I’m with unklehomerd on the seriously inaccessible point.
I almost always pick up after my two and keep the bags in my non lead hand until the next bin, where they go bye bye. I possibly should be more careful of whether its a designated poo bin or not but as it’s bagged I consider this reasonable.
There are times where they are off lead and find somewhere I really can’t get to and I do admit to leaving this – but that’s a once in a blue moon and as noted, unlikely to be anywhere near foot/hand/whatever.
As a karmic balance to this, if there is an abandoned turd by where one of mine craps, I bag both and dispose accordingly. I pick up more of other peoples’ than I leave because I couldn’t get to it.
What I notice most is people that walk dogs off lead in town as a matter of course (because they’re sooo well trained…) – these people are responsible for the majority of abandoned dog turd IMO – because they were never anywhere near it.
I’m not convinced dogs *should* be allowed off lead in public except in designated areas.
Mine get to run in a local park, but by the time we’ve walked there they’ve crapped and I’ve bagged and binned to their hearts’ content.
While a little grim, dog owners will understand that as you see (while collecting) your dogs’ poo several times a day you do get quite knowledgeable about colour as a result of food… And most of the abandoned crap round my way is the result of very cheap dog food. Possible link although very tenuous.
I can think of one woods that has signs about the ‘dog poo fairy’ and asks you to use a stick and flick it into the undergrowth rather than bagging and abandoning.
Gotta say though that while other people’s dogs’ poo is unpleasant and unnecessary so are broken bottles, dropped fast food/wrappers of, cans, crisp packets … I was brought up to put rubbish in a bin and keep it until you found one. Maybe this is the real issue…

Litter whilst bad doesnt generally cause the spread of disease though does it?
I respect that you actually admit that occasionally you don’t pick up, when you can’t actually get to it.
Like you say its the clowns with their dogs off the lead that are likely responsible for the unclaimed filth. The town centre here is terrible for it and it always seems to appear overnight. I can only assume that someone walks their dog through the town in the evening / early morning.

Has any dog owner EVER admitted to dropping shit bags / not cleaning up after their dog’s had a dump?

No.

Yup I did back on page one. (not picking up, I don’t drop bags)

vincienup makes a good a point re food, and I suspect he’s right, ours gets dry food and I very predictable/regular, we live in a rural area and he’s often off the lead (won’t poo on it unless beyond desperate) so I’m often clambering into rhododendrons breath held cursing the little sod, but I love him and its part of dog ownership, if I’m on the moors miles from anywhere and he craps, he will go away from the path, that gets left, that’s not inaccessible, but we are talking remote moors 10m into the heather. Think of me what you will for that. When staying with my sister in Edinburgh I self impose a very strict 100% pick up routine as I recognise even the remote areas will have people walking hundreds of times a day – I see it as non negotiable and the bit of edinburgh she’s in, it seems most people do. FWIW my bags are bio-dregadable, and lavender scented (but not enough). I think they should all be biodegradable as it still all gets buried in landfill doesn’t it.

if I’m on the moors miles from anywhere and he craps, he will go away from the path, that gets left, that’s not inaccessible, but we are talking remote moors 10m into the heather.

thanks for contributing to habitat destruction by soil enrichment

Think of me what you will for that.

you know what we think of you, you just don’t care

Had a few incidences like this on my commute, see a dog adopting the “nomad” position, owner spots me riding towards them, owner walks over to the dog egg, bag in hand, I ride passed count to 3 then look over my shoulder to see the owner (who thinks I’m not looking) put empty bag back in pocket and walk away leaving dog egg in situ. From now on I’ve decided if I see a dog curling one out I’ll stop nearby and check to see if the owner picks it up and heckle/shout abuse if they don’t.

Of course if the owner is some big dodgy looking bloke in the middle of salford I shall heckle form a distance 🙂

thanks for contributing to habitat destruction by soil enrichment

hows that work then? I spent a whole minute googling it and didn’t find owt. Is it along the lines of nitrates/algae in rivers? One thing grows unchecked to the detriment of other stuff?

