We live in an AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) and great chunks of the land has been bought up over the years by The National Trust who have opened a "shoppee" and a "caffee" along one of the most popular walks by our local river. See a picture above of Molly in the river and one of her favourite things to do - retrieving sticks thrown into the river.
Countless visitors and locals walk the area as there are lots of paths that criss-cross this pretty countryside and oh joyee end up or can end up with either lunch at this "caffee" or a coffee. This makes it very popular with dog walkers. Very popular.
This means a lot of dog shit.
Now we all know that dog shit can blind small children and cause stomach upsets. If digested. The worst bit is when small children stand in dog mess (because to them it looks like mud) and it gets on their shoes.
Now the worst thing about standing in dog shit and getting it on your shoes is that it stinks. Absolutely stinks. This is not pleasant but if you walk along a river you can dunk those boots and shoes into the water and wash it off. Or discreetly head for the nearest bit of clumpy grass.
But can anyone tell me why countless dog walkers (definately in my area and from what I hear throughout the country) bag up their dog's mess, oh so very neatly in a plastic bag, the best ones are in little bags, and the baddies are those that put a smallish mess into a large supermarket, plastic, carrier bag, and then they.........
STILL IN A PLASTIC BAG. CHUCK IT IN THE HEDGE. OR TO THE SIDE OF THE PATH. OR INTO THE BRANCHES OF SOME UNSUSPECTING POOR TREE.
OR AS WE GET INTO THE TRUNK OF A WILLOW TREE ALONG THE BANK OF OUR RIVER.
What morons do that? Why would you do that?
If you bag it you have to carry it and put it in a proper dog bin wherever it may be and however long it takes. If you are not prepared to carry it then either kick it to one side - off the path - with a stick into the undergrowth.
Why put it in a plastic bag? Dog shit left in a plastic bag in the sun will heat up. The bacteria will multiply and breed very fast therefore likely to cause more disease when the bag eventuality splits open. Plastic does not disintergrate easily. So your carelessly chucked bag of dog shit will stay attached to tree branches, hedgerows, and fences, wherever it lands for months and months. All those PCB's in plastic mixed with rotting dog shit is an appalling thought.
If its shoved into the undergrowth small children are unlikely to walk in it. What happens is one of two things. This does depend on what you feed your dog. If its tasty then it will get eaten by either foxes, badges or any hungry creature so that's that. Or if it gets left it will rot down in a week into the ground and it will fertilise the earth and do some good.
I really don't understand why someone would walk in an AONB and pollute it with plastic bags full of dog shit. Or any other kind of rubbish if it comes to that. BUT my main gripe is the dog walkers. And you never see anyone do it. It seems to me people bag it up and wait until the most secluded part of the walk......i.e. where no one else can see them. And then they take aim and throw.
PLEASE DON'T.
Stick it or kick it into the undergrowth.
That's what should be a new advertising slogan The National Trusts marketing manager should promote.
Stick it or Kick it.
