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Beth T (BethOfAus)'s avatar

Unfortunately this is a worldwide problem. I walk dogs, lots of dogs. I always carry bags with me and pick up and bin their poos. The worst offenders when it comes to not cleaning up are Men with Big Dogs. I think they think that poos are a woman’s business. Motherly stuff you know, not a man’s business. And they’re so blatant about it! Grrrrrr.... A pet peeve of mine as you can see.

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Matthew Murray's avatar

I'm happy to hear you are a picker-upper.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

There was a dog in our village which I'd never seen, but I dubbed it 'the big log dog' for the sheer scale of what it managed to produce. And these heaps were never at the SIDE of a path/pavement, but always somewhere they were likely to get trodden on. I imagined a huge dog on a short lead with a big man mountain of muscle at the other end, and hoped I'd never bump into them (because I'm the nervous type).

Imagine my surprise when I identified the culprit - a timid Alsatian owned and walked by a petite silver-and-pink-haired lady old enough to know better!

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Matthew Murray's avatar

🤣

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Beth T (BethOfAus)'s avatar

Proving again that I can be dreadfully sexist! Grin. (Grrrrr... Why??!!)

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

I was exactly the same as you, though! 👀

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Yup, you certainly got my attention, Matt! Great story!

Uncollected dog poo is an absolute scourge - just a few irresponsible dog owners mess things up (literally) and cast the decent ones in a bad light.

I've never had a dog, nor has my family, but from a very early age I knew to watch where I was walking. The first time I ever went to the USA, aged seven, I saw the art of picking up after your dog for the very first time - and it was so unknown to me that I didn't realise what I was looking at. Outside my uncle's apartment building was a small boy and a large dog, and the boy was holding what I thought at the time was an open polythene bag of fresh sausages.

'Mummy, why's that boy holding sausages like that? They're not even covered up!'

'Those aren't sausages, darling. That's dog poo.'

After the trip and back at school the following week, I was tasked with writing a report about what I'd done on holiday. Never mind my trips to the top of the Empire State Building and Liberty's crown: my report was mostly about how 'Americans pick up dog poo'!

I'm glad to say that it became common practice on these shores not long afterwards - and those who don't do it at least KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD.

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Matthew Murray's avatar

LOL! I laughed so much when I read your sausages sentence. I definitely need a good laugh.

I have never had a dog either. If I ever did get a dog, it would have to be a small one.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Jim used to have a dog, a little one. Just as well - I'm afraid of canines any bigger than a small scatter cushion... 😕

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Rebecca Stapleton's avatar

I’m laughing! We had a very similar situation when we lived in Virginia. Solution to problem? My husband shoveled it up and deposited it right at their front door. End of problem.

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Matthew Murray's avatar

🤣 Nice to see I'm not the only one that had to go to the extreme. I had thought about doing that but the people had a wrought-iron gate leading to their front door. I wasn't sure if I could access it.

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Rebecca Stapleton's avatar

Lol! Our neighbors across the street weren’t that lucky!

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Julie B. Hughes's avatar

Yes! and great title!

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