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dog+fouling+habitat+moorland&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CGIQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.footprint-ecology.co.uk%2Fpublications_and_downloads%2Fdownloads_and_examples_of_our_work%2F%3Fdownload%3B20&ei=Gf3dUIaTNaPY0QXjyIGQBg&usg=AFQjCNGXWhfGD0lur4NGHOgVkW6RQLnVng&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.d2k

and why should dogs be banned from public parks and playing fields?

http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/dogwardens/foul-subject/

How many parks are infected with Toxocara eggs?
Random soil surveys have found that the majority of parks throughout the UK are infected with Toxocara eggs in various stages of development.

If the parks are disinfected would that eliminate the Toxocara?
No, the eggs are resistant to disinfectants and freezing, they can survive for over 10 years.

Whats the rules in flicking fresh dog turds at the owner of the dog?

I’d do it, but it’ll get MTBers a bad name in the local area

Interested in peoples opinion

With all respect to bigyinn, litter of any sort is a problem.
Broken bottles hurt kids, animals and potentially give you punctures.
Wrappers etc are unsightly, slip hazards if unlucky and can choke animals.
Dropped foodstuff (even things like gum) potentially attract vermin who *do* spread disease.
Abandoned beer tins/ pop cans are long term waste which becomes razor sharp kid shredder once the park groundsman has lawn mowered it.
Fishing tackle and fowl (ducks/swans/geese).
Cider bottles full of lorry driver piss by roundabouts.
Punctured inner tubes and gel wrappers chucked around trails and small mammals.
If you’re really lucky abandoned needles/tinfoil/scorched plastic bottles and other assorted drug paraphenalia.
The list is endless, and all of it a problem of some sort – and all avoidable by hanging on to it until the next bin.
Don’t get me wrong, dog turd all over the place makes me angry too, but there’s a definite lack of balance in this thread.

For balance, I came across a used condom in the underpass at the new reading train station today.

No pun intended.

I think I must be cursed!

With all respect to bigyinn, litter of any sort is a problem.
Broken bottles hurt kids, animals and potentially give you punctures.
Wrappers etc are unsightly, slip hazards if unlucky and can choke animals.
Dropped foodstuff (even things like gum) potentially attract vermin who *do* spread disease.
Abandoned beer tins/ pop cans are long term waste which becomes razor sharp kid shredder once the park groundsman has lawn mowered it.
Fishing tackle and fowl (ducks/swans/geese).
Cider bottles full of lorry driver piss by roundabouts.
Punctured inner tubes and gel wrappers chucked around trails and small mammals.
If you’re really lucky abandoned needles/tinfoil/scorched plastic bottles and other assorted drug paraphenalia.
The list is endless, and all of it a problem of some sort – and all avoidable by hanging on to it until the next bin

you forgot chinese lanterns

Don’t get me wrong, dog turd all over the place makes me angry too, but there’s a definite lack of balance in this thread

why? it’s a thread about the people who think it’s socially acceptible to let their dog sh1t all over the place including driving to public parks and play areas to toilet their dog and openly think it’s OK to contibute to habitat degradation as well as making it unsafe for anyone to stray from a path

are you going to start a litter thread?

With all respect to bigyinn, litter of any sort is a problem.
Broken bottles hurt kids

Yep – I still have a little scar on my knee (though it’s kind of lost among the collection of much bigger scars I now have after another 35 years of collecting them) from where I had stitches after kneeling on some broken glass in a playground when I was a kid. That’s the first time I’ve even thought about that probably for years – rather a contrast to the potential effects of Toxocara. I sure am glad I knelt on a bit of glass rather than picked up that from some abandoned dog muck.

vincienup – yep those are all fair points.
But again planting disease ridden stick bombs is still worse.

Balance? So there’s a positive side to dog shit?

