Submitted by Itburns138 t3_z7xozs in boston
I don't know who needs to hear this, but please pick up your dog's waste. No one else is going to pick it up for you.
Comments
Dodge_Swinga t1_iy8msn5 wrote
Also flummoxed by this. I mean, it is actual shit.
Peeeculiar t1_iy8n5te wrote
"You should be grateful that my furbaby Bella left you a sidewalk muffin. My doggo is a rescue. Also, she's a rescue"
AdventuresofRaichu t1_iy8nd5p wrote
Ah yes, this post will definitely solve that problem.
Que-pasa-2020 t1_iy8ni6n wrote
I am from Boston but currently in another country and there is dog shit literally everywhere. It makes me appreciate the comparatively infrequent sightings at home.
360Waves617 t1_iy8nyiu wrote
Disgusting people that likely live in squalor.
ZippityZooZaZingZo t1_iy8piwv wrote
Lol sidewalk muffin
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy8ri7h wrote
It should be illegal for people to treat sidewalks, parks that are not specifically designed for dogs and other people's private lawns as a toilet.
If you bring a dog into the city and live in an apartment and your plan is to use the public sidewalk or these other places as a place for your pet to defecate and urinate, you are an, inconsiderate, thoughtless person. It's not healthy for the dog, other dogs and other people to have to walk through that and pet waste is a gigantic problem in storm water runoff.
michael_scarn_21 t1_iy8salv wrote
It is not infrequent where I am!
michael_scarn_21 t1_iy8ufyf wrote
Did you rescue her or did she rescue you?
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy8uh6a wrote
Seriously, there is poop literally everywhere.
Why are so many dog owners such selfish, inconsiderate, jerks?
locke_5 t1_iy8xrsd wrote
Or think "it's biodegradable, it'll just decay into the soil, etc etc"
Peeeculiar t1_iy8yd4v wrote
booknerdcoffeeaddict t1_iy8zvg1 wrote
Agree! If you can’t pick up after your dog then you shouldn’t have one.
No_Judge_3817 t1_iy91cz7 wrote
That's literally every "HEY PEOPLE YOU GOTTA DO THIS WHY THE FUCK ARENT PEOPLE DOING THIS?!?!" post on this subreddit.
Great1948 t1_iy91rzo wrote
So if you live a 20 minute walk from a designated dog park, your dog is just supposed to know they have to wait until they get there? Sure, Jan
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy92de2 wrote
Wow, people actually downvoting "don't treat the sidewalk like a toilet"?
Why are so many dog owners so selfish and inconsiderate? This behavior is disgusting, it spreads pathogens and harmful bacteria that closes beaches, causes stomach illnesses and rashes in humans, as well as spreading diseases that make other dogs sick.
TurnsOutImAScientist t1_iy92imn wrote
Decently safe bet that the people who need to hear this aren't into reading and writing for fun.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy92w5n wrote
>So if you live a 20 minute walk from a designated dog park, your dog is just supposed to know they have to wait until they get there?
If you don't live somewhere that is an appropriate place for dogs to live, then you shouldn't get a dog.
LilibetSeven t1_iy949ln wrote
The British are coming!! We can’t have them thinking we live like this.
Lainey113 t1_iy98zgh wrote
Where are you? That's GROSS.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy9dgyf wrote
So many bad dog owners here downvoting "don't use the sidewalk as a toilet" and "don't own a dog if you live somewhere that isn't an appropriate place for a dog to live"? Seriously?
Ugh, bad dog owners are the worst, so much entitlement and selfish, thoughtless, behavior.
How about I rent out a room in my apartment and tell my tenants that there is no toilet available and that they can go pee all over the ground at your front door and poop on your stoop a couple times a day?
Novembersum t1_iy9doqi wrote
Yeah…this lady was in front of me whose dog pooped in front of me. She was gonna pick it up, decided otherwise and went off with her dog. That’s the last time I try to save some money trying to go to a cheap vet.
RandomRandomPenguin t1_iy9fdsa wrote
Also please don’t throw your doggy shit in other people’s trash cans. It’s gross
Snufflarious t1_iy9jn0e wrote
The bag is less biodegradable than the contents. Do dog owners think it’s less unsightly? That it won’t get into the water?
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy9krp1 wrote
How about don't get a dog at all if your only plan is to use the sidewalk like an open sewer? It is super inconsiderate and selfish and spreads filth and disease that pollutes ecosystems and poisons other animals and humans.
Maleficent-Music7655 t1_iy9mka4 wrote
You sure it’s not goose poop? They are all over by the river and it’s everywhere.
TheGodDamnDevil t1_iy9oklo wrote
Jim Henson's Dog City
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iy9twug wrote
I always pick up my dogs poo.
