Archive Page 3

18
Dec
10

More creativity from Snohomish Co.

WTF?

More “creativity” from our friends in Snohomish County, WA:

Click on the image and look closely!

16
Dec
10

‘grate’ your dog

‘Curb your dog’?  No, way!

A lot of people in the South Loop prefer to ‘grate‘ their dogs!

A sidewalk tree grate provides a great place for your dog poo.

14
Dec
10

A friend of South Poop on Facebook

First, let’s look at some numbers.

According to its Press Statistics page, Facebook has 500 Million Active Users

250 Million of them log in on any given day.

According to the AVMA, 37.2 % of Households in the US have dogs.

(That’s 43 Million dog owning households with 72 Million dogs!)

Wordwide, let’s say the percentage is less, how about 30%?   And let’s make up that there are 2.5 Facebook users per household.

That means that there should be 200 Million Facebook “Households” worldwide.

And there should be 60 Million Dog Owning Facebook Households – worldwide!  Let’s hope that at least one member of each household picks up their dog’s poo!


So how come the Facebook page “I love dogs and care enough to pick up my dog’s poop.” has only 16 Likes??

That means that there are 59,999,984 missing ‘Likes‘!

Or, more accurately, if 75% of the population (using US statistics) is classified as ‘Urban’ (who cares where Fido goes on the farm), then Forty Four  Million Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty Eight additional people should be ‘Liking‘ this page!

From their description:

Calling all dog lovers! This page is a simple public declaration that DOG OWNERS DO CARE enough to pick up poop.

One simple click on ‘Like’ is all it will take!

Give it some love – if you’re on Facebook, take a look at the page, and Like!

11
Dec
10

dogs can’t flush

09
Dec
10

same dog / different dog ?

Here’s a quiz! These three poos showed up on the snow over the last few days.  They’re only a few yards from each other.

Poo #1:

Poo #2:

Poo #3:

QUIZ:  Are these poos all from the SAME dog or are these poos from DIFFERENT dogs?

Continue reading ‘same dog / different dog ?’

08
Dec
10

undercover pooper snoopers

More innovation from England:

A hit squad of “pooper snoopers” is targeting dog walkers who fail to clean up after their pets. The 20-strong team of plain clothes wardens prowl north London’s streets and parks late at night ready to impose £80 on-the-spot fines.

Pooper ‘snooper‘.  Get it?

So these are not informational uniformed patrolsthese are ‘plain clothes’ undercover cops wandering the dog poo hot spots watching for the bad guys.  It would be interesting to see how this goes – I don’t see any statistics online yet (miscreants caught/fined; incidents of orphan poo/month; etc, etc!).

Turns out there’s an Act for that – under The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, it is illegal to allow your dog to foul any footpath, park, play area, grass verge or local green amenity without cleaning it up. Dog wardens have the legal authority to approach someone suspected of this offence and bring a prosecution against them.

Chicago has a law, too.  Chicago Municipal Code Chapter 7-12-420 Removal of excrement.

No person shall appear with a pet upon the public ways or within public places or upon the property of another, absent that person’s consent, without some means for the removal of excrement; nor shall any person fail to remove any excrement deposited by such pet. This section shall not apply to a blind person while walking his or her guide dog.

What’s particularly interesting is that it’s illegal in Chicago to walk your dog without bringing along a dog poo bag (or scooper, or whatever)!

‘Hey, gotta bag’?

01
Dec
10

first winter poo of the season!

Here it is:

There were a couple of these – looked like all from the same dog – on this patch of grass.

A harbinger of things to come? It’s going to be a bad winter

28
Nov
10

it’s just an alley

it’s just an alley

we can leave our poo here

nobody cares

find the five (5) poos in this picture

Continue reading ‘it’s just an alley’

18
Nov
10

Pick Up Poo (PUP)

We’ll be following this idea as it develops:

A TEAM of dog poo police could soon be patrolling the streets of Yatton in a bid to crackdown on irresponsible owners who don’t pick up after their animals.

Volunteers will walk around hot spot areas of the village, in a bid to raise awareness about dog fouling, hand out poo bags and talk to dog owners who persistently offend.

They would also wear armbands to identify themselves as being part of the scheme.

