Exactly, Southwark Council are doing the right thing

[shazza76]

The was a massive dog poo in Goose Green playground (grass bit) the other day-absolutely disgusting!