Someone needs to design the PooBazooka – a compressed air dog egg canon that straps discreetly to your seatpost. When you spot an offender, you simply deploy the Weapon which sucks the turd into the firing chamber, blends it with a little liquid to achieve a smooth ‘ganache’ consistency and then ejects the mixture at the culprit at high velocity, hopefully as they have their mouth open explaining that what their dog does is none of your business. Of course, it could be kept preloaded with one’s own night soil for added piquancy. Jus a thought.

Just for a bit of balance

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/have-you-ever-had-a-wild-poo

Not all poo on the trail, is dog ……….

Only a cretin would crimp one off in the middle of a trail.
I had to partake of one of those just over a week ago. Mid way through a point to point ride, nowhere near any sort of crapper. Cue me disappearing into the forest, well off the beaten track etc. I must say moss is a very effective wiping agent.

I had to partake of one of those just over a week ago. Mid way through a point to point ride, nowhere near any sort of crapper

how come you didn’t bag it and take it home? Leave no trace and all that ……

and there can be some pretty nasty things in human poo; what if children were playing in the forest…….

If you ride in Leigh woods in Bristol, there is a *lot* of human poo in there, I know from years of walking my dog ….. which was gross as dogs will eat *anything*.

In all seriousness, I live next to a huge woodland and if my dog craps on the path I flick it; otherwise I leave it where it lies. Same with if my dog craps in/beyond the tideline.

When I first moved to my new house, I did pick it up however after speaking to the woodland owner who was astounded that I was picking it up, I now just flick it.

Same advice as the FC give: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6mhjxj

You personally may not like this, however if this is what the land owners want you to do; their opinion counts for more than yours IMHO.

Did a ride last night with a friend which took in a route around a local town as it’s got loads of paths/cycles tracks so is more sheltered from the high winds. There was dog mess everywhere – it was like a dog egg slalom for most of the ride.

We came across more than a dozen dogs with their owners – every single one was off the lead. Of these more than 50% were not under control and we had to stop completely or take evasive action.

The owners were conspicuous by there failure to watch their dog. I suspect largely so they can use the ‘sorry I didn’t see it poo’ line.

Perhaps a law that dogs have to be on a lead except in designated areas or open countryside would reduce the number of turds on paths. Dogs are banned by law from the playgrounds and football pitches in our village. There are large signs to this effect but you still get dog owners going there to let the dog run free. We live in an area surrounded by open countryside covered in footpaths, why not use them?

Yes the playing fields next to the local school are very popular with the dog walkers. So much so that there is a crap bin at the gate.
Trouble its also the school football and cricket pitch. I dont think its at all appropriate that people should be allowed to walk their dogs around there.
Its the same around all the local woodland / country car parks, turds all over the shop for the first 300 yards. Let fido out the car, off the lead and he curls one out at the first bush / gate. There was even one against the actual dog poo bin pole FFS.

Trouble its also the school football and cricket pitch. I dont think its at all appropriate that people should be allowed to walk their dogs around there.

Seem fair enough to me, where I used to live in Bristol there was a place to exercise dogs, which some fitness classes started to use which was interesting ….. especially as you can never pick it all up some some residue would be left on the grass. Dog walkers were there long before these other people turned up.

As for the crap in the first 300M, I think that’s more to do with dogs wanting to unload before they start to play.

I would reiterate though, all poo; isn’t dog from a dog. I picked up 20+ bags of shite from my garden last weekend and none of it was dog poo, as it appears that a fox who eats a lot of fibre has a den near me (although I suspect not for long, as its killed 3 lambs in 3 weeks)

I’m of the opinion that anyone caught not clearing up after their dog should be forced to leave their front door open so that disgruntled members of the public may enter and wipe their turdy shoes all over the carpets.

The majority of dog owners I see are equipped with little plastic bags, but there’s a minority who just don’t seem to give a damn about the proliferation of stinking mines ejected from the animal in their charge.

