# Dog Poo



## Happy Girl (12 Sep 2007)

I walk on a regular basis and am absolutely astounded by the number of people who allow their dogs to poo in public places & then walk away from it. I confronted a woman last night who let her boxer dog poo on a new public green area which has just been planted by the local town council. I said to her "_surely you are not going to walk away from that_" (pointing at the poo of course, not the boxer - am not that brave ) and she replied that she had nothing with her to clean it up with and walked away. I myself do not have a dog but I am cleaning dog poo up from my front garden & grass verge outside the house on a daily basis. I am sick & tired of those people who own dogs but will not take all the responsibilities that goes with having a dog i.e. cleaning up their poo. While I realise there is nothing I can do about public places other than confront the perpetrators (well their owners at least) is there anything I can do to prevent them from pooing in my garden & surrounding area. 

While out walking last night my mind started rambling and I put this little verse together and I thought I would share it with AAM:
*Oh people of Meath, and the dogs that you walk
For us poor walkers, please spare a thought.
To ramble the streets is our delight
But not to come home covered in s...e
So next time you take your hooch for a stroll
Scoop up the s...e and please bring it home​*


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## sam h (12 Sep 2007)

Whole heartly agree with you !  Drives me nuts, especially when the kids have abit on their shoe and walk into the house.  I also said it to a guy last year (who also had a boxer as it happened) and he started screaming obsenities at me.

The problem in Ireland is that dog owners are only responsible after the "offence" is done and they don't pick it up.  In Italy the police or dog wardens can ask anyone with a dog to prove they have bags with them and are fined if they don't.  They have even larger fines if caught not cleaning up.


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## Purple (12 Sep 2007)

So what's the Miscellaneous Non-financial Question?


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## Happy Girl (12 Sep 2007)

Purple said:


> So what's the Miscellaneous Non-financial Question?


 
Quote: "While I realise there is nothing I can do about public places other than confront the perpetrators (well their owners at least) is there anything I can do to prevent them from pooing in my garden & surrounding area."


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## BlueSpud (12 Sep 2007)

Purple said:


> So what's the Miscellaneous Non-financial Question?


What is the downside of the following:
> Bring pooper scoopers with you
> If this happend again, wait til they are gone & scoop the poo
> Follow them home
> Dump the poo in their garden & squish it in.


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## Purple (12 Sep 2007)

BlueSpud said:


> What is the downside of the following:
> > Bring pooper scoopers with you
> > If this happend again, wait til they are gone & scoop the poo
> > Follow them home
> > Dump the poo in their garden & squish it in.



It depends on what you use to squish it with.


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## ClubMan (12 Sep 2007)

Purple said:


> So what's the Miscellaneous Non-financial Question?


Moved to _LOS_.


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## Dinging (12 Sep 2007)

Hi Happy Girl,

This scenario happens a lot where I live. I have a green space at the back of my house that is very common with dog walkers. I also have a dog and when out walking I notice a lot of dog owners don't pick up their dogs poo. I did point out to a guy when his dog poo'd that he needed to pick it up he said he had nothing with him so I gave him one of my bags but he then refused to pick it up. So I followed him home got his address and reported him to the council. This is being looked into at the moment by the council and hopefully this guy will get done.


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## Murt10 (12 Sep 2007)

BlueSpud said:


> What is the downside of the following:
> > Bring pooper scoopers with you
> > If this happend again, wait til they are gone & scoop the poo
> > Follow them home
> > Dump the poo in their garden & squish it in.



If I was going to go to the trouble of followig them home, then I wouldn't just dump it in their front garden. Also send them a letter (with enclosure) outlining your feelings.


Murt


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## franmac (13 Sep 2007)

Maybe move again to STB.

To the air of Fiddlers Green


As I stepped in a dog s**te one evening so rare 
My right foot shot forward and I sailed through the air
I was sure a banana skin put me in flight 
but when I hit the ground I hit a dog s**te

Chorus

It was all on me boots and me jumper all over the heel and the sole
I was full of s**t mates I near had a fit mates and if I catch the dog I'll leave me boot up his h*le

Went walkin last evening and I cut through the park
It was past eight oclock and the evening grew dark
As I turned round the corner i shouted in fright
Oh no not again "Its not more dog s**te

Won't walk on the pavement I'll walk on the road
For dogs are'nt particular where they drop their load 
But this plan backfired on the mainroad last night 
Cause I knew by the Squelch I was in dog s**te

Now I never go out cause me clothes are a sight 
Every stitch that I own it reeks of dog s**te
And if I fall asleep shure I wake with a fright 
For I am always of piles of dog s**te


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## elefantfresh (14 Sep 2007)

Franmac - your talent is wasted.


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## RainyDay (15 Sep 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> I confronted a woman last night who let her boxer dog poo on a new public green area which has just been planted by the local town council. I said to her "_surely you are not going to walk away from that_" (pointing at the poo of course, not the boxer - am not that brave ) and she replied that she had nothing with her to clean it up with and walked away.



