Our pets need to exercise outdoors; we as dog owners know this all too well. They love fresh air and sun just like us. We both need the experience of enjoying a brisk walk or romping in the park. And as responsible dog owners, we all know the importance of carrying and using our dog poop bags when attending to their regular business while outside. But who has made the decision not to use these poop bags? Who won’t pick up dog poop? Everyone has probably witnessed the scenes that follow.
1) “Forgetting”. We have all noticed this person when he is outside. As your dog begins to squat and poop, they will quickly look in the opposite direction and continue walking at high speed, sometimes dragging their dog with them. His intention is to get as far away from dog droppings as possible; hoping no one thinks it belongs to his pet.
2) “The Pretender”. You find this person frantically searching for their bags of dog poop. If they are aware that others have noticed their dog making a mess, then of course they will have to act. They’ll look at the mess and go through the motions of searching for their poop bags, sort of like when you realize you don’t have your wallet at the checkout counter. Then they’ll exclaim out loud, “OMG I must have left them in the car. Common boy, let’s go get the dog poop bags.” They will then rush to their car and then get in and drive off, leaving the dog poop for someone else to step in.
3) “The Important Man”. This is usually a man. He will probably be on a cell phone talking very loudly. He’ll have that all-important air about him. When his pet does his duty, he will look down, keep talking on the phone, and then just walk away like it never happened. This owner and his dog are more important than anyone on this planet and his pet can do whatever he wants wherever he wants, just like himself.
4) “The Rich Lady”. She assumes that someone else is paid to take care of things like this. Her thoughts are usually “Didn’t I pay someone to take care of this already? Like those men in orange vests who are mowing the lawn. I’m sure they take care of things like this.” So he’s probably a kind soul, just ignorant and unprepared.
I’m sure you can think of more. Our job is to educate people. And our job is to call people. Sometimes out loud if necessary. We must explain that this rule is not optional, it is the law.
Education is the tool we need. Dog waste is dangerous to our health and the health of our pets. Dog waste is a pollutant as it threatens our rivers, lakes and beaches. And dog poop is a real pain to pass. The simple solution is to use dog poop bags and a dog poop bag holder, also called a dog walking bag, to safely, conveniently and discreetly fulfill our responsibilities as dog owners.