Same advice as the FC give: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6mhjxj

this is clearly because they got fed up with bags of poo hanging off trees and the subsequent complaints and costs for clean up

You personally may not like this, however if this is what the land owners want you to do; their opinion counts for more than yours IMHO

can I use this quote when going for planning permission?

The decision on stick and flick is driven by cost and convenience, it doesn’t make stick and flick more socially acceptable than bagging and binning or toileting your dog elsewhere

There’s an unfortunate minority of ignorant selfish stupid people out there who just don’t give a toss about the state of the world we all share. Whether it be leaving poo bags in trees, dumping litter in canals, fly tipping because they can’t be arsed to queue for a few minutes at the tip. Some just happen to own dogs, some ride bikes, some don’t.

can I use this quote when going for planning permission?

So you are now comparing building something, with allowing something to rot down?

Seems reasonable 🙄

this is clearly because they got fed up with bags of poo hanging off trees and the subsequent complaints and costs for clean up

Ummm, unless you have spoken to the people in question how can you possibly make this assumption?

I know for a *fact* due to speaking to people in the “real world”, that the local land owners prefer you stick and flick rather than pick it up in a plastic bag that will be transported god knows how many miles to be incinerated. As the dog shit isn’t bad for their land/trees and they hate the environmental impact of transporting waste when there is absolutely no need.

Just because you don’t agree with other peoples decisions about what to do on *their* land doesn’t make you right, and everyone else wrong.

Most local Councils will have designated all public places with Dogs Fouling orders.

This means it is an offence to stick and flick on a public right of way in most English counties. Basically anywhere the public have a right of access so parks, greens, footpaths, ROW’s etc.

Oh just stop being logical and correct please!

This means it is an offence to stick and flick on a public right of way in most English counties. Basically anywhere the public have a right of access so parks, greens, footpaths, ROW’s etc.

So just to double check. You feel its an offence to stick and flick on FC, common (which isn’t owned by the council) or private land with a footpath through it?

Where do cats, horses, foxes etc come into this then – oh hang on, what about those pesky flying things…um Birds… you know the ones that shizzle everywhere as well, quite sure they carry nasties as well – do we bag that up too? I’m with Vinc and Unklehomered, built up areas, recreation grounds and popular walking spots fine bag it and bin it, but middle of nowhere – sling it in the undergrowth (not bagged). You’re all getting your knickers in a twist…

I just don’t get why anyone would want to mess up their own neighbourhood, the places that they spend their lives walking through, by chucking litter and leaving dog muck lying around in bags?

So just to double check. You feel its an offence to stick and flick on FC, common (which isn’t owned by the council) or private land with a footpath through it?

The orders are made under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. This is what it states in terms of locations to which it applies –

this Chapter applies to any land which is open to the air and to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access (with or without payment).

By that wording this would therefore include Forestry Commission land with public access, common land with a public right of access and rights on way on private land. It depends entirely though on whether the local council have applied a dog fouling order on public spaces within their borough.

Local bloke used to let his dog crap all over an otherwise nice bit of residential parkland near us, in an area where children play.

Someone I know spent an afternoon collecting up said crap, and then carefully posted it through the blokes letterbox.

Not that I’m condoning this behaviour – but he never did it again. 😀

By that wording this would therefore include Forestry Commission land with public access, common land with a public right of access and rights on way on private land. It depends entirely though on whether the local council have applied a dog fouling order on public spaces within their borough.

Interesting, I didn’t know that.

So can a council put a fouling order on land they don’t own? If so, doesn’t that leave the regulation open to abuse, for example a farmer who owns, a farm with a footpath through it could get prosecuted for not cleaning up after his own dogs …..

Someone I know spent an afternoon collecting up said crap, and then carefully posted it through the blokes letterbox.

Not that I’m condoning this behaviour – but he never did it again.

Because it was a criminal offence and he got a record, and lost his job?