Once in a GREAT while she catches me without a bag or I’ve run out… it happens. Super sorry in advance. I feel terribly as I kick a leaf over the poo and run away.
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iy9u6mp wrote
Why do you have a vendetta against dogs
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy9w2u6 wrote
Firstly, I don't have to like dogs, in fact there is a lot about them that I dislike, but I am perfectly happy to coexist with them if people can just be responsible dog owners and take into account how their pet can negatively affect the people and places around them.
My issues obviously aren't really with the dogs themselves, but with the irresponsible, selfish, narcissistic, inconsiderate, people who are bad dog owners.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy9x9qe wrote
I think it's just super passive aggressive behavior by selfish, entitled, dog people, trying to punish everyone else because they are "forced" to simply pick up after their pet.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iy9y1j5 wrote
Do you feel terrible though? I don't see you saying that you are coming back to pick it up?
Ugh
shitz_brickz t1_iya021r wrote
Must be France.
Commercial_Board6680 t1_iya1tb6 wrote
Now, compare this plea to pick up disease-spreading dog shit from public walk ways with the Japanese habit of cleaning up publicly used areas. I'm getting too old to be hopscotching around feces every time I go for a walk. And, if you are a responsible owner who picks up, go one step further and don't toss it in some random trash can that you don't own.
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iya4c6w wrote
If I’m on my own street/neighborhood then yeah I’ll go back. But if I’m at the park I’m not driving back
Wickedweed t1_iya4pul wrote
I had an old roommate once tell me “it’s okay, gonna rain later, it will just wash away”
No, it won’t
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iya4rdk wrote
Lol do you bring that same energy against the flocks of turkeys that live in Boston. Just had a group of 10 come through on my street and they left shit EVERYWHERE. Way more than I’ve ever seen from dogs. Actually had to go through my yard and pick it up.
So yeah. I’d say you don’t like dogs. And I don’t trust random internet strangers that don’t like dogs.
Edit: I’m not advocating for letting dogs pooping everywhere. I’m not even going to get into the argument of not letting dogs pee on the side walk/road because it’s asinine
No-Valuable8453 t1_iya4x4b wrote
Plenty of human excrement in the water and worse pollutants flowing in the streets than dog poop. But still, pick up your dogs dookie.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iya5g12 wrote
Ugh, bad dog owners are the worst
[deleted] t1_iya5q7i wrote
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iya68ib wrote
>Edit: I’m not advocating for letting dogs pooping everywhere. I’m not even going to get into the argument of not letting dogs pee on the side walk/road because it’s asinine
LOL! You literally just admitted that you don't pick up after your dog when it is inconvenient for you. You are the problem, not your dog.
I don't trust people who are terrible dog owners.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iya6d3r wrote
>Illustrious-Nose3100 · 13 min. ago
>
>If I’m on my own street/neighborhood then yeah I’ll go back. But if I’m at the park I’m not driving back
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iya6l8u wrote
Well yeah. I’m not driving an hour just go home and grab a bag.
Are you vegan by chance?
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iya6nge wrote
Also, using the sidewalk like an open sewer is what is super inconsiderate. It spreads filth and disease that makes people and animals sick and pollutes the ecosystem.
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iya6v3o wrote
I’ve never tossed my dogs poo in a random can but have always wondered if people would be mad if I did. Even if it’s trash day and the can is out on the corner and full?
[deleted] t1_iya77eu wrote
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iya7f14 wrote
Animal waste is a serious environmental problem and one of the chief pollutants in storm water runoff. It harms the ecosystem and causes illness and algae blooms which can close beaches and make people and animals sick.
No-Valuable8453 t1_iya7jmj wrote
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iya7pr5 wrote
Yeah, we all get it, you leave your dogs poop for other people to step in
[deleted] t1_iya7w5c wrote
[deleted] t1_iya8mlh wrote
[deleted] t1_iyaalj8 wrote
Que-pasa-2020 t1_iyaatjc wrote
The France of South America
tae_unnie t1_iyaayhx wrote
Jan won’t be happy unless we train our dogs to use a litter box lmao. But oh no, then we’ll have to purchase substrate and cause more waste.
yourm0m1 t1_iyaf2vj wrote
Or pesticides, fertilizer, salt, gas, oil, antifreeze and many other pollutants.
Commercial_Board6680 t1_iyahrh8 wrote
The biggest complaint is leaking or improperly tied bags, which the owner has to clean up.
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iyaiha4 wrote
Fair enough
Delighted_Fingers t1_iyal5bz wrote
lmao wild turkeys are a moot point against domestic dogs
Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_iyaluaw wrote
Hey, if they get to make asinine points then so do I!
