Thanks to former San Francisco Mayor Harvey Milk, dog owners are required to pick up after their dogs in public. He is the one who created the Pooper Scooper Law in 1978 after accidentally, or not so accidentally, stepping in dog poop during a press conference held in a park. He allegedly quipped, “Whoever can solve the dog-shit problem can be elected mayor of San Francisco, even president of the United States.”
Perhaps. I’d like to think that wasn’t the platform that finally got him elected.
I am all for people cleaning up after their dogs, but as a new dog owner, I find the practice very awkward. It’s not so bad in a public park where you can pick up your dog’s mess and then dispose of it. But when I walk the dog around the neighborhood and clean his poop from someone’s yard, I am then stuck carrying a baggie of dog poop for the rest of the walk. Invariably, I see someone outside and stop to say hello, or chat. Doesn’t it seem strange to anyone else that I am standing there making pleasant conversation while holding a bag full of poop?
Maybe it’s just me. It seems odd that instead of letting nature take its course naturally, we have been conditioned to think of holding bags of dog poop as normal. It’s even acceptable to hold the bag up in the air and let it swing as we wave hello to our neighbors (Because our other hand is busy holding a leash.)
Guess that’s just part of the fun of being a dog owner, and I’m no party pooper. I will continue to walk with baggies in hand.
Thanks, Harvey Milk.
It's a bit odd, yes, but I get so upset when people don't pick up. Because I might step in it, or my dog might go after it (yes to eat, yes ew). It's just inconsiderate not to pick up, as if you are more important than everyone else who shares the neighborhood. Props to you for picking up, and YAY OMG new doggy!
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