The pilot scheme, called Pick Up Poo (Pup), is being set up by members of Yatton Pact, to tackle the national problem at a local level.

It sounds like it’s not off the ground yet:

Yatton Pact is putting together a grant application to Yatton Parish Council to fund the design and purchase of armbands, poo bags and for the printing of leaflets.

Here’s a measure of the scope of the problem:

One check of the Strawberry Line route revealed 91 separate incidents of dog fouling within a 300 metre stretch.

That’s one poo every 3.2 meters, or one poo/10 feet.  That’s a lot!

(The Strawberry Line is a converted rail line biking & walking path that leads south out of Yatton.)

This sounds like something that only the English (Keep Britain Tidy!) could come up with.

How about it?

PUP patrollers wearing South Poop armbands roaming the South Loop city streets?

15
Nov
10

pedestrian poop on polk

a teacupper’s little pile of poop on polk st today –

05
Nov
10

the new twitter integration – here’s our friends sldogpac!

04
Nov
10

happy thursday, a dozen poos!

It was a bad, big dog poo day at the field at 18th and Wentworth.
Lots of fresh big dog poos, some probably from this morning, some from last night, a couple of well aged poos, too.
There you go, I could only fit about 3 in each bag!
Thanks big dogs, running free and leaving us these awesome presents…  oh yeah, there was one little dog there, too!
Your humans suck.
31
Oct
10

the magical wonder of halloween

OMFG what is this… a giant poo appears mysteriously from the dark.  the magic of it all!

and only three feet away – what could it be – the scary secret ‘bag dispenser’.

what a wonder to leave this behind for us!

thanks to you – my Little Poo Goblins!

25
Oct
10

more poop on the big field

More poop on the field north of 18th st:

See, it just hides in the grass… and nobody will notice!  Hee hee hee!

  • We’re getting reports from the poo fairies that they’re picking up 5-6 orphan poos from this field every time they are there.
10
Oct
10

A poo for the Marathon

Half a block from the Chicago Marathon a well-worn poo awaits your colorful running shoes.

07
Oct
10

Teacuppers redux

A teacupper enjoyed her day at the park. Ahhhhh!

27
Sep
10

giant poo. empty dispenser. it “could” be coincidence.

This morning at Grant Bark Park a huge poo was left on the asphalt near the north entrance.  This is very unusual.  Sure, we’ve reported on poos at GBP before – but typically those are found in the large pea gravel area next to the tracks. To see something this massive out in the open, and on the hard surface of the park… very odd.

The poo bag dispenser at the park was empty, too.  It “could” just be coincidence.

Continue reading ‘giant poo. empty dispenser. it “could” be coincidence.’

25
Sep
10

poo battle in Naperville

Lady got pissed about stepping in teh pooh in front of her neighbor’s house…

A suburban Chicago woman is accused of tossing dog feces at her neighbor’s door after stepping into droppings left outside her apartment.

Police in Naperville say Susan M. Miller appears to have retaliated by heaving the feces at the door of her neighbor who owns a dog. Miller, 43, a tax accountant, was charged with disorderly conduct after Wednesday’s alleged protest.

She denied the charges Friday, but admitted she did get upset with the neighbor and hung bags used by residents to pick up their dogs’ waste on shrubbery near the woman’s door. (AP)

pooptoss!

woman goes on binge!

chi-ap-il-puppypoopmeltdown!!

dog-gets-woman’s-goat-in-‘puppy-poop’-case!!!

naperville-woman-steps-in-dog-poop-loses-her-mind!!!!

Ms. Miller was also interviewed on WGN-TV.

23
Sep
10

The Daily Dog Poop

Want to keep up with DDPs from around the country?

Now there’s another ally in the good fight – the Daily Dog Poop:

I am raising poop awareness: reminding owners to pick up the poo and speak up to those that don’t. I stand for cleaner beaches, safer parks and poo free shoes.

They’ve got a Facebook page, too.

And, if you send your pics in, they’ll post them as a DDP – here’s ‘I poop alone:

23
Sep
10

There’s no Poo Fairy?

Bummer.

17
Sep
10

Pickin’ up the poo… on YouTube!

