To Dog Walkers Everywhere...

Let me begin my stating, I have nothing against dogs.  I have nothing against dog owners.  I had dogs my entire childhood and loved them.  I love that people take their dogs for walks - it's being a responsible pet owner.  BUT, I do not love your dog's poop.  Yes, this post is about poop, so before you read any further, don't say I didn't warn you.

I run every day.  I run at Lake Murray where there is a nice, big trail - the equivalent of two road lanes.  My fellow lake goers include bike riders, runners, walkers, skaters, lots of mom's with strollers, people young and old - and obviously said dog walkers.  Again, NO issue with the dog walkers, except when I have to dart to and fro, often in abrupt movements to avoid running across dog poo.  I am very cautious of where I'm going.  I see many responsible dog owners with their plastic bags to clean up after their dog's business.  The main thing I don't understand is this - if your dog has to go potty, why not take him to the side of the road, by the grass and dirt and allow them to do it there?  I'm sure it's not that big of an emergency that you can't maneuver them to the side, so as not to block the path where people have weave in and out to run around you and your dog, despite that fact that you are letting your dog go in the middle of the road!  

I see this often, and I don't let it get me worked up.  Actually, I don't really think too much about it - that is, until today.  As I was running, I seemingly did not notice the poo in the road.  And not just any poo - fresh, gooey, runny poo.  I did, however, quickly discover it as it splattered all over my stroller, all over my legs and IN my shoe.  Thanks.  Thanks a lot.  Not only was I only halfway done with my run, but there was nothing I could do.  I didn't have a wipe or anything to clean my legs and stroller with.  I did have to interrupt my run, pulling over to the side and attempting to clean my leg off with some dry leaves.  Not incredibly successful.  My only choice was to keep going and clean up later.  What's worse is it continued to splatter from the tires and onto my legs as I ran back.  Sick.  Sick, Sick, Sick, Sick.

To my dismay, I did not have any napkins in my car and it so happened I had used all the baby wipes from my bag earlier that morning.  So, I went to the lake, took my shoes off and cleaned off there.  

So if you haven't figured it out, the moral of the story is - don't let your dog poop in the middle of the road.  Please, considerately move to the side so people don't have to be splattered in your dog's mess.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Melissa

p.s.  Despite my not so fun experience, I still had something to be thankful for today.  Scroll down to see my 30 Days of Thankfulness Post :)

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