'For sh*t's sake, pick up your dog's poo!' Mum's epic park rant

This mum has had enough of entitled dog owners who refuse to clean up after their pooping pooch. 

Is there anything worse? Image: iStock

Everyone has their pet peeve, something that just rubs them up the wrong way.

For me, it is poo, dog poo.

No, not dog poo in general, I mean I understand that our canine friends need to perform this natural bodily function and by all means, they should do that when they need to.

My issue with this poo process actually has nothing to do with the dogs at all, it has to do with their humans, the very distinct kind of people who own dogs but do not pick up after them, otherwise known as ‘dog fouler enablers’ (a title coined by me).

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Is there anything worse? Image: iStock

Is it really that hard to pick up your dog's poo? 

Yes, it is with you I have great issues with. And please know that I am not alone in my gripe. In fact, I’d argue it is a pretty common frustration amongst the general population.

Why? Because while you may not think about others or care, it does affect us, nonetheless. Like when we are going for a walk to get our daily step count or breathe in some fresh air, only to find that experience is ruined by a stinking pile of sh*t that we have either stepped in and it is now squished into our runners so firmly that for the next few weeks, we will still get whiffs of that distinctive faecal matter as it rises upwards.

Or because we are having to dodge the poo piles littered across public pathways as if they are minefields we desperately don’t want to set off.

But it’s not just the frequent strollers out there who find left behind dog poo frustrating, it is also the kids at playgrounds (and their parents) who just want to run and play but instead are falling over in these unhygienic mounds or trying their best to avoid them as they move from the swing to the slide trying to live their best childhood.

It seems of late these poo-fouling actions are commonplace as more and more dogs are defecating while out and about and their owners are failing to do the right thing, the responsible pet owner’s action of picking up the poo. And this is what really pisses me off.

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Be a responsible dog owner: It's affecting our health!

When you become a dog owner, you agree to a set of responsibilities and a duty of care. While there is no official form with all of these set-out, it is assumed, like the assumption you will do all you can to care for your human child once you become a parent.

For dog parents, one of these responsibilities is picking up after their dog. Often there are signs encouraging people to do this, sometimes councils even provide bags in case you have forgotten your own (which you really should have if taking your dog for a walk).

Despite this, I see dog poo on pathways, in playgrounds, picnic areas, gardens, and even on roads (which seems like a safety issue in its own right). I even witness owners looking on as their dogs do their number twos in a public area and then just keep on walking afterwards, leaving the deposit behind them.

Yes, yes, this may seem like a ‘first-world problem’ and perhaps it is, but do you also know that as well as being my problem, it is also a health and environmental problem too?

Dog owners need to take more responsibility when taking their dogs for a walk. Image: iStock

Postdoctoral researcher, Melissa Starling, recently wrote a very insightful piece for The Conversation where she outlines how dog poo left behind is actually quite harmful for more reasons than you might think.

“Dog faeces may contain microorganisms that cause illness in humans suchas Salmonella, E. coli, Giardia and internal parasites," she says.

"Dog poo can also be a potential reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, meaning humans could develop bacterial infections that are difficult to treat through contact with dog faeces.

"A recent Sydney study also identified dog faeces washed into stormwater as a significant contributor to water pollution.”

She also references a study into the ‘dog fouling’ enablers and why they do what they do (orin this case, don’t do).

“While most dog walkers do the right thing, some are too 'proud to pick up', while others make contextual judgements about where and when it could be permissible to leave dog waste. Yet others are 'disengaged' dog walkers, who 'will not pick up even if they are aware of the health and environmental consequences'".

Now I understand that occasionally you might forget a bag and there isn’t one available, mistakes happen, we all make them. But when it is intentional, when you are too ‘proud to pick up’, well then, this rant is for you.

Originally published as 'For sh*t's sake, pick up your dog's poo!' Mum's epic park rant