Pet sitting & dog walking, Melbourne

Did you Scoop that Poop? - Survey Results

Dog owners are regularly blamed by politicians such as environment minister, John Thwaites, for the pollution in our parks and waterways, but a 1997 EPA report indicated the faecal pollution was mainly human. So are we as dog owners off the hook? Are most of us picking up after our dogs after all, and if so, what did you tread in last week while you were out walking?

Lonely Pets Club have conducted an anonymous survey through their website to find out what proportion of owners do actually pick up. So far, the vast majority of the survey respondents are highly conscientious dog owners who 'always or nearly always' clean up after their dogs in public places. Over 86% selected "Always or nearly always" or "Usually". Most owners pick up after their dogs because it is the right thing to do, rather than because of a risk of getting seen. One respondent even claimed to, on occasion, pick up other dogs' messes to make up for any of his or her own dog's that were missed.

These results shouldn't surprise us. Owners who exercise their dogs regularly are major users of public parks so it seems likely that they would want to keep them in a clean and welcoming condition.

When owners do fail to pick up after their dogs, it is usually due to the place the dog has chosen to relieve itself - in a flower bed, under a shrub, or on the other side of the park. The second most common reason is forgetting to bring bags, or enough bags. Interestingly only a small percentage blamed the council for not providing bags as their main reason, so it seems that owners are taking responsibility for the problem. However several respondents commented they would sometimes run out of bags when their dogs relieved themselves multiple times, which indicates that if councils were better at providing them this would help.

Those who always clean up after their dogs tend to take the moral high ground, assuming that owners who don't are unconscientious people who just can't be bothered. But some people do not agree with picking up if the dog poo is somewhere it won't be stepped on. As one respondent said, "...What is better? It naturally decomposing or putting it in a plastic bag in landfill?".

The results indicate that more education, rather than higher penalties or more bag dispensers, may be required about what the 'right thing to do' is, environmentally. The annoyance of stepping in dog poo aside, is it better to increase our landfill with bags of droppings or to let the excrement pollute our waterways after being washed into drains? Most owners agree on the need to pick up dog poo where people are likely to step in it, but elsewhere the answer becomes less obvious. The question is complicated further by the suggestion that excrement which goes into landfill ends up washing into our waterways anyway.

Thankfully for park users, the majority of owners do pick up after their dogs most of the time. So why are there always droppings lying around in the park? If you consider that it can take weeks for them to break down naturally (or be mowed up!), they do build up even if only a small percentage of owners are leaving them. Perhaps we should all just be grateful that most owners do pick up after their dogs and the problem isn't worse.

Jo Gault
Lonely Pets Club
1 March 2005

Here are the results received so far. Comments made by respondents are also shown below. Please note that these comments were made by anonymous survey respondents and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of Lonely Pets Club. The Lonely Pets Club staff pick up after the dogs they walk, as specified on our Code of Conduct.

1. Do you clean up after your dog/s (ie poop scoop) when walking in public parks?
Always or nearly always	75%
Usually	12%
Sometimes	9%
Never	4%
2. When you DO clean up after your dog, what is the main reason?
It is the right thing to do. (eg environmentally/aesthetically/morally)	90%
I don't want to get fined.	1.5%
To avoid embarrassment (someone might see).	8%
(Respondent didn't select anything)	1.5%
3. When you DON'T clean up after your dog, what is the main reason?
I can't be bothered and I can get away with it.	6%
I don't think I should have to.	3%
I sometimes forget to bring bags.	28%
Its the council's fault for not providing bags.	1.5%
When my dog goes in a difficult to reach/far away place.	38%
When my dog goes in a flower bed I think its ok to leave it.	7.5%
(Respondent didn't select anything)	16%

Some of the comments made:

"sometimes I don't scoop if my dog goes in under a low shrub and I can't get under there without crawling!"

"I always pick up my dog's dropping in ANY circumstance. I know how much it infuriates me when I step in droppings"

"After having so much dog poop on my shoes I always pick up. It would be nice to walk in the park and take in the scenery instead of having to walk looking at the ground."

