Not a dog owner myself, but plenty here in Glasgow.
For some inexplicable reason, the dog owners have decided to use the grassy children’s play area as THE place in town to let their pooches poop.
One bloke did point out that he takes his dog there to avoid the smaller dogs in the park.
The owners collect the poop. But if it was that harmless, surely they could let the dogs poop in their living room?
It wouldn’t be impossible for the owners to form a dog club and petition the council for proper caged-off dog facilities. Chain-link fence, bucket and spade. Simples.
maybe take things further and requisition some common ground for their dogs to play.
In the meantime, can’t we have a national campaign to teach dogs to poop over the storm drain?
save the dog owners having to pick up any mess.
some kind of ad:
”please teach pup to use the storm drain…it’s grrrrrate!”
In the meantime, can’t we have a national campaign to teach dogs to poop over the storm drain?
I remember a thing from many years ago which was 'kerb your dog' asking owners to get their dog to crap in the road gutter. With the lack of gulley maintenance and rain to wash the chucks into the grids roads would just be awash with shite and even the responsible owners, (the vast majority, only a few non-pickupers get everyone a bad name) would get out of the habit of bagging it from other areas.
Plus your dog would probably get run over by a truck.
Saying all this as a dog owner.
Trouble is, there's a HUGE variety of personalities lumped under "dog owner" - I'd say the majority are responsible, pick up shite, take their dogs to sensible walking areas, put them on leads when necessary. But there are others that are utter scum. Leave their dogs' shite where children play.. etc.. You can't legislate for the scumbags, unfortunately. They are just scumbags.
There should be no need for this question as dogs should not be in kids play areas, full stop. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to be on board with this
Yeah, I think dog owning is a bit like cycling or wild camping, in that it takes only a relatively small number of idiots to create a very visible issue. We have a small local railway tunnel nicknamed - and on Strava too - 'Dog shit tunnel' for very obvious reasons. It's at the edge of what I call 'the village of death', a small estate of retirement bungalows owned by people mostly waiting for the arrival of the Grim Reaper.
Some of them have dogs. It only takes two of them, say, to walk their dog down the tunnel twice a day and let it crap there each time to create a huge problem. That'd be 14 each per week, so 28 piles of dog poop arriving there each week. Then one day, it more or less stopped. I figure either the dog or its owner simply carked it solving the problem pretty much instantly.
But yes, some dog owners are massive idiots. I blame people.
I would honestly never take my dog to a childrens play area. It would be a bleedin nightmare. I'd rather be as far away from any one as possible so I can let her off the lead and let her run around and do a bit of piss sniffing with freedom.
My dog seems to like to poo in the middle of the road though!!....
I took her out for a walk the other day and didn't have any poo bags on me(!), so I had to call my son to bring me one while Sandy and I waited next to it, fortunatley it was quite where she'd poo'd on that occasion.
Dog owner and animal lover here. Can’t understand several things about other dog owners.
- Don't pick up free them.
- Do pick up after them and hang it on a tree branch or on a fence.
- Let/encourage their dogs to jump up people - if I hear “they are just being friendly” again - I will scream.
- Extendable dog leads all across a wide space that is used by all sorts of users.
- Uncontrolled dogs running free off lead - including on dedicated bike trails.
Boils my piss.
There's a nice ice cream place in the country near here (Morwick Dairy, for the locals). They have a small grassy area out front with benches, and a children's play area. Last time I was there, there was a big dog turd in the middle of the grass. I absolutely can't get my head around the level of stupidity on the part of the dog owner who thought that was OK.
Unfortunately the range of people owning dogs also includes completely ignorant of what it is doing, due to; looking at phone, chatting to somebody, taking photographs, being pissed/stoned, dementia, all of the above. A fair number of these turds are dropped without the owner even noticing.
I have springer spaniels, every minute of every walk is fully engaged with keeping them entertained/under control, there isn't a single second for day dreaming.
When you say ‘grassy children’s play area’, is it a formally designated children’s play area, or just a suitable grassy spot that the kids tend to congregate at ?