We were wondering whether there would be any ‘how to’ videos on YouTube… so we searched ‘how to pick up dog poop’… and, hey, there are a bunch!

Are they any good?

Let’s see…

The first one starts out out of focus… that doesn’t bode well… and the dispenser is empty!  And it stays out of focus, even as our narrator ruminates about how we should be dropping poop into “big holes in the ground“.  But at least you get to see the DogiPot diagram.  Oh well.  Not much here.

?

This one’s a special treat.  A vet’s ‘clinical‘ take on picking up poop… you gotta love the ‘technical language’, and don’t forget your stethoscope! But, ha ha ha!  How about carrying around a box of rubber gloves so you’re always ready to pick up the poo!?!  An ‘academic exercise’, perhaps, but probably not relevant to the ‘man on the street’.

?

Continue reading ‘Pickin’ up the poo… on YouTube!’

15
Sep
10

do we have a theme song?

Who knew that Barbie would be the one to come up with it ?!?

What will he do?

Number one or number two??

Crazy cute! cute!! cute!!!

What will it be!

Uh, puppy poo or puppy pee!

It’s catchy – everybody! Sing along!

And – get the kids to sing along, too!

 

?

Continue reading ‘do we have a theme song?’

14
Sep
10

“don’t be a poo bandit!”

A friend from the South Loop Dog PAC forwarded these pictures of signs that went up in the small green area near Polk & Dearborn last week.  (They are now gone).

I like ’em – nice approach by someone who’s willing to take some action.


This particular patch has been a focal point of ‘poo conflict‘ for a number of years – it seems to serve as the ‘green patch’ for dog owners in the Printer’s Row area who amble down Dearborn, leave their present, and stroll back home to their loft like nobody cares.

Maybe we could make smaller weatherproof versions of signs like this to post (perhaps a little more discretely) in the problem areas in the neighborhood?

13
Sep
10

more poo on State St.

ugh, more poo on State St.

nestled in the forest greens and dusty browns and urban bits & pieces

it does make a pretty picture…

but they shoulda used a poopsta!

13
Sep
10

The Poopsta!

A lot of people are uncomfortable with the ‘hand in the bag‘ method (or, more concretely, the ‘hand on the poop‘ method…). But, now there’s something different to consider, and you might want to take a look – it’s the new Poopsta.

This is a goofy device if I ever saw one… but if it helps people deal with picking up and carrying the poo, that’s great! And all y’all who live in the US, don’t worry – you can get one too!

The Poopsta can be ordered from Poopsta.com for only $29.95 (+ $9.95 Postage & Packing), shipped straight from the UK!

We’d love to see a couple of these popping up around the South Loop!

 

?

But I gotta say, that grey cylinder sure looks boring.  Here’s an idea – paint your Poopsta!  or add some decals on your Poopsta to make picking up poop FUN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

?

There are a bunch of videos on the website.  Check ’em out!

20
Aug
10

Poop along 14th and Plymouth Court

Speak of the devil!

Just after posting about ‘Old Reliable’ today, a reader sent in a slew of pics taken during her walk around Dearborn Park II this morning.

OMFG! Are you kidding me? This is the same neighborhood.  Here’s the map:

(Yes, the photos were geo-tagged…)

That’s five (5) huge Poos in the Parkway!

1…

Continue reading ‘Poop along 14th and Plymouth Court’

20
Aug
10

old reliable

1401 S. State is a pet friendly rental building that has something of a reputation as a nexus of poo.

There’s a tiny dog run near the L tracks,  and there are some nice gravel areas helpfully provided to leave behind your poo.  You can always count on finding some nice ones there.  Here are a few:

Or, residents can walk their dogs across State street and leave poos along the shady sidewalks of Dearborn Park II.  It’s a lovely place for that.

05
Aug
10

some random poop

#1: A great post yesterday at the fine Pet Connection blog:  Poop parity: Do your share and then some

The best way to prevent transmission for you and your pets is to regularly pick up not only your dog’s feces from your yard, but to pick up piles someone else left at the dog park or in your neighborhood.

Yes, I know it’s disgusting and it’s not fair.

I know you don’t have to do it, and ohmydog what did that dog eat?

