One of those things I never imagined I'd be doing (willingly) is poo patrol. I've been reminiscing about my dog lately and, while I still miss his hairy snout and bad breath, I don't really miss picking up his warm "souvenirs" from our walks. When Shadow was still around, it became my job to walk him every day to take care of business. Twice a day - early in the morning before 0600 and again after I got home from work (and occasionally one more on weekends). Every time he never was at a loss for a contribution to the flora & fauna of the neighborhood. Of course, I tried to be a good neighbor and pick up his souvenirs (if possible), although there was one snarky (aka smart ass) neighbor who I was not quite so diligent on the retrieval process in his yard (I know, I'm gonna burn for that). Picking up poo is not something we did in our youth. Back in the 70s, our old dog (Peanuts) had the run of the neighborhood and we never gave it any thought to retrieving his contributions. It was when I got Shadow that somehow the responsibility gene kicked in and I began to take care of this detail. Even got special bags/implements to handle the process, but it still was a nasty process. I find it funny that, in my youth, I would have gagged over the prospect of this chore. But after having a child and handling a multitude of diaper episodes (I won't regale you with the diaper incident in the Summer of '88), I have learned to deal with a lot of things that would make a person gag/faint. In comparison, picking up dog poo was a walk in the park.
Now why am I reminiscing about this crap? I am still walking the block every day and last night I was contemplating how nice it was not to have to pick up doggy droppings (although, I would gladly do it again if he were still here).
Always drink upstream from the herd...
4 comments:
nope not gonna do it. ever. guess it's another reason i live in the country. i mean come on. it's not like littering, it's biodegradable!
We lived in the boonies before we lived here in the scary suburbs. I never picked up poo before 5 years ago. Sometimes I almost feel guilty picking it up right after the dog has placed it "just so".
As much as I miss my dog, poo patrol is the one thing I don't miss. Picture snowy Minnesota winters. It's impossible to see where all those deposits end up over the winter. It was kind of nice when some of the snow melted recently to realize the yard was not dotted with poo.
nonna -absolutely true! I used to (and still have) the same outlook. It is just that some neighbors will give you the evil eye if you don't take care of your dog's duty.
Abby - ditto. Some are almost a work of art. Of course it is not as muc fun when he's got the runs.
terri - just like having your own personal landmines.
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