If the former then dogs should not be there, and there should be appropriate signage advising owners that dogs not allowed. If not then it’s public open space and can be used, responsibly, by all. Responsible means dogs under control and poo bagged and properly disposed of.
Responsible dog owner, in Glasgow.
There should be no need for this question as dogs should not be in kids play areas, full stop. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to be on board with this
Demarcation is an issue.
There's a park near me. There's a (now fenced-off) area with swings and slides and the like, and a big field behind it where as kids we used to play football.
Who has rights to use the public field? Five kids kicking a ball about; a procession of dog walkers; a couple of cyclists; a family out for a walk? This was long before things like 'poo bags' even existed. Was it a kids' play area, a doggie latrine, both, neither, or heaven forbid a "shared space"?
The only time I recall conflict was on the rare occasions when a ball accidentally went over the fence into the crown-green bowling area behind, the gimmers in cricket whites really didn't like that, they were the sorts of people who would shove a knife through the ball rather than allow you to retrieve it. Maybe we should be taking the same approach with irresponsible dog owners.
When you say ‘grassy children’s play area’, is it a formally designated children’s play area, or just a suitable grassy spot that the kids tend to congregate at ?
Is the question I was going to ask.
It wouldn’t be impossible for the owners to form a dog club and petition the council for proper caged-off dog facilities. Chain-link fence, bucket and spade. Simples.
I am not sure if you are being tongue-in-cheek here – people don't want to walk their dogs in the same space every day. Likewise, dogs need variety – a relatively short period of sniffing during a walk can be as tiring as a longer period of physical exercise for a dog. Mental stimulation from new smells and environments engages a dog's brain, leading to fatigue.
When you say ‘grassy children’s play area’, is it a formally designated children’s play area, or just a suitable grassy spot that the kids tend to congregate at ?
If lots of kids play there it's not a suitable to place for your dog to crap, official or not. That would seem fairly straightforward to any non-dog owner or really anyone with half a brain.
All dogs must be registered on the National Dog Database. All public areas will be patrolled by enforcement officers (turd wardens?) with a DNA testing gadget that they poke into every dog egg they find, gadget then shows the registered address. Said dog egg then gets delivered back through the owner's letterbox for proper disposal.
Vote for me!
If lots of kids play there it's not a suitable to place for your dog to crap, official or not. That would seem fairly straightforward to any non-dog owner or really anyone with half a brain.
I disagree – if the owner clears up any mess, they have as much right to be there as anyone else. FWIW, on one of my walks, there is a playground that is fully fenced off and obviously nobody goes in with dogs. However, there is a sign saying 'No Ball Games Allowed', so the kids play games in the grassy area outside the playground. So should I not walk my dogs there, or should the kids stay in the playground? Or should we all just be sensible? FWIW, if I see anyone not picking up after their dog, I always offer them a poo bag 😂
FWIW, if I see anyone not picking up after their dog, I always offer them a poo bag
I see that so often on the pavements round here that I've considered carrying some myself (not a dog owner) to do just that, but don't have the guts to try 😝
What kind of response do you get?
As a responsible dog owner, I fully agree with everything you say.
What we have here is a classic case of 'It's not the dog(s), it's the owner(s)'.
Many people who should not be allowed them, have dogs. Licensing and compulsory training certification, etc, would help, but would incur cost, and the country is broke I suppose.
As a responsible dog owner, I fully agree with everything you say.
What we have here is a classic case of 'It's not the dog(s), it's the owner(s)'.
Many people who should not be allowed them, have dogs. Licensing and compulsory training certification, etc, would help, but would incur cost, and the country is broke I suppose.
And the only ones who would partake would be responsible dog owners. Many owners still wouldn't bother doing it because they know there will never be any enforcement of it. Look at other examples, e.g. the increase in cars being driven without insurance or licence, illegal trade in 'dangerous dog breeds', baby robin grooming . There are many illegal acts taking place every day that aren't policed so adding more won't make much difference, as much as I hope it would.