It’s a call for Poo Angels, as we know them. Poop parity! There’s an interesting Comments thread, and an important issue is raised:

Can someone answer me this – why is it my gag reflex isn’t triggered by my own dog’s or a friend’s dog’s poop, but a cold, lonely orphan poop sends me into gag hell?

Great question, and a true one – my dog’s poo doesn’t smell! 🙂

#2: Watch out for I Scoop Mad Poop!  Mad Poop showed up with a flurry of tweets last month. They look to be an ally in the good fight.  Keep it up!

#3: By now, most of you have probably heard:  “Dog eats Rockford man’s big toe, saves his life“. Be sure to read the Comments section!  ‘Just some of the “teachable moments” in this story’ Ha ha ha! Awesome!

And why do these morons figure they need to kill their dogs just for chewing off their rotten toes – yes, this has happened before!

17
Jul
10

a teacupper’s present

a little present behind the bus stop.

30
Jun
10

A beautiful new field of grass

A beautiful new field of lush grass has just opened up north of Ping Tom Park!

… and some sad fellow has already started leaving poos for the rest of us to find!

Here you go (at the north edge of the grassy area):

11
Jun
10

Preparations for the Printers Row Lit Fest are underway!

Here’s a nice poo for you!

On Plymouth Ct, behind the porta-potties (oops, missed!), and only about 15 feet from the stage off-camera to the right.

This is truly a nice ‘work’!   Snap!

What’s up with these sidewalk poo-ers?  In populated Printer’s Row, of all places…

08
Jun
10

a nice poo in the setting sun

this one in pleasant repose along 16th st.

points for getting it close to the ‘curb’.


p.s. i’m debating whether to post the pics of poos covered in flies, what with summer coming along…

but, that would be in bad taste, don’t you think?

14
May
10

and bp is leaving the biggest shit of all

Tony Hayward sez:

… the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is relatively tiny compared with that big huge ginormous ocean!


oops!  it was halliburton’s fault…
no! it was transocean’s fault!     hee hee!

05
May
10

A sweet sixteen

Wow, and we thought Coliseum Park DPFA was bad!

That’s sixteen (16) poos in the gravel at Grant Bark Park on one morning.

Yikes.

They do assemble to make a nice ‘art shot’, don’t you think?

21
Apr
10

Composting poop nixed in Chicago

There’s a short article in the Chicagoland Tails magazine this month ‘Planet Poop: Composting your Pet’s Waste‘.  But more interesting is this comment:

I looked into composting dog feces both for my own pooch and for the dog daycare where I work recently. I was told, and confirmed with the city’s Department of Rodent Control, that composting dog feces within Chicago’s city limits is illegal, as it attracts rats.

I wonder if this might be an issue worth revisiting.

17
Apr
10

Light dappled poos

light dappled poos in the ‘parkway’ on Plymouth St –

you could be inspired by these, to write a little poem…

13
Apr
10

“The bulging bag weighed a staggering 13 pounds.”

This is awesome – we hear from the John Kelly’s Washington column at the Washington Post about Wayan Vota and his dog Taxi, fellow orphan poo activists!  His bag of orphan poo was pretty heavy.

Ha ha ha check out the video!

This is similar to what some of our park Poo Angels have reported in Chicago (e.g. at Grant Bark Park), too – when you start picking it all up, you end up with a lot of poo in the bag!  Nobody pays attention to this, of course.  We’ve tried suggesting that they post a record – “bags of orphan poo collected today” – at the entrance to the park.  Maybe we could get a small scale, and make it a game: How big (or tiny) is your pup’s poop?  Who’s got the biggest poo today?

12
Apr
10

a tetrad of poo

at coliseum park DPFA:

from the looks of it, these could easily all be from the same dog.  if so…

one dog owner left these behind.

who?

07
Apr
10

Lucky hides his poo…

Lucky hides his poo… Latet anguis in herba.

06
Apr
10

Curb your ‘Curb Your Dog’

There’s a sign hanging above a streetside garden at Roosevelt and State. What do our neighbors at Dearborn Park mean?