Having had a similar experience, I started carrying a little plastic bag in my backpack. The next time it happened, I was able to respond to the 'I don't have anything with me' excuse with 'No problem, I have a bag here, off you go'.

It doesn't really solve the problem, but the luck on their face when they realise they have to come up with another excuse was priceless.

I do think that reporting to the litter warden is the way to go, where you can identify the offender.


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## Perplexed (15 Sep 2007)

I sympathise with people dealing with this problem.
I have a dog & always carry bags in my pocket for tidy-ups. People like this give dog owners a bad name.
It has amazed me the number of people who have actually come over to thank me for cleaning up after my dog, so obviously it stands out when you do act responsibly.
Keep up your complaints to people. You're entitled to "poo free" walking areas.
Letter warden is definitely the way to go.....it's their job to enforce pooper scooping. A €50 fine might make them more careful next time.


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## Raskolnikov (15 Sep 2007)

I remember walking through Sandymount at night through dimly lit streets. It was sickening feeling the squelch of shít each time my boot trod on an unseen dog turd.

Anyone caught not cleaning up after themselves should be prevented from owning an animal.


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## pinkyBear (17 Sep 2007)

Hi Happy_girl,
we have 2 dogs and bring them to a local park most evenings - we do pick up after them , what we find frustrating is the lack of bins in parks. As we find that we have to walk around the park (carrying a bag of poo ) until we get to an exit that has a bin. This park that we go to has 6 exits - only 2 of those exits have a bin out side of it!

I completly understand your rant however there are signs by the councils informing dog owners to pick up their dogs mess however they should provide more bins...


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## Carpenter (17 Sep 2007)

I was actually shocked last week when, while walking to work on a fine morning, I saw a responsible dog owner clean up after their dog.  I've only ever observed this responsible behaviour once before, I nearly felt like thanking the lady for doing it, but that would be silly..........


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## The_Banker (17 Sep 2007)

There is a lovely walk in Cork that goes from Rochestown to Blackrock Castle along the waters edge. 
It is covered in dog poop. This has led people to paint "Please clean up your dogs mess" on the tarmacadam where the walk begins near the Harty Quay developement. This has led to counter signs being painted saying "Remove leashes from dogs and allow them run free". 
I have noticed that dog owners are very militant when it comes to there pooches making a mess. They seem to believe that their dog has a right to deposit their load wherever they like without it having to be cleaned up. I believe the vast majority of dog owners are extremely negligent when it comes to taking responsibility for their dogs. The foul streets and pavements prove my point.
I personally have never seen anyone clean up there dog mess on this particular walk or any other for that matter.
As an aside, I have a friend who is in a wheelchair. When he rolls over dog mess it gets on his hands and lower arms. This is completely unacceptable to my mind.


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## Carpenter (17 Sep 2007)

The_Banker said:


> As an aside, I have a friend who is in a wheelchair. When he rolls over dog mess it gets on his hands and lower arms. This is completely unacceptable to my mind.


 
I'd never even thought of that, how awful, it's bad enough when the wheels of my child's buggy comes into contact with the stuff.


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## Purple (17 Sep 2007)

I walk with the kids in Marley park in Dublin most weekemds and every dog owner I see picks up after their pooch. The same is true on the streets around where I live.


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## RainyDay (17 Sep 2007)

pinkyBear said:


> what we find frustrating is the lack of bins in parks. As we find that we have to walk around the park (carrying a bag of poo ) until we get to an exit that has a bin. This park that we go to has 6 exits - only 2 of those exits have a bin out side of it!
> 
> I completly understand your rant however there are signs by the councils informing dog owners to pick up their dogs mess however they should provide more bins...


In these days of 'polluter pays', the theory is that you bring it home and put it in your own bin. So it is your own bin that stinks, rather than the public bin. And it is your own 'pay by weight' account that covers the cost of disposal, rather than the public purse.


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## potnoodler (17 Sep 2007)

sounds like someone just stood in something,

why have public bins then?


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## Purple (17 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> In these days of 'polluter pays', the theory is that you bring it home and put it in your own bin. So it is your own bin that stinks, rather than the public bin. And it is your own 'pay by weight' account that covers the cost of disposal, rather than the public purse.


 I don't think that fair. I don't have a dog (our last one was stolen when he was 10 months and the kids still cry about it) but I have no problem with people who use a public using the bin provided for their dogs poo in the same way as other people use the bins for wrappers, plastic bottles etc.


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## room305 (18 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> In these days of 'polluter pays', the theory is that you bring it home and put it in your own bin.



Are you being sarcastic? This doesn't sound very socialist, in fact it sounds positively capitalist. Have you seen the light?


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## RainyDay (18 Sep 2007)

Methinks you need to do a bit of reading on 'polluter pays'.


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## potnoodler (18 Sep 2007)

Is something as natural as defaecation from an animal placed in a bin considered as pollution?


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## rabbit (19 Sep 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> I walk on a regular basis and am absolutely astounded by the number of people who allow their dogs to poo in public places & then walk away from it.