I have a dog, a big, daft Newfoundland and always pick up her turds. I went Rangoon last week when bagging one, stepped backwards, into someone else’s dog’s shit. Own a dog? Pick it up and dispose of it! Selfish arse hats.

Always pisses me off tbh if I am somewhere where it should be picked up.

Because it was a criminal offence and he got a record, and lost his job?

Actually the poo-vigilante in question was a serving police officer at the time 😯

Allegedly.

I know for a *fact* due to speaking to people in the “real world”, that the local land owners prefer you stick and flick rather than pick it up in a plastic bag that will be transported god knows how many miles to be incinerated.

the fact they will need to pay for the bins to be emptied has no bearing on it

As the dog shit isn’t bad for their land/trees

where do they say that? google search “woodland habitat dog fouling” and you get as the top hits

Many dog-owners see their local wood as a place to allow pets to relieve themselves after a day confined to the house. Dog fouling has become a serious concern to many woodland managers and visitors (particularly those with young children). Some local authorities are taking the matter equally seriously employing dog wardens, who are allowed to impose fines, and installing more waste bins or ‘poop scoop’ schemes.
Fouling, however, is not the only issue. Dogs that are allowed to roam free can be a threat to public safety and reduce the wildlife conservation value of a wood; they will seek out and worry deer and deter ground-nesting birds, such as mallard or skylark, from nesting.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=woodland%20habitat%20dog%20fouling&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CD4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.woodlandtrust.org.uk%2FSiteCollectionDocuments%2Fpdf%2Furbanwoodlandguide1.pdf&ei=4KhtUbGKL-nJ0AXv9ICQDg&usg=AFQjCNGRqXdyGh8G9PKIf2vpkD8R575ukw&bvm=bv.45175338,d.d2k

page 16, the following pages moan about kids digging illict trails 😉

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=woodland%20habitat%20dog%20fouling&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CD0QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fpdf_file%2F0020%2F251534%2FENPA-HRA-Options-and-Policy-Assessment-Nov-11.pdf&ei=YKptUdKqHMOr0QWY9IH4DQ&usg=AFQjCNGgVibruhfAfxUSjhwGaAIXKqDYBA&bvm=bv.45175338,d.d2k

In woodland habitat deterioration and loss
from trampling (passages as low as 40 –
50/year can eliminate species – species of
low productivity, especially ancient woodland
flora; lichens and some mosses) [Penny
Anderson Associates, 2009]; nitrogen
enrichment from dog fouling [Footprint
Ecology, 2009]

Saw a great one this morning. A dog (presumably) had curled one out slap bang in the middle of a small side gated entrance to our local church. On the gate was a notice saying that dogs must be kept on leads, but unfortunately didn’t say that they shouldn’t sh*t in the churchyard!

Saw a great one this morning. A dog (presumably) had curled one out slap bang in the middle of a small side gated entrance to our local church.

vile, what is wrong with some people.

Dogs that are allowed to roam free can be a threat to public safety and reduce the wildlife conservation value of a wood; they will seek out and worry deer

I am genuinely surprised that this is a concern, as I thought it was a well known fact that the (out of control) deer population in the UK is having severe impact on the UK wild life and fauna. To the point where woodland managers are hiring deer stalkers to try and keep them under control, which isn’t cheap!

the fact they will need to pay for the bins to be emptied has no bearing on it

Most woods are commercial concerns, so if dog shit impacted the crop then the land owners would stop it happening pretty quickly. As the money involved is pretty large, especially if the landowner is also harvesting as he doesn’t have to pay any tax on the income.

where do they say that? google search “woodland habitat dog fouling” and you get as the top hits

Yes, that particular search does get that; but if you tweak the search you can find alternative advice. So all it proves is anyone can find ‘expert advice’ on the internet to validate their own point of view.

If the FC say stick it and flick it, then that is what I will do on the land they manage.

References:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcin36.pdf/$file/fcin36.pdf
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-6CHC4G
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2907.1998.00031.x/abstract