Picking Up Poop

SUMMARY: The never-ending stream of criticism

There's another post today on NextDoor begging people to pick up their dogs' poops, followed by a stream of responses about how often/where/when they find poop, which is frequently/everywhere/every day.

I've had dogs since 1978 and this has always been a problem. Always. And picking up is not usually a hard thing, so what's with that?! I lived in a townhouse complex when I got my first dog (Amber). I walked her twice a day. In those days, it was a trowel and small paper bag that I carried with me for pickup duty.  And, yep, I always found other dogs' deposits and picked them up, as well.  One early morning as I was finishing my walk, a man came out of one of the other units and said, "I've been watching you and your dog. [Immediate fight or flight response starts to build.]  And I am very impressed--I see so many people leave their poop, yet you pick up theirs as well as your own. [Whew!] It's nice to see a responsible dog owner and neighbor."

If I see someone in the act of walking away from their mutt's mess, I might say, "Did you forget your poop bag? Here's one." Almost always they thank me and clean it up. That means that they're probably always forgetting their poop bag, but at least I gave them a hint from another dog owner. I've rarely had a rude response.

Yes, I'm tired of going for walks in any park and picking up after others. I don't want to step in that! And I don't want parks to be closed to dogs because of inconsiderate, lazy people! Yes, I've also seen poop right next to bag dispensers. Crazy, right?
(And on fences!?!)

Dog Owners, it's a responsibility! I have genuinely on rare occasions not had a poop bag--for example, maybe I brought 2, filled both and tossed, and then one of my dogs pooped *again*! (I usually try to have more, but you know, s....tuff happens.) Or I didn't notice that the bag dispenser was no longer attached to my leash. 

It is NO FUN looking around trying to find something with which to pick up the poop--newspapers are not so great, as they quickly absorb moisture and start to fall apart. ;-) On occasion I've used big leaves. Carrying it around in those makeshift "bags" is a pain and can get messy. But it's my responsibility! And yours, too, Dog Owners.

Also see:

• PICK UP YOUR POOP (November 2010)
• Other posts related in one way or another to poop
• Best Poop Bags in the World (scroll to the end of Checking In On Tika) -- actually just see the photo to the right!