The phrase ‘Curb Your Dog’ originated in the 1930’s in New York City.  Citing (from barrypopik.com) the Chicago Daily Tribune, 4 December 1938, “Mostly About Dogs” by Bob Becker, pg. F10: “Curb Your Dog” Good Advice:

“In New York, truly a doggy city, an ordinance has been passed to make for a cleaner city and at the same time compel the indifferent dog owner to consider public welfare. The ordinance demands that dogs be curbed. There are signs everywhere with the request, “Curb your dog.” It means that owners cannot allow their pets to soil buildings, nor can a dog make a nuisance of himself on the grass of the parkway or on the sidewalk. As a result there are practically no complaints about the dogs soiling sidewalks or grassy places which the public uses.”

That is, ‘Please Curb your Dog’ meant ‘Don’t let your dog do its business on the sidewalk. Let your dog do it in the road’.

Makes sense.

Here’s another sign typical of the Chicago Park District:

Signs like this appear at the entrance to parks, and even have appeared at the entrances to CPD Dog Friendly Areas. What in the world do our helpful and overworked sign makers at the Park District mean?

A dog is sniffing a flower.  The dog will never escape the 10 lb link chain around its neck.

‘Let your dog sniff the flowers’? We need a sign for that?

‘Control your dog with a 10 lb link chain’? Vicious Froufrou might go wild!

Text of a Chicago ‘nuisance’ ordinance fills the bottom of the sign:

“An ordinance prohibits dogs to be permitted to run at large or to commit any nuisance upon any sidewalk, parkway or public park. Ordinance Sec 30-7-2”

‘Don’t poop on the grass’?  Could be… but where is Froufrou going to go?

‘Make your dog poop in the gutter’?  What, in a park??

‘Clean up after your dog’? Well, if you read it into the text… maybe.

It’s not enough to state, ‘well of course they mean…‘ – because there are three or four different meanings of Curb Your Dog in common usage. Using the google, it’s easy to find them.

There’s the original meaning (to cause to keep near the curb: Curb your dog.) – ‘do it in the road’:

Here: There is also the gentle reminder to, “Curb your dog!” meaning “Please have your dog do its business at the side of the road.”

Here: To lead (a dog) off the sidewalk into the gutter so that it can excrete waste.

Here: There are signs everywhere with the request, “Curb your dog.” It means that owners cannot allow their pets to soil buildings, nor can a dog make a nuisance of himself on the grass of the parkway or on the sidewalk.

Here: Existing city law literally prohibits pet owners from permitting dogs to defecate on any public property; however, in the past this law has been interpreted to mean that defecating dogs should be “curbed” – kept off the sidewalk – and even this interpretation has not been rigorously enforced.

Here: It also commands the owner to “curb” his dog, which means that the performance so crucial in the life of every dog owner must take place in the gutter and not on the sidewalk.

Here: Dogs can be trained at an early age to go on the curb, but there is no guarantee that they are always going to make it. More important: forcing a dog off the sidewalk and into oncoming traffic can be very dangerous, needless to say.

There’s a second meaning that’s consistent with common usage of the word ‘curb’ (to control as with a curb; restrain; check) – ‘control your dog’:

Here: The term “Curb Your Dog” basically has two meanings. One meaning is to keep your dog under control and out of trouble … ie; keep your dog leashed and/or confine to your property as to keep them from causing trouble for others.

Here: I asked the John to curb his dog so it didn’t get hurt by the grate or knock me over. John curbed his dog a little but the Jaxon was so anxious that he was uncontrollable.

Here: He has been asked several times to please leash and curb his dog.

There’s a final meaning, this one is a ‘secret code’ – ‘Pick up after your dog’:

Here: It also means to pick up your dog’s poo when they are out of your property … EX: while on walks and/or at the local park you should carry plastic bags and watch for when and where your dog takes a crap and clean it up!

Here: There are several dog owners in our community and several “curb” or clean up after their pets.

Here: I ask her–in a polite tone through the gate, to please curb her dog.  She tells me in such an emphatic tone “I AM picking it up!”.

There are also anomalous meanings – usages that are unclear on any concept – for example:

If “curb your dog” means to prevent your dog from defecating on the sidewalk or grass, then what does “do not curb your dog” mean? Should we force our dogs to defecate on their lawn? (And, while we’re at it, any dogs that wander past while we’re there?) Or is this mysterious sign the work of the Anti-Animal-Constipation League, telling us that it’s allowed (but not required) for our pets to relieve themselves there?