(The asinine point of not having a dog unless you train it to use the toilet. I’m all for picking up poop and not peeing on peoples lawns)
inspircatible t1_iyamw7l wrote
While I don’t live in Boston, my apartment complex got so many complaints about dog poo in the park and around the area that they started charging people by sending the poop to a lab to get tested. I heard it’s over a 100 dollars! I haven’t seen poop in a long time walking around.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iyamzw9 wrote
> I’m all for picking up poop
Yeah, again, you just admitted in this very thread that you leave your dog poop behind for other people to step in when it is merely inconvenient for you to do the responsible thing and pick it up.
[deleted] t1_iyanrhd wrote
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iyanvav wrote
You can always tell who the bad dog owners are in a thread like this, they do things like accuse you of hating animals and make excuses for their irresponsible behavior and try to make it sound like you are the one who is being super unreasonable when all you are asking of them is to do the right thing and dispose of their pets waste responsibly and not treat the sidewalk or your lawn like as open sewer that they are welcome to fill with feces and urine.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iyaoekt wrote
Some people have no sense of humor, they are often the same sort of people who leave their dogs poop behind for other people to step in.
This is starting to feel like harassment now, it's time for you to move on please.
[deleted] t1_iyaoyjw wrote
[deleted] t1_iyapxtw wrote
[removed]
ramblingrubbisher t1_iyarhxm wrote
There are more of us (non-dog owners who are sick and tired of this grotesque entitlement on display) than there are of them (dog-owners). We should democratically ban dog ownership** in the downtown area and call it a day. Problem solved.
** Naturally, true service dog should be allowed.
Initial_Freedom_3749 t1_iyatfyv wrote
why'd ya spill yer... B e a n s...
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iyau3n5 wrote
We really just need to make it illegal to use public sidewalks, other peoples private property and any non-dog park as an open sewer for peoples pets. It's not legal for a human to do so, and it shouldn't be legal for pets to either. There are plenty of places where owning or even just bringing a dog is not appropriate.
We don't need to live with this filth, Nobody needs to have a right to treat public property with such disrespect. All this pollution is easily avoidable and very bad for the sensitive ecosystems around the city when it washes into our waterways.
Naturally true service dogs do need to be able to have access, but their waste can also be managed.
liyochka t1_iyau7yw wrote
Ugh yes, so frustrating! Also curbside compost bins.
[deleted] t1_iyb88l9 wrote
[deleted]
TheManFromFairwinds t1_iybgvt1 wrote
I'm confused. How do they use the lab results to track it back to the dog?
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iybhaz4 wrote
Usually you have to register your dogs DNA with the building owners or HOA
This should be a citywide program in my opinion, all paid for by dog owners when they register their pet and violations should be expensive and involve picking up dog poop.
TheManFromFairwinds t1_iybhqcj wrote
Thanks. Never heard of this before.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iybkomq wrote
You're welcome my friend
yacht_boy t1_iybohh8 wrote
I will say as a dog owner, all it takes is one bad owner coming to the same spot every day to really trash a place in a hurry. It's amazing how much poop a single dog produces in a week.
inspircatible t1_iycr8db wrote
Yep that’s exactly how they are able to trace it back. Someone I know had this happen to them because they didn’t see a poop under some tall-ish grass. They tried to get it waived by saying it’s a first offense in years that they have had the dog but our building management said they already paid for the test results so it could not be waived.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iycsq28 wrote
Justice was served!
Interesting_Ad3949 t1_iycxv99 wrote
Funny that you got down voted... SMH
Interesting_Ad3949 t1_iycxxm0 wrote
Your backyard or your apt. You got the dog, deal with it in the appropriate manner.
defenestron t1_iyd0942 wrote
You ought to be clearer, animal waste from the agricultural industry is a serious (and leading) cause of water contamination.
While pet waste has similar environmental impacts (e.g introducing phosphorous in feces and nitrogen from urine), the scale is much smaller. In our area, sewage and storm drain run off from us humans is a far bigger issue when it comes to water contamination.
Still. Pick up after your damn pets.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/animal-waste https://www.massriversalliance.org/water-pollution
ich_habe_keine_kase t1_iyd1fcq wrote
When I moved into my building I stepped in dog shit twice in like a 20 minute period (was pretty fucking annoying because I hadn't unpacked either paper towels or other shoes yet). The people on my block clearly don't give two fucks, I see dog shit literally every day.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iyd9o3p wrote
Yes, agricultural animal waste is a serious issue in places where farming dominates the landscape, but the city of Boston is not one of those places now is it?
I am not sure why you are attempting to minimize this serious issue with your misleading post, but you are doing the city of Boston and indeed most cities a disservice. Pet waste is one of the leading causes of storm water runoff pollution in the city.
"There are some 83 million pet dogs in the USA alone that generate about 10.6 million TONS of poop every year and many millions of gallons of urine. That's enough poop to fill a line of tractor trailers from Boston to Seattle."
