For anyone who doesn’t know, I got a rescue basset hound named Rosie this year. She’s awesome and I love her. We take a walk every day with the exception of days when there’s a dust storm or a rain storm. She’s a darling of the neighborhood. When we go walking, I wear a cross-body bag that holds her pooper scooper bags, a flash light, her water bottle, mace (in case we encounter a coyote), my phone, and my keys.
I’ve noticed there are three types of dog walkers in my neighborhood.
- Responsible Dog Walkers: These are the people who carry pooper scooper bags, pick up after their dogs, and put the waste into the trash can.
- Traditional Irresponsible Dog Walkers: These people walk their dogs and don’t carry pooper scooper bags. They let their dogs shit wherever they want and never clean it up.
- Nontraditional Irresponsible Dog Walkers: These people walk their dogs and carry pooper scooper bags. When their dog poops, they put it in a bag, tie off the top, and toss it to the side of the road.
The nontraditional irresponsible dog walkers baffle me. Their behavior remind me of highway clean-up crews that pick up trash and leave the full bags by the side of the road for the truck to pick up at the end of their shift. Only in this case, there isn’t a dog shit bag removal service in my neighborhood.
The worst part of cleaning up after your dog is picking up the poop itself – and even that’s not that bad. My regular route with Rosie is just under a mile and we walk out and back. There are 2 dumpsters and 4 communal trash cans along the way (not including the 3 trash cans in the park on the route). You have to walk maybe 2 blocks before you reach the next trash receptacle. There are also 3 bag dispensers on our route so if you forget to grab your pooper scooper bags when you leave the house, you can still clean up after your dog.
I don’t know who the culprits are – the traditional and nontraditional irresponsible dog walkers – but I hope they knock it off soon. It’s unsightly and disgusting.
I remember in high school they used to say if you can’t handle buying condoms, you’re not mature enough to have sex. Likewise, if you can’t handle cleaning up after your dog, you shouldn’t be able to have one.