Thawing Dog Poop Shows What ‘Lazy Slobs’ Some Owners Are: Block Talk

It was thawing with the arrival of spring, and it flew with velocity when Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, asked why people think they get a free pass on scooping their dog’s poop in the winter.

“It’s an annual, disgusting thing I notice, and I’m a dog owner!” said Allie, who reads Peabody Patch and Andover Patch, both in Massachusetts. “It doesn’t matter if it’s sunny, raining or snowing; it’s the dog owner’s responsibility to pick up after their pups — they can’t do it themselves.”

“Irresponsible. Disrespectful,” said Larchmont-Mamaroneck (New York) Patch reader Fran. “Would you leave human feces in the toilet with the wishful thinking that it would disappear itself?”

Why Bag It, Then Leave It?

Fairfield (Connecticut) Patch reader Rick was out there this winter overcompensating for all the people leaving their dogs’ poop bombs to freeze in the snow. He takes along extra bags on daily walks with his pup.

“Some of these dogs must be the size of horses based on the size of their loads. And what goes with the people who bag it and leave the bags on the sidewalk or in the street? Stop being so lazy. If you own a pooch, part of caring for it is dealing with its excrement. It’s your job, not mine. You know who you are; you’re not just lazy, you’re a slob.”

That was a common complaint.

Leaving bagged dog poop behind “almost seems worse, because now there’s the dog's poop and the plastic bag on the trail,” said Anne Arundel (Maryland) Patch reader Ruu.

“The poop bombs are a disgusting mess,” Swampscott (Massachusetts) Patch reader JW said, agreeing with other readers. “What I can’t understand is why people bag it and then leave the full bag. Twice the trash! And while you are at it, please pick up those little booze bottles everywhere.”

Is that it? Are people who don’t scoop too drunk to notice their dog’s deposit steaming in the cold air?

Branford (Connecticut) Patch reader Patricia has another idea.

“As if traversing snow and ice on sidewalks and trails isn't tough enough, dodging dog poop this winter has added a new dimension. Lazy, inconsiderate, and just plain stupid describes these dog owners,” Patricia said, adding that many neighborhoods and trails provide bags and trash bins.

If cleaning up after the dog is such an imposition in the winter — or anytime — let them poop on their own lawn,” Montgomeryville-Lansdale (Pennsylvania) Patch reader JD said. “We spend money fixing up our lawn and don’t like someone just crapping on it. They also turn the grass yellow.”

‘Impossible For A Human’

Jeff, a New York City Patch reader, made clear he did not like the question about now-thawing dog poop and used a zoomorphic metaphor to express himself.

“In 2 to 3 feet of snow, it is impossible for a human to step into snow banks to retrieve the poop,” he said.

“Why don’t you try picking up feces with a plastic bag on a freezing cold New Hampshire night while standing in snow supported by ice?” New Hampshire Patch reader Patrick challenged.” It is not the same thing as picking up feces in plastic in May. You have to take your gloves off. You have to stoop down on a precarious surface. Especially for older pet owners, but for anyone, it’s a really big hassle.

“Then you have to carry this steaming pile to a dumpster, which might be 300 yards away, or nowhere available, in which case you have to carry it home and flush it with your own — not satisfactory, folks. Not satisfactory at all.”

Wellesley (Massachusetts) Patch reader Gina understands why some people leave their dogs’ deposits behind.

“Just as it's unpleasant to see disregarded dog poop left out in the open, it’s also unpleasant to carry bagged dog poop with no trash can of relief in sight,” Gina said. “Even more aggravating is to come upon a trash can with a sign ‘No Dog Poop Bags’ on it. If others want dog owners to pick up their dog poop, there needs to be convenient trash receptacles that allow dog poop bags to be placed in them.”

‘A Challenge To Do The Right Thing’

Putting the poop in a plastic bag creates an even bigger problem, said The Dude, who reads Saint Paul (Minnesota) Patch.

“It is a challenge to do the right thing,” The Dude said. “While a dog’s ‘gift to nature’ is quite problematic, so is wrapping it in a plastic bag, which is then usually put into another plastic bag, which then most often goes into a landfill (5 to 10 million tons a year) and then, through the magic of chemistry, produces deadly methane gas in a few years.”

The Dude follows the rules.

