Parks and Poo (of the Dog Variety)
I spent an entire afternoon in the park a couple of days ago. The weather was beautiful and the children had a great time. We were there so long and encountered so many kinds of insects that I actually felt like nature mama a little by the time we left to drive two blocks home in our car like good gas-guzzling Americans. (I don't normally do that by the way, the driving two blocks that is)
The little green area on Kollwitz Platz is a nice alternative to the two playgrounds there, which, on a nice day, are so intensely crawling with children that any conversation I might be having with another mama friend devolves to "uh huh, uh huh, yeah, uh huh..." I start to get a nice soft mixture of panic and the desire to rock back and forth and say some kind of affirmation over and over again. Its hardcore. This isn't to mention the fact that I actually have to keep track of my children during this mental breakdown.
So, the green area. It is good. It is calm. But it has a few piles of dog shit, so watch out. Which brings me to my little peaceful tirade this evening: If you own a dog, kindly pick up after it. I cannot tell you how many conversations during walks with my older daughter have been wasted on the subject of dog poop. Instead of discussing the kinds of trees we are passing, how fluffy the clouds look, or what she did at school today, we keep our heads low and focused, warning each other - sometimes even in synch - that we are about to pass by a huge pile of dog shit. Isn't that just wonderful?
A couple of days ago I found myself pushing my stroller behind one of those shit mobiles. I don't know if that's what they call them here...in Paris, I know they are called "Chiracs" after Jacques Chirac, who, in the 1980's, set these poop mobiles loose on the streets of Paris to deal with the 20 tons-a-day (no shit!) of doggy doo doo. Amazing. Anyways, we have them here too. They look like a cross between a golf cart and a smart car with a huge vaccuum nozzle hanging off the side like an elephant trunk. I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing more disgusting than watching poop being sucked up through a vaccuum nozzle. Ho-ly Shit!
But back to my tirade: PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG!!! Take a plastic bag with you on your walk and spare us all the details of your sweet little cuddly puppy's bowels. Its gross, dirty, unsanitary, unpleasant to look at, smelly, and just plain revolting.
The little green area on Kollwitz Platz is a nice alternative to the two playgrounds there, which, on a nice day, are so intensely crawling with children that any conversation I might be having with another mama friend devolves to "uh huh, uh huh, yeah, uh huh..." I start to get a nice soft mixture of panic and the desire to rock back and forth and say some kind of affirmation over and over again. Its hardcore. This isn't to mention the fact that I actually have to keep track of my children during this mental breakdown.
So, the green area. It is good. It is calm. But it has a few piles of dog shit, so watch out. Which brings me to my little peaceful tirade this evening: If you own a dog, kindly pick up after it. I cannot tell you how many conversations during walks with my older daughter have been wasted on the subject of dog poop. Instead of discussing the kinds of trees we are passing, how fluffy the clouds look, or what she did at school today, we keep our heads low and focused, warning each other - sometimes even in synch - that we are about to pass by a huge pile of dog shit. Isn't that just wonderful?
A couple of days ago I found myself pushing my stroller behind one of those shit mobiles. I don't know if that's what they call them here...in Paris, I know they are called "Chiracs" after Jacques Chirac, who, in the 1980's, set these poop mobiles loose on the streets of Paris to deal with the 20 tons-a-day (no shit!) of doggy doo doo. Amazing. Anyways, we have them here too. They look like a cross between a golf cart and a smart car with a huge vaccuum nozzle hanging off the side like an elephant trunk. I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing more disgusting than watching poop being sucked up through a vaccuum nozzle. Ho-ly Shit!
But back to my tirade: PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG!!! Take a plastic bag with you on your walk and spare us all the details of your sweet little cuddly puppy's bowels. Its gross, dirty, unsanitary, unpleasant to look at, smelly, and just plain revolting.
posted by mama jens at 11:26 PM
5 Comments:
I am a dog owner, so, in retaliation: children owners, can you, you know, stop your children from poking our dogs then screeching with fear when the dogs do what is natural and try and lick the kid's hand in return.
And, while I'm at it: when my dog is calmly sitting underneath the table in a restaurant, your beast is off running around the place squealing. But, aaaaw, isn't it cuuuuuute!?
Ps. I got plastic bags, and I clean up.
I can totally relate, Mama Jens. I even wrote and entry on this a while ago because it bugs me so much. I have never seen a 'shit mobile' in our area and there's poop all over the place. Really disgusting, isn't it?
I can understand....I remember when I was in Besancon (France), I was totally disgusted at how many piles were on the pedestrain path. I mean, there are the occasional piles here in Munich, but most are done on the side where there's this little patch of grass. I don't know what's the problem with dog owners who don't clean after their pets.
A couple of weeks ago, I watched this report on the telly where they went after dog owners who didn't clean up after their dogs. The reporter picked the pile up in a plastic bag and ran after the owner trying to give the bag to him. Well, the owner went beserk. For goodness's sakes! It's your bloody dog and your bloody dog did that, so you better clean it up! I mean, how about getting your dog to poo in your Wohnung...are you not going to clean it up??? Or is it the fact that you don't flush the loo after doing your business, so you think your dog can do the same???
I kinda agree with the anonymous comment, Jen, I'm afraid.
What you doggy poo haters need to know is those of us that DO clean up our dog's poo hate those that don't more than you do. They are the ones that make life difficult for us.
And odds on the people who don't poop-scoop are the kind of people who'd annoy you in other ways if you had other contact with them.
sure, there are those whole clean up the poo and those who don't ...just as there are those who let their children run whacky and poke dogs and those who don't. (these are two different issues, by the way.) to the dog owners who clean your poo: i extend a heartfelt gesture of appreciation. those that don't, well, i think we all agree here, it should be done. especially in freakin' public parks where people are lying everywhere on blankets.
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