Only In America (So Far).....

[Dogs Are Forever]

http://www.smh.com.au/world/dna-testing-for-dog-poop-on-the-rise-in-the-us-20150405-1mestx.html

[raz]

Seems like a good idea to me. Filthy barbarians.

[Kirislin]

I heard of this happening a few years ago, cant remember where but it was the councils undertaking it and then fining the dog owners for the cost of testing as well as the littering fine. It's amazing how much cheaper DNA testing is becoming now.

I can imagine in a few years it will be the norm.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

My neighbour would keep them busy with his large dog that he lets crap on everyone else's nature strips and on the pavement. He used to take her to the sports oval and do the same, now he can't be bothered.

I'm always picking it up off the pavement. Even if he's standing right there he just walks back up his driveway.

Yes, he's a major a--hole in so many ways ...

I'm sure I read about a town in Spain maybe where the DNA testing was done and poop was posted back to the owners ... it was a while ago.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Her Majesty Dogmad

[Stressmagnet]

Yup.

Just watched a woman let her large Bull Arab crap and then she looked at me across the oval and moved on. when I saw it, it was HUGE.

I get pissed off to red zone about this. Ernie has had days where's he crapped 4 times on our walk, and I've picked up every time, swinging the four laden bags gaily around the oval. Poo bags are cheap. Stick a roll in your pocket - not just a bag or two. If you're too cheap to buy purpose made? Then Coles will happily supply you with bags when you shop.

Own a dog, take responsibility for it. I even cleared the 'poo pickup' issue with my Onc before I got a dog.

There is NO reason but sheer laziness.

(Oops, there is ONE. When the dog has ingested so much sea water while swimming that you get what I call the 'brown waterfall'' . Impossible to pick up but soaks into the ground like magic :D)

ETA: autocorrected. I never EVER mean 'carped'.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Stressmagnet

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I watched a kid let his dog poop at one of our local parks, I beeped at him while the dog was crapping, he turned and looked but didn't pickup, then I spoke to him, and he said he'd get the poop...

but he didn't. I picked it up. It was exactly where I said it would be so how he missed it is beyond me but I know where he lives and if I see that again, the poop is going in his letterbox with a note to say it will be unwrapped the next time.

I couldn't get the dog rego because it wasn't wearing the collar but I guess I can write down the address for reporting later.

The dog is a GSD so big poop. Not good.

I think you need two dna samples tho - one from the dog, and one from the poop.

I heard of community labobratories being set up in some cities - UK I think, and one enterprising resident used the lab to DNA test the poop that kept appearing on his lawn, and DNA dog samples collected using brand new tennis balls to find the culprit.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Mrs Rusty Bucket

[YippeeGirl]

What I don't understand is that the local council seems to have cut down the number of rubbish bins in our suburb. There were bins in at least two of the parks/reserves near my house, which made disposing of dog poo a lot more convenient. Now these are gone, along with a couple on bins next to bus stops on the main road. Now, depending where you are, you have to walk at least a couple of kilometres to find a bin. I take my bag of poo along with me, but I would think that having more bins would go a long way to encouraging people to pick up after their dogs.

The worst offenders in our neighbourhood seem to be people with small dogs. I'm not sure if it's just because the owners don't notice, or they think because it's only a small poo it's fine to just leave it there for someone else to stand in.

[Steph M]

SM. We call that the brown curtain. Every beach trip...Gus has got to have the cleanest pipes ever.

[Kirislin]

with regards to having to carry dog poo on your walk, I've found it's better to use a fresh bag as a carry bag, so I bag up the poo, tie a knot in that bag, and then put in in a fresh bag. Then when the next dog does another one, tie it up and put it in the carry bag with the other one. It only uses one more bag than you'd planned but it makes carrying it so much more bearable.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Kirislin

[Stressmagnet]

with regards to having to carry dog poo on your walk, I've found it's better to use a fresh bag as a carry bag, so I bag up the poo, tie a knot in that bag, and then put in in a fresh bag. Then when the next dog does another one, tie it up and put it in the carry bag with the other one. It only uses one more bag than you'd planned but it makes carrying it so much more bearable.

Good idea. Ernie won't take treats from "the hand that's hekd fhe poo".