"Indy is a Siberian Husky, and when the lead's on, it's time to work!! Stopping for a number two is just not high on her priority list!!"

"On rare occasions, we sometimes need more bags than estimated on our walk. Unfortunately, if we are in a park where there are no bags provided (or are not regularly replaced), this can be very awkward ! In these cases, I've used tissues, napkins and even bought something in a shop to access a bag ! Let's hope that one day all dog owners take responsibility for cleaning up after their pets."

"Council bags are not always readily available or refilled regularly. Also if it is too small a quantity... ie. the third time he did his thing.. and i wouldn't get anything if i tried to pick it up. "

"I always pick up in areas where people are walking (i.e. streets, parks, etc) but sometimes don't pick up in flower beds, under shrubs, etc usually because it is difficult to get to (ie. under a shrub) or because I think people won't walk on it and it won't get in drainage, etc. "

"Sometimes I may only take one bag, as Chuckles normally one does her business once, but that's when she does two! Then I do have to leave it because I don't have another bag and the lack of any bags provided by Council in our only park means I may have no choice. But I do think cleaning up after a dog is an important social and health responsibility for all dog owners."

"Some walks are in vacant areas with high growth vegetation, so it's better to leave his droppings amongst the weeds and vegetation to rejerminate. 95% of the time I pick it up, no matter what condition it may be."

"I notice in my park that many people pick up their doggie do's in a bag but then throw the bag under a bush, etc. I think this is worse than not picking up in the first place, don't you?"

"My dogs have a habit of running as far away as possible before relieving themselves. So sometimes I will pick up some old dog poo belonging to someone else which is a bit closer to make up for the fact that I don't always pick up my own dogs mess!"

"I clean up after my dog as I have accidently stood in poop(from someone elses dog) so I know how annoying it can be when other people do not clean up after their dog."

"It's obvious when out walking that lots of people don't bother! I guess we have to set the trend."

"Becauses Dogs are a natural part of the environment, what they are doing is a natural act. No body cleans up after the birds, possums, wombat, feral cats, rabits, etc, etc. The environment is constantly changing, it is stupid to think we can, or should try to, stop it from changing. The plastic bags used to pick up the poop does more damage to the environment the the poop could ever do. If you get dog poop on your shoe, wash it off, the world will not come to an end."

"I generally don't pick up if the dogs poop is very loose, as it tends to just spread it around! Also, if they go "off the beaten track" where nobody walks, and there's no birdlife nearby, I may leave it.."

"I think it's only right that dog owners clean up after their pets. Nothing worse than having dog poop hit you when you're mowing the nature strip. We've also noticed that poop scooping habits tend to vary greatly from suburb to suburb. Where we are (Camberwell/Hawthorn), people tend to do it quite diligently but in some of the outer suburbs, it seems to be an optional part of pet ownership."

"Ok, my dog rarely poo's on her walks. But the one time i forgot a bag...she pooed. :-O"

"I've written to Council requesting bins along river paths in Templestowe and they've refused to provide them. This deters many (other) dog owners as it's inconvenient to walk miles carrying smelly bags."

"I am becoming more conscious of picking up poo than before and hope to get better at it!"

"I get very frustrated with people who don't pick up their dogs poop - nothing worse than stepping on a ripe one as you search for the one you know your dog just did. We could use more bins though, especially along the Yarra between Punt Road and Fed Square. One is not enough!"

"I feel when you are on the footpath or children's park etc you should always pick it up. Although when it is in the bushes or out of the way you should just leave it as what is better it naturally decomposing or putting it in a plastic bag in landfill???????"

"The majority of people walking their dogs in our area have a plastic bag tied to their dog's lead which is fantastic. We were caught out a few times with our old dog who would do a 2nd poo after the 1st had been cleaned up. We still attempted to put it in a bin though and learnt to carry 2 bags!"

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