Monday, November 09, 2009

Minefield Grass

So after a weekend of geekness (and making sure that if by any chance I ever need to reimport my contacts to the iPhone, that it will be swift and easy) and also of putting up with a cold, here I am again with a fresh rant. And credit for this actually goes to my dad, for reminding me of one of the things we both hate.

Thing is, I like walks. I can be a slouch, but in spite of everything, I enjoy walking around. And, mostly, I enjoy having decent conversations with people while doing walks. I like to walk on the beach or in a grassy field, taking in that sweet nature freshness, feeling it fill my lungs.

What I simply hate is when fresh air is replaced by the odor of fresh poop, accompanied by a nice *splat* on my shoe. Oh, that's right... today's rant is about doggy poop. Yummy!

Around my neighborhood, we have a lot of green spaces. It's one of the things that distinguishes it (along with all the buildings looking like bars of soap) and is one of the things I love about where I live. When I'm pissed, I can usually just go for a walk and it helps a lot. The only problem is that it is being constantly filled up with dog crap, to the point where it almost feels like you are walking in a mine field if you are brave enough to walk directly on grass. Hence, the entry title.

Now, my rant is not about the animals. While I've actually come face to face with some animals that are smart to the point they're actually scary, I assume that personal hygiene and social standards are not exactly on top of their priorities. Especially considering we're talking about cross-species social standards.

This said, I consider there are two kinds of dog-owners: The first type is the type that has a certain respect for others. They might not have a designated area where to take the animals, but at least they try to find out-of-the-way areas where a little whiz or the occasional crap won't bother so much (added bonus would be if you actually picked up the crap, but hey, I can live with a dump of poop that I don't have to see or smell every single time I go out on the street).

My rant is about the actual idiots (the second type of dog-owner) who own the dogs and just take them wherever so the animal can satisfy their need... even if it's the frikkin' sidewalk!! It's about the disrespectful SOBs that are happily reading their newspaper while their dog takes a dump in the place where a kid might very well fall down into (nothing like being 2 years old and having your face full of dog crap, huh? Builds character!). I actually found a person taking her dog for a walk in the frikkin' basement and having it pee all over the garage doors. I mean... what the hell??

I mean, I get it. It's nasty to get a plastic bag and picking up dog crap. It's warm, it's gooey... it's unpleasant. And I'm not one to follow all social norms, either. But come on, people... we're talking about basic common sense and respect for one another. Do you let your newborn kids take craps anywhere inside the house? Or would you like people to come to your home with their kids so they can poop wherever they want?

When I went to Finland, they had these little parks where people could take their dogs and clean up after them... which they did. Here in Portugal, we don't have these parks... and people don't clean up after the animals. They just... don't care.

Talking to them doesn't help either... because they either ignore you, they just don't care or, worse still, they reply in a "what are you going to do about it" fashion.

Here's to me resisting the urge to, next time I find someone reading their newspaper while the dog is taking a dump, shove their face in that dog poop.

I'll see you around! ;)
Kiauze

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