 
I agree 100%.   I know some foreigners who call us "the dirty Irish", mostly behind our backs, because of the dog poo, litter, pollution etc.


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## room305 (19 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> Methinks you need to do a bit of reading on 'polluter pays'.



From Wikipedia:



> Polluter Pays is also known as Extended Polluter Responsibility (EPR). This is a concept that was probably first described by the Swedish Government in 1975. _EPR seeks to shift the responsibility dealing with waste from governments to the entities producing it_. In effect, it internalises the cost of waste disposal into the cost of the product, theoretically meaning that the producers will improve the waste profile of their products, thus decreasing waste and increasing possibilities for reuse and recycling.



Sounds pretty capitalist. You are taking something that was socialised and attempting to privatise it. A quick scan of some Marxist newsletters would seem to verify this, with criticism focused on the impracticalities of implemention - none are advancing it as a socialist solution.


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## ubiquitous (19 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> Methinks you need to do a bit of reading on 'polluter pays'.



Whatever about 'polluter pays', is there not a sanitation and public health issue with the idea of carrying a bag of dog excrement on one's person and bringing it into one's home? I would not like my child to be sitting on the bus next to someone with a bag of the stuff on their lap...


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## Purple (19 Sep 2007)

ubiquitous said:


> I would not like my child to be sitting on the bus next to someone with a bag of the stuff on their lap...


 Most socialists live in good areas of south Dublin and own cars so it's not an issue for them


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## RainyDay (19 Sep 2007)

room305 said:


> Sounds pretty capitalist. You are taking something that was socialised and attempting to privatise it. A quick scan of some Marxist newsletters would seem to verify this, with criticism focused on the impracticalities of implemention - none are advancing it as a socialist solution.


Like I said - you need to do a bit of reading on polluter pays. It is not about privatisation.

Just FYI, I'm not going to debate this with you further, as I reckon you're trolling.


ubiquitous said:


> Whatever about 'polluter pays', is there not a sanitation and public health issue with the idea of carrying a bag of dog excrement on one's person and bringing it into one's home? I would not like my child to be sitting on the bus next to someone with a bag of the stuff on their lap...


I'm not sure where the bus comes into it. I don't think many people take their dog to the park on a bus?

We cleaned up after a neighbour's dog did his business on our lawn, and our own bin was stinking that weekend. If this is multiplied by 20 or 50, I can only imagine what a bin in the park might be like, unless owners start looking after their own.


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## potnoodler (20 Sep 2007)

I knew it, ok ya didn't stand in it but ya had to pick it up, still don't see the bother with responsible dog owners using the public bins , I mean rubbish in general stinks , cigarette butts, decayed matter etc granted I know councils don't provide them cos they'd have to empty them.
Yes, Irish people have low standards when it comes to littering but can 't be blamed on the majority of dog
 owners.


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## ubiquitous (20 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> I don't think many people take their dog to the park on a bus?


Sorry - I must remember to stop mixing my metaphors 



RainyDay said:


> We cleaned up after a neighbour's dog did his business on our lawn, and our own bin was stinking that weekend. If this is multiplied by 20 or 50, I can only imagine what a bin in the park might be like, unless owners start looking after their own.



If you put faecal matter into an enclosed bin, of course it will stink. It won't stink nearly as badly if it is put into an open bin, for example a public bin. Although I regularly see dog turds  on pavements,  I rarely notice a stink off them. That's mother nature for you.


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## room305 (20 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> Like I said - you need to do a bit of reading on polluter pays. It is not about privatisation.
> 
> Just FYI, I'm not going to debate this with you further, as I reckon you're trolling.



I have read up on it and I still reckon I'm right. I may have been a little facetious in my comments perhaps, but I wasn't trolling. However, I respect your wishes and will leave it at that.


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## ubiquitous (20 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> Like I said - you need to do a bit of reading on polluter pays. It is not about privatisation.



The Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins has claimed the opposite on many occasions.


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## RainyDay (20 Sep 2007)

ubiquitous said:


> If you put faecal matter into an enclosed bin, of course it will stink. It won't stink nearly as badly if it is put into an open bin, for example a public bin. Although I regularly see dog turds  on pavements,  I rarely notice a stink off them. That's mother nature for you.


What do you reckon might happen if you get 50 dog turds in a single open bin - any stench there?


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## cole (20 Sep 2007)

Purple said:


> Most socialists live in good areas of south Dublin and own cars so it's not an issue for them


 
Except for Bertie of course.


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## Purple (21 Sep 2007)

cole said:


> Except for Bertie of course.


 True, and he's one of the few we have according to himself. Mind you, his memory isn't that good of late.


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## ubiquitous (21 Sep 2007)

RainyDay said:


> What do you reckon might happen if you get 50 dog turds in a single open bin - any stench there?



Yes, but probably only for an hour or so until the air dries it out - on a cold day not even this long.

Btw, have you ever been in a farmyard or cattleshed? Have you ever wondered why farmers don't have to wear gasmasks?


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