I disagree – if the owner clears up any mess, they have as much right to be there as anyone else
You can guarantee that all of your crap is picked up? No smears left on the grass? Your dog is not going to have a runny one that's going to end up on some child's skin? As someone above mentioned, it doesn't take many dogs to cover an area with crap, cleaned up or not. Residue smeared in the grass or turds just left there - it's still toxic.
So should I not walk my dogs there
The problem isn't the walking it's the crapping.
What kind of response do you get?
Generally confused, sometimes a bit angry/put-out, but I've never had someone not pick up.
You can guarantee that all of your crap is picked up? No smears left on the grass? Your dog is not going to have a runny one that's going to end up on some child's skin? As someone above mentioned, it doesn't take many dogs to cover an area with crap, cleaned up or not. Residue smeared in the grass or turds just left there - it's still toxic.
So I shouldn't walk my dog somewhere because it is near somewhere designated for children? That's fine, that's that cleared up then (unless it was too runny).
I am sure there will be vets in this forum but us it not the case that the primary risk from dog shit is toxocara. Does regular worming by responsible owners not eliminate this.
Aside from fenced off okay areas dogs and children have always shared open spaces. I am not aware of an epidemic of disease from it.
80/20 raw diet, they're like little bullets...easy to pick up and put through folks' letterboxes/roll in front cyclists etc.
Does regular worming by responsible owners not eliminate this.
That word again, so often missing in the real world.
So I shouldn't walk my dog somewhere because it is near somewhere designated for children? That's fine, that's that cleared up then (unless it was too runny).
Perhaps, if your dogshit can get on to kids who use the area a lot maybe it's a good idea to find somewhere else to walk your pooch? Is that difficult? I grew up with dogs but haven't owned one for about 15 years - I don't remember it being imperative that I let the dogs crap near kids.
In the meantime, can’t we have a national campaign to teach dogs to poop over the storm drain?
Noooooo. We already have enough houses misconnected onto our storm drains. We don’t want dog crap washed into our rivers and sea. The bacti load in runoff from hard surfaces can be significant so it is important that everyone cleans up after their dog wherever they crap and that they take to bags home or dispose of them in appropriate bins.
Perhaps, if your dogshit can get on to kids who use the area a lot maybe it's a good idea to find somewhere else to walk your pooch? Is that difficult? I grew up with dogs but haven't owned one for about 15 years - I don't remember it being imperative that I let the dogs crap near kids.
Kids can be anywhere. Do I not walk my dogs anywhere where children might play? Like parks, in the woods, on the beach?
Apart from most of what has been said already the thing that I can never understand is..... why, why bag the poo and then leave it on the ground or hang it from a tree.... why bother bagging it in the first place??? What is the mentality?
Also, the thing that never seems to get mentioned is that dogs pee everywhere as well...... this obviously never gets treated or retrieved but I can't think it's healthy either.
dogs pee everywhere
In other news, so does every other wild animal...and you should see the amount of bird shit on my car after I parked under a power line 😉
Thank you for the replies.
it is a designated children’s play area.
its not been cordoned off, but there are several kinds of things that children and adults alike, can play on.
(I’ll nip outside and post some pics).
when I suggested that dog owners encourage their pets to poop through the storm drain, I was thinking of the actual storm grate with the bars.
then again, that probably only works for very small dogs.
but, assuming that the poop splashes down, is that still within the letter of the law?
I guess that the regular storm effulgenct is going to tbe sewage works anyway,
in terms of dog owners collectively sequestering dog-only play areas. By doing so it may facilitate the identification of all those urban nooks and crannies for the land registry.
said nooks and crannies could be repurposed into dog areas or small basketball courts.
Back soon!
I guess that the regular storm effulgenct is going to tbe sewage works anyway
Only if the drain is served by a combined system. In many cases it is not and the drains discharge into surface waters/sea.