“I am a good citizen and extract the pile into a plastic bag which then goes into another plastic bag, etc. etc. etc. I will confess, at 20 below zero, I’ve left a few of her ‘gifts’ if in remote areas,” The Dude said. “I try to give her enough time in the mornings at least to leave her aforementioned gifts in our back garden, which I then spread around as fertilizer — note, these are flowers, not vegetables. My clematis seem particularly appreciative. I’ve been doing this for years and the perennials appear to appreciate the natural fertilizer.

“As I said, it is a challenge: potentially pollute the waterways or definitely poison the air we breathe and increase the amount of microplastics in our bodies.”

“We need to come up with a better way of handling this perfectly natural and unavoidable earthly issue,” said Patrick, the New Hampshire Patch reader who cited the perils of wintertime poop scooping,

“No one wants to step in feces. That’s a given,” he said. “But wrapping feces in plastic and taking it to another location to burn it, plastic and all, releasing it into the atmosphere, is hardly any intelligent method of dealing with a perfectly natural earthly substance.

DNA Tracking And Other Solutions

Several readers think pooper scooper codes should be enforced or created if they don’t already exist.

“Winter seems to be ‘no poop pick up time.’ Fines need to be increased, and people should start being responsible for their dog’s waste. I have gotten to the point where I just say, ‘You need to pick that up. It stinks and is unsanitary,” said Manhattan (Illinois) Patch reader JZ.

“The worst is when people let their dogs poop on the sidewalks. People push strollers, walk and run on them and you don’t always see it.”

Judy, an Odenton-Severn (Maryland) Patch reader and lifelong dog owner, said she has “actually had confrontations with other dog owners about this issue.”

She pointed to the PooPrints registry in Eagan, Minnesota, that stores DNA samples from dogs “just for the purpose of identifying dog poop left on the ground.”

PooPrints operates in all 50 states, and the technology is used by thousands of communities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

“This is extreme, and it does not account for any visiting dogs to the town, but at least it sends the message to dog owners that they must be responsible for their own dogs,” Judy said.

Concord (California) Patch reader Argie said the town of Rossmoor uses the poop-tracking service. It might not be necessary if there were “more garbage cans along popular hiking trails to make it easier to dispose of poop,” Argie said.

Responsible Citizen, a Marlborough (Massachusetts) Patch reader, also called for extreme measures. Responsible Citizen thinks dogs should be kept at home in general, and should be banned from any public place except dedicated dog parks.

“A dog will poop, and it is impossible to remove all traces of it from a person’s lawn or sidewalk,” Responsible Citizen reasoned. “Dogs’ urine will kill grass or a plant, which is their preferred place to urinate.”

Failing to scoop after the poop, “should be a crime” and the consequences should be significant, the reader said, proposing:

“The public should be able to film this crime and submit it to the police department. The fine should be excessive, such as $1,000 for the first occurrence, to ensure that the owner gets the message. Removal of the dog from the owner should be the punishment on the second offense, and the dog owner should no longer be allowed to own a dog.”

Responsible Citizen poo-poo’d recent changes in Woburn, Massachusetts, that allow for fines of up to $150 if a police officer happens to see an offense and the dog owner refuses to pick up the poop.

“That will never happen,” Responsible Citizen said. “This is not a solution.”

Steven, a Milford (Connecticut) Patch reader, just moved into a new complex, where there’s a $25 fine for not picking up dog poop.

Steven smells opportunity.

“I am amazed at how much dog poop there is out there,” Steven said. "Maybe I can make some extra money giving out fines.”

Be The Alpha In Your Pack

TB who reads Nashua (New Hampshire) Patch and Across America Patch, has noticed that “more and more of my neighbors have posted ‘no poop no pee’ signs on their lawns.”

“Spring thaw poop is the worst and hard to clean up!” TB said, noting it’s a “frustrating” issue any time of the year.

“’ve had several mobility injuries that have made it very difficult to bend over,” TD said. “When I walk my dogs, I constantly have to make sure I don’t step in it and keep my dogs away from sniffing it. Not all dogs poop is healthy.”

“This is simply rude and indicates a person who doesn’t know much about dogs. It is also very lazy on the dog owner’s part,” said Maggie, a Fredericksburg (Virginia) Patch reader.

Maggie, who calls herself “a good dog owner,” doesn’t have this problem because she has established that she is the alpha in the dynamic with her dogs.

“I have trained my dogs to poop in only one place, my yard. Going for a walk, I require my dogs to pay attention to me. I am the pack leader,” she said. “When we come home, they are released into my yard to do their business. If you don’t have a yard, teach them to go in only one place, then clean it up. Or, use a potty pad for your dog.”

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with Block Talk as the subject line.

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