[cavNrott]

Yippeegirl, I'm in the Monash Council and in their wisdom they've decided to remove rubbish bins. Where there were bins there are none. Their reasoning is if you create rubbish you should take it home with you. Idiots! As if! Rates increase as council amenities decrease. I don't need to ask where they're spending the rates money. As winter approaches there'll be no one to ask anyway save a few disinterested office staff. Our esteemed councillors are visiting various overseas locations where the weather is balmy on some obscure council business.

I don't expect the council to provide bags for our dog crap. We who do pick up are happy to provide our own. Just place a bin here and there so we don't have to carry smelly bags for the remainder of our walk.

People are leaving dog crap everywhere and kids drop lolly wrappers and drink cartons in the street after visiting the milk bar on their way home from school, not to mention all the drink cans. Because there are no bins.

I see one huge pile of dog crap around the streets close to home almost every day. I want to find the owner of what must be a very large dog. I'll have something of theirs I'm eager to return to their property.

I carry multiple bags in my pocket, it's easy. I don't get people who don't pick up. It's messy and unhygienic. I'm don't want my dogs sniffing possibly disease ridden dog crap.

[YippeeGirl]

Yep. We have this beautiful bushy park near my house that is a wonderful place to take dogs for a walk, and in the entire park, the council doesn't seem to provide a single bin. Instead, you are expected to take your rubbish home with you. Perhaps in a utopian society this would not be an issue, but most people are lazy and if there aren't any bins nearby they are just going to leave their rubbish (including dog poo) behind

I just cannot see the wisdom. At least I suppose our council hasn't gone and removed ALL the bins yet.

[Pjrt]

The worst offender in our town was the CEO of the local council! Every damn day his 2 little fluffies were allowed to crap all over the riverfront reserve, where, ironically, there are several council installed signs, bins, and bag dispensers. Every one saw it and knew it, but he seemed untouchable to folks for some reason. I walked right up to him one day and took a picture with him, his dog, and the crapping in progress. Asked if he was going to pick it up. he said yeah, I was going to go and get a bag. Dickhead walks right past the bag dispenser on the way into the park everyday, chooses not to grab some bags, knows his dogs crap several times there everyday, lets them crap there everyday, walks right past the 2nd bag dispenser everyday without grabbing a bag. He never has a bag, despite the amazing convenience of it all, having 2 bag dispensers located next to 2 bins, in a stretch of park about 400 metres long along the river bank.

His dogs have passed recently and the park is much cleaner now.

Edited April 6, 2015 by GrufLife

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I routinely pester email my council and councillors about bins around my area.

I actually persuaded them to put a new bin and bag dispenser well away from the playground and area shared by the local primary school because those kids think it's great fun to unroll all the bags and string them round like black flags.

I also tried to get them to switch to the bag pads like Brisbane council has (near goldcreek?) because those can't be unrolled - you have to take one at a time which would also reduce the numbers taken by people for use at home not the park.

I countered all their arguments about bins being used by people who don't want to take their stuff to the dump and the ridiculous idea that people would take their rubbish home. You need to make doing the right thing easy for everyone...

So if I see someone watch their dog take a dump, if they're close enough - I will offer them a bag - here - do you need a bag. Sometimes they refuse to pick up but those ones also don't come back to the park.

If they're a long way off, I will pick up the dump for them and then chase them down and give them the poop. "Did you realise your dog pooped back there, and how important it is that we pick up because.... council will ban dogs from here if we don't do the right thing... and hand them the crap...

Which most of them are - these days - at least pretend to be grateful because they mean to pick up and they just missed it. If they say that - I say you have to watch the dog for at least the first five minutes... because that's when most of them go. Often in the same spot, and I suggest they pick up a Kharma crap - ie the next crap they see - pick that up so

1. they don't step in it on their next lap (does often seem to be runners)

2. they owe the oval a crap.

The ones that are rude and still refuse to pick up - if I can, I get some identifying detail about them, their car rego or their dog rego or both, and report, and I tell everyone else at the park that "That person refuses to pick up" and we all yell at them. They don't come back. I figure it's kind of a social engineering. They're given every opportunity to pick up and if they don't want to do that - don't come here.

