I have something to get off my chest.
Or rather, I have something to scrape off the bottom of my shoe.
The other day I was rushing to a doctor’s appointment, holding one kid by the hand, pushchair in the other when… squelch.
I rolled into not one, not two, but FOUR steaming lumps of dog poo.
Fuming, and already late, I had no choice but to stop and clean off the mess.
As I scrubbed away furiously with baby wipes, it struck me. Why the hell was I doing somebody else’s dirty work?
I mean, what would happen if I threw a crappy nappy on the street? Better yet, what if I let my baby dump right onto the pavement and strolled on by?
What if a guerilla group of mums and dads emptied their babies nappies all over the city?
It would make the evening news. There would be national outrage.
One of the first things you learn as a parent is how to deal with the crap your little life throws at you. Becoming responsible for another being means taking care of business, even if that business stinks.
Take Care of Your Shit!
We live in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. But the poop piling up in our neighbourhoods is unsightly, unhealthy and totally unacceptable!
If we don’t act now, by 2012 hurdling doggy do could become an Olympic sport.
Babes about Town took an informal poll of locals, from cyclists and the elderly to school kids and mums on the run.
One mum’s baby crawled through so much shit that she had to stop going to the park until he learned to walk.
The word on the streets? Let’s get the turd off our streets.
For the record, we have nothing against dogs. We love our furry friends (and we’re quite fond of most of their owners). But we have everything against those who leave the poop unscooped.
It is not ok to shit and run. We repeat, it is never ok to shit and run.
Londoners of the world, unite! We are calling on all those who live or have ever lived in London, all visitors and true fans of our fair city, to join our campaign:
Londoners Against Street Shit Internet Exchange
Acronym: LASSIE
LASSIE needs your barks, or this campaign will have no bite.
If you are tired of stepping over street filth, if you are done with dodging the do, if you have had enough of this crap, if you have had to toss away one shoe too many and are hopping mad… let LASSIE hear your voice!
Sign our blog petition by leaving a comment on this post.
Pass this message on to 10 of your friends and get them to sign.
If you are on Twitter, retweet this post.
Let’s use the power of social media to make our voices heard and to declare WAR ON DOG TURD in our neighbourhoods.
With enough people on board, we can send this message straight to the top (that’s you, Mr. Johnson).
We can make this street shit STOP.
Photo credit: Rick Cummings (Flickr)
Thanks Mhe-Lhanee, it really is turning into a ridiculous issue around where I live (and apparently in other parts too). We need action!
LOL Ms BabyPlan, well our LASSIE will be well-behaved unless we don’t see some change. And then we’ll show our teeth! ;-)
Stopping in from SITS – It’s definitely irksome – as a responsible dog owner I hate when someone else’s inconsiderate actions (or lack thereof) make us all look bad. I’m sure that you feel the same wa when someone else chooses to let their child throw food in a restaurant, draw on the office walls (no more take you kid to work day), or throw a diaper in the toilet… There are bad apples in every barrel
OH my sentiments exactly!! My husband prides himself on having taken the best photograph ever. It is a photo he took whilst out for a morning stroll with our sweet girl. He rolled on by a steaming doggy deuce on the street and paused when he saw a note lying next to it. It was written in wildly furious strokes and terrible spelling. But it got the message across. It read:
Hey asshole, cleen up your dog shit or I’m going to bet your ass. I know were you live.
Waaahhhaaaaahhaaa!!! But, seriously. PICK UP THE SHIT.
Hi Shayna, I’m pleased to hear from responsible dog owners, we especially need your support on this. And trust me, if there were as many diapers thrown in the toilet as there are doggy don’ts on the street here, we’d have some serious toilet rage going on nationwide!
LOL that’s pretty funny, Momsicle Vibe, I’m sensing more people might resort to guerilla tactics soon. Thanks for adding your voice!
I can’t agree enough with this campaign…. You know I am tempted to keep a weeks worth of nappies and dump them on Islington Council every week until someone in the council starts to get themselves into gear on this… I’m sure the Evening Standard would happily photograph. I used to live in Brent (Queens Park), and the streets there were spotless in comparison to the Islington area. It is disgusting and thoughtless and as much as I love dogs (I grew up with 4!), I do think that if people can’t be responsible then their animals should be removed from them. As you rightly say, Uju, if we let our toddlers poo on the streets we’d have people yelling left, right and centre. Perhaps we need to campaign dear old Boris with this one… If he wants the Conservatives in then, as far as I’m concerned this would be one election promise I’d vote for! …. Rant over. X
Hi Esther, very glad to have you on board and thanks so much for weighing in on this campaign. I do think we can take this all the way to the Mayor’s office since local councils can’t seem to get their acts together and clean up!
I totally agree with this campaign, and whatever you intent to do, I’ ll support you. Nothing has a greater capacity to ruin your day than getting dog poo on your shoes. For me it is unpleasant and anti-social. I think clearing up after your dog shows how much you care for your environnement. It is not hard to be a good citizen and a nice human being.
Hi Nadj, thanks for your support, I’m so very glad you left this comment. You’re right, dog poo is totally anti-social and those owners should get ASBOs for a start! Please spread the word about the campaign!
Hello from SITS!
I agree with this post. I think it’s selfish of dog owners not to clean up after their pet. If see someone letting their pet take a dump without cleaning it up, throw a dirty diaper their way! ;)
Hooray!!!!
“It is never okay to shit and run!”
I have two dogs, and even with a toddler in tow, I still find the time (and the extra hand) to pull that plastic bag out of my back pocket and scoop the shit!
The worst is when my son picks up “rocks” to play with… yuck.
I totally support this campaign. Irresponsible dog owners should get an ASBO, they know the anger and filth they are causing that is why they walk their dogs away from their own door step. Worse still some allow their dogs to Sh*t in Childrens play grounds and just leave it there or worse still cover it up. My friend was playing with her child in Crystal Palace park sand pit and stepped in Dog Sh*t. UnBelievable!!
I say “PICK UP YOUR SH*IT!!” it’s onl fair!
Hi there,
Totally agree with this but what about horse poo. Why is it acceptable for horses to poo all over the streets?
Cheers
Hi Frankie, you are absolutely right! The horse filth is even worse when it happens as it takes up so much room. This is a campaign against all street doo doo. Thanks for adding your voice!
I am SO with you. A great idea. We live on a Peabody Estate and the level of dog shit is unacceptable. The estate is full of children but nothing is done to clear it up. However, if a car gets slightly dented by a children’s ball we all get rude letters. It seems completely out of line with the reality. I made A4 posters, doctoring an article in The Sun, which writes about the damage dog shit can do to children. Do you want a copy of it? I’m sure I can dig it out. Do I sound obsessed? I am a bit. Wish I was obsessed with something a bit more glamorous.
Hey Claire, great to hear from you, sorry about what’s going on in your area. You sound like a fine person to have on board the LASSIE campaign. I’ve been noticing more and more of it in the neighbourhood recently -probably the warmer weather, more dogs out longer – and some local mums and I have been thinking up more striking ways to draw attention to this problem. I’d love a copy of your poster and any other ideas you have. Think I’ll write another post soon. A luta continua! ;-)
Hi Uju…
Did you have any success with this campaign? My no.1 son has reached the age where it has become a real problem for us at this end of town… have tried Hackney Council with very little success . Our local park is disgusting and can’t even let him out for a run around!
Hi I was chatting with another mum about how we need to revitalise the campaign and get more active members on board pushing for maybe tougher fines, definitely more action. It’s out of control! Let’s discuss more and make a plan!