"Dogs can harbor lots of viruses, bacteria and parasites — including harmful pathogens like e coli, giardia and salmonella. (A single gram contains an estimated 23 million bacteria.) Studies have traced 20 to 30 percent of the bacteria in water samples from urban watersheds to dog waste.
Just two to three days of waste from 100 dogs can contribute enough bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorous to close 20 miles of a bay-watershed to swimming and shell fishing, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It also can get into the air we breathe: a recent study of air samples in Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Mich., found that 10 to 50 percent of the bacteria came from dog poop."
Only about 60 percent of dog owners claimed that they actually pick up after their pets. It is a huge problem.
"It was also noted in a 1982 study of Baltimore, Maryland catchments that dog feces were the single greatest contributor of fecal coliform and fecal strep bacteria (Lim and Oliveri, 1982)"
Edit: Added direct links for those who are too lazy to actually read the whole article.
defenestron t1_iydurq7 wrote
> with your misleading post,
Wow, yikes. Misleading how?
Pet waste is a problem. The only reason I opted to reply to you is because my read of your post is factually incorrect by stating pet waste is a leading cause of waterways pollution in Massachusetts.
> Stormwater runoff is recognized by the EPA as the #1 source of water pollution in Massachusetts and the primary reason why more than half of our waterbodies are considered “impaired.”
The Mass Rivers Alliance has been studying our waters for decades and their website contains exhaustive details of where pollution is coming from and its impact. Pet waste is not mentioned in a single study by MRA or by the EPA that I can find.
Pet waste doesn’t register in their studies of our waterways because it is negligible compared other sources. That’s not to say there is no impact, but it’s impact is minute compared to other sources.
I’d like to be proven wrong and would welcome evidence to support your claim. I work in Animal Control and work daily to educate people about the importance of cleaning up after their pets and keeping their pets on leashes when not in enclosed spaces. I’d be delighted to learn something new, be able to provide scale to the problem, and hopefully convince more people of how important a cleaner city is to all of us. People too often think “it’s only one poop” but we both know how it doesn’t take many people not being responsible for there to be too much shit. Anecdotally, seeing pet waste seems to encourage more people to not do the right thing. It’s awful.
> Dogs can harbor lots of viruses, bacteria and parasites… (A single gram contains an estimated 23 million bacteria.)
And how does that compare to human waste and wastewater runoff? No one here is arguing dog waste is clean and safe. But neither should anyone claim human wastewater is any better and there’s a whole lot more of it being routinely dumped.
But…
Overhauling our sewer system will take decades, cost billions, and certainly isn’t the kind of “exciting” projects politicians are eager to take on but cleaning up after yourself is something each of us can do and which has an impact on public health and the environment each and every day.
Sadly, Animal Control Officers have very little in the way of enforcement tools available for enforcing waste pickup and leash laws. We can ticket but people but they can refuse to show ID and there’s nothing we can do except hand them a citation. But I’m not sure if there is an easy answer here.
People that are concerned about water pollution and shared spaces should really reach out to the Parks Department to encourage more dedicated infrastructure for pets and encourage more tools for education and/or enforcement if they feel that will help. They should also check out MRA’s website and send emails encouraging their representatives to address the serious wastewater issues in our state. We have an opportunity to be a national leader in the realm of clean water.
giritrobbins t1_iydx57l wrote
I hate people who just fling it into the woods or bushes. At least leave it on the trail so there's a bigger chance of someone else perhaps picking it up.
ThisistheInfiniteIs t1_iydyynm wrote
Yikes, are you ok? You are making a lot of inaccurate claims here, and you continue to try to minimize what is a significant problem which is pretty puzzling?
"Pet waste doesn’t register in their studies of our waterways because it is negligible compared other sources. That’s not to say there is no impact, but it’s impact is minute compared to other sources."
Again, in a 1982 study of Baltimore, Maryland catchments that dog feces were the single greatest contributor of fecal coliform and fecal strep bacteria (Lim and Oliveri, 1982)
Also, about 30 percent of all bacteria in samples taken from urban watersheds can be traced back to dog waste, which is a very large percentage.
If you had bothered to read the article that I linked to in my comment, you could have found all the sources to back up the statements that I quoted from that article which clearly show that you are wrong.
Pet waste is in fact one of the chief sources of storm water runoff pollution, you are apparently just assuming something else to be true without any evidence to back it up.
Seems to me like you are here just to have an argument, I don't think you even bothered to read my reply, so good luck with that. Bye bye
I appreciate your dedication to the topic of dog waste sanitation, but your attempt at minimizing the impact of pet waste on our environment is not helping to fix the problem.
EDIT:Highlighted for clarity
Itburns138 OP t1_iy8lqsf wrote
I live by the river and the problem is way worse recently. Makes me wonder what goes through people's heads when they do this...