The oval does get disgusting if the bags run out - usually Christmas time. The bins also get disgusting because nobody wants prawns in their home bin. And the council often skips the Christmas pickup at the ovals because - all the drivers are on holidays.

But pestering the council, and getting more than one person to do it - really helps. Might take a while but eventually - they go - we want to be able to say we're pleasing our rate payers and if it doesn't cost a lot... they do it.

[cavNrott]

Yep. We have this beautiful bushy park near my house that is a wonderful place to take dogs for a walk, and in the entire park, the council doesn't seem to provide a single bin. Instead, you are expected to take your rubbish home with you. Perhaps in a utopian society this would not be an issue, but most people are lazy and if there aren't any bins nearby they are just going to leave their rubbish (including dog poo) behind

I just cannot see the wisdom. At least I suppose our council hasn't gone and removed ALL the bins yet.

It sounds like you live near me with your description of the park. Our council has left one bin in this huge park, if you know where to find it, so I guess we can be thankful for small mercies. The park is off leash and most people do pick up their dog poop in the park. Not around the streets though.

[cavNrott]

Well done! Mrs RB for your success with the council. Now could you please come and have a chat to our mob. We need you here as nothing's working. They won't replace the bins they took away.

Bags that can't be unrolled are an excellent idea. It really pisses me off when people take half the role to save spending $2 for a packet of 100 bags. Bad luck to everyone else when the bags run out.

I carry extra bags with me and offer them to anyone I see who intends to walk away from their dog's crap. Most take the bag and pick up but a few tell me where to go. I think I'll start taking my phone with me. If they think they're being caught on camera they may have a change of heart.

Where are the parents of those young kids who think the bags are placed in the park for their amusement?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Where are the parents of those young kids who think the bags are placed in the park for their amusement?

I think they're at work. The flag raising happens during school hours, which as best I can tell allows the children to do what ever they like in the park from beating each other up, to digging holes in the oval and litter everywhere.

But much as I'd like to sit and take notes or video as evidence to report to get something done about it - I think that would go down like a lead balloon.

(reading from "the rosie effect" - starts at about 2:15 minutes in)

So in order to get our council's attention - I do things like email the council ward reps (the people you vote for) and ask for what I want and why, and then maybe put counter arguments for the usual excuses. but if I can keep an email short and to the point I do.

I've also been and given short deputations (we're only allowed three minutes to talk each - so if you need to say more than this - break the speech up into 3 minute pieces and bring friends to read the rest of it). I haven't ever needed more than three minutes, and I do read what I want to say before I go to the meeting so I've got an idea of how long it will take to read in the meeting.

It's a freaky experience (talking into a microphone to a group of people) but it is the best way of making a point to all the councillors in front of the CEO (who manages the council and all requests from councillors are funnelled through him - they can't go to other staff directly). But a resident can pester anyone in the council structure. The trick is finding the right person.

If you've made your argument at a council meeting - they can't actually pretend the request is not there. Our council also has things called "ward forums" and I go to those and put requests in. Again - most of my requests have eventually been met... sometimes it's taken a couple of years for the thing I asked for to get to the top of the queue and they don't usually tell me when they start work on it but it does get done. Like the drains that were becoming sink holes were replaced. But I'm going to have to hassle again because dodgy kerb work has broken some of the drains.

The bin thing was fairly straight forward but I didn't go through the guy who is supposed to look after our park. He would not even take my calls in the end. And he's since retired but there is something very dodgy going on in the asset management part of the council - ie the local government act in SA says - they're to provide for the council's rate payers and they seem more interested in providing for sports clubs that are not paying any rates and actually suck money with grants. But that's a whole nother story.

[sandgrubber]

Not only in America

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9949491/Isle-of-Wight-moots-dog-DNA-database-to-tackle-fouling-problem.html

If I remember right, there are pooh-DNA schemes implemented in Isreal and somewhere in the Benelux countries as well.

Not that I take offense -- there's a lot of crazy stuff happening somewhere in the USA.

[Kirislin]

that's where I thought I'd read about it!! Israel. Yes, it's been going for a number of years.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I guess there must be parts of Israel where they're not dodging bombs, that they can collect dog bombs...

Maybe that's where the mossad apprentices start?