Ha ha ha!  So ‘Curb your dog’ is understood by some to mean: ‘Poo your dog’!

Yikes.

Our guess is that the Dearborn Park I sign means ‘do it in the road, anywhere but here‘, and it seems to be a legitimate request that should be respected.

And our guess is that the Chicago Park District sign, even though it reads ‘no nuisance on any sidewalk, parkway or public park’, means ‘pick up after your dog‘ – clearly, doing it in the road in the park makes no sense.

But these usages raise some questions.  Do we really want dogs to leave their poo at the ‘curb’?  Is dog poo left in the road really going to be OK?  Maybe let the rain wash it away or wait for the street cleaners to come by…?

Most people probably would prefer not to step in poo to get to their car.

?

If we are to pick it up, why use what is clearly an ambiguous code for ‘pick up your after your dog’ (e.g. in the parks) instead of something more direct.

Like ‘When your dog poops, pick it up’. Like ‘if you own a dog in the city, you pick up its poo’.

The message of ‘Curb your Dog’ is: We’re afraid of poo. We’re afraid to say poo.

But if we’re ‘afraid of poo’, then the failure to pick up by some dog owners is completely understandable.  They’re not a@*h#les. No, they’re just like us. Afraid and uncomfortable talking about, much less picking up, poo.

One of the arguments of this site is that we can change this.

A first step is to be grown-up about what we’re asking.  Use direct and honest language – and make it clear that if you own dogs in the city, you agree to pick up their poo.

Our signage should reflect this.

‘Curb your Dog’ should go.

06
Apr
10

little dog, big dog – fresh ‘works’

Our ‘little dog’ friends have so carefully placed this fresh one amongst the stones!

Froufrou is a true artiste.

And, our ‘big dog’ friends have artfully placed this one so that it can ruin some kid’s day at the park!

Well done Champ, thanks for your massive contribution.  Looks like the poo flaggers got to it first.

05
Apr
10

Nicely ‘Curbed’ poos age gracefully along Wabash

Some nicely ‘Curbed’ poos are aging gracefully in the sun:

These look positively organic.

20
Mar
10

there’s a book for that


this is a book for aficianados.  the story of pooper scooper law in NYC told in Michael Brandow’s “New Yorks Poop Scoop Law: Dogs, the Dirt, and Due Process” is actually pretty interesting. it’s important for those of us working on this issue, I think, to be aware of the historical narrative. there were no pick up laws before the 70’s. change doesn’t not happen just because people are a@&$?/!s. there are legitimate differing social and personal perspectives on poo.  it can be a slow transition to the modern age. 🙂

18
Mar
10

Coliseum Park DPFA never disappoints

dog poo friendly area, indeed!

a hearty welcome to your fellow dog owners…

many thanks to the ‘poo angels’ who try to keep this place clean.

12
Mar
10

‘Froufrou’ couldn’t make it to the ‘Curb’ on time!

Another sidewalk poo – at the corner of a building at Clark & 19th a few weeks ago.

11
Mar
10

An interesting paper about poo

There’s an interesting paper available on the tubes: ‘Dealing with Dog Waste in Vancouver Parks’.  It’s well-written, thoughtful and well worth reading for the issues that it raises, issues that we can hope someday to be able to address here, too. (Things like disposal, and composting.)

For now, the dog waste issue may be too polarized in the South Loop to allow sober discussion.  Too bad. But there’s information in the paper that’s worth highlighting.

First is the adult (read ‘Canadian’?) discussion of the social and environmental impacts of uncollected dog waste that serves as the introduction.

It’s worth quoting a few paragraphs:

Dog waste left in public spaces also contributes to conflicts between those park users with and those without dogs. It also undermines public support for off-leash park designation, since off-leash dogs are perceived to be more likely to leave waste in parkland, as their owners may not see their pet’s feces–or feel as responsible for cleaning them up- when their pet is not close at hand.

Dog owners who knowingly leave their pets’ waste in public areas reduce the usability of parks for all. This behavior exacerbates the perception of some non-dog owners that permitting dogs in parks will necessarily result in uncollected dog waste. It also undermines the efforts of the vast majority of dog owners who do clean up after their pets.