Kids can be anywhere. Do I not walk my dogs anywhere where children might play? Like parks, in the woods, on the beach
You should not be letting them crap where kids play no. Dog crap is disease ridden and foul.
TJ - you need to read (and understand) what I have said.
Oh I have read it and understood it. I just think letting your dog crap where children play is unacceptable even if you pick up what you can.
It should be stated that the huge minority of dog owners around here pick up afterwards.
here it is: Mansfield park, at the foot of Hyndland St.
the play area (at least implicitly designated so by the placement of rides).
it’s also a popular spot for people to sit down under the trees, enjoying the shade on warm days.
I think the hygiene issue here is that kids are continually touching things and sticking their fingers in their mouths.
That probably bolsters immunity, unless it’s e-coli.
the ‘park’ is one of the few spaces in which people can go, to enjoy a take away coffee.
if you stroll out of the nearest greggs, your coffee would be cold before you reached kelvingrove park.
so, it’s a popular spot. Rammed in the summer.
It’s a park in name only. It’s really too small for shared dog/ human occupancy.
personally, i think it would be simpler to designate it and other common grounds as dog-free.
A lot of the dog owners treat it like it’s their back garden. Only they don’t really use it recreationally, it’s just somewhere to let the dog out.
if the dog owners were banned from using these areas, they’d actually have to make an effort to ‘walk’ their dogs further than 50 yards a day.
You can tell a lot about the dog owners health from their own dog.
gout? Diabetes? High cholesterol?
id much rather see these dogs and their owners actually try to get some exercise.
theres an entire city at their doorstep.
in the words of Hellraisers ‘Pinhead’, “go ahead, explore”.
encouraging dog owners to explore their environs would rekindle an awareness of the local networks of paths.
the council erected this fence over an area of subsidence.
how much extra would it cost to add a bucket and spade?
Oh I have read it and understood it. I just think letting your dog crap where children play is unacceptable even if you pick up what you can.
But you really have not - I don't allow my dogs into children's areas and I always clear up after them wherever we go (and tell others to when they have not done so with their dogs). But I don't agree that I should not walk my dogs near where children play as that could be anywhere and everywhere I could go. Do you understand yet?
You can tell a lot about the dog owners health from their own dog.
gout? Diabetes? High cholesterol?
id much rather see these dogs and their owners actually try to get some exercise.
theres an entire city at their doorstep.
Cue vitreol...
You can tell a lot about the dog owners health from their own dog.
gout? Diabetes? High cholesterol?
id much rather see these dogs and their owners actually try to get some exercise.
theres an entire city at their doorstep.
Cue vitreol...
But I don't agree that I should not walk my dogs near where children play as that could be anywhere and everywhere I could go. Do you understand yet?
Yes I understood your point from the beginning and disagree strongly.
Yes I understood your point from the beginning and disagree strongly
You strongly disagree that I should be allowed to walk my dogs in public areas if they are near to children’s facilities? Or is there something else I am missing here? Can you suggest where I can walk my dogs where it won’t be near where children may be?
I strongly disagree its acceptable to let your dog crap near where children play. Its not "walking the dog" - its letting the dog shit
Your garden is the place to let it crap or a specific dog crapping area where folk know there will be crap
or a specific dog crapping area where folk know there will be crap
You know, as an intelligent adult as I know you are, such places do not widely exist. And, taking this to your logical conclusion, do you expect all public areas to be either dog-friendly or child-friendly with segregation (either formal or informal) in place?
Your garden then. IMO its unnacceptable to allow a dog to crap where other folk might contact it.
So yes - dog crap areas should be completely segregated.
Why do you think its acceptable to allow a dog to crap in public areas?
Why do you think its acceptable to allow a dog to crap in public areas?
John remember who you are talking to TJ has a black and white view on everything.
You are wasting your fingers responding.
You do know that pretty much every single other animal shits in public places don't you?
John,you're really reaching here...
So, to understand your point here, please can you confirm which other carnivorous animals, of similar size and numbers to dogs, can be found shitting in public in built up densely populated parts of the UK?