Conflicts arising from uncollected dog waste detract from the reality that dogs are very important in our society. For people of all ages, dogs provide an irreplaceable source of companionship, affection and fulfillment. Dog ownership throughout North America continues to grow. Addressing the issue of uncollected dog waste is key to achieving greater public understanding and appreciation of the place that dogs now have in our society.

Exactly.

Second, there’s a summary of actual survey data about cleaning up after dogs.  This provides a useful baseline for thinking about the problem here, and ‘what is to be done’.  For example:

Maryland (HGIC, 1996)

  • 62% always cleaned up after the dog; 23% sometimes; 15% never.

Washington (Hardwick, 1997)

  • 69% claimed that they cleaned up after the dog; 31% do not pick up.

Chesapeake Bay (Swann, 1999)

  • 59% of dog walkers clean up most/all of the time; 41% cleanup never or rarely. Of those who never or rarely clean up, 44% would not cleanup even with fine, complaints, or improved sanitary collection or
    disposal methods. (!?!)

Only ~60-70 % ?!?!

The fraction in the South Loop who pick up after their pups must be greater than that!  But, is it?

Finally, there’s a list of surveyed ‘Reasons for not picking it up’:

  • because it eventually goes away
  • just because
  • too much work
  • on edge of my property
  • it’s in my yard
  • it’s in the woods
  • not prepared
  • no reason
  • small dog, small waste
  • use as fertilizer
  • sanitary reasons

Respond to that!

We’ve heard a lot of these ‘reasons’ before (‘teacuppers’!).  They provide a focus for addressing the issue here in the South Loop.

19
Feb
10

What are we going to do about winter poo?

It seems that some in our community aren’t picking up after their dogs.

  • ‘it’s biodegradable’
  • ‘it’s really small’
  • ‘the rabbits and coyotes leave their poo, why can’t we?’
  • ‘ewww’
  • ‘nobody will notice’

… but that’s not going to cut it in an urban environment, and in the winter, particularly, ‘orphan dog poo’ becomes a real nuisance and a flash point for resistance to coexistence with dogs in the South Loop.

What are we going to do about it?

Contribute your ideas in Comments.

15
Feb
10

Cottontail Park Teacupper

A well-fed teacupper on the snow in Cottontail Park.

04
Feb
10

A quiet couple of days…

It’s been a quiet couple of days for dog poo in the neighborhood, at least around us. Good news, I suppose!

24
Jan
10

it was a bad day for city sidewalks

man, are these are some huge sidewalk poos!

the first is on Clark St just north of 15th:

the second in the middle of Dearborn park:

WTF?   these are by no means overlooked ‘orphan poos’.

aren’t these our neighbors taking a big ‘ol fart in the faces of the people around them?

or were they out-of-towners?

or alienated big-city youth?

or timid and shy ‘i can’t pick that up!’ poo cowards?

hmm… 🙂

20
Jan
10

Fresh poo at coliseum park DFA!

Some fresh poo at coliseum park DFA this evening! I wonder whose??

15
Jan
10

teacup poo

teacup poo at cottontail park.

thanks, ‘teacupper‘!

04
Jan
10

The rain of poo

03
Jan
10

The one that started it all

In the courtyard area of the Burnham Station townhomes on 15th St.

03
Jan
10

Who left that dog poo?

This is a proposal for a site to track, report, and find the perps leaving dog poo around the South Loop of Chicago.

I imagine that contributors (who are known and registered), and the public (who are not registered), could report ‘orphan poos’ as posts or as comments, respectively.  Contributors could take advantage of the iPhone WordPress app to report sitings ‘on scene’.

Comments will be moderated, so offensive messages can be headed off before they show up online. Similarly, administrators will be able to revise and/or clean up unfortunate wording in posts.

We will be able to add a map plugin to keep a visual record of the reports.  Follow up observation and/or speculations can be made in the comments.

We will also be able to provide pointers to the location of dog bag dispensers (although this program is still a disaster – perhaps things will improve in the coming year) and appropriate trash receptacles.

Any ideas, add them in the comments!